[Jen]

My mom has had many health problems lately. She cannot do much, has to really watch her activity or she gets very fatigued quickly. She is just overcoming a serious chest infection for which she has been hospitalized. Hopefully she will be discharged within a few days. The only positive thing that has come out of this is that she has quit smoking and says she won't start back up again. This was a really bad infection and she knows that a lot of it has to do with the smoking. Anyway she has not been eating properly for several months because of her problems and I was thinking that between me and my sister in law we could keep her supplied with some healthy frozen dinners. I was just wondering if anyone has made up frozen dinners like this in plastic containers, combinations of foods that will reheat nicely together. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has come across a good cookbook about cooking for one person that has simple recipies with not too many ingredients it would be great if you could pass the title along. Thanks again.

[djs06]

Hey Jen. I'm really sorry to hear about your mom. There are some pretty easy recipes on the main site that I've really liked, and a few decent, really snappy ones in a WW book (although i dont follow weight watchers i still like it) something like 15 ingredients, 15 minutes (i dont remmeber the exact title, sorry). If I find anything quick, healthy, and easy online I'll pass it along to you.

[Suzanne 3FC]

I'm sorry to hear about your mom, I hope she recovers soon!

I freeze food quite often, as I'm single and have a lot of leftovers. I also like the convenience. I have a Foodsaver that I use for some things, but I also use Gladware. It works well in the microwave and is cheap enough to lose if necessary. Some foods heat better if they thaw first, so she may choose what she wants to eat the night before, and put it in the fridge to thaw. If you prepare anything with pasta, try to undercook the pasta first, because it will absorb a lot of the liquids before it freezes, and will become mushy if you aren't careful. I prefer to freeze foods separately because most require different cooking times. I'll grill a lot of chicken, then wrap each individually and freeze them. Then I'll prepare things like spinach casserole, again freezing separately. Some things seem to be meant for freezing, such as chili, spaghetti sauce, and bbq. I've also had good luck with some types of soups, such as chicken corn chowder.

I've noticed that ham doesn't seem to freeze well because it gets very watery, at least in my experience. I also have not had good luck with mushrooms, they seem rubbery.

[Br00klyn]

Jen - I'm sorry to hear about your mom! : Sending you good vibes!

As for frozen healthy meals, I agree with Suzanne, I make a lot of meals and freeze them individually to have on hand for a quick meal or lunch when I don't have time to prepare anything.

Some of the things that I make that freeze well are as follows:

Shepards Pie (Extra Lean Ground Beef, Canned Corn and Mashed Potatoe (with skim milk, Molly McButter)
Anything with Pasta (Spaghetti, Veggie Lasagna, etc.)
Roast Beef freezes well with some Potatoes

If you're looking for a store-bought frozen meal...

-Bistro Classics (these are amazing, just watch the fat content, its high in some of them)
-M&M French Onion Soup
-Deliscio Pizzas (you can get individual size ones)

Hope this helps with a few ideas...

Soups and stews, chilis, casseroles, etc. are also *great* for making and freezing. Any of your favorite recipes would work.

[SuchAPrettyFace]

Brown rice, grilled chicken, green beans, broccoli, beef slices or small steaks all freeze well.

Potatoes & pasta don't freeze as well, in my experience.

I used to broil the chicken breasts w/chili owder & then mix some into the brown rice. Then put it in Gladware w/ some green beans & voila! Lunch!

[Jillegal]

There's a book published by a couple of sisters from Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario, called "Veggie Mania" which might still be in print or at least be at the library (since you're from Ontario, Jen).

Obviously its a veggie cookbook, but its chock full of casseroles, salads, hot and cold dishes that are easy to throw together and don't have a slew of ingredients. I make quite a few of the casseroles and they freeze very nicely. Also they're easily adaptable without affecting the flavour if you want to substitute whole wheat pasta/rice or low-fat/low-sodium cheeses and soups to the recipe. I usually add chicken or other lean meats to the recipes to make the casserole or salad more of a "total meal".

I can definitely recommend it.