BoniChak Posted February 2014
What's for dinner?
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I have to adjust my food to my restrictions, but often make food just for R, Seems easier. We usually each make our own breakfast and lunch - then I do supper - some days.
cw - love what you did with your soup/stew!!! I call that creative cooking. Never would have thought of chipotle sauce. I have used a whole large tin of tomato juice to "water" down a stew to make soup. It works well with added spices.
My next soup will be chicken from left over rotisserie chicken carcasses, with cabbage and tomatoes and whatever else I fancy.
I am impressed!
Thanks for posting your dinners, soups, and recipes everyone!
I need them, you know someone is reading to find ideas.
It is challenging to cook for both of us the same, so now I have returned to trying to cook for him first, me later. This just seems beyond what should be required of me
when I can hardly stand, walk, or even sit at times.
I can try a soup and freeze it! Yes, will try that. Soon.
Yet, not giving up hope. My husband will often come through with a salad or microwaved sweet potato delivered to me late at night, after the regular dinner hours.
Neither of us are consistent on a regular basis, easily distracted and in pain.
Yesterday, cooked breakfast at 2:00 p.m., a flour tortilla in the pan, egg mixture, add cheese. It took husband another half-hour to sit and eat it because we were busy helping our neighbors. BTW, the neighbors had gone on to their lives, leaving the problems for us. We see that, we understand it, the problem is us.
Sautee one medium minced onion until light brown in one tablespoon olive oil. Add a yellow squash cut into bite sized chunks. A large clove of minced garlic. Let this brown a bit. Add one tomato chopped. Season to taste with salt, pepper, thyme, oregano. Stir. Add a splash of water if this seems dry-about a quarter cup or less. Cover. Low heat for about 20 minutes. Add cooked pasta. Heat through. My husband with dementia liked this a lot.
Cascia -sounds really good! Spinach works well in many dishes I find.
Wade - I'm sure your dinner was delicious. If your dad's memory us not that good does he remember what he had a few days ago? Is he OK with having a favourite fairly often? I know I am.
Making butter chicken for R tonight. I may have some fish.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I like to cook for the freezer and also buy prepared foods so I don’t have to “cook” every day, but we still have nutritious homemade food.
I also keep a “menu” in my computer showing the various meals that are available. I note how many of each I have, and mark them off as they are eaten so I know exactly what I have and what I need.
I post the list on the front of the fridge… We call it Diane’s Diner Menu and Pat loves it because I hand him the list and he gets to pick out what he wants!
Vegetable Beef Soup
In a very large pot, brown ground beef beef (about 2 pounds) with frozen onions and peppers (about 2-3 cups), drain, then add:
2 large cans of Campbells tomato soup & 2 soup cans of water
2 large cans of diced tomatoes (I like the Italian flavored ones)
Vegetables of your choice (I like: red kidney beans (4 cans); hominy (3 cans); and a package of frozen gumbo mix vegetables)
Add whatever seasonings you like (I use dry minced garlic, Lowry’s seasoning salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
Cook for only about 10-15 minutes (the vegetables will cook more after they are reheated, so you don’t want to overcook).
Put in individual containers and freeze.
To reheat, can thaw on the counter, or zap in the microwave.
Great with Ritz Crackers.
(BTW, I really don’t like boiled okra, so I always scoop those out as I’m reheating and give them to Pat… he loves them.)
Hints
I wouldn’t suggest using potatoes in the soup because they are too mushy when frozen and reheated.
You can also use leftover vegetables you have on hand, but cut cooking time since you don’t want to overcook
Yield varies depending on size of container, but I get enough for about 14 individual meals!
@nfpsbarb - welcome. There is good support here, Your supper sounds great. Sounds like you are coping well with caregiving. Your wife is fortunate to have you.
Supper here these days is a half sandwich or a leaf of romaine wrapped around some protein. R coming back from holiday with his dd and grandsons so I'll have to get in gear soon.
Welcome. This forum is a good place to find advice and understanding for caregivers. Most of us here have long histories of caregiving for loved ones, or we did it as employment (some still do). You'll get some good support and imput here. Yes, there are a few blowhards with little to no experience at actually being hands-on caregivers who will speak like experts, but the more you log on here, the easier it will be to scroll past those.
I think that dinner of yours sounds pretty good.
Talking of fried egg sandwiches, I have been thinking of the time when I fancied one and left the living room, where everyone was watching TV, to go to the kitchen to make myself one.
"Mum, whatcha doing?" asked my oldest son.
"Going to make myself a fried egg sandwich," says I.
"Make me one too?" says he in pleading tones, looking winsome.
"OK", says I.
Then there came a chorus of "Me too, me too, me too", from the other kids and "Me three", from my husband which indicated, in family talk, that he wanted more than one sandwich.
Finally, a small mountain of fried egg sandwiches later, I sat down to enjoy mine. I am alone here tonight. I might risk making myself one.
Got some frozen salmon in an order, by mistake as I much prefer fresh, but I thought I would try it. Hot out of the oven I was not impressed, but cold it's fine. Kitty thinks so too.
It was toast,
a peanut butter sandwich,
a tomato and lettuce sandwich,
a fried egg sandwich,
and last,
it was grilled cheese sandwiches.
Found my husband's grilled cheese sandwich hidden in the back of the freezer the next day. Lol.
It's not in Walmart locally.
Here's the AI overview from the net.
"You can eat chocolate hummus as a dip for fruits, pretzels, and sweet crackers; as a spread on toast, bagels, pancakes, or waffles; as a topping for ice cream or yogurt; or even by the spoonful. It also works well as a healthy alternative for brownies, as a filling for crepes, or in a sandwich with banana and cinnamon."
I found it listed at Walmart and Metro too Evamar, I'm not sure about any of the other Loblaws adjacent stores.
I'm into puddings these days and trying to make a flaxseed pudding, chocolate preferably, that is low carb and reasonable calories. The milk jellos sort of do it but you can't make a chocolate one that I know of.
It is hummus because it has chickpeas, could be actually good with chocolate.
For strawberries, cookies, crackers, it seems to be sold only at Superstore.
I love doing cryptograms, one I solved this morning,
“When life gives you lemons throw them away and insist on chocolate”
Fontaine Sante dark chocolate hummus? Where do you find it?
The oven roasted chicken breast was very easy. Brining sounds fancy but you just put a small handful of salt in a couple of cups of hot water to dissolve it and then immerse the chicken in that for 15 mins up to overnight. Take the chicken out, pat it dry, and place in a roasting pan and season, cook at 375 till done - about 1/2 hr. Always check with your meat thermometer that it reaches 165F. Doing it in the oven means you don't have to stand over the stove and watch it. Mind you, poaching is good for that too, but you can cook a large batch at once in the oven.
Anyone else like Fontaine Sante dark chocolate hummus? Really hits the chocolate craving spot sometimes.
I bought too much milk so I have been making milk jellos. Coconut and almond milk work very well and don't curdle. I especially like the lemon and orange, but the others are OK too.
Some people still buy sandwich bread pre-sliced in a soft plastic bag from some factory bakery that specializes in long shelf lives on most major supermarket shelves. I grew up eating that.
Thinking of Weber's white bread, then they had "wheat".
My point was that it is not healthy, but sometimes those of us trying to eat healthy can go off the wagon, so to speak.
Cwillie, A quesadilla made in the microwave - not the way a "real" quesadilla is made.
Using a microwave could also be a crime.
I call it survival, and don't do it very often.
Golden, Now I will need to look up "Poaching" chicken breasts. Never did that and need a new way to cook them on the stove-top. Always my go-to way of cooking most everything because it is easy.