Need help planning for after surgery recovery

amother

Wed, Jul 15 2009, 9:12 pm

I will be going for surgery iy'h mid sept only waiting cause surgeon away till than . I have a baby who is turning 2 in october the hospital stay will be brief but I will not be allowed to bend or liftfor a minimum of 8 weeks. Need ideas of how to mnage with her when she comes back form day care 3 days a week and other days. More important need ideas of freezable things for lunch and dinner. I feel that if I have 7 weeks to prepare I should load up my freezer with lunch and dinners so that my family budget will not be strained by doing take out which we never really do. Any ideas of things that freeze well and can be warmed in a micro or oven with out effort would be greatly appriciated.
Thank in advance for all ideas

anewday

Wed, Jul 15 2009, 9:46 pm

first of all arrange for round the clock help for the children: dh can do the "night shift" and a friend can do the pick up /drop off (of course if its possible or if u have)

meatballs freeze well, make knishes with potato/kasha/veggie filling and freeze so defrost and bake at the same time! another thing that freezes amazing is roast. bake it and refrigerate, then slice it and freeze keeping sausages frozen in sep bowls so the "juice" doesnt get all over ure freezer and when u warm it its juicy!

dips and salad dressing refrigerate well, make them closer to the time.

this is what I cud think of off hand...best of luck!

alpidarkomama

Thu, Jul 16 2009, 1:48 am

It's kind of like having a toddler and a c-section (and a baby!). Lots of bed cuddling time is good. Read books together. Turn on some music. Do you have a community that will help you with meals, especially that first week? That helps a lot.

You can cook rice ahead of time and freeze in ziploc quart bags. Baked chicken (chicken and garlic salt) is really easy. Breakfast makes a great dinner (bagels and eggs; pancakes; french toast). We do that 1x/week. I do pinto beans in the crock pot. Cover in water, add 2 onions and a few cloves of garlic. Leave on low overnight, 10 hours or so. Mash/puree with cumin and salt to taste. You can freeze it too. Thin it with water and you have a bean dip; great with chips. Roll it in a tortilla with rice, cheese, and salsa. Easy to prepare, and easy to pull out of the freezer. Have DH wash and cut up a bunch of salad veggies on the weekend. Wrap with paper towels and keep in a bowl or a bag and it will stay fresh all week. That's just what comes to mind right now...

pinkbubbles

Thu, Jul 16 2009, 5:51 am

Try and line up cleaning help for 2-3 times a week - get a good cleaner that will organize stuff on her own - and also someone to look after the 2 year old as often as possible whether its family, a bais yaakov girl doing chessed, or paid babysitter, knowing that she is at the park getting some fresh air or getting fed lunch will make it easier for you. Especially for the long Shabbas days. Write down her every day schedule and where important stuff is (pajamas, vitamins, emergency stuff, her sippy cup etc) including what to feed her for breakfast/lunch/dinner so anyone who has any q's can just look at what you wrote so you don't have 50 million questions every day. Its important to get quiet time every day like reading a book or coloring with her also cuddle time before bed or when she leaves to daycare etc.

Teach DH how to seperate and wash laundry. This includes knowing how to operate the washing machine and what to do with laundry detergent Wink

I hope you have a quick and easy recovery!

amother

Thu, Jul 16 2009, 3:52 pm

Thanks for the great ideas so far! Now does anyone have ideas how to get reg. routine of bais yakov girls not just my sis and one of her freinds who lives on my block. My hubby will do laundry as he is great at that he helps now with it. DOes anyone know if cooked breaded and sauce chickens freeze well??

pinkbubbles

Thu, Jul 16 2009, 4:22 pm

I find that most chicken and meat recipes freeze well.. as far as breaded things like shnitzels less so, but you can freeze them ready made but raw and then have dh take out the pan in the morning, then pop it in the oven for heating up or in oil for frying.