Batch cooking ideas please - high calorie

[SnippySnappy]

Hi all, my PIL are going through a rough period with their health.

MIL is a keen cook but is not well enough to do this very much any more. FIL rarely cooks. They each have small appetites and prefer mostly traditional British food.
They are currently relying on frozen ready meals, which IMO aren't giving them sufficient calories. They both have Fortisips prescribed, but they're struggling with them too.

I love a bit of batch cooking and would like to prepare some meals for them to freeze/chill so they can consume at their leisure.

However I'm having a bit of a mind block at what I can batch cook for them that meets the brief of:

a) traditional (ish)
b) as high calorie as possible, within reason
c) fairly easily transported

Think I am just feeling a bit overwhelmed with the situation (lots of hospital visits, stress etc) - I would really appreciate any pointers on nice meals to batch cook for them.

Thank you Mumsnet!

How about creamy desserts? Rice pudding with double cream in could be good. For savoury, a creamy chicken casserole? Sausage bake? Mash or potato bake with lots of butter or cream in?

Those are great ideas, thank you!

Macaroni cheese (and its variations) with full fat milk, butter and lots of cheese.

If they don't have very big appetites, you could bulk out the calories with soups:

Ham and lentil
Potato and leek
Chicken and veg with pearl barley.

What sort of ready meals are not supplying the calories?

Have you looked at the Iceland luxury range, they are really high in calories and absolutely lovely

Actually I might be wrong about this, only the lasagnes are highish and thats around 700 cals, the rest are between 500-600 for a meal, thats not particularly high. There are casseroles on there but a lot of it is indian or italian if they're not keen on that.

I will say though I really like them so it might make them really enjoy the food and want more?

It's more of an assumption rather than anything on the calories, but I believe they are the frozen ones from Heron/Home Bargains. The really small ones.
Thank you - I'll take a look at the Iceland ones, I don't believe they shop there so that'll be a good shout

Cottage pie?

Great idea and I could probably add a little flavoured oil for flavour and calories too. Thanks!

Creamy green lentil, bacon and leek stew (affectionately known as lentil goo in my family)

Sausage, mash and onion gravy

Beef and ale pie and mash

High calorie puddings is a great shout - sticky toffee, treacle tart etc

Hope they are ok and able to eat ok 💐

I could just eat this myself now! Thank you.

Shepherds/cottage pie? Sausages in onion gravy with cheesy mash. Chicken pasta bake with a creamy cheese sauce. Beef or chicken pie & mash. Maybe some thick hearty soups?

Stew with dumplings? Either chicken, lamb or beef with plenty of veg? You can use butter and cream in there for extra calories?

Sausage and bean or lentil tray bake? You could add potatoes, onions, peppers, carrots and plenty of fat sausages, maybe some pancetta or fatty bacon crisped up in there?

Pork and mushrooms in a creamy sauce with paprika? My auntie used to make something like that. Kind of stroganoff thing.

Make a batch of mash with added cream or cheese or both?

Ah these all sound lovely, thank you.

It's mainly limited appetite due to nausea, the general effects of frailty, and them both having had chemotherapy recently, poor souls. MIL is managing a little better but FIL has some other chronic health conditions which are making things difficult. Thanks for asking ❤️

Just out of interest, what makes you think they are not getting enough calories? Have their appetites waned recently? Do they have any cognitive issues? I would just get them some M+S ready meals that they can easily cook.

If their appetites stretch to it and you have a good butcher nearby, you might want to look at suet puddings/pies, our butcher does lamb, steak and ale, chicken and mushroom, they're irresistable. But very hearty so not sure they would be able to get osmething like this down them

If they could, serve it also with buttery mash and buttery veg.

Joining the thread as I sm in a similar position and could do with some ideas. My next batch thing is going to be a cottage pie. I don't need to.boost the calories but mash potato can be boosted a lot with plenty of extras to make it richer, and there's lots of topped-with-mash type recipes with different things under the mash.

A couple of spoonfuls of double cream in macaroni cheese, soups, rice pudding would also increase the calories and fat content.

Also traditional puddings - apple crumble, syrup sponge, sticky toffee - with full fat custard or ice cream.

Lasagna - fry the onions/beef in oil (I’d drain the fat off but I suspect the oil would stick around in the onions) and add extra layers of cheese on top of each layer of pasta

Chocolate mousse made with avocado

Mild chicken satay made with loads of peanut butter

Ah thanks for asking - your post crossed with my reply above which gives a little more info. No cognitive issues at all.
To be honest they've always had lower appetites, but the effect of quite a few health related things has just sunk any appetite they had when younger. They've both had chemo recently (completed now), and other health issues, and have been put on new medications which are also resulting in nausea. GP and district nursing are doing what they can but they're still struggling with appetites. They're both looking rather frail and lower in weight than they used to be, which I guess is to be expected. FIL in particular really can't lose any more weight.

I batch cook for my MIL who can't cook for herself any more and is very frail. I make shepherd's pie using lots of cream and butter in the mash. Lasagne with a higher fat mince beef and lots of cream and cheese in the white sauce. I make portions of frozen mash (lots of cream and butter) that can be put with sausages and veg or frozen fishcakes etc.
We live close by so I often make an extra portion of whatever we're having and bring it up but with things like roast chicken I make sure the skin is on etc.
Edit to add MiL doesn't have any cholesterol issues and is an underweight 91 year old!

Some absolutely brilliant ideas, thank you everybody. (I'm hungry now too!)

https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/easy-superfood-chocolate-pudding/

I woulf focus on their favourite foods.