Teresa, are there any dietary restriction..sodium, fat, carbs? Chewing (teeth) issues?

If none of the above, you can make breakfast sandwiches that freeze/reheat well.

Toast an English Muffin, add a scrambled egg (I add about a tablespoon of milk & a teaspoon of diced onion to the egg before scrambling), then top with a slice of Canadian bacon & a slice of cheese (I use Brie). Wrap tightly in Saran Wrap, or Vac-Pac, & freeze. Reheat either in the oven or micro (oven is better, IMO).

Hash browns freeze well also. Reheat in the oven (they get icky in the mico, IMO). I make them in patties about 3" across, freeze on a cookie sheet, then vac-pac.

This requires a bit of forethought the night before but I freeze ready-made smoothies all the time. I use 1 banana, 1 carton plain yogurt, a few frozen strawberries or peaches, a tablespoon of protein powder, & 1/2 cup 2% milk. Blend as normal then pour into freezer proof plastic container & freeze. Take out of freezer the night before. In the morning, all you have to do is quickly hit it with a boat motor & it's done. It should still be icy enough from the freezing that you won't have to add anything. I LIVE on these & I only have to make the mess once/week.

Pancakes & waffles also freeze well.

Muffins made with WW flour, nuts, oats, seeds, blueberries, etc. are also a good breakfast that freezes great.

/tricia

I'm sure they were delicious, but I wouldn't call that healthy eating for a "senior".

If you are looking for freezable breakfasts, why not breakfast burritos using egg beaters and a slice of cheese...or oatbran muffins with some dried apricots?
Linda C

Linda, I understand your thoughts behind your post, but you can understand that a frail, elderly man in his 80's needs all the calories you can get him to eat. I know my dad would find a breakfast burrito hard to eat and I know he doesn't like muffins, so we are trying to feed him anything he will eat at this point in time. So, my sister bought him waffles, french toast and bacon this week because that is what he likes for breakfast and it's better than him not eating anything at all.

I have made breakfast burritos and froze them for my Mom to warm in the microwave. I made sausage, egg and cheese because I thought that is what she would like. Also, I keep a supply of oatmeal breakfast bars for her.

I have also made the following burritos posted on recipezaar and froze and they are very good.

Here is a link that might be useful: breakfast burritos

Teresa, are you talking about 'putting weight' on and quality of life at the end vs. life-lengthening healthful eating? I'm reading you want the former, correct me if I'm wrong. When my mom was going at the end, we made her lots of her favorite bad stuff because she just wasn't eating. Egg salads with yolks, lamb chops. I've heard that medications mess with your sense of taste and appetite.

Other non-food tricks to get him eating might include putting him on appetite inducing stuff like erythromycin. I might dare to suggest prednisone too, but that is a double edged sword. I might REALLY dare and say soemthing green we put in brownies.

Please give us a further list of likes/dislikes if he doesn't want breakfast burritos.

Jessy,
My dad is not on too many medications to worry about, but he often doesn't have much of an appetite so we are trying to find things he will eat to simply keep him from losing any more weight. And we know he is near his end, so we are more concerned about quality of life right now. It seems that fruit and juice first thing in the morning make him nauseous but he will eat pancakes, french toast, etc. and cereal/oatmeal so we are encouraging Mom to keep those on hand for him.

My friend at work just wants to make her folks some freezer meals so they maybe they won't go out for so much fast food/resturant meals. She will have to decide if she needs to alter any recipes I give her.

Teresa,

How about custards for your Dad? Custard alone doesn't freeze well; but if you make bread pudding & double the custard it freezes beautifully as I've discovered since I've been having my jaw/teeth issue. Just let it thaw in the frig & you'd never know it had been frozen. Anyway, it might make a good mid-morning mini-meal?

/tricia

Bread pudding is a great idea, Tricia and I have plenty of eggs on hand. Maybe I can make some egg bread today to make it. I'm glad to know it will freeze well.

Thanks!

Jessy, I appreciate your distinction between "putting weight on and quality of life at the end vs. life-lengthening healthful eating." I've faced the same thing with my mother. She started losing her appetite about a year ago and was losing weight. Her teeth were OK but she had "issues" with bits of food getting stuck in her teeth, so she didn't like eating fibrous foods. She wasn't able to taste well either. Like Teresa and her dad, I eventually realized that it was more important for her to eat -- something, anything she might enjoy -- than to worry about cholesterol, trans fat, fiber, etc. She's 93, so if she likes ice cream, I figure she has earned the right to eat ice cream without visits from the nutrition police.

Teresa, I've made something similar to your breakfast cups for my mom. I used the garlic flavored refrigerated crescent rolls. I made a turnover type thing with chopped frozen spinach, chopped green onions, a bit of feta cheese, and some cream cheese. Kind of a spanakopita filling. She kept them in her fridge & just reheated in her microwave. I think you could put any kind of tasty filling inside. Pizza flavored, breakfasty stuff, you name it.

By the way, I understand about the fruit & fruit juice first thing in the morning. My mom cannot drink orange juice because it upsets her stomach. She doesn't like coffee or tea. So it's instant hot chocolate. She loves the stuff. If she couldn't drink the hot cocoa, she wouldn't drink anything in the morning. Not a good idea at all...

Another pudding that freezes well is Indian Pudding. It's good also because it's a way to sneak in some fiber. "Issues" that fiber helps resolve are common in the elderly. Indian Pudding 'may' be a northern thing...if you don't have a recipe & would like mine let me know.

/tricia

Tricia, I love Indian Pudding and would love it if you would share your recipe. Thanks!

As for frozen meals, I find most any meat braise freezes wonderfully. I just freeze them in a pyrex dish and heat them at 350 degrees while still frozen. Pot roast, brisket, chicken cacciatore etc. I don't have recipes with me now thoguh. Sorry

Robin

INDIAN PUDDING

3 Cups Milk (non-fat, low fat, or whole all work fine)
1/3 Cup Molasses
1/3 Cup Stone-Ground Yellow Cornmeal
1 Egg, beaten
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 Teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1 Can Pumpkin puree (this is not traditional but we love it & it adds to the nutrition/fiber)
1/2 Cup Raisins (again, not traditional but if you like raisins they are very good in Indian Pudding)

Here's two ways to prepare it...both work equally well.

#1:

In saucepan, combine milk & molasses; stir in cornmeal. Cook and stir until thick, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat (if you are using the pumpkin, stir it in now). Combine egg, sugar, butter, ginger, cinnamon, & salt. Gradually, stir in hot cornmeal mixture. Bake, uncovered, in a 1-quart casserole at 300 degrees about 1-1/2 hours. Makes about six 1/2 cup servings...a little more with the pumpkin.

#2:

Dump all ingredients in a crockpot & mix well. Set crockpot to low heat setting & it will be done in 3-4 hours.

Chill the pudding down before freezing to avoid condensation forming on the top & making the pudding watery upon thawing.

/tricia

Tricia, Thank you so much!! As a child we used ot go to Nantucket and Indian pudding was a real treat for dessert. I found a recipe when I was about 10 and I made it using what I thought was the bag of cornmeal from the windmill on the island. After my family ate it and loved it my mom asked how I made it when we were out of cornmeal. Turns out I used whole wheat flour which was also kept in an unmarked brown bag in the fridge. Guess the molasses masked my error.

I can't wait to try your recipe. I will add butternut squash puree as I have bags and bags of it in my freezer and that sounds like a nice addition.

-Robin

I've never frozen these but they may do OK. My family loves this.

Bacon 'n' Egg Breakfast Empanadas Makes 4 servings (serving size: 2 empanadas) 6 ounces cream cheese, softened 1½ tablespoons minced fresh parsley or 1½ teaspoons dried parsley flakes ¾ teaspoon seasoned salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper â cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons butter 5 large eggs, beaten 1 (17.3\-ounce) can refrigerated jumbo flaky biscuits 8 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled PAM cooking spray 1 egg white, lightly beaten 1 to 2 teaspoons sesame seeds (optional) Assorted fresh fruit (optional) Preheat oven to 375°. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl until blended; stir in cheese. Melt butter in a 9\-inch skillet over medium heat; add eggs, and cook, without stirring, until eggs begin to set on bottom. Draw a spatula across bottom of skillet to form large curds. Continue cooking until eggs are slightly thickened but still moist. (Do not stir constantly.) Remove from heat, and let cool. Flatten each biscuit into about a 5\-inch circle. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over tops of dough circles, leaving 1/2\-inch border around edge. Top evenly with scrambled eggs and bacon. Fold dough circles in half over mixture, pinching edges to seal; place, 2 inches apart, in a 15\- x 10\-inch jellyroll pan coated with cooking spray. Brush tops evenly with egg white; press sealed edges with tines of a fork. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Bake at 375° for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Remove empanadas to wire rack, using a spatula. Serve warm and, if desired, with fresh fruit. Note: Store leftover empanadas, completely cooled, in zip\-top plastic bags or wrapped in plastic wrap in refrigerator. To reheat, wrap empanadas in paper towels and microwave at MEDIUM (50% power) for 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Southern Living, January 2003

I think those would freeze just fine, Karen - thanks!

Oops...

Robin, I forgot that the cooking time I gave for the crockpot might be off. I always double the recipe & it cooks in 3-4 hours on low. For a single recipe size...it'll probably take less time. The butternut squash will be good.

/t

When my parents were alive I purchased frozen meals from the Senior Center where Meals-On-Wheels are prepared. The Center packaged and froze the meals and they were very cheap. My parents had several favorites and I would get those for them to have on hand. They are also prepared with seniors in mind as far as nutrition, sodium, etc....

-Grainlady

You can freeze combos of scrambles eggs, bulk type breakfast sause & shredded or chopped potatoes.

Another thing that freezes easily is meatballs-- a bag of homemade frozen meatballs is easy to use in many things.

Watch the serving size-- many seniors balk at a normal sized meal put in front of them.
Soups in serving size (small )containers
Any pasta dish freezes fairly well & frozen in small single servings.

Those single serve "lunchbox" containers that they sell now-- fruit,applesauce, puddings, jellos-- get the unrefrigerated kind-- the dollar stores have them very cheap.

Our family has been making meals and taking them over to our mom. I made spaghetti pie, and she like it and has asked for it again.

Layer into greased Pie Dish

6 ounces of cooked spaghetti
Mix together
1 egg, beat plus 3 T. water
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
put on top of spaghetti and layer the rest

1/2 pound l ground beef cooked
1 small jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup cubbed Velvetta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Bake until bubbly and golden brown.
Cut into pie slices and freeze individual slices. Heat in micorwave.

Karen, your empanadas are so good. I made them last year when DGS#2 was born and he and parents came home from the hospital. Mom and Dad and big brother really enjoyed them.

Teresa, how about donuts? When we were taking my FIL to chemo we would stop and get a donut, french fries, hot dog, whatever he wanted or sounded good to him. At that point it didn't matter if it was the most healthy meal, just that it tasted good to him and he would eat it. I took him candy too!

When my MIL was in her last years, what appealed most to her was soup. And the dietitician at the returement facility said that very often the elderly have a lack of saliva and lots of foods seem dry to them.
Lots of creamed soups...potato soup was a particular favorite...made with real cream!..Cream of chicken soup, cream of spinach, home made cream of mushroom....and things like creamed eggs on toast.
A very creamy rice pudding would be good as well as bread pudding with dried fruits.
Breakfast doesn't always have to be eggs, toast and pancakes... and meals out don't always have to be non healthy. I had dinner out last night and I had a piece of fish...I could have had broiled salmon, but i chose fried flounder and a roll and a side of a huge portion of what they call "Normandy" which is steamed veggies, broccoli, cauliflower carrots and squash.
There are lots of good things to eat at a restraunt...grilled meat, baked potato, salad with dressing on the side, a burger with slaw, soups...pasta.
Just tell them to stay away from things like fries and the fish I had!...but it was good!
Linda C

There are some things I make for my DM who won't cook anymore.

First of all though, she has been getting Meals on Wheels for over a year and really has gotten to where she looks forward to them. She complains about a few, but overall they are not bad. She's really a picky eater, has been all her life, but seems pretty happy now with what they serve.

When I go to visit her I make quiche and put individual serving in her freezer, I also make her mini meat loaves. I make sure she has a variety of canned soups to heat up. She doesn't want me to make soup because she wants variety, so canned from the grocery is fine.

I also make Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter cookies for her. Her very favorite thing in the whole world these days. I sent her some for Valentines Day. She called when she got them and said that was the best thing she's ever received for V-Day....ever. Guess I'd better get another care package ready...they were gone quickly and she let me know. I wish she lived closer, she's about 5 hrs away.

Nancy

Thanks for your suggestions! While Mom still cooks homemade meals for them everyday, her ideas of "what's for dinner?" and my dad's actual appetite don't always jive. My sister and I have found it best not to ask him what he wants but to put something nutritious in front of him and sit down to eat with him. I have a feeling there may be a power struggle going on between Mom and Dad over meals.

He does love soup though, so that is what I most often take to them. My sister said he made short work of the turkey chili I took by the other day.

I know a few of you are dealing with parents getting older and that is why I came here to ask for suggestions for myself and my friend at work.

Teresa

Teresa have you been lurking at my parent's house? That power struggle is definitely going on there too! LOL --The difference being Dad eats anything he can get his hands on!

I used to make freezer meals for my Mom and stepdad, as towards the end Mom wasn't up to cooking and stepdad could cook but was under-motivated.
They liked things like stews, curries, goulash, lasagne, chicken Divan, beef olives (kind of like rouladen without the pickle :-) ), shepherd's pie. I got those disposable Glad foil baking pans with lids and froze the meals in the pans so they could reheat them in the oven. Mom didn't have a microwave and didn't want one either.

Also think about keeping things like Ensure on hand.
It can be mixed with ice cream for a nutrient (and calorie) packed shake.

Deanna

I've not been in this position..but my GGM when still on her own, would receive a few MoWheels a week and then she'd cook the rest. But her favorite thing that she received was fresh fruit. Especially during berry season. I believe the fresh fruit "baskets" came from MoW..and gave her enough for a few days of noshing.

I have a friend that raises berries..strawberries and raspberries just for the elderly. He says he and his family can NEVER supply enough for the demand.
~just something to think about~