Batch cooking ideas for chemo patient

[bakingmad123]

My lovely MIL has recently been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, spread to lymph nodes.

She is having 12 weeks of chemo, then surgery, then radiotherapy or immunotherapy.

She's about 4 weeks in and feeling the exhaustion now. She's not big into cooking and is a slender lady without a great appetite at the best of times. I'd like to batch cook a load of nutritious but tempting meals (if they are of particular benefit to cancer patients ideal) that can be easily kept and reheated for her.

I wondered if anyone would have any ideas of types of things to make or recipes? She has no particular dietary requirements.

Read this as 'batch cookie ideas for chemo patient' and was 100% all in 😂

I like doing shepherds pie/lasagna/pasta bake with as many blitzed/finely chopped veggies as possible for situations like this. Also the kind of meal that is ALWAYS comforting no matter how many times you eat it!

If you have an IKEA or TKMaxx nearby, I highly recommend getting some of the glass square single serve containers for this. They clean well (better than Tupperware) and you can prepare the whole dish but not bake it, meaning MIL can throw it in the oven and it'll be cooking for the first time (and look like a lush just cooked from scratch meal, instead of something to reheat!)

Soups might be a good one? Do small portions so not over facing

I am (not literally, of course) your MIL!

I'm also exhausted, and finding that lots of food tastes odd. I can't tolerate chilli or spicy food at all. Maybe check to see what sorts of things she is enjoying eating at the moment. And yes to small portions!

Those are some great ideas, thank you!

Good idea thank you (and love your username)

Sorry to hear that! I hope you're feeling better soon. Those are some good points - I think if I ask her she'll just say not to worry as she hates to be a bother (though she never is!!) but I'll check with DFIL anything she's fancying / hating at the moment!

What a lovely thing to do her.

I’m currently halfway through chemotherapy and find week 1 and 2 after treatment everything takes different, some foods taste disgusting, week 3 tastebuds return to normal.

i would ask her which foods taste horrible or she avoids now. Before chemo I loved garlic but I hate it now.

I find simple pasta dishes are still edible, my favourite atm is pesto and pine nut, egg mayonnaise sandwiches, toast with a nice jam, tuna mayonnaise on toast with melted cheese on top, beans or spaghetti hoops on toast, yoghurts and egg custard tarts are lovely! Mango and melon are still lovely Simple foods rather than meals. I think the key is to to try and eat protein to aid recovery after chemo, simple carbs for energy and whichever fruits and veg you can stomach.

I would think providing her with two or three grilled chicken breasts would be handy for sandwiches and salads, or for reheating with rice or a jacket potato.

Sheoherds pie
Lasagne
Chillies (but mild!)
Stew

For myself, chilli is an absolute no, shepherd's pie would be fine, and the thought of lasagne turns my stomach! Definitely check to see what your MIL feels like eating. My stomach prefers very plain things, I've discovered.

Chicken in white sauce might work, can serve with pasta, rice or mash.

Chicken noodle soup.

Maybe some cooked salmon fillets. Could buy packs of rice.

When I was on chemo I wanted things with lots of flavour. Thai curries were my favourite. But lots go off spicy. Check with FIl .

Check if she has mouth ulcers. A friend recently went through this and they said anything acidic like tomato based was a def no as it burnt.
And after a few weeks could mainly eat liquids only.

Chicken broth based soups, with noodles

And soft snacks, with moisture as very dry mouth. Like rice pudding, custards, blueberry muffins with glass milk maybe.

Flavour is really important because taste buds are affected. Obviously everyone is slightly different but strong flavours were what worked along with creamy sauces.

My sister loved milkshakes when on chemo, especially the cans of St Judes and she loved pancakes with ice cream with chocolate sauce. She was usually a savoury person, but switched to enjoying sweet treats more for a while.

Appreciate that isn't nutritious home cooked ideas.

I would go for some high energy snacks too- flapjacks, brownies etc.

Basically keep a variety of stuff for her as her taste buds will be all over the place.

Îd go for soft foods ( mouth can get a bit sore) like veg or chicken soup, mashed potatoes / vegetables / cottage pie etc. Yogurts, jelly, ice cream but it really depends on what she can stomach eating. Maybe smoothies or milkshakes too.

I found when I was really nauseous but needed to eat, a few jelly sweets were a life saver. Realise that's not a proper meal, but might be useful for a bit of energy. I ate quite a lot of soggy cereal and soft foods. My oncologist said that it was best to eat a well balanced diet, but as long as I was eating then it was fine. I couldn't eat anything spicy at all, even a hint if chilli sent my mouth on fire, as well as my throat. Wishing your MIL luck with her treatment

Definitely ask what she’s fancying to eat at the moment, but it might also be worth browsing this free to download recipe booklet for people living with cancer from Life Kitchen:

https://www.wcrf-uk.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Flavour-and-Nutrition-recipe-book.pdf