Wed highly recommend making a double batch. Top 10 Freezer Meals. This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. 22 Make-Ahead Freezer Meals | Make-Ahead Meal Ideas - Food Network How much does senior living cost? Walking into the kitchen at the end of the day knowing that dinner is prepped, cooked, and just waiting to be reheated feels like a total treat. When she's not hunched over her laptop, she's either practicing latte art or fixating on her latest DIY home renovation. Throw together this bronze-lidded beauty on a weekend and reheat portions throughout the week. This baked oatmeal recipe is rich, comforting, and delicious. This veggie-packed lentil soup is easy to make ahead. That doesnt have to be the case! Whatever their response, try to find a similar healthy version of the recipe online. on those busy nights when it's hard to get a good meal on the table. Meal prepping can help prevent mealtime meltdowns, improve diet quality, and reduce the amount of food wasted in your house. Freeze foil-wrapped burritos up to three weeks. A common question we get about freezer cooking is, What are some easy freezer meals for just one or two people? Weve compiled a fabulous collection of make-ahead recipe ideas that work to individually prep ahead, package, and freeze for one or two people. Luckily for you, there are make-ahead meals for every kind of diet and occasion whether you're cooking for vegetarians, gluten-free eaters, or simply a family of picky eaters. .css-lwn4i5{display:block;font-family:Neutra,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:-0.01rem;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;text-align:center;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-lwn4i5:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}How to Meal Prep Like a Pro, 40 Easy Finger Food Ideas Perfect for Parties, 60 Family Dinner Ideas for Any Day of the Week, 36 Easy Breakfast Ideas to Start Your Day, 70 Delicious and Simple Christmas Breakfast Ideas, 78 Easy Christmas Appetizers for a Holiday Feast, 28 Breakfast Casseroles for Easy-Peasy Mornings, 24 Easy and Healthy Vegetable Side Dishes, Hungry? Burrito Bowls. Buy ground pork on sale on in bulk, then freeze this ragu for up to three months. Make these customizable bowls at home using cauliflower rice, pork or chicken, beans, corn, and more. When thinking about make-ahead meals for seniors, be thinking about specific dietary needs and how best to accommodate taste and preferences. Chicken thighs are the ideal slow-cooker meat because they emerge tender and juicy, even after hours of cooking. Pasta with Broccoli-Spinach Butter. Is it possible to freeze a cooked meat and veggie in a glass container together and reheat within a week or so? Then, thaw and warm up. Many of these family dinner recipes come together in 30 minutes, while others make use of the slow cooker or Instant Pot for long-simmered flavors without the time-consuming effort. 1 can of condensed tomato soup 1 1/2 cups of egg noodles (feel free to add more noodles!) If you havent read my article from a couple weeks back, A Guide to Healthful Eating in Older Age, Ill sum it up. 40 Best Make-Ahead Meals Easy Make-Ahead Dinner Recipes Get the Lemon-Almond Poppy Seed Muffins recipe. First, serve yourself a plate and enjoy it while its fresh! Not only does this easy, 30-minute meal freeze well, but you can cook it straight from the freezer no thawing needed. You can also determine the time and temperature for reheating in the oven. With just a little advance prep, you can have a weeknight Indian-inspired stir-fry in a snap. Keep a batch or two of this hearty chili in in the freezer for easy weeknight meals. Best Fourth of July Appetizers - Allrecipes Nicole is the Content Director of TMB's Strategy and Performance team. Freezer Meal. Ultimately, it boils down to your preference, the supplies you have on hand, and your judgment as to which reheating method will be simplest for your loved one. Maybe your loved one doesnt mind the texture (it never seems to bother me), but if they want to retain the foods original quality, they can defrost a single serving in the refrigerator 24 hours in advance and then microwave on low power (3 or 4 out of ten) starting at 30 seconds and continuing with 30 second increments until heated through. Were moms, cookbook authors, and freezer cooking evangelists. Nutrition & Recipes Resources. Just serve with crusty bread for soaking up all the delicious sauce. Fruits and vegetables, healthy lean meats, and whole wheat bread are usually found along the edges, while junk food like chips, cookies, and soda is found within the inner aisles. Sour Cream Noodle Bake. Having just a couple of pre-prepped or partially prepped meals can be a lifesaver for a quick, weeknight meal for the family. Reduced sodium and sugar? Boneless chicken thighs are a breeze to cook in the oven, and it's just as easy to prep several pounds as it is one. When ready to cook, remove the plastic and foil and transfer it right back to the dish before baking. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Nutrition & Recipes Resources - Sunrise Senior Living First, lets begin with some tips weve learned over the years for making sure your freezer meals end up tasting like fresh meals. Filter results Clear. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Find a Sunrise . Celebrate the red, white, and blue with bold dishes like jalapeo firecrackers, chicken satay, taco dip, guacamole, and much more. Get the Recipe: Our mission is to help your home thrive, one delicious meal at a time. Roast at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Freezer cooking is incredibly versatile and useful for all stages of life. 100 Ratings. 2 cans corn, drained. Sometimes doubling the pan size does the trick, but sometimes it requires a little more trial and error. We've got no beef with lentils in our meatballs, especially when they're this good. Depending on the recipe, youll often have to scale it up to make enough for your loved one to enjoy for weeks to come. Voila! There are four major steps to cooking in advance. It has only a few ingredients, requires very little preparation, is insanely tasty, and healthy to boot. Get the Recipe: Food-borne illness can be life-threatening for seniors. This is the best chicken potpie recipe to have on hand when company comes over. You can use free online meal-sharing calendars like Meal Train, which is interactive and includes a built-in invitation feature, email reminders, and more. Sign up for our weekly newsletter and never miss a new article: www.ayudacare.com. 1. She'll roll up her sleeves to try any new recipe in the kitchenfrom spicy Thai dishes (her favorite!) These individual-size casseroles taste just like everyones favorite appetizer: spinach and artichoke dip. Can I personalize my suite? Best of all, you can stash it in your freezer and use it to spice up any weeknight meal. When shes not working, you can find her running, traveling, or scrolling TikTok. Read more. While your hands are already messy, mix up a big batch of these make-ahead meatballs, then cook them and freeze up to two months. Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Crema View Recipe Protein-packed, lean shrimp cook up super-fast, making them the ultimate taco filling for a fast weeknight dinner that's also impressive and delicious enough for a weekend dinner party. This simple, easy dish brings us right back to Grandma's table. Try chicken noodle soups made with lean chicken, whole-wheat noodles, and hearty vegetables. Learn how your comment data is processed. And best of all, it keeps for days and it's just as delicious eaten straight from the fridge as it is warm. That way, your loved one will learn how to make freezer-ready meals on their own, and you can share a new and beneficial experience together. Food-borne illness can be life-threatening for seniors. Tender chunks of beef and a thick, flavorful sauce make this a make-ahead meal to look forward to. Freeze up to 3 months. This is a hearty lunch idea for adults who are craving more than a salad. Nutrition and Make-Ahead Meals for Seniors - 2nd Family What are freezer meals? All rights reserved. PROP STYLIST: MEGAN HEDGPETH. Drew Anne Salvatore is the Senior Food Editor in the Hearst Lifestyle Group, whipping up tasty food stories across Good Housekeeping, Womans Day, Womens Health, and Prevention magazines. Theres a high chance that someone out there has found a way to recreate your loved ones favorite comfort food without all the added fat, sugar, and calories. Cooking can be a great way to relax on your own after a long day. A good way to figure out whether a food is a whole food is where you found it in the grocery store. However, make sure to watch out for excess sugar and sodium, and adapt the recipes accordingly. Freeze fresh or canned pineapple. Meal Prep Ideas For Seniors: Healthy Home Meals - Senior Safety Advice It won't get soggy in the fridge, so you could definitely meal-prep this one. Summertime favorites are even better when shared with friends and family. Weve got recipes for all your favorites like breakfast casseroles, meatballs, chicken pot pie, stuffed shells and more. We've also loaded up on crunchy veg and didn't skimp on the spices. Rees easy breakfast casserole can stay in the freezer for up to two months so make one (or two!) This Mexican-inspired stir-fry is the perfect quick weekend project: peppers, onions and chicken are tossed with a chili-spiced oil and frozen. Buy some extra meat and simmer a little extra sauce. Slow Cooker Moose Roast. And if you're a caregiver to a senior, it can be challenging to find healthy meals that will go over well. From fresh summer salads that hold up in the fridge to make-ahead breakfasts like healthy muffins you can enjoy all week long, these picks are the perfect thing to prep on the weekend and eat throughout the week. Make-ahead Meal Ideas for Caregivers and Seniors Meal prepping can sometimes be difficult and that is why it is better that you prepare meals for multiple days, especially if you have an elderly in the house. 45 Make-Ahead Freezer Meals for Super-Busy Nights - Taste of Home 04 of 30 Linguine with Creamy Mushroom Sauce Learn more about our, 40 Best Make-Ahead Meals to Feed Everyone on Busy Weeknights, Soba Noodle Salad with Shrimp and Ginger Vinaigrette recipe, Chickpea Salad with Smashed Cucumbers recipe, 30 Easy Egg Recipes That Every Home Cook Can Master, 60 Incredible Brunch Recipes to Try This Weekend, 70 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes for Lunch, Dinner and Everything in Between, 55 Easy Air Fryer Recipes That You Absolutely Need to Try, Make-Ahead Sausage and Egg Casserole recipe, 50 Best Casserole Recipes for the Ultimate Comfort Food. Chock-full of poultry, potatoes, peas and corn, this recipe for easy chicken pot pie makes two golden pies, so you can serve one at supper and save the other in the freezer for a busy night. This simple, old-school egg salad recipe will fit perfectly on your picnic spread, whether you put it between two slices of bread or spread it on toasted baguette slices. Find your favorite celebratory snack or starter right . Soft Baked Vegan Sugar Cookies with Cashew Icing. If youre a slow cooker or Instant Pot fan, youll LOVE this cookbook. Make Ahead Meals For Seniors | Senior Citizen Website Make ahead meals for seniors and freeze them can be a great way for seniors to stay busy and not spending a lot of time cooking every day. Slow-Cooker Freezer-Pack Brisket Chili. Save yourself both time and money by buying ground turkey in bulk to form these flavor-packed patties, then freeze them between layers of wax paper up to 1 month. Recipes can vary widely, from making two to twenty servings. While the noodles are boiling, heat up tomato soup in a medium pot. Pulled pork is an easy thing to make in big batches. Thaw in the refrigerator, then warm with marinara in a sauce pan.Get the recipe. 6 Healthy Meals to Make Ahead of Time for Your Senior Parent Trim all fat off oxtails. Good nutritionmeans nourishing our bodies with whole foods. Stuffed shells are the perfect make-and-freeze meal and these are the ones Ree stocks in her own freezer. To make and freeze them ahead of time, prep them as directed, but do not bake. to clean your freezer, Contest-Winning Broccoli Chicken Casserole, these ingenious meal prep products youll actually use, these wonderful big-batch meal prep tips from one of our writers, these tips for keeping freezer burn at bay, these meal prep tips fromThe Pioneer Woman, Here are more foods that freeze surprisingly well, Spicy Sausage & Apple Overnight Casserole, Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Once the food is warmed all the way through, your loved one can give it a couple of minutes to cool off and eat it directly from the mason jar or they can carefully spoon the contents onto a separate plate. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), how (and how often!) Lets face it, the back of your freezer likely isnt sparking much joy. Or, it lasts for up to a week in the fridge after baking, so you can warm up a slice each morning! Herbalicious Breakfast Casserole. Wed eat anything tossed in this sweet and tangy ginger-laced vinaigrette, so this shrimp and veg-filled noodle salad is a shoe-in. RELATED: 60 Incredible Brunch Recipes to Try This Weekend. This freezer-friendly meal is a bowl of cozy comfort. Bolognese is simmered low and slow to create a thick and hearty, sauce, so the next time you slave over a pot, make it a double (or triple!) Quartering the cauliflower, rather than cutting it into florets, allows this vegetarian meal to simmer all day in the slow cooker without it becoming mush. Mason Jar Salmon Salad - This salmon salad is a great option for a healthy and satisfying lunch or dinner. 8 cups cooked rice. Below are well-tested recipes that will successfully work for smaller portioned freezer meals. 51 Easy Freezer Recipes That Reheat Beautifully - Southern Living Spread on a shallow roasting pan. But we dont always have the time or energy to go all-in on a lengthy kitchen project when it comes to .css-1me6ynq{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#125C68;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#125C68;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-1me6ynq:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:#595959;}cooking dinner or breakfast. Big-Batch Meatballs and Red Sauce. 2. Big-Batch Healthy Beef, Mushroom and Spinach Calzones. The succulent, melt-in-your-mouth seafood flavors and textures make for elegant comfort food. You can easily make two of these moist chocolate and banana cakes and then freeze one, so you'll have it on hand next time a friend drops by. All the effort and time will pay off, knowing that your freezer is filled with easy dinners that can be thawed and quickly reheated. The advantages of using mason jars are their convenience, durability, and reusability. On both websites, the nutritional information is listed below each recipe, and reviewers let you know whether they enjoyed the results. This can take some practice. When cooking in quantity, the first thing to consider is your loved ones personal preferences. A day later, when your loved one is ready to eat, they should remove the metal lid, pop the jar in the microwave, and heat! Do they love Fettuccine Alfredo? and hold for a busy morning. 30 Make Ahead Meals: Easy Freezer-Friendly Meals - Woman's Day Our test kitchen chefs recommend letting your shooters chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge before serving, so go ahead and make them the morning of your shindig. You dont want to put steaming hot food in the freezer, as it will defrost and potentially ruin all your other frozen goods. Sausage and beans are a classic pairing. Do your best, and you can always pour any leftovers into a smaller pan/skillet to cook alongside the rest of the dish. Corn, tomatoes, green chiles this tangy, make-ahead mac and cheese has so much flavor. Instead, a small amount of rice cooked low and slow gives the stew just the right amount of body. Others require you to thaw and just warm them up (because theyve already been cooked). Quiches can be stored in the fridge for a few days, or frozen for a few months. Make Ahead Dinner Party Recipes | FN Dish - Food Network I hope that helps some. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then warm in a medium saucepan, adding more chicken broth or water if the stew seems dry or too thick. Eating right is hard, but as you age, a variety of factors make it even more difficult, including: Cooking for or with your loved one is great, but the food only lasts for a meal, maybe two, counting leftovers. 150 Easy Freezer Meals You Can Make Ahead | Taste of Home Then, you can write the instructions on the bag/Tupperware so that your loved one doesnt have to guess! Karen Johnson, Bakersfield, California. 2nd Family Franchising, LLC, All Rights Reserved. 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Help Around the Kitchen Main Videos The Rules of Make-Ahead-and-Freeze Meals With this extensive guide, there's no need for you to er freeze up. This veggie-packed slow cooker chili is easy to make in multiple batches. But most of the time, this isnt a great option. Taco Chicken Bowls. 2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. As we move into fall, this is a make-ahead favorite you will definitely want to cozy up with. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so having something thats ready to pop right into the oven can help you start your day right. Your IP: Most people have some glass Mason jars lying around, and if you dont, theyre easy to buy in bulk.Make sure to buy or use jars with the microwave safe symbol. The Beginner's Guide to Meal Prep for Seniors | SeniorLiving.com First, line up some meal-making friends and neighbors. Also, meat can dry out, so its best to leave it in its juices or a sauce if possible. This meaty sauce holds up well in the fridge, and is ideal for tucking away in the freezer for easy dinners during busy weeks. Can we move in as a couple? We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. 2 cans black beans (undrained) I also added a few cups of shredded cheddar cheese before mixing it all together in a very large bowl. The easy way and most affordable pans do not come with compartments, but if you like, you can craft simple food partitions by coving strips of cardboard . Performance & security by Cloudflare. If you're always in a rush to get a good meal on the table during the week, then you might want to consider whipping up any of these delicious, freezer-friendly dishes during your weekly meal prep. Id suggest storing them separately in small Pyrex containers with lids. If you freeze the sauces in ice cube trays, they can be used as a sauce for anything, not just chicken! Get the Recipe: When all you have time for is a quick reheat in the oven, these delicious lasagnas, soups, enchiladas, pot roasts and more will get to the table in a flash. Instead of settling for a bowl of cereal or a cold-cut sandwich, turn to your freezer. If you or a senior loved one needs extra help creating make-ahead meals for seniors or simply need some extra help around the house, call 2nd Family at 1-888-4FAM. There is so much to love about this recipe, and the fact that it can be made in advance is just the beginning. You may be thinking that your loved one will tire of eating the same thing every day. My husband has a hearty appetite, our two kids never tire of pizza and I grow lots of zucchini, so this tasty tomato casserole is absolutely tops with us throughout the entire year. Add this to your meal plan for next Monday because the beauty of brisket is that it is even better when made ahead of time. We recommend our users to update the browser. You will need a slow cooker, but mine was less than $25 dollars and has more than . You get more time to spend on weekdays doing whatever you want (i.e., not doing tons of dishes!). Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a large saucepan, covered, on medium, about 10 minutes (if it starts to dry out, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water or chicken broth). Best of all, reheating them is a breeze; just microwave for 3 minutes, or until warmed through. Make Ahead Freezer Meals | 6 Easy Recipes For Individual Portions Once the egg noodles are finished boiling, drain but do not rinse, and add them to the heated tomato soup. Pulled pork is basically the gift that keeps on giving all week long. If youre really in a rush, dump a bunch of ice in a big metal bowl, fill the bowl halfway with water, and float the bowl containing your finished dish on top (this technique is called an ice bath).