Very quick suppers for elderly parent

[3weeks]

My elderly dad is still living in his own home with help from 4 visits a day from a council paid care agency.

They have 15 mins to prepare him supper and give him some tablets and sign in and out.

Food is bought from a Tescos express down the road.

I'm too far away to help, no other family or friends live near him.

Any ideas what simple hot meals he can have, that the carers will actually cook for him (eg they won't bother with anything beyond opening packets etc).m or washing up as they can't seem to be able to do that either!
(Dad has a cleaner once a week to try and keep into of it)

I thought scrambled eggs might work?

Scrambled eggs are more than ‘opening packets’ though aren’t they and definitely not an easy wash up job. Do the council meals on wheels services not exist anymore, that’s how older housebound people used to get a hot meal. If not I guess your best bet will be ready meals as the carer can then just prick, microwave and throw out the container afterwards. Would they warm some frozen veg or prep some salad to go with?

I’ve heard good things about ‘ByRuby’ ready meals. They are from the freezer and aren’t stuffed with additives. Cook are good too. Perhaps some fresh veggies with them or a microwave bag of veggies?

Wiltshire Farm Foods are popular, the rep will even often put them away in the freezer for you.

Do you have any local butchers or bakers that make ready meals? We have some locally which do lovely ones. Ours deliver but alternatively you could buy some and pop in the freezer. Alternatively there’s Wiltshire farm foods or companies like that.

And ready made mash makes a good accompaniment which can be heated in the microwave.

I am a social carer and have recently been recommended this company by a client Link
it’s called parsley box

Tesco sells Higgidy quiches which we enjoyed cold served with a side salad when it was too hot to cook during the heat wave!
Half a packet of flavoured couscous www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/253748557 (which only takes 5 minutes to soak in boiling water), with crumbled feta or cooked chicken breast and cucumber, red pepper and tomatoes.
Microwave rice and tinned curry or chilli
Potato waffles (you can cook the larger ones in a toaster) with baked beans (you can get microwaveable single snap pots) and grated cheese
McCain ready-baked jacket potatoes need just 5 mins in the microwave. Serve with a tin of ready-dressed tuna or some tuna sweetcorn sandwich filler.
Potato salad (ready made) with cold cuts of meat and green salad

Wiltshire Farm Foods definitely worth a look.

Another vote for Wiltshire Farm Foods, there’s quite a good variety of meals and the rep does put them in the freezer. Plus they are whole meals rather than snacks, with veggies etc.

Tins are good too, you can get healthy, hearty soups, which make a meal with toast or fresh bread. They are easy to heat up in the microwave which won’t create mess.
One of my MIL’s carers used to bring her fish and chips once a week, bought them on the way to MILs. MIL loved that. Possibly could do the same with any take away your DF likes, as a treat once in a while.

Pretty much any microwave meal. You can get really nice ones for various prices now. Also soups, salads, jacket potatoes, omelettes, burgers, you can buy microwave pasta now that you can throw whatever you like with. Also microwave rice with tinned curry/chilli etc. You can batch cook and freeze meals for him. Small portions of meat/chops etc with steamed veg. Pizza, fajitas, tacos etc. Fry ups. There’s a hell of a lot of food that can be cooked in 10 mins if you think about it

My dad uses supermarket ready meals. He has a few favourites. He likes them oven heated, but they could be done in a microwave in a few minutes. I believe Meals on Wheels is/was microwave food now/recently.

Omelettes can be made quickly, add ham, onions, mushrooms, cooked potatoes, pepper etc to add some variety and texture.

Wiltshire Farm Food are OK if he's happy with ready meals.

Is there a local farm shop that delivers? Ours do lovely ready meals that they make themselves.

Charlie Bigham's ready made meals are very nice. Fish pie , Salmon en croute , he does some Indian food & others They are not cheap but just need shoving in the oven for a short while - A nice change perhaps from other suggestions once in a while .

If he needs 4 daily visits and his carers are the way you’ve described I’d go for ready meals for one. Something that will just go into the microwave and then be put onto a plate. One of the meal delivery services or an online food shop ordered by you to arrive when his cleaner is there.

15 mins is no time. They check the person is alive and has had their tablets and, at best, make a cup of tea/microwave a meal.
We had to do ready meals for DF for days we couldn’t drop off a home cooked meal to be heated.

DGM had a local home that did also did meals they delivered, is that an option in your area?

for occasional ambient meals with no storage/short date issue
www.parsleybox.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwg5uZBhATEiwAhhRLHgtaqjG1DdK7aNQwr2Ykc57eM9U8Oxpe4IVnE-W2PpdUzAaMv_d0xBoC5qAQAvD_BwE

but Wiltshire farm foods or supermarket ready meals does seem to be the best option.

Wiltshire farm foods or M&S meals for one, realistically they can't cook and wash up in 15 minutes

www.cookfood.net/menu/main-meals/meals-for-1

Sorry I forgot to mention he has meals on wheels for lunch. He doesn't really want a microwave meal for supper - he's been having them for a years now and just can't stomach them any longer.

I get scrambled eggs on toast isn't the quickest meal if you're in someone's else's kitchen, but I guess I was hoping for some examples of 'real' food that could be done quickly,

I can't batch cook for him unfortunately as I'm too busy and just trying to keep the wheels on my own life. I see him about once a month as I live the other side of the country to him.

I will look into takeaways which might deliver a meal to him once a week or so, thanks

If he has a proper lunch from Meals on Wheels, dinner could be cheese on toast, beans on toast, sardines on toast, 'big soup' with bread, toastie, etc. Scrambled eggs (or boiled eggs).sounds a good idea if the carers are happy to do it.

I'm aware all these are bread based so definitely to be alternates with other suggestions!

If he's having a balanced cooked meal at lunchtime then I think I'd go with 'things and toast' for supper, ie. Scrambled eggs, cheese (using pre-sliced will speed this up), beans, soup (chiller section soup can also be frozen for longevity or if it doesn't get used), cold cuts or pâté (can serve with jarred pickles/pickled onion) etc.

I was going to suggest Wiltshire farm foods but just seen he has meals on wheels for lunch and doesn't want ready meals

In that case he should be fine with a sandwich and cake, maybe slice of pork pie, quiche, sausage roll etc. or some soup and toast . Pâté on toast maybe ? Or a bread roll with some cheese and pickle . Cake slices (eg Mr Kipling's), or little fruit pies .

I think the idea of fish and chips delivery once a week is a nice one - although IME older people often don't eat a lot so this might be a bit much if he's had a cooked meal at lunch time .

I have a £12 omelette maker that I love and is hands off cooking once you've whisked 2 eggs and added some seasoning and maybe pre grated cheese? 2 mins to prep. 8 to cook whilst they do whatever else they do?

Soup
Toast
Sandwich
Scone
Crackers and cheese with tomatoe