HOME > Chowhound > Home Cooking >


Cooking for mother w/health problems

  • 7

Help! First off, I don't know how to cook. Second, I will be caring for my mother after a back surgery and have to feed her for a week. Third, she is both diabetic and has GERD, an intense acid reflux disorder. Not only can she not have a lot of sugar, she also has to avoid the following foods: heavy dairy (cream or cream of anything, butter, etc), citrus fruits, tomatoes or tomato products, garlic, anything spicy or fried, or onions. I was hoping for some easy crockpot recipes, but they all seem to have tomato something, cream of something soup, copious spices or onions, or all of the above. Do any of you kitchen geniuses have an idea?

  1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
  1. Easy pea soup: Shred 1 head of butter lettuce; saute lettuce in butter or oil; add 2 cups of water or broth and 1 16-oz bag of frozen petite peas; bring to boil and then simmer 20-25 minutes. Puree (an immersion blender does a great job); serve.

    1. I'd also post on special diets thread, debbie.

      You can make a nice creamy vegetable soup by cooking whatever veggies you want in chicken stock and then pureeing them . A small amount of rice or potato ( i know she can't have a lot of either) adds to the richness.
      If she can have coconut milk, which is unsweetened, that adds richness too, as does soy milk to a lesser extent.

      1 Reply
      1. re: magiesmom

        Yes, pretty sure there's a GERD thread going on there. Great suggestion.

      2. This pork tenderloin might work, and it's pretty easy to make: http://chefmommy-brandao.blogspot.ca/... It does have a bit of lemon juice and garlic in it but you could probably omit them and it'll still turn out ok.

        I've also made these steak skewers many times and they're delicious and easy, you could omit the garlic http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/em... I just do them on regular bamboo skewers you can buy at the grocery store. I've also cooked them both on the outdoor grill and on a george foreman grill, and I don't see any reason you couldn't cook them in the oven.

        You could also maybe do breakfast for dinner one night... omelettes or even scrambled eggs are pretty easy and don't need to have the things you mentioned in them, and you can add in healthy stuff like vegetables.

        This is also a very easy way to cook pork chops or chicken: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/0... You can skip steps 1 and 2. You can just buy panko breadcrumbs at the store and add some italian seasoning to them....doing that eliminates the need for the garlic and shallots. You also don't need pie plates, I usually just use regular plates (mix up anything liquid in a bowl then pour onto the plate).

        For sides, things like roasted potatoes are pretty easy, this is my go to method http://www.thekitchn.com/side-dish-re...

        Steaming broccoli is also very easy in the microwave. Just take a microwave safe bowl, put a bit of water in the bottom (like maybe 1/4 of a cup) and put in the chopped up broccoli (avoid the stems if you're buying fresh, to make it even easier you can just buy frozen broccoli that's already chopped up), and then put a plate on the top of the bowl as a "lid". Then pop it in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes for fresh, 6 minutes for frozen. Add a bit of salt and you have a good healthy side dish.

        1. Are you sure you are not talking about my mother? The similarities are striking. My mom's back surgery was last April.

          1. Edited to say ... Just realized this is from more than a year ago. Hope all went well. For anyone in similar situation in the future, I'm leaving my comments.

            Ask the hospital or clinic dietician for help planning a week of meals. They have a wealth of educational materials and sample menus for those newly diagnosed.

            And be sure to ask your Mom what she'd like to eat or normally eat. Maybe you could look up how-to on You Tube, or practice before that week.

            Fresh asparagus, steamed (in microwave) served on toast, topped with a soft-boiled egg (or a PAM "fried" one, over-easy if you're OK with that type of cooking).

            Breakfast oatmeal with sliced banana that's been "fried" in a PAM-coated skillet, with a teaspoon of maple syrup and dash of cinnamon (if she tolerates that spice).