My Dad lives an 18 hour drive away (yeah, one way). I go down every 3-4 months and do meal prep/freezer cooking for him. I'm looking to "expand" my meals for him. I make a ton right now but change is good. NOTE: recipes must be fully cooked and subject to reheating on stove-top or in microwave. He rarely uses his 40-inch wide gas oven as it is too much for him. I've tried to get him to invest in a toaster oven or air fryer. No go.
So, I normally spend 7 days "with" Dad. Day one & day 7 are travel day so little cooking is done. But Day one is shopping day. I can normally get meals for 3-4 months for under $500 CDN. Because some items are expensive 🤣 as you'll see below. I'm going to list what I always make, and what I might make depending upon time and prices. So here we go …
Meatloaf 6lbs makes 27 individual mini-loaves (special pan bought by Mum).
Meatloaf twist – 2lbs ground pork & 2lbs loose sausage meat. Makes 18 individual mini-loaves.
Chili – I use the following recipe, make a double batch. It's supposed to be a dump meals. But I cook it all the way then cool and portion.
https://freezermeals101.com/the-best-freezer-chili/
Lasagna – twist on the horizontal layering. Place 2 cooled portions in a foil container with lids.
https://natashaskitchen.com/lasagna-roll-ups/
Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya – the recipe says it 8 portions but they are HUGE portions. I get 8 portions of it after Dad and I have it for supper!
https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/chicken-and-sausage-jambalaya-recipe
Sausage, Bean, and Rice Casserole – Mum's recipe willing to share.
Beef Stroganoff Casserole – Mum's recipe willing to share.
Potato Leek Soup – original recipe below. Cheat – use an envelope of Cream of Leek soup, not really leeks as they can be $$$.
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/potato_leek_soup/
Thai Coconut Squash Soup – cheat use 2 750g bags of frozen butternut squash. Defrost in a metal seive/collander for an hour before using. Saves so much time.
https://www.saltandlavender.com/thai-coconut-squash-soup/
Cornmeal muffins – to have something a bit different with chili and lasagna instead of plain toast.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread – cooled, sliced, wax paper between slices and frozen.
https://natashaskitchen.com/chocolate-chip-banana-bread/
Raspberry Bread – I use one bag of frozen raspberries because fresh berries out of season are $$$. Cool, slice, waxed paper layers.
https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-raspberry-bread/
And then there is always "tart day." If nothing else I must make these tarts or Dad will disown me. I use pre-made 3 inch tart shells. Take from the freezer, prepare fillings and bake. Never had a problem that wasn't oven heat regulator issue.
Ham and Cheese Quiche – Mum's recipe willing to share.
Broccoli Cheese Quiche – ditto
Mushroom Tartlets – ditto
Roast Beef, Asiago Quiche – ditto
IF I have time and it's not too expensive:
Pulled pork
Roast Beef/Sunday Dinner (freezing sliced beef)
Hungarian "liver dumpling" soup – tastes better than it sounds. Uses chicken liver. Willing to share recipe.
Beef Barley Soup
Prep 4kg box of chicken breasts – whole, sliced for stir fry, and shredded
Prep pork chops – sliced for stir fry
Ground beef – browned and frozen for Dad's version of taco salad
Walnut filling for Hungarian Pastry called Kifli. I cannot get hang of yeast after 45 years. I use crescent rolls and Dad loves them.
But I am always looking for new. What do make for you elderly parents who live away or for sick neighbour's?
TYIA
by Adorable-Row-4690
14 Comments
Soup
[muffin pizzas ](https://www.budgetbytes.com/freezer-ready-mini-pizzas/)
can also freeze this [spinach pie ](https://www.budgetbytes.com/spinach-pie/)(I would cut it into pieces first)
I want to hear about the mushroom tartlets
I buy frozen Salmon from Costco and we cook with some Korean bbq seasoning and some butter . It’s easy and then they just throw in some steamable veggies or potatoes in microwave .
My sister will make some sweet potatoes sometimes .
Mississippi pot roast.
Just want to say how kind & so helpful this is of you. Nice to see 🥹
Lots of ideas here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/comments/s3wrsw/ultimate_freezer_meal_post/?rdt=64580
My parents are fast approaching the phase where they need help with food so I have been obsessing over this exact topic for months. Thank you for these ideas
Here are a few very easy recipes I make regularly.
[African peanut stew](https://www.budgetbytes.com/african-peanut-stew-vegan/) – vegan recipe but I use chicken broth and eat with chicken or lamb. Also I substitute spinach for collard greens.
[Burritos](https://www.melskitchencafe.com/moms-freezer-beef-and-bean-burritos/)-I leave out some of the sauce/salsa as it calls for a lot and I like the filling on the thick side
[Black bean quesadillas](https://www.budgetbytes.com/hearty-black-bean-quesadillas/)
[Dal](https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/dal-makhani-recipe/)- lentils and kidney beans. I freeze the dal by itself but you could portion with chicken and rice
I would love your mom’s sausage, bean, and rice casserole recipe. 💙
Also. It looks like you are Hungarian. Do you happen to live in the Chicagoland area? I am looking for a tutor in Hungarian for both me and my young son for our dual citizenship process. I will make you kalács as I am comfortable doing yeasted dough for the walnut mix.
bolognese sauce freezes great if dad can manage boiling fresh pasta.
french lentil stew with andouille sausage freezes extremely well. you sound like as competent a cook as i am, recipes abound that you can use as a point of reference. i like to bake a fresh cornbread to go with – would work great with your cornmeal muffins.
i make and freeze chicken noodle soup by undercooking the pasta by about two minutes shy of al dente then draining into a colander and rinsing it with cold water to arrest the cooking process. i then add to the pot of soup that i’ve allowed to cool to room temperature(ish) and portion into pint containers to freeze. i like rigatoni
and feel like it holds up well enough that the difference from freshly made is mostly negligible.
chicken, broccoli, rice and cheese casserole. i freeze them in 8×8 lidded foil pans. i don’t have a set recipe, again there are a good many online you can use as a point of reference.
enchiladas, same deal as above, there are countless variations you can choose from depending on your tastes. i make lasagna in the 8×8’s too using some of the bolognese that i don’t portion in pint containers for fresh pasta.
clam chowder – i make cape style w/diced carrot (contessa’s recipe is a good point of reference), but i like to add bacon lardons. it actually reheats surprisingly well without the clam meat going super rubbery. i make it in a similar fashion to my chicken noodle in that i make the soup and allow it to cool to room temperature, then add the chopped clam meat before portioning to try and avoid it being too overcooked in the reheated version. i use fully cooked clam meat that’s vacu-sealed and flash frozen but canned would probably work just as well. if you use the contessa recipe i recommend subbing chicken stock for half of the clam juice – it’s slightly too fishy to my taste otherwise.
tuscan (cannellini) bean and kale soup. i like adding diced ham to make it a bit more substantial. i would use pancetta instead if i were made of money. lots of recipes online.
good ol’ beef and vegetable stew. i like seasonal root veg and/or potatoes, pearl onions, and add frozen peas once the pot has come down to room temp just before portioning per my standard operating procedure so they don’t go to mush in the recook.
admirable of you go to all of that work for your pops. food is love and definitely one of the primary ways i express it to my people. best wishes to you both.
I just wanted to say that you’re amazing for doing all of this for your dad. What a special relationship! I lost my dad very suddenly in 2017 and what I would give to be able to still have him here! Hug your dad extra tight next time you get to see him!!
Liver dumpling soup recipe please? I love chicken livers and this sounds intriguing.
What an amazing thing you do for Dad. I don’t really have too much else to offer, you already do most of my go to freezer meals, but maybe:
* mini shepherd’s/cottage pies with sweet potato topping instead of normal potato (it freezes/defrosts better).
* vegetarian breakfast casserole. I adapt a recipe from [Protein Chef ](https://theproteinchef.co/healthy-breakfast-casserole-recipe/#recipe). I really just use the recipe as the base idea. I use cottage cheese instead of cheddar and loads of vegetables. Sometimes I add meat (chicken breast, ham or tuna), sometimes I don’t. It freezes and reheats great.
* egg muffins. Again an adapted recipe from Protein Chef with cottage cheese. I load mine up with spinach and veg. Sometimes add tuna and salsa (or other meat). They freeze and reheat well and are great for simply grabbing a couple out of the freezer for breakfast or a snack. Use a combo of whole eggs & egg whites for more protein/less calories.
Chicken pot pies. I bought mini dishes that can go in the oven/microwave
Absolutely burritos
Beans and rice with veggies and cheese, and beans and potato and egg and veggies. Onions and peppers work great nothing too wet. Make sure fillings are room temp and tortillas are warm when you go to roll and prep them