Need some recipe help

Hi, planning a visit to the grandparents next week. Gramma has a bad hip and can't stand at the stove, grampa has alzheimer's so he can't do too much any longer. I wanted to prepare some low-sodium low sugar meals that they can keep in their freezer and then just pop in the microwave. Anyone have any good recipes for at home tv-dinners that are healthy and will turn out well? Was going to try and package each meal seperately with microwave reheating instructions and make about a week's worth at a time. Any suggestions? Thanks!

What about such homey dishes as stew, chili, spaghetti with meat sauce, etc. These are easy to make and put in separate portions to freeze. I put them in little plastic containers. You could cook the pasta or put potatoes in them like the stew even though I freeze mine without them and cook them up separately.

why not go with some old standby meals:meatloaf/gravy,beefstew,chicken ala king,all can be made low salt/sugar,cooked ahead,and packaged either in larger portions or by serving.you can easily add sides to freeze seperatly.depending on how much time you have a good investment might be a FOODSAVER machine,they really come in handy just for this purpose good luck.

HI,

Is low sodium-low sugar a requirement? If not, they why not ask them what they want? I have a friend who cannot stand long to cook an involved meal. I will make something for my family, then put aside 1-2 portions that I label and freeze. It may be soup, pot roast or whatever strikes me she would enjoy. I come to visit and load her freezer. I had originally thought the small household exchange might provide some variety. I guess it would have worked if I were not curious to try it myself.

If there is a family favorite dish, I would make it, too. People their age are not interested in having their envelope stretched on new cuisine. They want what they like, which really applies to all of us at any age. I know this is obvious, but I see it too often in nursing home situations: if it does not taste good, they won't eat much.

Regards,

About a year ago my wife was put on medication that required a low sodium diet. At the time she was bringing the general lean cuisines or Healthy Choice entrees for lunch. Since they were no longer an option I began making her lunches and freezing. If you need any ideas or recommendations on cooking time please let me know.

FYI, her favorites are:

Meatloaf
Chicken Piccatta
Lemon Chicken
Meatball Stroganoff

On a side note: Her bringing these meals into her office has allowed me to start my catering / personal chef operation up again, this time legally.

Flip

I'd ask them what they miss/like, too. Then you can see how well those things can be translated.

Are they diabetic?

Like others, I freeze portions of everything from soup to pot roast to meatloaf to pasta and pasta sauce. So, many many options. You may have to be creative in your pre-cooking times to make sure it all comes out the same if you package it together. For example, pasta cooks from frozen in about a minute and pot roast takes longer. Packaging separately might be better tasting; putting it together certainly easier for them.

Hi there, I have a similar request, next Sunday I have my uncles birthday. Unfortunately he is diabetic and his blood sugar level is very high. Now I want to make a the birthday cake (diabetic cake/sugar free) for him. and the worst part is I am not very good with cooking. can any one give me some suggestion or recipe for making diabetic Birth day cake.

My experience using splenda in desserts (the best sugar substitute IMHO for those who don't know what it is) is to stay away from things that rise (like cakes). So...if you want to make a cheesecake for his birthday -- that would be a really great treat and works well with the whole sugar free thing. But my experience isn't extensive -- I had one or two experiences that really didn't make me love them.

I also think cheesecakes are pretty easy -- you could find any number of recipes for easy cheesecake online.

I do bake for my diabetic MiL quite a bit. But, I've found that my best results are from using things that are a bit more difficult to find, like xylitol and WheyD and agave. When I use a mix of, say, 1/3 baking Splenda with the remaining a mix of the sugar alcohols and a bit of agave, I get a balance that you can't really detect it's not made with sugar and it behaves like a cake made with sugar.

But, it's a process I sort of worked out over time and you have to have all these ingredients, which you probably don't have nor want to get.

Cheesecake is very easy to make with Splenda. It's even better if you have a use some agave as this smooths out the fake sugar taste but doesn't raise the glycemic index. Puddings are also easy to make. just not rice or tapioca because of the starch. Pie's are impossible in the sense that the crust is a no-no, but a crustless pie with whipped cream is possible.

Recent research, I read, shows that eating fruit is actually very good for a diabetic (in the past it's been significantly limited). So, apples that need little sugar could be a good crustless pie, with just a bit of an oatmeal based crumble on top.

Lastly, when I am at a loss, I do a Google search and see what is out there. I usually can find thousands of recipes that are reviewed by others.

I am a diabetic. The important thing is the amount of carbs not the amount of sugar. All carbs turn to glucose in the body so it doesn't make a diference where the carb comes from. Find out what he is allowed and work from there. What is going to be in the rest of the meal. If he is eating a lot of carbs with the meal it would not make any difference how much sugar or splenda is in the recipe. Remember flour, graham cracker crust or any other crust is still carbs.
Paulette

A while back, one of the 'spouse's bosses was diabetic, I used to make the Triple-Chocolate Pudding Pie with Cappuccino Cream from Epicurious using Splenda; I also made a piecrust from nuts held together with whipped egg white. This pie is NOT good for you, even when sugar and mostly carb-free, but it made an excellent low carb dessert.

MincyBits and Llama posted her recipe for reduced-sugar black-and-tan cupcakes.

Seeing Mhays recipe suggestion reminded me of a recipe my Mother developed for a low carb, no sugar added cheesecake -- I've had it and it's actually pretty tasty.

PAM'S PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Butter
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Two 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp 3/4 cup Splenda
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups pure canned pumpkin (without any seasoning)
1/2 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan. (Not absolutely necessary. You can do this in a round casserole dish and serve from the dish.) Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with chopped pecans, distributing evenly. (The nuts are optional.)

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, Splenda, and vanilla until fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl and beaters.

4. Add the pumpkin and sour cream, mixing thoroughly on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Mix in the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.

5. Pour the batter over the nuts in the pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a knife placed in the center comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan, and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Chicken Marsala soup base from Trader Joes springs to mind, where you can put some chicken and potatoes. I'm not sure how much sodium but you can always water it down yet have the pleasant Marsala taste.

Or dice some squash, onion, tomatoes and mix in ground beef, elbow pasta for some flavorful and freezables too.

Salmon, broccoli, garlic, and cream are good combo too. Some small pasta.

I cook low sodium for my Dad who can have less than 1 teaspoon of sodium a day. That's tough to achieve using any prepared foods and especially using any prepared soup bases or stocks. They all are high in sodium, event the labeled "low" sodium ones.

Milk and cheese are also sneaky sodium sources so be careful when using any milk products like yoghurt. Butter, if unsalted, is sodium free. Puddings are pretty much off Dad's menu these days.

Sodium-free baking power is now available and I purchase it at Whole Foods. I use it s a 1 to 1 substitute for double acting BP. There is no substitute for baking soda--a sodium bomb.

Hope this helps a little