I cooked a metric f-load over the past few days...
After a bunch of delays, I finally have
hip preservation surgery almost exactly 1 month from now. I want to rely on others as little as possible during recovery. I’ve looked at other patients’ blogs/lurked in P.A.O. support groups to get an idea of how people were doing their meals in that first month, among other ‘what to expect’ things. Many patients did tons of takeout, or had family bring food over/stay with them (shudder).
Instead, I plan to premake/freeze a month’s worth of dinners between 12/5-12/8, just before the procedure. I even measured out my space in my shared freezer to ensure it’d fit what I need.
I decided to do a ‘test run’ of sorts with the remainder of this month— just to work out any last min kinks or fitting issues, etc.
First, I cooked a huge turkey (cheaper than chicken right now) from frozen. It took longer, but it actually came out more tender. I tore all the flesh from the bones & stuck it in the fridge to weigh out/portion later.
I made a bunch of dinners for the next few weeks that can go directly from the freezer to the countertop toaster oven at 350 & be heated in 30 min.
(The turkey burgers belong to my roommate; I’m not a fan of this brand.. I prefer to make my own with seasonings etc & freeze them. Not doing burgers post-op.)
I used these containers for my dinners:
Keep delicious meals-to-go perfectly secured in this Choice 1 1/2 lb. shallow oblong foil container with board lid. Whether your customers are taking home leftovers from your restaurant or buying a freshly cooked meal out of your food truck, this take-out container is the perfect choice. The...
www.webstaurantstore.com
I can probably even eat directly from the containers to reduce dirty dishes, post-op.
Originally, I’d wanted glass Pyrex containers of this shape/size, but I can’t afford that many containers for a whole month’s worth of food. Not to mention, I don’t have the cabinet space for permanent storage. Also, if I were to drop a glass thing post-op, I won’t be able to pick up the broken glass right away. I don’t need my cat walking on it/playing with it, or eating it (& shredding his lovably idiotic insides) because it has food scraps stuck to it. So, I went with disposables. I figure if i rinse them, they’re recyclable, at least...
To the right of the containers are some breakfast sandwiches I also pre-made.
The dinners are a variety of things I threw together:
They’re all comprised of about 20% protein source, 20% grains, & 60% veggies.
Cream of Mushroom Turkey - that’s 3oz turkey, brown rice, quinoa, & kale all mixed together, topped with condensed cream of mushroom soup (I picked up the brand
@ceecee recommended this month) & canned ‘no salt added’ mushrooms.
Spicy Curry Turkey - 3 Oz turkey, brown rice, Peking stir fry mixed frozen veggies, & spicy red curry sauce, all mixed together.
Shrimp ‘Teriyaki’ - put in quotes because it’s super half-assed. It’s fully cooked frozen shrimp with cayenne pepper, teriyaki seasoning/sauce, frozen broccoli, & brown rice w/lower sodium soy sauce
Southwest Turkey - 3oz turkey seasoned w/a southwest spice blend, brown rice, similarly seasoned & mixed with diced tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeños, red onion, & kale. Can be topped with plain greek yogurt after reheating.
‘Thxgiving Leftovers’ Turkey - 3oz turkey + a bit of gravy I made from drippings, diced frozen sweet potatoes (found in grocery freezer section, never had these before), & green beans brushed with a little olive oil & sea salt.
Italian Chicken Sausage/Rotini - Al Fresco Italian chicken sausage links, sliced, whole wheat rotini tossed with olive oil, basil, oregano, sea salt, pepper, spinach, & chopped up cherry tomatoes that were on their way out. The spinach coiled up into the rotini spirals nicely.
The breakfast sandwiches were just this recipe, but I used Market Basket whole wheat deli thins flatbread instead of English muffins. I just googled “freezable breakfast sandwich recipe,” or something like that.
Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Breakfast Sandwiches are the holy grail of meal prep! Make once eat all week for on the go busy mornings!
theskinnyishdish.com
I have some healthy cereal & shelf stable almond milk as another breakfast alternative. And canned soup & some sardines. I’d like to grab some of
these dumplings from the Asian market if I have time. They’re horrible for you, but so damn delicious. Maybe a treat for NYE.
Lunches will be homemade smoothies: Greek yogurt, frozen fruit, spinach, & green tea/almond milk. The Vitamix is on the counter directly between the sink & fridge, so, that’ll be easy for prep/cleanup.
I think cooking this stuff next month is going to go a lot faster now, since I did a practice run.
There are probably other healthier meal options or recipes to there, but I just kind of went with what I have around regularly, & what took the least time to prep, as presently I can only be on my feet doing prep/cooking/measuring/storing/cleaning for so long til I get too sore. A lot of this I was able to cook in bulk and then dole out into containers.
I did premade commercial frozen T.V. dinners from the grocery store when I had a less invasive hip surgery in 2019. They take up more freezer space, cost A LOT more, and taste disgusting after a couple of days in a row. What I’m doing now seems like a better option, even if the prep takes some time.
If anyone has any similar recipe ideas* I might be able to add in easily on my next shopping trip next month, I’m all ears!
*PLEASE, NO HAM. It is my most hated food. It should not exist. Mod action will may be taken if you dare to suggest ham.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/apr/5/breaking-basket-farmers-pitch-easter-potatoes-alte/
