Can you please help me with recipe ideas? I have a friend whos husband is dying with a brain tumour. I would like to take nutricious easy meals to them, that she can heat and eat. She is finding that she has no energy to cook decent meals (stress etc) so I really want to take a meal over say twice a week that is full of goodies. Any suggestions? I'm just off to work but will check back here later on. Thanks
cookessentials,
Apr 14, 6:30pm
Hi beagle, sorry to hear about your friends husband. I guess it depends on what they like. Liver bacon and sausages done as a casserole is good for iron, a vegetarian lasagne with silverbeet, any casserole type meals with a good gravy or a meatloaf, shepherds pie.
uli,
Apr 14, 6:59pm
I would bring anything based on "real food" - as in what grows on or in the soil - so anything based on meat, eggs, fish, vege. Cut out grains, oils and fruit and you will have a great meal.
So for a recipe suggestion I would say - stew (meat and veges) - soup (chicken and veges) - bacon and eggs - freshly made on the spot - takes about 10 minutes (so the eggs are still runny and easy to eat)
And try to steer free of any sugary "desserts" if he is happy with it. If he really really craves the stuff - then who are WE to say he shouldn't have it?
indy95,
Apr 14, 7:02pm
Hello beagle12, your friend is lucky that she has someone who will offer practical help at such a difficult time.
It is hard to know what to suggest without knowing what type of meals they would usually enjoy but dishes such as a pasta type bake or lasagne, fish pie, savoury mince mixture with plenty of veges, an " impossible " quiche, almost any type of casserole, a roast chicken, soup, individual pies, curries, anything which can easily be heated if necessary without needing much extra effort to make a nourishing meal.
I have found when taking prepared meals to people it is a good idea to package them into disposable containers or foil dishes which can be put into an oven or microwave. This saves the worry of needing to clean and return baking dishes etc.
cookessentials,
Apr 14, 7:05pm
I have a friend with BC and due to radiation, she has very little saliva in her mouth - she has got to the stage where she just has what she fancies and if there are things that he craves, just indulge him. His wife, being very tired nees things that will give her a bit of a boost. Another thing she may find helpful is to get some Horlicks as this definately helps one sleep at night.
buzzy110,
Apr 14, 7:14pm
Your friend is lucky to have someone as supportive as you. I personally don't know anything about cancer nutrition but the following link has a huge amount of information that may guide you when selecting foods.
It lists a range of side effect from the various treatments and the foods that can help to ameliorate the effects or aggravate them.
If you read through that you could come back and ask for recipes or meal suggestion based on whichever recommendations would best fit the conditions currently being experienced by your friend's husband.
I know this is a women's site but the information in it is lifted directly from a helpful pamphlet published by the American Institute for Cancer Research
chris313,
Apr 14, 9:03pm
Lovely home made soup. Bacon hock, boiled for a good couple of hours with one of those packet soup mixes with lentils, split peas etc, then I add all sorts of veg. I peel it and then chuck it in the whizz, except the things like leek and celery. Don't cook the fresh veg for too lonf, just till done, then you don't lose the goodness. You can then freeze it into portions - it's very nourishing and easy to eat/digest for an unwell person. Good luck.
mbos,
Apr 14, 9:31pm
Soup is a good one.
Vege, chicken. . .
retired,
Apr 14, 10:04pm
I don't know if it would help but I have a small book called Tempting Pureed Foods published by the Cancer Society. This is a guide for eating while undergoing cancer treatment. Mainly for sore mouths or difficulty with swallowing. It's your if it will help?
retired,
Apr 14, 10:05pm
Just put a message on one of my auction.
beagle12,
Apr 14, 11:37pm
Hey thanks for all this guys there are some great ideas. He's lucky with his appetite (its huge) but they are just eating crap at the moment. Heaps of deep fried takeaways etcShe just doesn't have the energy to cook, they are so stressed. His tumour is terminal and they were childhood sweethearts so you can understand her position.
cookessentials,
Apr 26, 2:20am
Hi Beagle, a good soup may be helpful for them, such as pumpkin or a good, hearty one with ham hocks, onions, carrots, kumara, ce- lery ( tops and all) I do one like this and I lastly put macaroni elbows in it, you can just about stand your spoon up in and it is certainly a meal in itself. Let me know if you would like the general recipe.
darlingmole,
Mar 6, 6:08am
This brings back horrible memories - my mother died of cancer :-(
Anyway, the general rule of thumb was soft almost "comfort food" type meals
mac'n'cheese leek'n'potato soup bacon hock soup with lentils/vege quiche fruit crumbles (with soft crumble toppings) custard with banana smoothies with spirulina
well you get the gist
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.