Any recipe suggestions?

Licia&Wayne

So, my MIL is having surgery in December. It's nothing major, but the recovery time is probably going to take a while. H and I are trying to come up with some meals that are hearty and healthy for MIL and her husband during that time that they can keep in the freezer/fridge and reheat with ease, since I somehow doubt her recovery instructions will include "slave over hot stove for hours every day".

Anyone have any recipes that reheat well? I would be eternally grateful!

Edit: Just to clarify, it's joint replacement surgery, so there aren't any major dietary restrictions.

Licia&Wayne

It's joint replacement, so I don't think there will be any special dietary requirements. I was just thinking in terms of her mobility will be down, so it probably won't be best to load her up with fried chicken everyday.

marissa_claire

Soups are awesome for the freezer, but you might have to try hard to find a low-so recipe if that's what you need. 

I also make meat ahead of time and cook it.  So you could make a lot of Mexican-seasoned ground beef, and then they just have to put it in a burrito, taco, etc.  That's fairly handy.  I would consider more things like that where it's not the whole meal, but the part of the meal that takes a while to prepare.

Manwaithiel

I'm with the lasagna in smaller portions. I do this all. the. time.

gottahavashorti

I know my great-grandma's meatballs and spaghetti sauce freeze well, so I'd say meatballs.  Lumpia (egg rolls) can also be frozen before they're fried, but they're not terribly hearty or healthy and would still have to be fried up.

Can you tell I've only ever frozen family recipes?

We used to freeze Ditalini and bean soup for my grandpa when he was sick and it's super easy:

olive oil
3-4 cloves minced garlic
16 oz can Great Northern white beans
6-8 oz tomato sauce
1 c. Ditalini
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt & pepper

Cook pasta. Saute garlic in olive oil.  Add undrained beans, 1 1/2 cans water, tomato sauce, pasta and Italian seasoning.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Heat.

sister2groom

I vote for homemade chicken noodle (although you don't freeze the noodles, she just boils them separately, which isn't that hard, mayb 15 minutes work).

gottahavashorti

Ditalini is a pasta.  I like the shape for soup.

Licia&Wayne

Oh my gosh, such good ideas! Yum yum.

And jcb, I've never heard of the Food Saver. My next Google mission.

Manwaithiel

Licia, Food Savers are amazing. They have them at Costco for a pretty good bargain if you have those around you. Might also check out BJs and Sam's Club.

Licia&Wayne

Ooooo that looks like a fun kitchen toy. Very cool.

Licia&Wayne

Stage, your new sig may be the greatest sig ever.

tldh

What i did for a friend after she had her baby was made about a weeks worth of meals but didn't cook them.  That way she could pull them out of the freezer, pop them in the oven (put temps and baking times on each package) so she, her DH and her DD could eat something fresh while newborn DS was sleeping.

Eg. breaded chicken breasts with breadcrumbs and a few dried herbs, cut up baby red potatoes and tossed in some garlic, rosemary and thyme, put a lasagna together, etc.

Licia&Wayne

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-party_recipe-suggestions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:37Discussion:decd7b09-d51f-4e31-94af-a379dd047ccdPost:e5545474-4f13-491e-ba86-9362e02e7ce4">Re: Any recipe suggestions?</a>:
[QUOTE]Which one?  The current one, or the kitten one I took down?
Posted by StageManager14[/QUOTE]

Aw the kitten that you took down. All I could think about was, "Confederate flags are not tacky as wedding decor! It's a southern thing, you wouldn't understand!"

aerinpegadrak

You could make up a bunch of simple sauces and freeze them in ice cube trays.  Then she can heat up pasta or rice or chicken or something, and then grab 2-3 cubes (or however much she needs) and be good to go.

jaimed99

I'm on the lasagna train as well...I also like to make and freeze chili and pot roast (I'm actually making pot roast for dinner tonight, and my house smells AMAZING!) as well as soups and tomato sauces