<p>OH!!! I saw a promo for a Giada dish: Lots of fresh veggies on a “bed” of tomatoes…olive oil, salt and pepper…baked. Looked fantastic in the promo. I imagine that they could be served alone, with pasta, or on bread, with cheese and melted…</p>
<p>ellebud, that veggie dish sounds delicious. I’m tempted to make this for diner.</p>
<p>Yes, yes, yes on the salads, veggies and fruit! Families pressed for time end up eating less veggies and fruit, because it takes more time to shop for fresh produce and wash, cut, and prepare it than, let’s say, to make a pot of spaghetti.</p>
<p>I’m going to try it too: probably use squash(es), carrots, asparagus, with…some thyme…and a sidedish will be created. (I presteam the carrots in the micro…about two minutes)…and then the rest will follow.</p>
<p>One other suggestion. My friend loves and appreciates all of the people that bring meals but misses the smell of cooking in her house. So, on good days, when she feels well enough for a visit, I will bring the ingredients over to her house and cook the meal there. The smell of cooking makes her feel good and we talk while I chop vegetables. It makes her feel as if she is a part of the meal preparation for her family (and she is, since she always manages to direct it somehow 
) </p>
<p>Soup is a good choice if you do this since it fills the house with a delicious smell.</p>
<p>A weekend idea-- If you are grilling for your family it is just as easy to throw two or three pork tenderloins on the grill as one. They are good hot, cold or room temp, with potatoes or in tortillas. Very versatile and easy to do. I like to use Penzey’s Galena Street Rub on them.</p>
<p>EPTR: I reread your post: You have been making meals for your friend for SEVEN years! What a wonderful (and giving) person you and all the neighbors are. Making dinner 5 times a week gets old…but your group is flat out amazing. I am in awe.</p>
<p>And for the suggestions above, whether for a person who is ailing, or just as a neighborhood potluck…there are some wonderful ideas here.</p>
<p>EPTR - oh, my heavens! How wonderful and faithful your group has been.</p>
<p>When I broke my leg, someone brought a fruit salad - at this time of the year there are so many fruits in season and fruit can be used at breakfast, lunch and dinner. </p>
<p>DH is a vegetarian, I eat fish but if I were feeding “normal” people I would bring turkey breast that had been cooked and sliced (they can freeze or use leftovers for sandwiches), roasted potatoes, and the big fruit salad. </p>
<p>I also would think about a large salad, roasted potatoes, and a nice grilled salmon. Once again, the leftovers could be used for lunch.</p>
<p>ellebud’s comment that " Making dinner 5 times a week gets old…" reminded me of this article-- [Saving</a> Time and Stress With Cooking Co-ops - NYTimes.com](<a href=“Saving Time and Stress With Cooking Co-ops - The New York Times”>Saving Time and Stress With Cooking Co-ops - The New York Times) which some of you might enjoy.</p>
<p>I have arranged the food circle of love for a friend with cancer. And I will tell you----bringing over a bunch of BBQ ribs right after they were cooked is a great idea (or grilled anything for that matter!). A lot of these meals do tend to be casserole types. But even if it takes a bit more planning on your part (preparation and contacting the recipient for delivery info!) the receiving family is always grateful for the extra effort to do make a fresh meal of the non-casserole type!</p>
<p>ilovedcollege: As a former reciepient of dinners I cannot tell you (and other giving angels) how much my family and I appreciated food, effort and the normalcy that a real dinner made to us. I remember sobbing to an acquaintance how I couldn’t get the energy to make dinner. Two hours later, a chicken dinner appeared.</p>
<p>I have tried to pass it on. But to those who do the cooking and delivering: You have no idea how appreciated the food delivery.</p>
<p>1moremom…I thought of the exact same thing. I “flirted” with getting this started in my wonderful group of neighbors a few years ago, but it never really made it happen, altho everyone agreed it was a wonderful idea. Maybe I will resurrect it, using some of the terrific ideas on this thread!</p>
<p>Okay. Thanks for the compliments but I’m not as giving as you think I am:) I got the group started seven years ago for my friend but the management of it has changed hands several times. Since then I have gone back to work full-time and it became impossible to handle. Not to mention that organization and delegation are not my strongest traits. It is still going strong though, thanks to a wonderful woman who handles it now. My role lately has been to bring the ingredients to her house and cook with her daughter while visiting with my friend. Her daughter loves to cook and it fills the house with those great cooking smells that my friend misses.</p>
<p>Another helpful resource for a care group is a book called “Share the Care”. It outlines effective ways to organize a community around a family or individual crises. We used it in the beginning of our involvement.</p>
<p>After my first child was born (the one who is now about to be a college junior), a friend brought us a wonderful dinner of grilled salmon, wild rice, and salad. It was just cooked and came straight from her oven to our door. I still remember how wonderful that meal was. Thinking beyond casseroles is a good tip…</p>
<p>Yes you are. And we will leave it at that. :)</p>
<p>To all the responders to this thread: You are all very nice people. </p>
<p>You have no idea as to the help and consideration to the children of the elderly who happen to live far away. Money can’t solve everything and to a special few people who have help us SO much recently; THANK YOU!</p>
<p>^^We could do a “Do you live near my folks?” thread similar to the parents near colleges thread some time back. </p>
<p>That old saying, “many hands make light work” is so true.</p>
<p>We have a GF whose cancer treatment began in October and just ended. There are 6 or 7 of us and we cook meals 2X a week. Sometimes she feels like eating – other times, not. Disposable containers are a great idea – one less thing she has to worry about. My GF is diabetic so it’s even more of a challenge to have fewer carbs and sugar.</p>
<p>I try to always give her:
– Homemade soup either hot in winter (broccoli) or cold (cucumber) in summer
– Lettuce in a bag along with salad dressing
– Couscous, pasta, fried rice (Trader Joe’s), sweet potatoes, or fresh corn on the cob
– Entree – turkey meatloaf, vegetarian chili, ratatouille, salmon, rotisserie chicken
from the store
– Cut up fruit either fresh or from the store bar
– A few cookies or something for her hubby.</p>
<p>I am an empty nester so it’s easier for me to do this. Plus she’s an empty nester so am only cooking dinner for 2. We prefer to provide enough for 2 dinners.</p>
<p>TJ’s Fried Rice…chicken or veggie (I prefer the veggie, we are not vegetarians btw)…not fried, tastes like it…heaven.</p>