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Post by txdancermom on Feb 26, 2017 22:18:51 GMT
I agree about the basics - how long/what temp to bake a potato, chicken, maybe a simple oven pot roast (thinking roast, lipton onion soup mix type roast); show him what shortcuts are available in freezer section, etc., boiling potatos, pasta, things we do every day without thinking about it.
also, if they have lived in an area for a while, chances are people will bring him meals - people from my dad's church brought him meals or took him out for most of the year after my step mom passed. tell him it is ok to freeze those things in more manageable portions.
my prayers for your family - i know how hard this is.
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ellen
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by ellen on Feb 26, 2017 22:48:33 GMT
My dad became a widower almost three years ago. My mom was a great cook and he couldn't do much more than make a sandwich - I'm not kidding. My siblings and I do a lot of frozen meals for him where all he had to do is warm them up in the microwave or bake them in a toaster oven. He was very intimidated by the oven, so we got him a toaster oven and he was willing to learn to do that. He uses a Foreman grill now and then. Truthfully, my dad doesn't do a very good job with buying groceries or trying to eat anything beyond salads he buys at the deli and making sandwiches. Thus, when we go home we all bring a bunch of things he can heat up to break up the monotony of his meals.
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Post by Basket1lady on Feb 26, 2017 22:58:45 GMT
You have gotten some good ideas. Another thing to think of (the pinch of salt story made me think of this)--teach him the basics of food safety. My DH was a college professor, has 3 masters, and is a commander in the Air Force. I asked him to take a crock pot of pulled pork out to the garage for me. He did--he put it on the shelf next to the fridge. Not IN the fridge. This was October in Virginia. It didn't get colder than 60 overnight. He was genuinely shocked that he couldn't put it in a 60 degree room and then feed it to the football team the next day. I was so POed!
A year or so later, he did it again, but this time I had pulled the roast out, shredded it and refrigerated it. But he put the crockpot with the veggies in it out in the garage again. Arrrgh! He said it wasn't a problem--it was just veggies.
Some people never learn this stuff and your dad can make himself really sick if he leaves food on the counter to thaw too long, eats food past it's expiration date, leaves leftovers in the fridge too long. A lot of time the Peas will say if something smells ok, they will eat it. But the reality is that some foods can make you sick even before it begins to smell.
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Post by lucyg on Feb 26, 2017 23:27:13 GMT
You have gotten some good ideas. Another thing to think of (the pinch of salt story made me think of this)--teach him the basics of food safety. My DH was a college professor, has 3 masters, and is a commander in the Air Force. I asked him to take a crock pot of pulled pork out to the garage for me. He did--he put it on the shelf next to the fridge. Not IN the fridge. This was October in Virginia. It didn't get colder than 60 overnight. He was genuinely shocked that he couldn't put it in a 60 degree room and then feed it to the football team the next day. I was so POed! A year or so later, he did it again, but this time I had pulled the roast out, shredded it and refrigerated it. But he put the crockpot with the veggies in it out in the garage again. Arrrgh! He said it wasn't a problem--it was just veggies. Some people never learn this stuff and your dad can make himself really sick if he leaves food on the counter to thaw too long, eats food past it's expiration date, leaves leftovers in the fridge too long. A lot of time the Peas will say if something smells ok, they will eat it. But the reality is that some foods can make you sick even before it begins to smell. I agree with all of this except the expiration date thing. Expiration dates on non-perishable foods are virtually meaningless. You don't have to toss out that box of crackers or can of soup just because they've passed some arbitrary "expiration" date.  |
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Post by Basket1lady on Feb 27, 2017 1:43:47 GMT
You have gotten some good ideas. Another thing to think of (the pinch of salt story made me think of this)--teach him the basics of food safety. My DH was a college professor, has 3 masters, and is a commander in the Air Force. I asked him to take a crock pot of pulled pork out to the garage for me. He did--he put it on the shelf next to the fridge. Not IN the fridge. This was October in Virginia. It didn't get colder than 60 overnight. He was genuinely shocked that he couldn't put it in a 60 degree room and then feed it to the football team the next day. I was so POed! A year or so later, he did it again, but this time I had pulled the roast out, shredded it and refrigerated it. But he put the crockpot with the veggies in it out in the garage again. Arrrgh! He said it wasn't a problem--it was just veggies. Some people never learn this stuff and your dad can make himself really sick if he leaves food on the counter to thaw too long, eats food past it's expiration date, leaves leftovers in the fridge too long. A lot of time the Peas will say if something smells ok, they will eat it. But the reality is that some foods can make you sick even before it begins to smell. I agree with all of this except the expiration date thing. Expiration dates on non-perishable foods are virtually meaningless. You don't have to toss out that box of crackers or can of soup just because they've passed some arbitrary "expiration" date. Very true! I completely agree! I was thinking of milk and fresh meats. Just last week, I used a cake mix that expired over a year ago. It was delicious. |
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pridemom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,843
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Post by pridemom on Feb 27, 2017 2:33:45 GMT
If he lives in a small rural SD town I am betting he is going to be taken care of for awhile from the community. ha. Usually the MOWs is a very good option. People will bring food. Train him to freeze parts of it. As most will be too much. Where does he live? I am from a very small MN town on the SD border. He's near Winner. And yes, the community has been amazing through MIL's illness. While we would prefer to have them near us, this is where they were born and raised and they are well loved. Her cousin is just three doors down in the nursing home. He does know to freeze food and I am going to start meal planning with him by phone. I teased him about how MIL and I used to plan meals before their visits because he would eat things if I made it first and then she could make the same dish, otherwise he'd resist new recipes. |
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Mary Kay Lady
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PeaNut 367,913 Refupea number 1,638
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Post by Mary Kay Lady on Feb 27, 2017 5:18:00 GMT
Ever since I got married I would always cook recipes that made 6-8 servings. We'd eat what we wanted for at least one meal. Then I would take the left-overs and make them into one person portions and put each portion in a small plastic container, label it and freeze it.
I do this with all kinds of things: meatloaf, chili, goulash, meat on rice, etc. There are somethings that don't freeze well, but I wonder if he could do something like this?
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Post by flanz on Feb 27, 2017 5:41:25 GMT
I don't have any specific recipes at the moment, but I know that at least on allrecipes.com, if you find a recipe you like, you can change the serving size and it will scale it down for you, and then you can print it with the revised measurements. Now, that leads you sometimes to weird things like 2T 2t of butter or 1/6 cup of something, but as long as it's cooking and not baking which is more precise, he'll be okay if it's a tad bit off and he just uses, say 2T of butter. I'm thinking the opposite as to number of servings in the recipes he does tackle. If he's not used to cooking, and of course, it is and will be a high stress time in his life, I would think that your FIL would prefer to cook less frequently. If he makes a pot of chili, wouldn't it be great to freeze in individual portions (I use the 16 oz. plastic tubs we buy yogurt, sour cream and cottage cheese in)? I feel for your FIL and think it is wonderful that you are doing what you can to help, even though you are at a great distance. Is there any way you can go and spend some time with him after your MIL passes and help him get into a routine? |
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Post by lucyg on Feb 27, 2017 6:00:59 GMT
I agree with all of this except the expiration date thing. Expiration dates on non-perishable foods are virtually meaningless. You don't have to toss out that box of crackers or can of soup just because they've passed some arbitrary "expiration" date. Very true! I completely agree! I was thinking of milk and fresh meats. Just last week, I used a cake mix that expired over a year ago. It was delicious. LOL, and I'm a little nervous about old cake mix. I gave one away to a friend once (with a warning that it was a year past the date, but she was willing to give it a try) and it didn't rise. Now maybe I'll be brave again since it worked for you. |
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