[khumphrey]

Help! My mother-in-law lives 3 hours from us and she is very ill. We are having to pack up us and the kids every weekend to travel to see her. The house we are staying in is hers in which my husband's nephew who is 28 lives there now. We arrived this Friday at 1 in the morning and the place is so dirty. I was scrubbing out the bathtub out at 2 in the morning I swear it had a years worth of body scum around it and it was plugged to boot. Plus there were no clean towels so I went to wash towels and there is no laundry detergent. Sorry just venting on what a wonderful weekend I had.

I need help with how can I eat healthy when we are eating on the fly every weekend I tried last weekend and the Carbs kept sneaking in, it is so hard to eat low carbs when you cannot prepare everything yourself. Have any of you had great success eating out and if so where. Thanks

[spetty]

There are a couple of chains that I like because they list their nutrition information. Panera (they list their information on the menu) is a favorite (you could get soup or salad to eliminate carbs), as is Ruby Tuesdays (low calorie options are marked with calorie information). I also really like Chipotle because you can pick exactly what goes into your burrito/tacos/etc. The burritos are huge so I usually order the tacos (you get 3 with an order) and either save one for later or ask for only 2.

Good luck!

[JOLINA]

Make a huge pot of spaghetti sauce and freeze it in quart containers. Take it along in a cooler.
It is easy to fix, and is not high in calories. I don't add oil to mine, just browned lean beef.

Beef stew is another great dish to make ahead.

The place is dirty because she has been not feeling well for a LONG time, and the nephew is no help. Your husband can get him involved with cutting the grass, washing widows and doing laundry for his aunt.

Take along soap, cleanser and bleach. My mom had to do that for her MIL.
Eventually she got the place cleaned...just one room per weekend.

Her BIL lived there and took off whenever they came, because my dad tried to get him to help clean up. He was a mooch. But he always showed up at dinner time.

Check the mother's finances and make sure no one is getting into her money. Your husband might need power of attorney. He also needs to check up on the bills and taxes.

CHOCOLATE. . . IT ISN'T JUST FOR BREAKFAST ANYMORE.

[Munchy]

If you're eating out, choose items like grilled/broiled chicken, fish, steak and ask them to replace the carb component with another veggie.

If you're able to crockpot, you can make stew, chili, soup, etc with almost no work. You can even prep a meal, throw it in, and just turn it on when you arrive at your destination.
During the week, make some extras. If you're making a meal for dinner, double it, freeze it, then you can grab it to go on the weekend when you're not planning to have cooking time. This is a good trick in any circumstance.

Good luck!!

[khumphrey]

Thank you for all the advice. I am planning a big cleaning weekend this trip. I am already packing up all of my cleaning supplies. My mother in law has not lived there for over a month she was in the hospital and now is in a assisted living home. I am planning on making a big pot of chicken veggie soup for the weekend. It is just so hard to pack up every weekend and head out especially for my little ones. Thank You again!

[astrophe]

No extra advice beyond what has been given.

Just wanted to give you an extra because I'm dealing with similar eldercare probs with Dad and it turns our own household topsy turvy!

Hang in there!
A.

[khumphrey]

It is rough and my heart breaks everytime we see her. I can't imagine what my husband is going through because he lost his dad at a young age and his mom is all he has left. I wish you the best with your dad. Thank You!

[envelope]

Pack a cooler full of healthy snacks too. It is healthier for you, the kids, and it will save you money!