I think there are food safety issues with beginning slow cooker meals with meat in a frozen state. I think the vegetables will be fine cooked from a frozen state, potatoes too. They would suffer if thawed first.

I will read through the link in detail to look at the recipes later.

Eileen

For my parents, along with home-cooked entrees, soups, homemade waffles and pancakes (which they also liked for lunch or dinner) I made for them, I purchased some frozen dinners that were made for Meals-on-Wheels at the local senior center where the Meals-on-Wheels meals are prepared. There were several they really liked - Salsbury Steak and a couple chicken entrees, and at their low price I was saving money by buying them instead of making them. So that may be another option for them, as well as Meals-on-Wheels.

I taught a cooking class for elderly men who were widowed and having trouble shopping and cooking for themselves, or were having to help with the meals. Everything from planning meals, shopping for groceries, to food prep. It was based on the book "Clueless in the Kitchen" Maybe your step-father could help with some simple meals if you help plan them.

-Grainlady

Thanks for the responses. I wondered about the meat, too, but I just couldn't get my head around the raw vegetables.

Blaine cooks, but Mom won't eat anything he makes :) He doesn't seem to recognize when food is bad and will just cook anything he finds.

I'd love to find something like Meals-on-Wheels for them, but they live so far away from anything there's just nothing available. Even going to a senior citizen's group is an all-day project. But I didn't realize it was possible to buy the meals rather than having them delivered. I'll look into that option.

I will be truthful and say that ready made heat and eat meals would be better for older people that are not feeling up to snuff. Soups, stews, pot roast are easy for them to warm up and enjoy.

If they are good with the microwave, they can re-heat some pasta and add a sauce.

And for days Mom does Mom does feel up to it, a cassserole in the oven might be good.

One easy way to make a stockpile for them is to cook extra from your own meals and pack it up.

I wish you well. This change can be difficult.

I agree with Peppi, as I also cook for my Stepmother. I did finally arrange Meals on Wheels for one meal per day, but she still has to have something for a later meal, as she sleeps late and Meals on Wheels is usually her first meal of the day.

I also package up what I eat, if it freezes well I make extra and I stock her freezer. She takes out whatever sounds good, reheats it and that's what she has.

As has been mentioned, things like pancakes and french toast freeze really well. Bacon and sausage can be cooked ahead and simply reheated. Eggs can be cooked in the microwave if you don't mind them scrambled. I've also made breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches, although the sandwiches are really best if you simply cook the egg well done, add a slice of cheese if you like and freeze that, then one egg can be reheated and placed on a freshly toasted English Muffin or just toast.

I do have the luxury of being there weekly, so each week I deliver frozen stuff and some freshly made items. This week it's rhubarb pie, homemade potato salad, salmon patties and dinner rolls. The rolls and salmon are frozen, the other two are fresh.

Good luck, as Peppi says, the change can be difficult.

Annie

Thanks again for the ideas and understanding. This is all made more difficult because they are Mormons, which means they keep food for a year for each family member and they store and grind grain and corn for making bread and other uses. I do a lot of cooking with whole grains, but it's hard to find a way to make and store that kind of thing for them.

I'm exploring the "gifts in a jar." My son gave them some bean soup done that way at Christmas, and they loved it. He made a cornbread mix and some fancy hot chocolate, too, which they also loved, so I think that can work if I can just find some recipes that don't overwhelm them with the salt in the bullion powder.

I know this is a topic that comes up often here, and I've looked back at the older threads to glean ideas, but if anyone has any new suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them :)

Oh, look what I found: recipes that are packed like gifts in a jar, but they contain a full meal--just add water--and are stored in the freezer. The link to the site is below, and I'm posting a sample recipe here. Obviously, my mom won't be using a solar oven to cook, but that's an easy adjustment.

My question this time is about the freeze dried food: If I substitute a freezer bag for the jar, can't I just substitute regular food, say, lightly browned ground meat, blanched veggies, etc.?

Creamy Chicken and Veggie Casserole in a Jar
In a quart Jar fit with a funnel:
1 3/4 cups wide egg noodles
½ cup Honeyville freeze dried vegetable mix
1 cup freeze dried chicken chunks
1/2 cup freeze dried peas
1/4 cup freeze dried mushroom slices
2 T dehydrated onions

1 tsp of my Romantic Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup Honeyville cheese sauce powder OR my homemade condensed soup mix
1/3 cup powdered milk
1/3 cup powdered sour cream
¼ cup dehydrated butter

For long term 8-10 year storage, combine all ingredients in a sealed mason jar with an oxygen absorber packet. These will cause a vacuum seal. Note...it is important if you are doing these jars to open the freeze dried meat and bottle it again within a few hours. If you're worried about it or want a vegetarian alternative, you may use 1 1/2 cup Freeze Dried Zucchini instead of the chicken. You'll need to add 1 tsp no msg chicken bullion to the mix as well.

In a casserole, combine the entire contents of the jar with 4 cups hot water. Let sit 5 minutes. Cover and bake in a solar oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. OR microwave in covered deep dish casserole for 15 minutes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chef Tess Bakeresse

slowlane, I make brownie mix from the King Arthur Flour recipe on their website, as well as this whole grain pancake "mix". I just use regular whole wheat flour. They also have recipes for biscuit mix and a quick mix that can be used to make muffins.

Homemade Whole-Grain Pancake Mix

These pancakes are just shy of 90% whole-grain; and they're absolutely delicious, featuring the sweet-nutty taste of oats and wheat. This recipe comes courtesy of Susan Reid and Susan Miller, two of the authors of King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking. Thanks, ladies!

4 cups King Arthur white whole wheat flour
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned or rolled oats
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil
Pancakes
1 cup homemade mix
1 cup buttermilk, or a combination of plain yogurt and milk; or 3/4 cup liquid whey
1 large egg

1) To make the mix: Grind the oats in a food processor until they're chopped fine, but not a powder.

2) Put the flour, oats, and all other dry ingredients into a mixer with a paddle. Mix on slow speed, and drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running.

3) Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature, or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

4. To make pancakes: Whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup of buttermilk (or a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk; or 3/4 cup liquid whey), and 1 large egg. Don't worry if it seems thin at first: the oats will soak up the milk, and the mix will thicken a bit as it stands.

5) Let the batter stand for at least 20 minutes before cooking.

6. Heat a lightly greased griddle to 350�F (if you've got a griddle with a temperature setting; if not, medium-hot will do).

7) Drop the batter onto it in 1/4-cupfuls (a jumbo cookie scoop works well here) to make a 4" diameter pancake. If you have English muffin rings, use them; they make a perfectly round, evenly thick pancake.

8) When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface without breaking (after about 2 minutes, if your griddle is the correct temperature), turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side, which will take about 2 minutes.

9) Serve pancakes immediately, or stack and hold in a warm oven.

Yield: a batch using 1 cup of the mix will make about 5 to 8 pancakes, depending on size.

Recipe summary
Hands-on time: 20 mins. Baking time: 4 mins. to 8 mins. Total time: 60 mins. Yield: 10 cups dry mix; enough for 50 to 80 pancakes

Tips from our bakers
◦If you're not in the habit of having buttermilk around, reconsider: you can freeze leftover buttermilk, in 1-cup portions, for future batches of pancakes. And if you don't have buttermilk, but do have buttermilk powder, add 1/4 cup buttermilk powder to the dry mix along with 1 large egg and 1 cup water or milk.
◦These pancakes hold in a low oven for half an hour without getting tough or rubbery, and they're more than willing to act as a vehicle for any kind of fruit addition. A partial list of combinations that have made successful appearances so far: peach, raspberry, banana-walnut, cheddar-apple, blueberry, and cranberry-apricot.
◦Do you enjoy making your own Greek-style, thick yogurt by draining plain yogurt through a strainer? If so, don't discard the drained-off whey; it's a great stand-in for buttermilk in this recipe. Since it's thinner than buttermilk, you'll want to use 3/4 cup whey in place of the 1 cup buttermilk called for.
◦Variation: Add 1 tablespoon orange juice to the dry mix along with the buttermilk. We've found that the acidity and sweetness of the orange juice helps mellow the tannic taste some people perceive in whole wheat flour; while the pancakes won't have any orange flavor, they may taste slightly milder to you, if you're not a fan of whole wheat flour (but still want to get more whole grains into your diet).

I agree about the soup base/bouillion/etc in most of the dry soup "recipes", the sodium level is astonishing. I think some people here found a lower sodium alternative "base" but I don't much like any of them, they taste fake to me.

Good luck.

Annie

When my mother was still alive and in declining health, I too was concerned about her cooking, which she wasn't really up to any more. She lived two hours away which made things harder. Every so often, I would go and stay with her for a couple of days and spend the time making a variety of freezable meals which I would then pack in ovenable containers for her freezer as she did not own a microwave and did not want to get one. If I made a dozen or so different meals she could cycle them around so as not to get bored of the same old same old before the next visit.

Colleenoz, thanks for the suggestion. That's probably what I'll end up doing since I really have no way to freeze things here in a large enough quantity to make it worthwhile.

Annie, great sounding recipe! I often make breakfast for the five grand kids who live near me, and I'm sure they'll love that recipe--my mom will, too. Thanks :)