Suggestions for meals that elderly relatives can prepare for themselves

[deathbyprocrastination]

I've found this board to be so helpful and supportive in the past few months so I just wondered if anyone had suggestions for the above i.e. meals that can be easily prepared / heated in the microwave and aren't, ideally, super processed.

I'm putting together a meal plan for DM who is moving close by. She'll have a cleaner / carer going in for an hour every morning and I plan to pop by regularly but I also want to be realistic about whether it's going to be possible for me to go in every day and would like have plenty of stuff up my sleeve for when I can't.

DM can make porridge in the microwave in the morning and I'm asking her cleaner / carer to prepare lunch for her to have each day e.g. tuna sandwich with cherry tomatoes, half an avo with hummus and toast but then there is dinner. Provided I can get her using the microwave happily, I think she should be able to heat something up for her dinner. I think a ready meal once or twice a week is fine but it would be great if it wasn't just that.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

Just to clarify, are you asking for simple meal suggestions that your DM can prepare using the hob, oven and microwave or just using the microwave?

Iceland have lots of microwaveable pasta bags that make a nice meal. Plenty of veg in them!

Well the obvious answer is batch cook and store in microwaveable tubs.

I do that for lunches for DP who is a crap cook with complex dietary/medical needs and a manual labour job meaning UFO's he doesn't eat a decent lunch he's on the floor by about 3pm.

I use a lot of frozen mash but basically do a big pan of mince and vegetables, portioned out into tubs and he reheats it with a second tub of either frozen mash if a Yorkshire pudding etc.

Similarly lasagne, soup, risotto, leftover roast and gravy, portions of pie etc.

I've got in the habit of always making our family supper the night before a lunch portion size bigger and the leftovers go in a tub for him the next day.

Can you make her some individual meal portions of e.g. lasagne, cottage pie, fish pie, that just need to be taken out of freezer and put in the microwave or oven? Then she would just need to cook a vegetable, or add salad, to go with it.

Soup would be a massive winner here. In fact, could you batch cook some meals and stack the freezer?

A salmon fillet is 2 or 3 minutes in the microwave. Could she boil potatoes separately maybe?

Scrambled eggs are a breeze in the microwave but nicer on the hob.

Half a baked potato? Lots of butter maybe.

Freeze a portion of whatever you’re having at home.

Or, these are ready meals but aimed at people exactly like your mum: www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com/

Honestly OP? I do batch cooking and buy containers for my parents.
So almost every time that we cook at home I make separate portions.
All go in batches clearly labelled to my parents deep freezer.
That way it's not processed, easily heated up and they can choose what they fancy day to day.
Everything from soups to Sunday roasts .

Neals on wheels or Wiltshire farm foods and such?

Thanks for all the posts - really helpful. I think batch cooking is definitely the way. DH is dubious because he just thinks I will end up not having the time. I think I'll probably do a combo of batch cooking and things like Wiltshire farm foods and others have people have suggested.

Soup would be perfect but she has Parkinson's and quite a pronounced shake so eating it is really tricky. This is prob a v stupid question but can you freeze things like bolognese with the cooked pasta (penne or something) in it and then just reheat it all together?

@Catsmother66 yes sorry that prob wasn't clear. I don't think she is up to hob cooking (though she isn't very realistic about that) so I think it'll need to be things she can heat up in the microwave. Will make sure she has plenty of fresh veg in that she can eat raw too e.g. bags of salad, cherry tomatoes etc

Wiltshire Farm Foods are pretty miserable to be honest - supermarket ready meals would be far nicer. I've heard good things about Charlie Bigham's ready meals, and M&S is always a good shout.

Otherwise, as others have said, when you make something freezable at home, make extra and box it up for your Mum's fridge/freezer.

Little Dish (children's ready meals) are also quite good - my elderly relatives preferred them as they are quite small portions.

We sheltered from the rain in an Iceland at the weekend and they had bags of pre-cooked jackets and steam bags of veggies along with every possible ready meal under the sun.

They deliver free over a certain amount.

The kids insisted on buying a bag of hula hoops chips things which I thought were a bit random

I’m at the same stage with my mum, but it’s me not a cleaner going in daily. I’d suggest swapping the cleaner to afternoon as it’s easier for your mum to just make herself a sandwich at lunchtime than it is to make an evening meal. I leave easy to spread things that don’t necessarily need butter on the bread, so I leave Philadelphia cheese spreads, tuna mayo or egg mayo and yoghurts for afterwards. In the evening I pop in with a portion of things we’ve had. Things like spaghetti Bol, chilli, pasta bake, roast dinners. I always make a few extra portions and freeze them in individual tuppawares (takeaway boxes are fab). If I’m working late I leave one out to defrost and she does have a go at reheating it.

Mum is happy with wiltshire farm foods. Feels like she having a proper meal. Meat, potatoes and veg. Finds the portion size just right for her.

Good tips - thank you. I have found dozens of plastic containers in the cupboards so am all set for the batch cooking.

How far advanced is the Parkinsons? Has she had a home assessment with an occupational therapist? My nan had an assessment, and could safely make a cup of tea and heat things in the microwave, but was deemed unsafe to use the oven. Among other things, she simply put the whole microwave and plastic dishes in the oven- which obviously melted! An OT could also suggest modification which might help her stay in her own home longer. Would she need a prompt to heat her dinner and eat it? A bell, a certain light comes on etc?

Are you in touch with age UK or any other dementia supports? Adult beaker cups with 2 handles might be useful for soup/drinks and to stop it being shaked out whilst drinking. www.completecareshop.co.uk/kitchen-aids/cups/adult-drinking-cups/adult-drinking-cup?gclid=CjwKCAjwqIiFBhAHEiwANg9szufh4e5cdrJekf1UTgaoMbwPAjyIltzS1S--xdbAqnaCZPB-HnEo6BoCiwMQAvD_BwE

Thick handled cutlery can help also:
www.welcomemobility.co.uk/Departments/Kitchen/Adapted-Cutlery.aspx

Alternatively, have the carer heat up a hot meal safely for her (you'd still have to manage this but it would mean the hob could be used) and then she can have a sandwich or toast in the evening?

And yes, you can freeze pasta dishes with the pasta in them. If it's a really saucey sauce, then cool the pasta and the sauce then mix - otherwise the pasta keeps cooking in the hot sauce and everything gets a bit sloppy.

Ps, I forgot to say, I do freeze the bolognaise with ready cooked pasta or the chilli with rice, so each tub is a complete meal.

Ah you're all wonderful, thank you.

@Elouera the Parkinson's is quite advanced - she was diagnosed about 6 years ago. She's moving close in a week's time and I've registered her with the local surgery. Once she's here I'll take her in for an appointment and see if we can get assessments etc set up so that I have a realistic idea of what she will and won't be able to do and can plan accordingly.

Re the suggestion of the cleaner going in later in the day, that would be good in some ways but I also thing it would be a good thing for someone to be there first thing to make sure she gets up and dressed each day, otherwise I think she will just be in the nightie the whole day and mornings are pretty hectic for me.

PS I'm not in touch with Age UK yet but have set aside this week to unpack all her stuff and get things set up for her arrival so will make contact with them

Also check if your area has a dementia day care type club or luncheon club. My MIL volunteered (pre-covid) at a place that collects people from their homes once a week to a large hall. They get a hot, 3 course meal for about £5 and the option to chat to people and just get out of the house.

Many of these are being shut by local authorities, but I used to know of a fantastic dementia specific day care. They too collected people from their homes, and people spent the day their- or go Mon-Fri is wanted. Got a hot meal for lunch, but also snacks, entertainment and medical help if needed.

Are you signed up to nextdoor.com or a local facebook group. They too might have recommendations for services for older people in your area. There are also befriending services- I 'think' the red cross might do this. Is she a member of any particular religious group? They too might have support in your area.

If her Parkinsons is already advanced, she may well need alot more support very soon. If the current carer service cannot provide a twice daily visit, could she pay for an evening carer to check on her?

Loads of good suggestions here. My Mum is going the same way with her blindness.
I always buy a huge roast (tastes nicer for a start) and have loads of leftovers. I make loads of gravy too. I mince the meat and use the gravy to make shepherds or cottage pie using Deliah’s leftovers recipe. I usually make two family ones and individual ones for Mum. As you’re cooking for yourself anyway it’s no extra work to put some aside for Mum.
Mum’s local authority also provides a hot meal service delivered to the door, have a check with yours. I’m sure these meals on wheels have come along way since the days of being called ‘muck on truck’ although I’ve yet to persuade my Mum!
Put a shout out on your town FB page to see what’s going on for the elderly. We have loads of Church Hall meet ups with hot food provided and that type of thing.

Just back online after many hours of unpacking!! These are all brilliant suggestions - I am on nextdoor and will root around and see what is available. I think she will be massively resistant to anything designed for the elderly i.e. befriending, trips out etc but it would be SO good for her. So far no sign of dementia but her mobility is very limited. I'm going to try and nudge her towards a fold-up wheelchair so that it's easier for people (myself included) to take her a bit further afield but again I think she'll be very reluctant.

She's a bit divorced from reality when it comes to what she'll be doing. I've been sorting through all her kitchen stuff today (think many multiples of absolutely everything) and she was insistent that I keep all four quiche tins for when she is making quiches There's lots of talk of 'popping out to the shops' etc but she hasn't been able to do that for some time and I just can't see her being able to do that

Someone on here recommended Parsley Box, who do ready meals aimed at this market.

Their meals are sous vide meals rather than frozen, and can be stored in a cupboard without being chilled.

www.parsleybox.com/about-us/

I sent 12 portions (in the plastic Chinese takeaway containers) up to dp's dm. They were leftovers from different days frozen. So easy to just cook a bit more