Meal that keeps?

[erbear]

A friend was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She accepted my offer to bring over dinner once a week for a bit following her surgery and says they “eat anything”. What would you make that keeps ok if she wants to freeze it?

[katb]

Meatball sub kits - have the rolls in a bag, meatballs in sauce in one bag, and cheese in another. Put in a big freezer bag. OR you can make the subs and they can be frozen - the bread just isn't as crisp but still doable

I make a whole bunch of dump meals and lot of them are pasta and protein based - think chicken tetrazzini, broccoli-cheese-rice-chicken casserole, pasta gorgonzola bake, baked ziti with sausage, etc. These can be eaten right away or frozen. Then they can be reheated in crockpot, stove top, oven or microwave.

Taco meat or spaghetti sauce with the fixings is great and any extra can be frozen for another meal

[DotAndBuzz]

I'm so sorry.

This is one of my go-to's, since it can be served in a number of ways (nachos, salad, tacos, burrito, bowl, etc), and you can bring the extras/sides so everyone can have something they like. It makes a lot, and the chicken freezes really well.

slow cooker chicken tacos

I usually only add 3 Tbsp of brown sugar, and use a mild salsa. You can adjust spice level with the salsa and chipotle powder. I don't add the full 1/2 tsp, just usually sprinkle some in.

[bsp36]

Fuck cancer.

Sour cream noodle bake, lots of breakfast casseroles, pulled/smoked pork, soups, enchiladas.

[mala]

Mac n Cheese, though I use sodium citrate for the cheese sauce and it freezes much better than a flour roux based sauce. I'll add a rough recipe if you want it.

EDIT: forgot that meatloaf is another one I make a big batch and freeze. Just pop it in the oven and put rice on for a side. I make mine with a ton of veggies in it so i don't feel like I have to add a veg on the side.

[sadie]

I do a lot of quiches (cheese, broccoli cheddar, sausage, etc) with fruit. Good for dinner, but fine for other meals too.

Similarly, breakfast sandwiches (bagel, egg, cheese, meat) are easy and are something non-pasta/casserole-y

Also soup. Very basic chicken and veggies +/- noodles or rice. Freezes well, but is light if you're feeling like crap from chemo.

Fixings for gyros or greek salad + gyro meat-cucs, tomato, red onion, feta, olives, hummus, pita, etc.

My mom likes to do meatloaf dinners.

[sadlebred]

Some kind of baked pasta like baked ziti. Trust me...this freezes really well! Someone made me a HUGE pan of it after surgery once. I was able to cut it into serving size pieces & put them in freezer bags for single portions.

[lust2hart]

I second meatballs. I love the recipe from everydayannie.com.

[nsl]

Pureed soups like this roasted cauliflower and cheese one freeze well: www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/roasted-cauliflower-cheddar-soup/#wprm-recipe-container-41592

[mrsukyankee]

I'm a stew person - chili, for example. There's so many you can do and portion them out to freeze.

[mrsukyankee]

If they like vegetarian once in a while, I would also suggest lentil/dal and rice. Super simple and yummy.
www.noracooks.com/red-lentil-dahl/

I make a double recipe and freeze a bunch to have for lunch or dinner.

[gottadobe]

Apr 10, 2024 20:02:26 GMT -5 mala said:

Mac n Cheese, though I use sodium citrate for the cheese sauce and it freezes much better than a flour roux based sauce. I'll add a rough recipe if you want it.

Please!


OP I prep a tray of manicotti (only boil shelles for about 10 minutes) and freeze raw.
So easy to cover with sauce and pop in the oven from frozen.  I also add frozen meatballs.

Meatloaf

chili or any kind of stew/soup

[dish2501]

Chili. I like Pioneer Woman’s recipe. www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a34225821/beef-and-bean-chili-recipe/. They can eat it as chili fresh with sides, then another day as chili cheese dogs or nachos.

Sausage and peppers. Fry an onion and green pepper, set aside, fry the sausage in half pieces to brown. Put it all in the crockpot with a jar of pasta sauce. Freezes very well.

Do you have a smoker? Pork shoulder is easy, makes a lot and freezes well

[gardengal]

My H makes massive amounts of indian curry & we always have leftovers which he freezes for weekend lunches or for him to have weekday lunches. You can also freeze rice & it's a nice alternative to a lot of the freezer meal standards.

Sample recipes:
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/kadala-curry
smittenkitchen.com/2010/02/chana-masala/
smittenkitchen.com/2007/06/everyday-yellow-dal/

You can send with a chopped salad of cukes & tomatoes which she can eat immediately even as just a snack or as a lunch for herself. If you have Trader Joe's nearby they have great frozen naan (I like the Garlic one best).

[loira]

Shepherds pie freezes really well.

[Tacocat]

I’m sorry about your friend.

This is one of our favorite recipes and it can be frozen and keeps well:

www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a11738/sour-cream-noodle-bake/

[mala]

Apr 11, 2024 8:30:27 GMT -5 gottadobe said:

Apr 10, 2024 20:02:26 GMT -5 mala said:

Mac n Cheese, though I use sodium citrate for the cheese sauce and it freezes much better than a flour roux based sauce. I'll add a rough recipe if you want it.

Please!


OP I prep a tray of manicotti (only boil shelles for about 10 minutes) and freeze raw.
So easy to cover with sauce and pop in the oven from frozen.  I also add frozen meatballs.

Meatloaf

chili or any kind of stew/soup

You can buy sodium citrate on amazon, fyi, and you'll need a kitchen scale. The only requirement here is the cheese/liquid/sodium citrate ratio. It can be really flexible with anything else you want to throw in.

Sauce:
Optional -
A few cloves of garlic
Jalapenos
Hot and/or sweet peppers
butter/oil

Required-
24 oz block of cheese, cubed*. Cheese is your choice, I usually use cheddar but you can use any firm cheese
24 oz of liquid. I usually use water, but you can use milk, stock, or even beer in any combination. Total liquid volume should equal the cheese weight
1.44 oz (weight) of sodium citrate. Calculated as 3% of the combined liquid and cheese weight

Mix in/other stuff
Pound of Pasta of choice, dry (ain't nobody got time to par-cook that shit anymore)
Optional -
one head of Cauliflower, rough chopped, raw
bacon, precooked and crumbled
chicken, uncooked and cubed up or precooked and shredded, whatever works for you
Any other delicious bits you want to put in

(salt and pepper, too, mustard is good if you like it)

Saute garlic, peppers, or other flavor things in butter in a very large pot. When they're soft, add your liquid of choice. Sprinkle in the sodium citrate. Once the liquid is hot but not boiling add the cheese a few cubes at a time, and stir while they melt in. Do not let it boil or the cheese sauce will become grainy. Keep adding cheese as the cubes melt in until the cheese is all incorporated. Turn the heat off, stir in the uncooked pasta and anything else you're throwing in. Transfer to a baking dish. I usually have to split into two dishes. Allow to cool, wrap tightly, and freeze or bake right away. To bake preheat oven to 325. Cover dish with foil, bake like 45 minutes until the pasta is cooked. If baking from frozen it could take up to an hour and a half. When the pasta is soft uncover, top with shredded cheese and breadcrumbs if you want, and bake until that's golden. Let cool and eat. I usually bake over a sheet tray because it cheese sauce bubbles over, just to warn you.

Edit: *I cube the cheese because I'm lazy and I don't want to wash a cheese grater. It takes longer to melt in this way, but it's less washing up. You can use shredded cheese and it will melt in better/faster than cubes. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents and isn't recommended, better to use a block and cut it up.

[noodleoo]

mala, this is fascinating! I always have terrible luck with homemade mac and cheese and now I wonder if sodium citrate is why restaurant/frozen ones are always better. Does the sodium citrate have any taste?

[ssmjlm]

This makes a ton, so I would halve it and divide into 2 pans, but it freezes really well.

naptimekitchen.com/creamy-chicken-enchiladas-to-freeze-some-or-feed-a-crowd/

[mala]

Apr 11, 2024 10:59:07 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

mala, this is fascinating! I always have terrible luck with homemade mac and cheese and now I wonder if sodium citrate is why restaurant/frozen ones are always better. Does the sodium citrate have any taste?

Yep, it's what makes American cheese so melty, too. You can make queso dip and thicker cheese sauces by varrying the ratio of liquid to cheese. The sodium citrate is always 2-3% of the combined weight of the cheese and liquid. It can make things a little salty tasting so I always go light on the added salt, but it doesn't have any kind of aftertaste or anything.

[jennistarr1]

Don't forget breakfast for dinner options

Personally these are things I would like for someone to bring me

chix noodle soup
bagels
salad (lettuce washed and chopped by you--not a bag)

I've just noticed when sick/sad or whatever, i tend to eat lighter, not heavier (some people turn to comfort foods), 

[livinitup]

Apr 10, 2024 19:51:42 GMT -5 DotAndBuzz said:

I'm so sorry.

This is one of my go-to's, since it can be served in a number of ways (nachos, salad, tacos, burrito, bowl, etc), and you can bring the extras/sides so everyone can have something they like. It makes a lot, and the chicken freezes really well.

slow cooker chicken tacos

I usually only add 3 Tbsp of brown sugar, and use a mild salsa. You can adjust spice level with the salsa and chipotle powder. I don't add the full 1/2 tsp, just usually sprinkle some in.

Thank you for this suggestion & recipe. It’s been a while since I’ve done chicken and salsa in the crock pot & this recipe looks better than mine. Plus, I have all of the ingredients. I don’t have somewhere to send it but it’s going to be our dinner tonight. So, my family thanks you.

[mommyatty]

We always do baked ziti in individual portions. If she’s going through treatment, different people may be eating at different times since her appetite will likely be nonexistent or off. I also love to freeze pulled pork. I use this recipe: www.allrecipes.com/recipe/92462/slow-cooker-texas-pulled-pork/ And I just use pork loin because it’s easy to find, and I don’t brown it. Just throw it all in the crockpot and cook it.