Food for ill friend’s freezer

[KittyFoyle]

Hi, I’m cooking some stuff for the freezer for when a friend comes out of hospital after a breast cancer op. Not sure if she’s going to have chemo - this is for the op recovery at the moment. She eats everything except pasta. I want to balance winter comfort with healthy nourishment. We live near the sea. Was thinking of soups, fish pie, cottage/shepherds pie. If you’ve had an operation or cooked for someone recovering, what went down well? Thanks.

Chicken pie www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/11191/easy-chicken-pie
Spanish chicken stew realfood.tesco.com/recipes/spanish-chicken-stew.html
Pearl barley casserole www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pearl-barley-bacon-leek-casserole
Beef stew realfood.tesco.com/recipes/beef-stew.html

Some cakes that you can slice up and put in the freezer, treats are the beat for recovery

Bolognese (can have with rice/potatoes/salad/ by itself), chilli, curries

Just don't put anything in very heavy casserole dishes because she will not be able to lift anything heavy.

A sweet potato quiche - it's yummy, filling and nutritious

Not really a meal, but some gorgeous crusty bread. Freeze it sliced then she can just grab a bit when all she fancies is toast or a sandwich.

chicken and pearl barley stew was amzing.
beef and dumplings.
lamb and veggies hotpot.
macronoi bake
sausage and bean casserole.
no spicy food!
crumble
good srouces of protein.
don't be offended if it isn't eat all at once or look appreciative.the appetitite is f*d up often with chemo so its what you can when you can for food.
food you can easily portion off in big or small portions.
her favourite cereal and cold milk!
rich teas.
sliced seeded bread for toast.

also offer (for some it work for some it doesn't and they want to be alone)but distraction can be much needed when you feel sick and don't want to eat.so inviting them round for meal or to have it with them for some social and distraction.
liquid calories can sometimes be easier too so smoothies.or nice hot chocolate.

Thanks everyone! This was really helpful. Appreciate it.

I'm ill with life limiting/chronic illness OP and I would just ask her what she wants as everyone's preferences when they're ill are different; you just can't stomach things. Medication also causes a lot of nausea and plays havoc with the gastric system, as does anaesthesia.

As a general rule I'd divide up very small portions, and if she's starting chemo or is on pain or nausea meds post op, keep it fairly plain even if it's tempting to treat her, low fat/non greasy, low in dairy to reduce stomach issues and nothing spicy, easy to heat up and easy to chew etc depending on the level of illness we are talking.

Soups are a great idea, cottage pie, fish pie, a frozen loaf cake like date and walnut or banana(slice before freezing), you can blend and freeze smoothie mixes or a nice fruit sorbet to soothe the throat after an intubation as this can be a bit raspy post operatively.

Honestly last time I had surgery all I could stomach for a week was tinned tomato soup, the odd bit of jam on toast and those jelly pots for kids. .

You sound lovely; wishing your friend a speedy recovery from surgery and a positive outcome