Extra calories needed!

[Shedrech]

Probably not helpful Collegegirl, if your mum is not drinking readily - but I've never been able to eat straight away in the morning, so I have a mug or 2 of hot water just to get my system going and rehydrate. Water, because I don't want a strong taste and definitely don't want milk in a drink though I am a tea drinker later in the day (sometimes I add hot water to juice but not often, and squash is not right either) and warm (as close to boiling as is comfortable to drink easily) because it's comforting and somehow easier to drink than cold (never been a fan of iced drinks).
After an hour or so I then have my porridge and blueberries.
I know water doesn't help with the calorie intake, but worth a try to get her system warmed up for food?
PS Given that there are frozen ready meals with mashed potato - give it a try. Have an experiment and do a batch freezing one small portion at various stages to see which works best.
PPS If it does work well try then adding other veg - dad loved a mixed mash, potato with carrot and swede, sweet potato, turnip ... and of course smothered in gravy!

 

[jenniferpa]

Can mashed potato be frozen?

As I've mentioned before, dad has trouble cooking from scratch. Peeling potatoes, then cooking and mashing them is something that's difficult for him because of the pester-factor from mam.

If I cooked a load of potato and mashed it, could I freeze it in portions for him to, say, microwave? Would this work? Would I add butter/milk/cream before freezing or leave that for dad to add when he microwaves it?

(He's tried various ready-mashed fresh potato that most supermarkets do, and doesn't like it, nor do they like things like Smash.)

They do freeze, but they taste best when they are frozen in small (as in spoonfuls) portions on a baking tray, then put in a bigger bag. You take out how many of the spoonfuls you want and then microwave or heat in a pot with a little milk/water. If you make bigger portions, the outside over cooks while the inside is still frozen. If you heat them in the microwave, they need to be stirred a couple of times while reheating. Milk and/or butter (or perhaps in this case cream) can be added before or after.

 

[Tin]

Getting complicated now, I think, but not sure that double cream can only be frozen when thickened or actually cooked in a dish. stick to single, use a large ice cube tray to freeze individually and remove and bag up. Mashed carrot and swede is another good one to prepare and freeze in same way.

When mum moved in with me, she was just skin and bone. I returned to 'nursery foods' and bought lots of breaded/battered fish and chicken and saucy pasta dishes. All could be cooked in oven, so mum could not interfere too much, apart from open and close oven door to check on things. shop bought ginger cake warmed up then served with custard or cream, lots of shop bought trifle and chocolate eclairs I had to watch out for constipation so made sure there was plenty of her favourite fruit, seedless black grapes, plus the odd days for taking Lactulose. Mum had her usual weetabix and then mid morning she would tuck in to bacon, egg, mushrooms and toasted muffin, still does. Year on and she has put on a stone and climbing, appetite completely restored.

 

[CollegeGirl]

Thank you for the mashed potato tips and the hot water idea, all duly noted! I'm going to try the frozen-mash-defrosted idea myself before actually giving any to dad, but he likes the idea.

I've also suggested getting the dietician out again. She did come a couple of years ago, and then dad rang for some more advice about a year ago and left a message but no-one rang him back and he forgot about it, so he's going to try again.

He tried the weetabix mashed with cream, and also put some banana on top, and mam loved it! So one success at least, so far!

Thanks everyone x

 

[Dazmum]

That's good news CG! On a similar theme what about porridge with cream and or syrup or honey? And good old Angel Delight made with whole milk? On the mashed potato front, does your mam like fish, because that can be flaked and added in.

 

[Risa]

My Dad saw a dietician earlier this year as he was losing weight due to caring for Mum. She suggested things like switching to full-fat milk, having bread and butter or soup as a 'starter' before the main meal and having biscuits to accompany teas and coffees. The little changes do start to add up and Dad's appetite increased and he has now put on 10 pounds. Dad also has the Wiltshire Farm Foods delivered so that they can have things like a roast dinner (something he would never cook himself).

 

[CollegeGirl]

Good tips Jennie, thanks! She does like honey and porridge too, so I'm sure combining them would go down well.

On a negative note, dad was so pleased with the weetabix and cream idea, that he tried putting cream on her bran flakes last night, instead of the usual milk, and again she really liked it. Unfortunately she had a horrible number 2 accident this morning, and dad is left wondering whether it was coincidence or the cereal/cream combo.

This is what I mean when I've said before that advice I pass onto him often backfires. I think it was Jennifer (?) who warned about the laxative effect, and maybe this is what has happened, but not sure after only a couple of bowls of cereal

It seems like we just can't win .

I want to say a really horrible swear word at this point in relation to this vile illness, but will restrain myself due to the wonderful company I am in

 

[Risa]

Try Elmlea Cream - my Mum can't get on with real cream but is ok with this and it is only slightly lower in calories than the real stuff.

 

[CollegeGirl]

Thanks Risa, will suggest that to him - Elmlea is what we usually use in our house actually, and we like it. I'm assuming he bought 'real' cream, so will tell him about Elmlea.