Help!!! in need meals ideas with only a Microwave, and a toaster oven... I am desperate...

[sjrec]

As someone else pointed out, your parents are probably not eating much but grazing. And I would definitely get their input because no sense having all these healthy meals in the freezer they won’t eat. My mother liked things salty because I think she couldn’t taste things the way she used to. I only shopped a week at a time, but she liked chicken salad from the deli, eggs already hard boiled, my homemade pea soup and rolls and fruit. And ice cream! All things easy for her to put together when she was hungry.
It’s hard, I know, especially now. Hope you find some good solutions.

 

[Lumpy1106]

The Crock Pot is your best option. I've always loved using mine but just haven't had the time - now I do. We just recently made chicken soup that is the best I've ever had. The key is to add the egg noodles just before you eat, don't slow cook them all day. Lots of recipes out there, with just a handful of ingredients. I've also made "BBQ chicken" that is just BBQ sauce, Italian dressing and frozen chicken breasts. There are also tons of recipes out there where you can put all the ingredients together in a freezer bag, hand them the bag and have them defrost it enough to get it out of the bag in into the crock pot - easy. I've also made sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes - always turns out great.

We've been having some success with an Insta-Pot recently too but I will say that has been a learning curve.

 

[wishuponastar1984]

I agree with the ziploc freezer meals. I would get other family members involved. I don't trust my mom to do much cooking anymore. Thankfully I don't live far and can drop things by as needed but I always make more of most dishes. Some I freeze for me but there is always one or two that I pop in her freezer.

I know that someone above mentioned the "Just crack an egg" cups which are expensive. there is no reason you can't do the same thing a microwave safe bowl or paper bowl if feeling especially lazy. I just spray a bowl with nonstick spray, add some cheese and cooked protein like ham or sausage" then just microwave for 90 seconds. i am also pretty lazy and usually just use the Egg Beaters from a carton. They have less cholesterol and calories and makes an easy breakfast. If your bowl size is just right it can also come out like an "egg patty" that you can make a breakfast sandwich which I used to do a lot for take along car breakfast.

 

[JoeA]

Possible for you to cook some meals and freeze them so they can heat them up in the microwave later?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

https://www.thekitchn.com/cook-fish-toaster-oven-chef-eric-ripert-265377

 

[focusondisney]

OP definitely look into Meals on Wheels in their area. You can also contact the senior services in their area if you need help connecting. Meals on wheels gives them 2 meals... a hot meal they can eat when delivered & a sandwich for later. Besides getting food, it also puts eyes on them 5 days a week. In our area now, the deliveries are continuing but with safe distancing. I don’t have all the details, but I think it’s a great service for people like your parents.

 

[TAX GUY]

Have you looked into an air fryer (in addition to or in place of toaster over)? There are many EASY meals and snacks that can be made in them. Portions can vary as well. Incredibly easy to use and the food comes out tasty! We were able to get a larger one, delivered to our door for about $70. Might be worth it to look into for them, for easy healthy meals.

 

[jo-jo]

On top of all these ideas, perhaps try to get them to drink some ensure type product too, just to get some extra nutrition in them.

 

[NotUrsula]

MIght want to think about getting them a sous vide, unless they have memory problems that make learning a new skill very difficult. (It's really easy, but different from any other cooking method, so you need to be able to understand the important points. They probably will remember boil-in-bag frozen food, which is the same principle.) Unlike a toaster oven, it's almost impossible to start a fire with a sous vide. All you need is a container of water and some ziploc freezer bags to cook almost anything. Cooking this way does take a long time (hours), but it's forget-about-it cooking, so if they can remember to turn things on at set times, it can work very well. They are a tad pricey, though.

Personally, I find toaster ovens rather scary, especially if they are older models. They cause a LOT of house fires. I would buy your folks an inexpensive replacement toaster so that they will not use the toaster oven to make toast, because that is the major cause of fires; toast crumbs at the bottom of the oven catching grease on fire. I would also advise putting a large clay floor tile under the device to protect the countertop from too much heat. If they are using a toaster oven for a lot of cooking, you really need to get them a fire blanket, and hang it right on the kitchen wall, no matter how odd that looks. Also, be sure that you do not have to reach OVER the toaster oven to unplug it, as you must do so immediately if a fire starts, so that plug needs to stay in plain sight and well-marked (wrapping a few stripes of red electrical tape onto the cord is a good idea.)

Older people do tend to crave salt unless they have consciously trained themselves to do without it; one's sense of taste deteriorates with age. I recommend a can of low-salt creole seasoning; a small sprinkle will liven food up and make it more palatable without adding too much salt.

 

[georgina]

I would go with frozen meals they can heat in the microwave.

Do they live in an area where there is a senior center that offers “meals on wheels?” They are inexpensive and could be delivered hot to them daily during the week.

I deliver meals on wheels in my area. Because of Covid 19, the fact that most of the volunteers and recipients are high risk, we are only delivering once a week, with enough frozen and non-perishable food like soup to last the week. Every area is doing it differently though.

 

[RangerPooh]

You may already do this, but is it possible to make up a batch of small meals in loaf pans or something similar, that they can treat as frozen meals and cook in the toaster oven? Rigatoni bake, meatloaf, lasagna, mac and cheese, enchiladas, etc. Sides like mashed potatoes, stuffing, veggies can easily be cooked in the microwave or stove top (if possible). You could also precook meats and slide/freeze so they only need to defrost and warm when desired.

When I was in college we only had a microwave and toaster oven, so we made our meals this way. A hot water maker came in handy for things like cup of noodles that were dehydrated. Can also be used for mashed potatoes or stuffing where you only need to add hot water. Totino's pizza fits in perfectly into my toaster oven, and my teens cook it frequently after school or practice. I remember cutting cake batter in half and freezing part and baking the other in my toaster oven.

Otherwise, you might see if there are any catering businesses in their area that offer a meal service where they only have to do minimal prep. Locally on my NextDoor app I occasionally see people post about this. They usually offer a few specific meals that week that will be prepped and sold in batches. You never know, but it may be possible that someone might consider doing this for them.

 

[Cramden]

You may already do this, but is it possible to make up a batch of small meals in loaf pans or something similar, that they can treat as frozen meals and cook in the toaster oven? Rigatoni bake, meatloaf, lasagna, mac and cheese, enchiladas, etc. Sides like mashed potatoes, stuffing, veggies can easily be cooked in the microwave or stove top (if possible). You could also precook meats and slide/freeze so they only need to defrost and warm when desired.

When I was in college we only had a microwave and toaster oven, so we made our meals this way. A hot water maker came in handy for things like cup of noodles that were dehydrated. Can also be used for mashed potatoes or stuffing where you only need to add hot water. Totino's pizza fits in perfectly into my toaster oven, and my teens cook it frequently after school or practice. I remember cutting cake batter in half and freezing part and baking the other in my toaster oven.

Otherwise, you might see if there are any catering businesses in their area that offer a meal service where they only have to do minimal prep. Locally on my NextDoor app I occasionally see people post about this. They usually offer a few specific meals that week that will be prepped and sold in batches. You never know, but it may be possible that someone might consider doing this for them.

Yup this. Was just going to post the same. Invest in some of these pans and bring them a week of meals at a time that can go from freezer to toaster oven. If you need meal ideas I'd be happy to give you some. I'm doing the same for my wife's parents.

https://www.amazon.com/Party-Bargai...torage+disposable+foil&qid=1587666914&sr=8-11

So far I've made them

Lasagna
Grilled Vegetable Lasagna
Mac and Cheese
Moussaka
Braised Lamb Shanks
Roast Turkey
Shepard's Pie
Eggplant Parm

 

[gotomu212]

My inlaws are this age. They are still active and very healthy, but their appetites are significantly smaller. The idea of them cooking a traditional meal (meat and 2 sides) would be way too much. Heres what they eat every day
For breakfast- one microwave package instant oatmeal or yogurt with a piece of fruit and coffee
For lunch (their main meal)- they mix a salad or do a pasta with chicken (you could get frozen grilled chicken for the microwave) or rice and chicken/sausage along with a veggie (you can get anything in the frozen section for the microwave), they also get frozen entree like enchiladas or lasagna- but one of those packages feed them 3 times.
For dinner- a soup. They normally make one in the crock pot on the weekend and then eat that the whole week with a package of rolls.
They keep nuts and a package of crackers for snacks.
When they go out to eat, their leftovers typically feed them 2 days.

I helped them with some shopping and was really shocked that they didn’t need more. I would suggest you really talk to your parents about how much they need since I was meal planning based on 2 40 something’s and a preteen boy. My son could eat a weeks worth of their meals in maybe 2 day.

 

[pookybean]

My grandmother really liked the premade meals found in the grocery store (hers were by the deli, in my store they are near the front with the food court area). She got a variety and heated them up as she needed. She also wouldn't use her stove/oven so they had to be something she could microwave or put in the toaster oven.

Along with meals on wheels if there is a church they attend (or used to attend) see if they do a meal service. Ours cooks and packages meals once a week.. They are left in a fridge for whoever needs them, elderly, new moms, sick family etc... no questions asked. They will also deliver if needed.

 

[rlk]

The convection toaster oven is a thing of beauty. It toasts bread, cooks whole chickens and other meat roasts as well as veggies. I've used it to make ragu sauces, chili, most any casserole dish you can think of. When I don't want the smell of sauteed burgers in the house, it's great for oven roasted hamburgers.

The induction burner does most everything a gas stove top will do excepting roasting peppers.

I love my Cuisinart convection/toaster/airfryer oven. I've had it for close to two years now and hardly use my regular oven.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I love my Cuisinart convection/toaster/airfryer oven. I've had it for close to two years now and hardly use my regular oven.

When I first looked at the price of the toaster oven I went into some sort of sticker shock but once I got over that and looked at all the things it could do I sucked it back and paid the price, LOL. I bought a Brevile but Cuisinart made it high on my short list

 

[bushdianee]

There is a sub shop in the midwest at least, called Goodcents that is selling pre-made meals for $5. I don't know if it just during the pandemic or not but I have tried 2 of them and was surprised at how good they are. I had lasagna and a pot roast with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. They also had a salmon meal and a few pasta choices. All you have to do is microwave the meal for 2 minutes. They are also selling their lunch meats and cheeses for $5 a pound and their sub rolls for $0.75. I don't know if they have delivery.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

As other posters said, I am also recommending meals on wheels. I know some people do not want to take a "hand out" from the government they have too much pride. But it isn't necessarily a hand out. If you have the means to pay they will appreciate you covering the full cost (or even a portion) of your meal. In our area it is $4 for the lunch (only meal offered) and suggested donation to cover the full price is $4. It is a well balanced low sodium meal. The Federal Government funds this program to the county they reside in. You would contact the Human Services Dept for the county they live in. The one by us is the same concept as "meals on wheels" but just called the nutrition program.

 

[mnrose]

For breakfast, overnight oatmeal. Takes NO cooking, and easy as can be. Pretty darn tasty too. Can be eaten cold straight from the refrigerator, or heated in the microwave as suits the preference of whomever is eating it. Healthy too. Bonus. I make scrambled eggs in the microwave all the time. Beat the egg, put in microwave safe bowl, mix in cheese (optional), cook. Not terribly elegant or exotic, but it works. Pizza bagels. Buy them a jar of pizza sauce and a bag of shredded cheese. Maybe some diced ham or other meat they like. Easy to spread the sauce, and throw on the cheese, bake in the toaster oven.

 

[cvjw]

Get them a cuisinart air fryer from target. You can cook meat in there in minutes and it is so delicious. I will throw on 2 frozen pieces of seasoned mahi mani from costco, add some Brussels sprouts to the air fryer pan and heat up some microwaveable rice. Delicious, easy and ready in about 15 minutes.

I cook chicken, fish, pork chops, steak, hamburger, meatballs in the air fryer. So easy and delicious.