Snackie meals you can freeze, help please?

me_and_me_monkeys

I've got a lovely little job once a fortnight batch cooking for a disabled gent in his home who for dietry reasons cannot eat ready meals and meals on wheels. I've come on to moneysaving OS as I know what great cooks you all are with limited costs and equipment

I'm doing great with the dinners (good home cooking at less than 50p a portion!) but he would also like 'snackie meals' for lunch. His only cooking things are 'a toaster, slowcooker, micro/combi oven, a 1 person george and a stove. The stove will be in full use while I'm cooking his mains but I need some help thinking of ideas of snackie meals for the freezer I can cook on the limited things at his place. He also has very limited use of his hands so they need to be easy to eat (no soup). He is on a VERY strict budget and I need to get each lunch portions ingredients under 35p. They also have to be quick as I am only cooking for 2.5 hours at a time for everything

So far I have: Mini savory pastries - on the george, Pitta pizzas, Pitta pockets. - and now I am stuck. Any ideas??? Can you freeze cooked omelettes?

This guy has been living of cereal (for 2 meals a day) and a ready meal which he was unable to digest properly and was making him require more meds - for the last 4 years, and I don't want to let him down not being able to come up with stuff. General Ideas would be brill thanks

D&DD

That sounds like a lovely little job hope you enjoy it Does he like quiche you could so some mini ones? Savoury or sweet muffins,erm let me put my thinking cap on for some more (rummages through cookery books...);)

thriftmonster

Stuffed jacket potatoes freeze really well and are easy to batch cook and then M/w well. Fillings could be : tuna and sweetcorn, chilli, corned beef and chutney, cheese and sweetcorn/tomato, curry, chicken in white sauce. None of these should be too expensive if you did a batch at one go and a selection of fillings. If you get big spuds, half a stuffed one with a bit of salad/ coleslaw is noice for lunch.
HTH

foreversomeday

Make a pasta snack by cooking pasta, then some things like chicken, onion, peppers, mushrooms, bacon etc - whatever is to hand. Then stick the whole lot in a saucepan and chuck either some ready made sauce in (like chicken tonight) or a sauce you can make yourself (a quick google search came up with this: http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Pasta/Pasta-Sauces/Main.aspx )

I know you said the stove is occupied but once it is cooked, cool, spoon it into some small airtight boxes (You can buy from supermarkets and wash them up afterwards - or save some from a chinese takeaway.) and you can then heat up in the microwave or eat cold as snacks.

Discovered this accidentally when we made too much of a pasta bake once!

me_and_me_monkeys

THANK YOU!!!!

I love it, he's about 40 so a bit older than me, and he sits in the kitchen and we chat while I'm cooking, he like to help me where he can, and I make him coffee etc while I'm cooking. He is shocked by how much I can get done in the time, and still have time to make coffee, put stuff away etc, his home help come for 30mins in the morning and doesn't even have time to make his bed after she has done him a bowl of cereal and a coffee

newlywed

Some people make up rolls/sandwiches with fillings (eg ham) and then freeze them.

You can freeze quiche so I can't see why you couldn't freeze omelette.

I agree with the jacket potato idea - I batch bake them, freeze them - defrost overnight and then just zap for 2 mins in the microwave and eat. Like mine with baked beans but OH likes tuna, mayo and touch of pesto.

Chollita

What is he unable to eat?

Would lentil or bean sauces be OK - these could be cooked in large batches, frozen in individual portions, and used as jacket toppers or with pasta.

me_and_me_monkeys

He cannot eat onion (which is in all ready meals and meals on wheels) thats the big one to avoid! and they cannot be too highly flavoured/spiced. (I am taking him a taster of my next meat and lentil dish that i cook the kids - must remember no onion!) as he has never eaten lentils.

I'm not sure if he could cook a jacket or pasta on his own - I'll have to check - his fingers are fused and so is his wrists - he has special eating tools but not sure about cooking tools.

teedy23

can he eat sausage rolls, thats one of my favs when I,m in a hurry, or cant be bovvered cooking.

EDIT) you can buy frozen omelettes, so you must be able to do it

EDIT 2) so all has to be on an oven to table type dish?

me_and_me_monkeys

teedy23 wrote: »

can he eat sausage rolls, thats one of my favs when I,m in a hurry, or cant be bovvered cooking.

EDIT) you can buy frozen omelettes, so you must be able to do it

EDIT 2) so all has to be on an oven to table type dish?

Yes he can eat sausage rolls - if the sausage meat doesnt have onions
I'll have to try an omelette at home and see what they come out like.
Pretty much - he eats out of the micro containers as they are a good shape and size for him so as long as it fits in the micro container and is ok microwaved then thats ok

kittyscarlett

Not sure about the omelette... perhaps something like a spanish tortilla omelette would work ? what about macaroni cheese/cauliflower cheese ? easy to prep in snack sized portions, and easy to eat, can either eat as is or brown off under the grill, and also could serve as a side for other meals. I've taken to making cheese onion and potatoe pasties lately - half mashed half cooked cubed potato, either very finely chopped mild/spring onions or lightly fried chopped normal ones, and whatever grated or cubed cheese takes your fancy, plus herbs to taste - I sometimes put in sage from the garden, or chopped fresh parsley. I know they might be difficult to make at his place but perhaps you could make those at home if he pays for the ingredients. Aha no onions - no problem then, just use a really tasty cheese and herbs in that case.

You can use the slow cooker for cooking larger pieces of meat - maybe chicken or gammon or a piece of brisket ? to be sliced when cooked into easy to manage portions and frozen for later use. If he can eat sausage meat then either little burgers or meatballs, seasoned to his requirements and cooked in a pan or on the george would work - you could cook the meatballs and freeze them down in an appropriate pasta sauce maybe.

Oo and don't forget those little reusable toaster bags you can get from Lakeland and such for heating up sandwiches safely in the toaster - would your chap be able to manage those do you think ? And could he perhaps be able to use one of those heatproof plastic mugs to drink soup from, if he can drink coffee ?