<p>The summer bounty thread got me thinking. We have neighbor who will have surgery on Monday and will have a long recovery. I am getting the neighbors together to set up a schedule for meals and other things the family will need.</p>
<p>Soooo, what ideas do you have for quick, healthful meals that will appeal to teens and adults? There will be two teens and three adults ( at least) in and out of the house. The best meals I have received involved little prep and little clean-up.</p>
<p>I know that there are other threads covering this, but thought I would start a fresh summer one.</p>
<p>When my mom was in and out of the hospital for cancer, the best things were casserole-type dishes that could just be baked and eaten, or reheated. Things like:
-lasagna
-enchiladas
-spaghetti
-noodles and chicken
-veggie casseroles (zucchini pie, etc.)</p>
<p>I also think it’d be great to do a couple of ‘make your own taco/nachos’ type of thing. Include precooked chicken, tortillas, chips, salsa, shredded cheese, stuff like that.</p>
<p>A ham goes a long way and can be a lot of meals: ham and scrambled eggs for breakfast, ham sandwich, etc. The inital meal could be a dinner with sides, and sandwich bread if you like.</p>
<p>Any baked pasta (ie lasagna, baked penne) is nice, especially if you baked it so it just needs heating in the micro (or walk over with the hot meal). Depends on how hot it is in your area right now.</p>
<p>Baked potato bar is good, too. Bake potatos will stay warm a long time in a cooler. Include chili, cheese, sour cream etc for potato fixings.</p>
<p>You really are wonderful for doing this, and I hope your neighbor has a smooth recovery.</p>
<p>I don’t know about healthful, but last summer for a coworker who had just had a baby but had her parents in from out of town I made pulled pork (super easy in the crockpot) and homemade sauerkraut, and included rolls, pickles, and watermelon. It was a huge hit. I try hard not to give people casseroles that need to be reheated in the oven during the summer.</p>
<p>I always like to bring a quiche…it can be eaten hot or cold, and it’s good for any meal. I also like to bring a fruit salad, and often some good bread or rolls.</p>
<p>I like the quiche idea. Something to consider is to bring a bag or two of meslcun or other salad green that does not require washing and a bottle of salad dressing. All they have to do is rip open a bag, dump it in a bowl, and dress it. You could supplement this with some things like a container of cherry tomatoes, presliced peppers, etc. A steady diet of casseroles gets awfully starchy, and salad is an easy fresh vegetable. In the winter I favor bringing frozen containers of soup that can be microwaved at will. I use multiple 4-cup containers so that the quantity can be easily adjusted.</p>
<p>DW and I have been on the receiving end a couple of time. EVERYTHING was appreciated … lasagna, casserole, mac & cheese, vegetable plate, fruit basket, etc. BUT not every family eats everything. I’d call and ask what kinds of foods the family will eat fresh-cooked … and what they will eat as left-overs. (Some people in my family won’t eat left-overs. Buy them a 10-lb spiral ham and 9-lbs goes in the trash. Ugh.) A low-carb lactose-intolerant family won’t have much use for scalloped potatoes!</p>
<p>How about a large salad with a variety of toppings- chicken, cheese, veggies? </p>
<p>I have several friends who were recipients of meals at one time or another. Most said that they got very tired of lasagna and pasta, since most people made it for them. They were all very happy when I would bring chicken marsala, a nice salad, and dessert.</p>
<p>This time of year, a ratatouille can be great. It can be served hot or cold, put on pasta or baguette with melted cheese. It keeps a few days and improves with time. Best to the family.</p>
<p>A wonderful site for coordinating everything, with input from the family.</p>
<p>Speaking as a family who went through a long hospitalization period (180 miles from home, 1 parent there, one parent at home) an overlooked meal is breakfast. Someone made us a bunch of breakfast muffins, sandwiches, and mini quiches, which we could label and freeze and nuke as needed. When we had grandparents doing the caregiving, it really helped get the non-hospitalized child to school on time. </p>
<p>Make sure all the dishes are completely disposable. The problem of returning things, multiplied by 5 or 6 helpful people a week, adds up to a real pain.</p>
<p>I have a lot of experience with this and, rather than give you food ides, I’ll share a few logistical tips. </p>
<p>Ask those who are doing the cooking to use disposable pans, ziplocs, etc. If they must use real dishes, ask them to label the bottom with a sharpie pen.</p>
<p>Put a cooler on the family’s deck or near their back door and keep it packed with ice packs. That way, neighbors can drop off meals without disturbing the family, if need be.</p>
<p>Avoid lasagna. It is the go-to meal for a lot of caring friends but it gets old fast.</p>
<p>Make sure none of the family have any food allergies.</p>
<p>If it is going to be a lengthy recovery and you are organizing meals for an extended time, look up a website called Lotsa Helping Hands. It can be used to organize tasks and volunteers for people who are ill.</p>
<p>One easy way to bring a salad is to make it in a large baggie and all they will need to do is add dressing and shake. They can pour the salad into bowls right from the bag. No mess/ no clean-up. I also favor, crudit</p>
<p>I do this: add a 15 oz can tomatoes; cover the whole thing with foil so it doesn’t get dry; use a lb of pasta; shredded mozzarella vs. the whole kind. Read the reviews – they have all the tips you need. </p>
<p>H’s father is in the hospital, nearing the end. I said “why don’t I make that baked ziti and you can bring it over?” and he was ecstatic. It’s a win win win.</p>
<p>Being on the receiving end of the generosity of friends & neighbors we enjoyed all their meals but some of our favorites were croissant sandwiches of ham, turkey & roast beef with fruit salad, a veggie salad and a dessert, grilled chicken - we used it with the first meal with a potato dish then on salads and in wraps. A great taste of summer. I was just relieved my family was being taken care of. They will be too.</p>
<p>Healthy meals are wonderful but I would also include some homemade cookies, and brownies…or other snack foods that the kids can either eat when they get home from school or pack in their lunches. When I have done this, I’ve divided the batches up and put them in either freezer bags or containers in smaller amounts.</p>
<p>Drop off a couple of laundry bags with a meal. Ask the family to put dirty clothes in the bag, collect it when dropping off the next meal, return clean/folded clothes with another meal in a couple of days. Especially nice when neighbors work together–one can do the laundry and take the ‘clean’ bag to the neighbor who takes the next meal…</p>
<p>Consider taking hamburger patties, chicken breasts and other ready-to-grill meats that can be frozen and then thawed as needed. Take fresh veggies in those keen microwave bags. Even the teens can throw meat on the grill and zap the veggies with ease.</p>
<p>I second the breakfast suggestions–Don’t overlook that all-important meal–muffins, cereal, milk, eggs. </p>
<p>Soups are another good thing to have on hand. I remember coming home from the hospital when my mom was hospitalized, exhausted, and enjoying a bowl of soup before crawling into bed…Also freezes well…</p>