This winter I started helping an elderly friend by making and delivering dinners for her. She has limited use of her hands so I put complete meal on a plate and and wrap it to be microwaved later. I've been working nights so I've been freezing most of the cooked food, then thaw and plate it then deliver 2-3 meals at a time.
Any advice about what foods freeze well and microwave well after thawing? I need some inspiration. So far meats like pot roast, meatloaf, chicken in sauce do well. Pasta works, undercooked vegetables do OK, mashed potatoes sometimes work, sometimes get all grainy. Seafood doesn't seem to work at all.
She has home care helpers who get her dressed and make her breakfast with fresh vegetables and fruit, so I'm not too concerned about that.
Anyway, the complete meal should be able to sit on a plate and then get microwaved.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
At Christmas I make the spuds ahead of time and freeze them. I am cooking for a crowd, and have made these for decades, so no longer follow a recipe.
5 pounds yellow skinned spuds (Yukon Gold)
500 ml or 2 cups Full fat sour cream
1/2 pound butter
Full Fat milk
Peel cube and boil the spuds in salted water. I often leave the peels on. You will need a big pot.
Drain the spuds when fork tender.
Mash the spuds. When about 1/2 mashed, add the sour cream and butter. Keep mashing. Add Milk to get a smooth consistency. It will plop and spread, not hold its shape when the right texture.
Now for special occasions I add a whole bunch of sharp cheddar cheese and bacon bits.
For Christmas, I put it all in a greased lasagne pan, add more cheese and bacon to the top. For smaller portions, still grease the container.
I take the pan out of the freezer the day before I will be baking it and when needed bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, it will puff up and bubble around the edges. Once baked, it can be reheated in the microwave.
You can also bake it right away, portion it out and then freeze it, the texture will suffer a bit.
Meatloaf dinner
Salisbury stake.
Pierogies
Lasagna
Use steak -ems for a steak salad ( easy for them to chew)
Get creative!
Best of luck!