First off, I do not have diabetes. My father-in-law and step-father both do though. My father-in-law recently had a heart procedure where he had 3 stents put in and one major artery was completely blocked. He’s never been very good at taking care of himself and really wouldn’t cook for himself either.
So, I started making freezer meals for him. I realize now that a lot of the stuff I was making for him is not good diabetics(chili, lasagna, stir fry was probably okay), but he either wouldn’t eat or eat cheerios for 3 days straight. I figured what I was making was better than nothing.
I’ve seen a lot of recipes in this forum and all over the web, but what I’m wondering is does anyone have good suggestions for freezer meals? I use a vacuum sealer for a lot of meals, but for “soupier” stuff is there a good container I could use? Thanks!
Concentrate on either buying or making low carb foods. There is always a diet du jour. We had Atkins and now the Keto craze. These are basically low carb diets. I don’t follow any specific diet but limit my carbs and look for recipes such as Keto recipes to eat a low carb count. Same at the store. There are pre-packaged low carb meals available from a few manufacturers. Mix and match until you find foods he likes and foods that tend toward lower carbs.
I ate very low carb for 11 yrs. After getting kidney stones, two heart stents and bladder cancer, I finally decided it was time for a change. I switched to a very low fat heart healthy diet.
We make many soups, stews, chili’s etc. We put them in mostly glass containers and freeze them. All low fat and vegan.
I eat about 300 carbs a day. Take 23 units of insulin and have no working beta cells. I have been a type 1 for 60 yrs. A1c is 5.5
I weigh 105 lbs.
I’m going to disagree with you about chili not being a good food for diabetes. It can be fairly low carb (tomatoes/tomato sauce, beans, which are low carb and have lots of fiber). I can usually eat as much as I want for 25-30 grams of carb. Since you are making it yourself you can control what goes in it. Good luck!
@koolie there are also several online purveyors of diet specific meals. My spouse buys diabetic friendly meals for me when she is swamped at work and I have to fend for myself (i currently have limited mobility). The vendor I like the best because of variety, quality, service and convenience is magickitchen.com . Greg and Michelle, the owners, are very accommodating, and Michelle is a registered dietitian which has helped me to make better informed choices pre-purchase. Every meal on the website has a nutritional data chart in the description so you are able to see how many carbs, how much fat, etc.
I just want you to know that your offer of home-cooked food is gracious and loving. As an aging single man with diabetes who lives alone, an offer like yours would be highly prized by me. Good luck with your project. It’s a winner!
By the way, I try to limit carbohydrates as a fundamental method to control my blood glucose. But trying to change someone’s way of eating is akin to asking them to change their religion or their political affiliation. Most of us hold pretty strongly about what we eat. I hope your father-in-law and step-father appreciate what you’re willing to do for them!
I sure could use someone like Koolie. No longer being able to cook for myself, it is difficult to find ready made meals that are suitable to all my medical conditions.
When they lower one item, like carbs, they are high in other things, like fats, or cholesterol. Too much sodium.
You are so sweet to do this for your family members. It is not an easy task to make meals suitable for various medical conditions. With a combination of diabetes, cardiac issues, and any other conditions not mentioned, getting the proper nutrition is challenging to say the least.
It seems you have already done some research. Try to keep salt to a minimum, cholesterol foods low, and carbs down. Vacuum seal is great. As you mentioned, for “wet” foods, like soup, etc., maybe you could get some cheap plastic containers like Tag a Longs. or is it, Take A Longs. They are designed for bringing to someone and not needing them back due to the cost of most containers.
To be extra safe from freezer burn or spillage, you could then put the plastic container in a zip lock freezer bag. That is what I do when I want to freeze a bunch of individual containers from a big pot of soup. That way I can just pull one out for a meal.
Want to cook for me? I am envious of your family members.
Thanks for the info. I have been trying to find frozen meals online and have looked at Magic Kitchen. I tried Bistro, MD about 2 years ago. Some of their items were good, . . . others did not suit my taste. That is ME, not them. I am a picky eater. I would have continued with them but it is not within my budget.
I chose items from their low carb (diabetic friendly) and low sodium menus. I found even the low sodium had too much salt.
Thanks again for your input regarding Magic Kitchen.
I also enjoy Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers that have a pretty good variety and several different meals with 36 carbs or less and about 280 calories. They only take 4 1/2 minutes to prepare in the microwave, so a pretty good meal when in a rush. They are available at most of the big box stores including Walmart, Target, Market Basket,BJ’s. The only problem is that the choice of meals available at any given time varies greatly from one store to another and even from one week to the next so when I see one I like, I buy several boxes.
There is a company called Real Good Foods and their recipes are low carb although like most low carb alternatives they are high fat. I got a pizza from them at Wal-Mart a few weeks ago and it was easy and tasty.
I do purchase a lot of Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers. As you mentioned, the selection is sometimes limited. I am getting tired of the same ones over and over and over.
At this point in time, they are my only choice. Thanks for your input. It is a great suggestion.
Yes, I get tired of the limited availability as well. I own and operate manufacturing facilities in the US, China and India and sell our products ecommerce 2 day delivery so business is open and operating 24/7. My typical workday is 15 hrs so I am also quite busy.
I use low carb websites such as ditchthecarbs.com to make food that I can prepare in less than 1/2 hour, freeze and have enough for 1 -2 weeks.
Some of my favorites are lemon cheesecake, chocolate avocado mousse, and fathead pizza. The biggest issue I have is that cooking/baking for 1 leaves a lot of left over ingredients, fresh food that spoils and eating the same meals day after day due to batch size.
