Robin,
Sounds like you've really got it covered. Good ideas. Only suggestion I can think of is maybe some diffrent beverages to go with the meals? Good luck.
Kim

Roast, potatoes, carrots.
Soups of all sorts.
Casseroles including meat and veggies.
Enchiladas.
Burritos.
Egg McMuffins...homemade.
Even steaks or chicken breast can be pre-cut into bite-sized pieces.
Meatloaf. Bake in muffin tins for ind. portions.

Breakfast too???
Pancakes and waffles freeze well. Add sausage or bacon and fresh fruits.
Quiche. (Breakfast or dinner).
Muffins stuffed with nuts and fruit.

Gosh. Pretty much anything you make could be frozen for later.

What an awesome gift!
Deanna

Blessings on thee, sweetheart! What a wonderful thing to do!!
I think the Corning plates will be your best bet....nearw here I live there is an outlet and all pieces are $1.00 each....so $15 would buy you a lot of plates and soup bowls.
I can see plated stuff like slices of potroast ( cut up), a pile of mashed potatoes and a few carrots, gravy over all and frozen.
Chicken A la king over rice with a pile of peas on the side, Spaghetti ( mini penne) and tiny meatballs like for wedding soup and sauce, lasagna, baked ziti....and you could also add muffins, and containers of pudding or flan....and of course all sorts or soups.
My $$ store has great large mugs that would be great for soups for her....strong, cheap, micro and freezer safe....and really quite good looking!
Linda C

Robin,

I think it's a wonderful thing your planning. My suggestion would be, when planning your daily dinners, make enough for 2 more portions w/consideration for her tastes and dinners that freeze well.

If you were to make just 2 more portions each day, you would have a really nice variety of meals thus making a huge project into a more manageable one. By the time Christmas rolls around you would have a nice stockpile of meals that she'll enjoy, & less stress on you to make meals w/just her in mind.

Lucy

What a wonderful, caring gift she will get! Sounds like you have it well thought out, and Deanna's suggestion of breafast sandwiches is something I would never have thought of! Good luck.

What excellent ideas, thank you! Keep 'em coming!

I hadn't though of getting soup mugs at the Dollar Store, but that is an outstanding idea! Saran Wrap on top, secured with a rubber band that she could remove before nuking, perhaps? I see a big pot of clam chowder on the horizon... and my killer minestrone... split pea soup... and with her one hand, a wide soup mug would probably be good for stew, casserole and the like as well - less likely to spill off the plate.

Mmmmm.... pot roast.... mashed potatoes... gravy.... it all sounds good!

Man, I am getting really hungry!

Lucy, your point about cooking a bit extra each day is really great - I'll start with tonight's beefy spaghetti!

I know I only have to peruse this board to find great recipes - I spotted one for spinach brownies that looks like it'd work really well for this project. :-)

Fortunately, breakfast is the one meal a day there that they don't screw up too badly, so I'll be focusing more on the heartier foods.

As for packaging plated food, what do you think would work best? FoodSaver (spendy) or gallon Zip-Locs (may be tricky to unzip one-handed?) I don't think Saran Wrap would work as it's not supposed to be in actual contact with food in the microwave, and it's not heavy enough. With a Zip-Loc bag I can suck most of the air out while closing it, they are cheaper than FoodSaver bags, and I can write the contents right on the bag. Do you see a problem I haven't thought of?

Tomorrow, I'm off to the Dollar Store!

Oh my yes, the breakfast sandwich idea is great - she would love those! And it gives me an excuse to make them more often, yum.

Linda, do you have a Chicken a la King (or anything else) recipe you can share? My casserole repertoire is very limited. :-)

Would oven-fried chicken micro well, or would the skin get too flabby? She can certainly wield a mean drumstick, lol!

Sounds like you've got some great ideas here. One point: you might want to take a clue from the frozen food industry and find some shallow rectangular or oval dishes that can go from freezer to microwave. Look at the disposables used for Lean Cuisine, etc. They have raised sides to them - makes it a little easier to eat when you have a side to push against - especially with just one hand. I have two of these that I found at the dollar store.

Teresa

Chicken a la king is a basic medium white sauce, with pimento added and cooked chicken mixed in. Traditionally served in a patty shell, but for your purposes rice would be better.
Think ham and scalloped potatoes, all sorts of smothered stuff....like a boneless slice of pork or a slice of pork or lamb shoulder, browned in a skillet on one side, turn and turn down the heat and pile on sliced onions, green peppers, sliced zucchini or eggplant tomatoes and perhaps carrots....cover and simmer until meat is done...season with garlic, oregano or basil...the meat should be so tender it falls apart.
Fritatta...that freezes well and reheats.
She will just love what you are doing!
Linda C

Keep in mind her dietary restrictions and find out what meds she's on so you can avoid foods that will cause problems...

You may want to measure her freezer before you decide what type of containers to use... If it's the one that only holds a couple of small ice trays a plate might not fit... Then again if the meals are frozen solid they will keep for a day or two in the fridge... Use masking tape to write what's in the containers and the delivery date, so she doesn't keep stuff too long...

What ever type of container you decide on test it out first, some things can be impossible to open with only one good hand...

Those flat rubber jar openers are great to place under plates or bowls to keep them from slipping... If you can't find one get some of that non skid shelf liner and cut out a few 'placemats'...

Your mother-in-law and your hubby will think you're an angel for doing this...

Rita

Thanks, Linda - that all sounds easy, and mighty tasty, too!

Great idea on the no-skid "placemats", Rita!

Fortunately, she has no dietary restrictions. With the exception of the partial paralysis from her stroke and being on oxygen for COPD, she's healthy as a horse. My DH jokes with her, telling her that she'll never die "cause God don't want you and the Devil's afraid you'll take over", lol! (She was hell on wheels before her stroke and is still one tough bird!) All this rich smothered food has got to be better for her than the over-salted and sugared processed swill they are serving - that place offers no special dietary considerations for any of the inmates, er, residents, even the poor lady who is losing bits at a time to diabetes. It's the same menu for everyone - cheap sugary carbs and 'bologna/american cheese on white bread' kind of fare. It makes DH and me so mad sometimes! It sucks to be sick and poor and dependent upon Medicaid and DSHS. We help as much as we can, but it's not enough to get her in a private place. I can give her some good food, at least... I'm actually not too bad at that. Even a few good meals a week would improve things for her - other than the food (which used to be quite good), the place she's at isn't bad. We do have The Moms over to eat as often as we can, but with DH's job and real-life obligations (and a very handicapped-unfriendly house) it just isn't as often as either of them would like. I always make sure there's lots of leftovers when they come to dinner, though. :-)

Thank goodness my mom's still capable of cooking and enjoys it, so we just help her afford food and medicine.

I just wish there was more we could realistically do without winning the Lottery. Perhaps I'll buy a ticket on my way to the Dollar Store tomorrow, lol!

Robin, I wanted to say what a kind and generous person you are. Your mothers have their own angel!

One dish that my son loves would work for you plan. He's ape over a simple dish of chicken breast sauteed in a bit of pesto and marinara. Cook up the pasta of your choice- penne or bow-tie work well and then add more pesto and parmesan cheese. I don't know if it freezes well, it never lasts that long over here!
Another one just came to mind, how about the old recipe for broccoli chicken divan? As I recall it's made in a pie pan or just as easily could be made individually. It's cooked chicken and broccoli in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce. I don't have the recipe any more, but a quick google search turned up a reasonable facsimile!

Here is a link that might be useful: Broccoli-Chicken-Divan

Thank you, Compumom - I've saved it to my recipe file. This project is going to be great - food for MIL, new recipes for me.

We're oven-BBQing a brisket (a Cook's Illustrated recipe) on Saturday, with homemade baked beans and new spuds - good MIL leftovers there, yum. :-)

Robin, is there any possibility of getting her one of those little freezers? I know Sams and Wal-Mart usually has them around the time the kids go back to school for dorm kids. Just like the small dorm fridges except just freezer.
Even if she has to put it in an unusual place like the living room or bedroom, she would them have more space to freeze. Then you could also make things like breakfast burritos or "hot pocket" type sandwiches for days when she just wants a little something or lunch doesn't appeal to her.
I also wanted to say that I think Rubbermaid has covered, divided plates for a reasonable price. You could get more than you need so you always hae a few at house when you have leftovers.
Hope this helps.
Lisa

I'd talk to people at work or neighbors to see who DOES use frozen meals and would save containers for you.. Those containersare so sturdy and mast people would like to recycle them. The individual compartments make it easier to eat I'd think than a plate. And most of them are rectangular which saves storage space.

And don't forget to get a microwave lid so she doesn't have to worry about covering with plastic.

Here is a link that might be useful: Microwave cover

Has your MIL had an OT eval? It seems to me weighted silverware would help her to eat the food easier.

Another suggestion for food is pot pies and tator tot casserole. Many versions but it is meat and onions in a sauce with veggies such as peas, beans and carrots then cheese topped with tator tots and baked. shepherds pie is another dish that freezes well and is hearty.

I haven't read all the wonderful suggestions yet- but-at our local grocery store, they have food prepared there, that are packaged in black containers w/ clear snap on lids that are meant to be reheated in the microwave. Ask around at your independent grocery if they would sell you some cheap. Or perhaps they sell these at a place like Sams.
Great, thoughtful, beautiful gift idea!
When my son was little & in sports, I made home made "TV dinners" for him from my home cooked meals of course & Vac sealed in the original Foodsaver. Almost everything freezes good. Include some rolls with butter. He would have a Thanksgiving dinner in July!
One thing you have to be careful about - is that she does not burn herself - esp with the soups.
This is a wonderful project!!

Thank you so much for the ideas and support!

It turns out she has two dorm-sized fridge/freezers (one has her TV on top and I didn't notice it, lol) so she has more storage space than I'd thought. She lives nearby so DH sees her often (stops on his way home from work) but is more than willing to stop by on his way to work with food at least once a week. So far I'm using Rubbermaid-type freezer containers, the same I've always sent home leftovers in, as she has her own dishes. DH's car just had some $$$ repairs so there's no money for buying separate dishes right now - DH says the food's more important than the presentation, and his mom is very practical. So far I've got 2 containers of pasta with beefed-up marinara, 2 meals of brisket with homemade baked beans and new potatoes and 2 bowls of from-scratch, from-fresh chicken soup. It's a start.

I don't think the budget would allow it (gonna be a tight holiday season) but do you think she could possibly work a bread machine? I've never used one so have no idea how difficult they are to use. If she could operate it, I may suggest it to my SIL. I'm thinking a small electric skillet and/or a small toaster/convection oven might be useful, if she has the space (and if they would be permitted).

Theresafic - is an OT eval Occupational Therapy? I don't know - she does have a Physical Therapist, and can now walk a bit with a cane, although she mostly scoots around in an electric wheelchair/battering ram. She's managing surprisingly well with one arm - she is a VERY determined person. Last Christmas I found a set of salt and pepper grinders that can be operated with one hand, plus a nifty gizmo that holds food in place on a small cutting board for slicing. She also has a cool one-handed herb chopper. She's really come a long way since her stroke. :-)

Robin,
A bread machine is easy to use except getting the bread out of the pan with one hand may be tough. How about unbaked rolls either fresh or frozen and a toaster oven? It might be easier for her to handle. I used to cook meals for my aunt and deliver them each Sunday. She loved soups, stews, pasta actually almost anything. But her favorites were the desserts!

I have a bread machine that I have not used in years- it is bulky & hard to clean. I think a toaster oven/toaster would be a much better gift - alot more practical. I have seen a toaster that cooks the eggs on top - all in one for breakfast. I used to make weeks worth of egg mcmuffins, freeze individually and microwave - also homemade pancakes freeze aftter fully cooled. - pop those in the toaster - just make them big enough to get out of the slots. you have a great start - your meals sounds delicious!

OT is an occupational therapy/therapist. They can evaluate how your MIL uses utinsels and there are some nifty weighted ones for people who have difficulty in using arms. They also have plates with edges so the plate can be stabilized and easier to "scoop' up the food. If she has medicare an initial evauluation will be covered. PT or physical therapy is more about walking.

Good luck and I think you are doing a great thing for your MIL.

Theresa

Have you talked to the home about reducing the charges if your MIL does not use the meal plan? It seems silly to have to pay for something that you don't enjoy and thus don't use.