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

For years, I packed lunches for myself, DH and kids about 4X a week. When they were playing sports, it was often the main meal of the day. We used small soft sided insulated lunch bags with food in generic plastic containers. DH and I had lidded Corningware soup mugs we could heat in a microwave. I still had a document on my computer that I posted on the CF about 10 years ago so here are some of the lunches we had in those days. In addition, we'd have some type of fruit or dessert but they're not included. -Margarita scallop salad (grilled scallops w/a corn salad) -Grilled portabella and eggplant salad w/sesame ginger dressing -Hummus w/pita triangles and a Greek salad (and sometimes a grilled stuffed kibbee with it) -Ham and cheese on mini-bagels with chicken rice soup -Tomato and mozzarella salad with a couple of slices of French bread and some salami -Tomato stuffed with chicken salad, crackers -Baked chicken breast, baby carrots and sugar snap peas with dip -Caponata and some slices of smoked provolone -A fruit and cheese platter with rolled up slices of ham and turkey and assorted crackers -Shrimp and asparagus salad with mustard-dill dressing, bread soldiers -Cream cheese, blue cheese, horseradish and dried beef spread with garlic melba rounds, pepper cabbage -Cold salmon with a container of yogurt, cucumber and mint sauce and green beans cooked with tomatoes and onions -What we call Italian tuna salad (tuna, little cubes of tomato and onion, mixed with basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar), thin slices of French bread -Stuffed onions or eggplant or zucchini (good use for leftover meat) and marinated mushrooms -Shrimp and corn salad with mini corn muffins -An avocado stuffed with crabmeat salad with breadsticks -Barley salad topped with sliced London broil steak -Gingered carrot soup with cucumber and onion sandwiches

Just to add that yesterday (February 12) I made this again in two loose-bottom tart pans, one 10" and the other 8". I added some tuna to the topping of the smaller one and they were both cooked in 35 minutes in my fan oven, so you have to watch to see when they're ready in your oven. SharonCb

The kids may be short forever. I have one that will be because she takes after me. :) I do have a 42" counter in a recreational vehicle and I hate it for cooking and dishwashing. It's fine for other stuff and I'm pretty picky about height things. A kid that is old enough to do anything on a counter is probably tall enough to do it on a 42" tall one if we're talking about easy stuff like pouring me coffee. A pullout cutting board is always nice though, for anyone. Find a 42" counter somewhere and play with it. See how it feels, especially in back since you're looking at a deep one. Stick with drawers. Measure cereal boxes first. I am not ready to retire my microwave in favor of my speed oven. There is still hope, but not much.