[USER]

My mother who lives out of state was just diagnosed with breast cancer. I want to prep a bunch of freezer meals while I visit, so my Dad (who doesn’t cook & works alot) can prepare with ease.

Anyone have some low cost recipes that freeze well?

I’m thinking soups, casseroles and crockpot meals. They have to be healthy and easy on the stomach.

I don’t have too much funds to work with.

[Stephenie]

I like to make goulash and freeze it. I use the pasta made from veggies – I think the packet says it has quinoa and squash among some other ingredients.

There is a texture difference, especially when you eat it right off the stove – but I got used to it really quick and it freezes/re-heats way better than traditional pasta.

[Donna]

Meatloaf, biscuits to go with the soups. Banana bread- great for breakfast. zucchini bread. Pumkin bread.

Be sure to label everything

[Jess]

Chicken pot pie (you can use canned chicken, canned/frozen veggies)
While preparing look to see what’s on sale, it’ll allow you to buy more within your budget.

Turmeric chicken soup
Turkey and sweet potatoes, or any squash and carrots
Mediterranean chicken soup, shredded chicken, white beans, diced zucchini and tomatoes. Can add olives, feta, etc.

Congee (rice porridge) essentially rice that is cooked longer with extra bone broth until the rice breaks down and becomes gelatinous and soupy

Apricot or blueberry chicken/turkey (I like to cook the fruit with some honey for a yummy “sauce”)
Fish if she likes fish!

Eggs (quiches, frittatas, breakfast burritos)
Baked oatmeal, fruit/veggie breads/muffins (like zucchini or banana bread)

[Courtney]

Breakfast burritos are easy and freeze well for a quick grab and go breakfast. Taco meat.

Million-dollar spaghetti freezes well.

[Cindy]

Homemade chicken soup, (maybe whatever is on sale)

As a cancer survivor, I sometimes wanted bland foods, like instant grits and mashed potatoes.

Good luck.

[Kolleen]

My mom had breast cancer. All food tasted metallic due to therapy. Mint flavor helps with the metallic taste.

I know nutritional drinks are available but probably expensive.

Speak with her Dr. what they suggest for her. There are popular flavors like chocolate.

[Melissa]

Fajitas is cheap easy to make and I freeze. I also make chicken Parm.

I put the cheese and sauce in a small bag so the chicken can be put in the air fryer first.

[Annmarie]

have on hand instant rice & instant plain potato flakes with these your dad can throw together quick soups & meals. Freeze up chicken & beef broth in cup size portions in then put them in a large freezer baggie.

Freezer up on a cookie sheet, cut up Cooked chicken (& or beef (ground)) break it up toss in a baggie (makes it easier to grab a little to a handful). Also keep of frozen spinach, peas&carrots, broccoli flowerets.

Instant mug soup> put 1c frozen broth w/Tbsp rice add some chicken(beef) w/ some veggies (if you like) add seasoning afterwards to adjust to taste (S&P, Worcestershire or splash of soy sauce, bouillon granules).

Or make quick flavored rice dish by just add more rice to this recipe.

Swap out rice for instant spuds and replace some broth for milk to make it creamy potato soup.

My prayers go out to your mother and you & family.

[Pat]

Spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, chili, meat and veg soup. Pot pie. Roast with potatoes and carrots. Casseroles.

That is very thoughtful of you.

I am sure they both will appreciate what you are doing.

[Kristie]

I have injuries that limit my ability to work.
I’d suggest signing her up for SNAP and visiting a local food pantry.

For some reason my local one always has coconut milk so recently I’ve made several curries in my crockpot. (chicken coconut, red lentil/ sweet potato, etc).

I have a $25 rice cooker that’s super easy to make rice to go with the curry.

I usually share my big batches with my elderly parents (85 dementia/ colon cancer and 91 prostate cancer)

Was surprised to find my dad really likes the curry dishes as we had never heard of curries when I was growing up.

[Connie]

When I was cooking for a family member that had cancer, her most requested meal was carrots and ground meat cooked together.

I’d just brown the ground meat with some onions, celery, and bell peppers, add fresh, sliced carrots and cook til tender.

Freezes easily. Can be served over rice, if desired.

[Rita]

Remember that your Mom won’t have much of an appetite. She needs nutrient-dense foods with good quality protein and vegetables.

Cheap/frugal is not always appropriate as I’m seeing ideas for fajitas and pasta.

Avoid carb-heavy meals. Opt for single-serving meals with protein/veg. She can add carbs if she wants.

The idea given for lentil/chickpea with spinach soup is frugal and has protein if you want to go plant based.

A friend volunteers with an organization which meal preps for people with health issues, and he has taught me recipes for single-serve salmon, cod, meatballs, vegetables.

They use small, microwaveable containers so it’s easy for the person to select a protein & veg, pop it into the microwave and eat with minimal clean-up.

If you’re feeding you Dad as well as Mom, then meals with carbs are appropriate as long as the protein amount is present.

Post-bariatric surgery patients are required to havd 60 grams of protein a day.

Fairlife and Premier protein shakes deliver 30 grams of protein per serving. It’s often easier to drink than eat.

Consider getting bottles of water as hydration is important.

[Mary]

That is wonderful of you and there are so many recipes out there I know you can find. One suggestion I have is to get some Ziplock freezer bags.

You can put just about any meal in them and they will be right on hand to heat up. Very inexpensive, convenient and nutritious.

I avoided cheaper fillers like rice and pasta and opted instead for vegtables. I found that bags of frozen vegetables worked well and you can get a variety of kinds in larger bags also.

One pot of soup or casserole will fill several and she can rotate what she eats every day.

They also can be laid flat and stacked for saving freezer space. Get those paper freezer labels for identification.

I did this for my Mother and it worked out perfectly. Your Mother will appreciate it.

[Lucinda]

Healing thoughts. My “go to” freezer meals are meatloaf and meatballs. I make several pounds of meatballs with a very basic recipe, basically meat, 1 egg per pound, seasoned breadcrumbs, onions/garlic.

Cook in the oven until browned/done. Cool and pack into freezer bags. When a meal is needed, choose a sauce and starch.

Like meatballs with marinara and pasta, Swedish meatballs with a creamy gravy, or just meatballs in brown gravy over mashed potatoes.

[Bautsch]

No recipes to share, just some tips I learned from my own mother going through this. I recommend freezing individual portions, and considering under seasoning.

My mom’s appetite changed a ton, and so did her taste buds.

A lot of her favorite foods and beverages were too intense the way we’d always made them. Smaller portions meant there was less waste if she couldn’t tolerate something.

And once we knew she couldn’t tolerate something, any other remaining portions became fair game for those of us helping her.

I’m sure not everyone has the same experience but this is what I learned along the way.

[Susan]

My soup go-to: Tortilla Soup
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I use rotisserie chicken)
1/2 onion, chopped

Liberal sprinkling of cumin and garlic powder
1 box chicken broth
1 can rotel
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn
2 T lime juice

1 bunch cilantro, finally chopped (large handful)
Grated cheese
Sliced avocado
Tortilla chips

Saute onion with cumin and garlic. Add Rotel, corn, beans, broth and chicken. Bring to a slight boil then reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve.

Add lime juice and cilantro just prior to serving.

Place some pieces of tortilla chips in the bottom of soup bowls and ladle soup on top, garnish with cheese and avocado.

This would be even better for her if you made chicken bone broth and used that.

[Jan]

my mom’s appetite almost totally changed. Teach him to scramble eggs. For a while that’s all she would eat, along with mashed potatoes.

Do freeze in portions, though so Dad can eat something he chooses.

[Norma]

Why not prep twice baked potatoes, 2-3 lbs of rice, mashed potatoes, and couple lbs of plain pasta with a little oil so it doesn’t stick together.

Now, freeze rack of these things in meal size portions.

You can add spaghetti sauce and even meatballs to a bag for the freezer

Bake or simmer(poach) a 10 lb bag of chicken leg quarters (separate into legs and thighs, so they don’t get too much).

Cook several sweet potatoes, and mash. This would help break up the rice, potato, pasta monotony.

Buy, but don’t cook, several bags of frozen veggies and let your father make the meals he and your mom will eat.

[Tracy]

Make juices and freeze them.
I delayed my surgery three months so that I can prepare my body for the for the surgery.

I also exercised by walking 5 miles a day and doing yoga three days a week and then after my surgery, my husband juiced for me and I drink chicken broth for the first couple weeks for a full recovery.

Therefore, I needed no meds when I got home from the hospital and instead of the six week recovery, I recovered in five days approximately I also had a hysterectomy on the same day of my breast surgery.

My doctor said they never seen such a quick recovery out of anyone.

[Rachel]

If she is undergoing chemo realize that her taste buds will be altered. Some foods that she likes may taste awful. Also salt, sugar, and fat tastes may be about all she can taste while on chemo.

Before you start cooking ask her what she would like too as comfort foods for her can help her mental health.

Stocking up on healthy snacks like dried no sugar added fruit and nuts can help too as snacking bit by bit can be easier than a daunting meal some days and this way she will still get healthy calories, fats, and protien.

Her appitite will also vary so smaller portions may be better when freezing. She may have days where the smell of food makes her nauseous so low odor foods can also help sometimes.

As for your dad…he may be ok with tv dinners or freeze seperate cheap meals for him if they are both ok with it.

Nutrition is so important during cancer treatment, unfortunately it’s not as cheap even when homemade as fewer fillers like rice and pasta are better.

Potatoes can be a good carb source though and they’re relatively neutral in flavor.

Good luck helping her along this journey. And good luck times 1000 to her on achieveing a sustainable remission.

[Dee]

Alot of great ideas. You said you wanted to leave meals for your dad. He hopefully can eat the same meals but add the seasonings
To his meal only.

You being budget minded

Will work out with buying less meat and more fillers, veggies, rice, pastas.

[Author]

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