topic Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend??? in Recipes

Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

AnnaGabbyMama — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 03:25:01 GMT

I am looking for good, tried and true recipes (dinner) that I can share with others who are in need of a good meal while they recover. One lady at our church has congestive heart faillure, so I'm a little stumped as to finding a recipe that's healthy, low in salt, but good, too. The other person is a colleague who just had a C-Section with her 3rd child. So she could use a meal for the whole family. My kids are incredibly picky which makes me wary of recipes for her kids. She was pretty vague about likes and dislikes of the kids. Thanks for any help.

-Laura

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

butterfly123 — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 03:30:40 GMT

@AnnaGabbyMama

American Heart Association has recipes.

Mom and family

Pasta recipes

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

DiAnne — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 03:44:55 GMT

I was making meals once a week for a friend who had brain surgery. Things like a large meatloaf (meal and sandwiches), pasta salad, baked chicken thighs, etc. Meals that create a second meal or more. I also did homemade soups but this is not exactly the right time of year for that.

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

butterfly123 — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 03:55:06 GMT

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/heart-healthy-recipes/rcs-20077163

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

AngelPuppy1 — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 09:28:18 GMT

@butterfly123 wrote:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/heart-healthy-recipes/rcs-20077163

@butterfly123

I know this was not addressed to me but I want to chime in and say thank you for posting this! I just book-marked it. It looks to be a very nice site for some things which will work for my mother, also!!

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

walker — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 13:46:19 GMT

For the lady at church, I would think a nice salad would be good with rolls...I have a favorite that is Spinach with pasta, chicken and strawberries but have posted it here before.

For the family, this is always easy to take....put in disposable pan and take along some bread to go with it.

Spaghett Bake

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, cut-up

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (4 oz) can/jar sliced mushrooms, drained

1 tsp. dried basil

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

8 ozs. spaghetti, broken, cooked, drained

1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

In Dutch Oven or large pan, cook meat, onion and garlic until onion is tender. Drain off fat. Add undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, brown sugar, oregano and basil. Bring to a boil and then boil gently, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti and then add it to meat mixture.

In a 9 X 13" pan, layer half of the spaghetti mixture. Next layer 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese, top with remaining spaghetti mixture followed by remaining mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before serving.

Note.....I have made this many times and it is always enjoyed. Sometimes I use a package of Three Italian Cheeses instead of the mozzarella and rotini instead of spaghetti. I have even doubled recipe using 2lbs. of ground beef and 1 lb. of ground Italian sausage.

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

software — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 14:08:26 GMT

Personally, I stay away from spagetti or meat loaf. You never know what ingredient, even tomatoes, might upset the stomach.

I have a simple go to chicken casserole I call my "church casserole."

boil a chicken and shred the meat, or buy a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat.

Mix well 1 can condensed chicken soup, plus 1 small container sour cream and 4 oz. cream cheese (at room temp)

Now here you can either combine the chicken with the soup mixture and place in a dish for baking, or you can add frozen peas or other bite size veggies. Don't go overboard

When my dish is ready for the oven, I lightly cover the top with cheese, a mild shredded cheddar or a good parm. Into a 350 oven for about 30 minutes. Or deliver as is and they can heat up when ready. If you don't think they would like cheese, you can top with breadcrumbs or crushed crackers and drizzle butter over the top.

If they eat dairy & meat, it's a great casserole.

There are many variations of a similar casserole online.

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

butterfly123 — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 14:28:01 GMT

@AngelPuppy1 wrote:
@butterfly123 wrote:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/heart-healthy-recipes/rcs-20077163
@butterfly123

I know this was not addressed to me but I want to chime in and say thank you for posting this! I just book-marked it. It looks to be a very nice site for some things which will work for my mother, also!!

@AngelPuppy1

You're welcome😊 I'm happy you found this link helpful. You and your dear mother are in my thoughts and prayers.

Blessings sweet friend🌹

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

Ruthie-Roo — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 16:37:14 GMT

DiAnne wrote:
I was making meals once a week for a friend who had brain surgery. Things like a large meatloaf (meal and sandwiches), pasta salad, baked chicken thighs, etc. Meals that create a second meal or more. I also did homemade soups but this is not exactly the right time of year for that.

@DiAnne I love the ideas you posted! Meals and foods that go further are a fabulous idea. As for homemade soups, I think that they're great any time of year, regardless of the weather. We live in MN. Even in the Spring and Summer, we (my family, et. al.) eat soups (i even drink hot chocolate in hot weather. People drink coffee all year-round, right?). I think that homemade is homemade, and has the tendency to warm the heart and soul, as well as feed the body. :-) To the original poster -- I wish your friends all the best!!!!

My idea for a food/meal for someone recovering from illness or surgery: homemade bread, whichever kind you wish to make. I frequently make white bread either in my machine or by hand, and it's good stuff. I control what goes in there. No funky chemicals or what-have-you. My family loves it. Maybe people (and their families) recovering from whatever, may enjoy some good, ol' homemade bread (sliced up, too). Maybe add a nice jar of a good jam. For great bread machine recipes, check out Beth Hensperger's book, The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook. Her basic white bread recipe is my #1 go-to, with a few tweaks from me. AllRecipeDOTcom's recipe for Amish White Bread is fabulous.

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

RedTop — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 16:42:12 GMT

When I cook for others, I follow my own tolerances, and basically stick to meatballs in brown gravy, cube steak and gravy, or baked chicken with simple sides, and coleslaw.

My body doesn't tolerate honey, milk, egg whites, mushrooms or olives, so I don't make dishes for others using those ingredients either.

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

AnnaGabbyMama — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 16:57:25 GMT

Thank you so much, everyone, for all of the feedback. I really appreciate it. I have a problem of overthinking which does nothing, but stop me in my tracks. I'm glad that this post is helping others, as well. I always know where to go to get great feedback. You are gems!

-Laura

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

Ruthie-Roo — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 17:23:22 GMT

AnnaGabbyMama wrote:
Thank you so much, everyone, for all of the feedback. I really appreciate it. I have a problem of overthinking which does nothing, but stop me in my tracks. I'm glad that this post is helping others, as well. I always know where to go to get great feedback. You are gems!

-Laura

@AnnaGabbyMama You're welcome!! I have found that the folks on here are very nice and helpful. I'm happy that you've benefitted from this thread! Don't worry about, "overthinking." Who says you're overthinking things??? :-) You're just trying to be thoughtful and kind. For that, you are to be commended. Cut yourself some slack. It's all good. :-) Kudos and blessings to you!

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

sabatini — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 18:46:27 GMT

@Ruthie-Roo wrote:
@DiAnne wrote:
I was making meals once a week for a friend who had brain surgery. Things like a large meatloaf (meal and sandwiches), pasta salad, baked chicken thighs, etc. Meals that create a second meal or more. I also did homemade soups but this is not exactly the right time of year for that.
@DiAnne I love the ideas you posted! Meals and foods that go further are a fabulous idea. As for homemade soups, I think that they're great any time of year, regardless of the weather. We live in MN. Even in the Spring and Summer, we (my family, et. al.) eat soups (i even drink hot chocolate in hot weather. People drink coffee all year-round, right?). I think that homemade is homemade, and has the tendency to warm the heart and soul, as well as feed the body. :-) To the original poster -- I wish your friends all the best!!!!

My idea for a food/meal for someone recovering from illness or surgery: homemade bread, whichever kind you wish to make. I frequently make white bread either in my machine or by hand, and it's good stuff. I control what goes in there. No funky chemicals or what-have-you. My family loves it. Maybe people (and their families) recovering from whatever, may enjoy some good, ol' homemade bread (sliced up, too). Maybe add a nice jar of a good jam. For great bread machine recipes, check out Beth Hensperger's book, The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook. Her basic white bread recipe is my #1 go-to, with a few tweaks from me. AllRecipeDOTcom's recipe for Amish White Bread is fabulous.

@Ruthie-Roo, what a wonderful post! It made me smile, & ITA about good ol' homemade bread!

@AnnaGabbyMama, may I ask the age of the woman w/ congestive heart failure? Is she elderly?

I only ask, because my 94 year old mother died of CHF last year.

She'd basically lost her appetite, but would've loved a warm slice of homemade bread 'n jam w/ a cup of tea.

For the elderly, something sweet can tempt them to eat.

My mom loved custard, tapioca, etc.

As for the woman recovering from a C-section, you can't go wrong w/ a juicy roast chicken, mashed potatoes & a salad! You could even buy a rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club or Costco (delish!), & make all the trimmings.

And a chocolate cake.

@AnnaGabbyMama, I think you're great for being such a thoughtful friend.

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

AngelPuppy1 — Sat, 01 Jul 2017 10:55:08 GMT

@butterfly123 wrote:
@AngelPuppy1 wrote:
@butterfly123 wrote:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/heart-healthy-recipes/rcs-20077163
@butterfly123

I know this was not addressed to me but I want to chime in and say thank you for posting this! I just book-marked it. It looks to be a very nice site for some things which will work for my mother, also!!
@AngelPuppy1
You're welcome😊 I'm happy you found this link helpful. You and your dear mother are in my thoughts and prayers.
Blessings sweet friend🌹

@butterfly123

You are a dear!!!!

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

Bridgegal — Sat, 01 Jul 2017 16:34:25 GMT

I just want to say that I think you are wonderful for doing this. And whatever you decide to take to them, I know they will appreciate it.

Having spent almost a week in ICU/hospital last summer, I know how great a home cooked meal was after I got home. While I appreciated all of the cards, flowers, phone calls etc. the thing that was the best was a home cooked pot roast with potatoes and green beans that a friend brought over. DH was great with grocery shopping for things we could grab and eat out of the fridge but that prepared meal was great.

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

IamMrsG — Sat, 01 Jul 2017 18:46:14 GMT

@AnnaGabbyMama, I may be completely off base, but I get a mental image of the lady with CHF being elderly and alone. If so, rather than delivering a big dish of something to her, how about making a simple omelette, or just a plate of scrambled eggs, in her kitchen then sitting down with her as she enjoys it? Your company could be as nourishing as the meal.

Edited to fix a typo. Sorry.

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

walker — Sat, 01 Jul 2017 20:01:29 GMT

As a "p.s" to my earlier message.....I agree with IamMrsG about the lady you mentioned.....if she is alone IamMrsG had a wonderful suggestion. If you have the time, maybe you could share a meal with her. By the way, I thought after my post, my mother lived until 100 and had CHF as well. Things she loved were chicken salad, chicken casseroles, quiche, grilled cheese sandwiches.....and a good hamburger!

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

VaBelle35 — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 19:17:35 GMT

When a friend of mine had shoulder surgery, I made hearty soups for her in individual serving frozen FoodSaver packets so she could either microwave, boil in the bag or warm up on the stove.

None were low sodium or heart healthy so they would not work for this person.

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

qualitygal — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 20:18:57 GMT

One idea that just ran through my mind, some people have false teeth and some foods are harder for them to chew. Please keep that in mind. I only mention it, since I can't recall others addressing this before. So as you choose a recipe, you may need to see about that area for them to eat what is prepared for them. Thanks.

Re: Good Recipe to Share with Friends on the Mend???

Quackeroo — Fri, 21 Jul 2017 07:35:25 GMT

Pot roasts are a winner in my book, though I put carrots instead of green beans in mine. Leftovers can easily be turned into beef stew.

~Quack