This is a super easy one that is very tasty too. You also might want to get him some Stouffer's frozen casseroles to keep on hand. The Shepherds Pie is good (red meat, should make him happy and you dont have to actually make it) and there are some others that might appeal to him. Hope he's feeling better soon.

Chicken & Noodle Casserole
Recipe courtesy of Campbell's Kitchen

.Prep Time:15 minInactive Prep Time:--Cook Time:25 minLevel:
--Serves:
4 servings. Ingredients
Â1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
Â1/2 cup milk
Â1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
Â2 cups cubed cooked chicken
Â2 cups medium egg noodles, cooked and drained
Â1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Â1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Â1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Stir the soup, milk, vegetables, chicken, noodles, Parmesan cheese and black pepper in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the chicken mixture. Top with the cheese. Let stand until the cheese is melted.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a steamed vegetable blend: broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, and a Caesar salad. For dessert serve fresh strawberries topped with whipped topping.

For Golden Onion Chicken & Noodle Casserole, substitute 1/2 cup crushed French fried onions for the Cheddar cheese.

For Hearty Chicken Casserole with a Twist, substitute 2 cups cooked corkscrew-shaped pasta for the egg noodles.

Cost per recipe: $5.46

Tip:
Easy casseroles like this one are a simple way to transform leftovers. Cooked chicken, turkey or ham will all work in this recipe.

Oh, Barb, I think you're going to have to make some beef stew or pot roasts or things like that for him. Ask him for his recipes. Or buy them from gourmet shops. If he likes meat and potatoes and you make beans for him, you'll make his convalescence that much more difficult for him. When I could eat again after surgery my friends and neighbors brought all kinds of good things to eat, but I couldn't eat the unfamiliar things. I wanted meat and potatoes. Even my vegetarian dtr prepared meat for me during that time.

His recovery will go faster and smoother if (and when) he can eat his meat and potatoes again. You can do it, really. I bet you do other things that are distasteful to you, this is just one more, and it's temporary. I wish you and your folks all the best.

Sherry

Not to be an old harpie on the subject, but think about how you would feel if the situation were reversed and your dad brought you meat and potatoes because he thought you'd be better for it, regain your strength faster or whatever reason. You'd never recover despite his good efforts if you weren't eating.

I agree, take him what he likes. Otherwise it'll probably not be eaten anyway. There are other health issues, is there a problem with sodium or sugar or other ingredients? That could make a difference too.

There are lots of good recipes here, you could make a simple lasagna, the shepherd's pie is good, pot roast is actually super easy because you don't have to mess with it.

This No Peek Stew is easy. There's a lot of salt in it, so don't make it if they have issues with sodium. My girls love the stuff and I forget who posted it.

No Peek Casserole
2 lbs stew meat ( i use 3 lbs)
1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup Gingerale
1 pkg Lipton Beefy Mushroom Soup Mix
1 4 oz jar mushrooms, drained (optional)
Preheat oven to 300. Comebine ALL ingredients (DO NOT brown meat and DO NOT dilute soup with water) together. Mix well. It will be lumpy before it's cooked. Pour into a casserole dish and cover. Bake 2 1/2 to 3 hours. DON't PEEK!! Serve over pasta, rice or mashed potatoe's. The smell as it's cooking is WONDERFUL

Ginger's French Dip Sandwiches are good and easy, just into the crockpot!

CROCKPOT FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES
2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 whole peppercorns
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp garlic powder (had none so used 1 minced garlic clove)
3 lb boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed
8 French or sourdough rolls, split
Combine water, soy sauce, peppercorns, rosemay, thym & garlic in a slow cooker, stirring until wel blended. Place rost in cooker & cover.
Cook on high for 5-6 hours or until beef is tender. Remove meat from broth & shred with a fork. Serve beef on rolls. Pour broth in small bowls for dipping.~~ Good topped with Swiss cheese or sauteed onions, peppers or both. I like mustard on the rolls, too.~~

Posted by Ginger St. Thomas

Meatloaf or meatballs are also pretty easy, can be reheated by itself or used for sandwiches and can be frozen. I use the same recipe for meatloaf that I use for meatballs, and I use all beef because I don't eat veal and never have it on hand. Just plop the very wet mixture into a loaf pan and bake it about an hour, I top it with 1/2 cup of catsup mixed with a little vinegar and a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar. I used dried parsley if I don't have fresh.

Rocco's Mama's Meatballs
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 large sweet onion, rough chopped
4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 to 3 pinches chili flakes
2 to 3 pinches salt
Olive oil, to coat hands and for browning meatballs
Cooked spaghetti (optional)

Place the chicken stock, onion, garlic and parsley in a
blender and purée. Set aside.
Place the meat, breadcrumbs, eggs, grated cheese, chili flakes and salt in a large bowl. Add the puréed chicken-stock mix. Using your hands, gently but thoroughly combine all ingredients, being careful not to overmix the meat.
Coat your hands with a little olive oil and form the meatballs. Pour oil in a large skillet to a depth of about 1/2 inch and place over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, brown the meatballs, turning once.

If you make meatballs, just roll them out to about the size of a ping pong ball or smaller and bake 'em at 350 for about 15 minutes, don't mess around with that frying pan!

Good luck, you're a good daughter. I'm sending healthy and healing thoughts to your Dad and stepmom.

Annie

I agree that when you're ill, you really want familiar foods. However, I do sympathize with your dilemma.

To make it easier, most larger grocery stores have pretty complete deli departments now. Slices of deli meatloaf can be coupled with mashed potatoes and veggies in a microwavable container or turned into a shepherds pie. You don't even have to make beef gravy, you can buy a can. Slices of roast beef can be turned into an easy stroganoff or goulash. Many delis carry pre-made meat balls, and you can also often buy them frozen. Mix them into spaghetti sauce or make a Swedish meatball sauce for them. Likewise, pre sliced ham can make mac 'n' cheese or a ham and sauerkraut bake.

Buying the meats pre-cooked is a little more expensive, but you won't have to handle them very much, and you especially won't have to deal with them when they're raw, which I would imagine is the most difficult part for you.

In the deli, you can also even ask them to cut the meats into the sized pieces you want to use.

Good advice, rachelellen. I wanted to add that Stauffer's frozen lasagna is also considered very good. And check our the other frozen entrees - there is quite a variety now.

I think you're really good to help out your dad, Barb. Consider a container or two of the hot prepared soups from the supermarket too. I would imagine there will be days earlier on when your father's appetite is not as strong as it will be later.

I hope you feel honored that your dad asked for help from you. If my dad was still here and asked for meat and potatoes type of meals, and I was in your situation...I think I'd try to find them frozen. If you can deal with chicken, google chicken casseroles and there should be quite a few. Maybe cheese enchilada casserole, maccaroni and cheese, other casseroles that are filling. Cook them and then put them in freezer containers that he/she could microwave. When I was a young bride, I had a horrible time dealing with the turkey neck and other parts. You don't have to make something you aren't comfortable with.

Thank you all for your advice and recipes.

Caliloo, I am definately going to do up the Chicken and Noodle casserole. How couldn't anyone like it? it has all the goodies in it- chicken,mushrooms and cheese. And it looks like even I could cook it!

Sherrmann, I hear you, I really do. Just thinking about someone bringing me a steak or something if I were convalescing, would probably set me back immediately.

Annie 1992, there is no problem with sodium or sugar. If I repeat Sherrmann's words while I deal with stew meat, I will probably be able to carry it off. And I have to admit, I am intrigued by the gingerale ingrediant. But if I stay for dinner (I'm going to be on dishwashing duty as well) I will bring my own peanut butter sandwich!

Rachelellen, Great suggestion about deli meats and pre-cooked meats. You have reminded me that I know of a place that sells pre-made and cooked meatballs.So, that is one dinner down- spagetti, meatballs, and some tomatoe sauce, and he will like that.

And Kathleenca, I think I will put a few good frozen dinners in his freezer. They will be my back up plan.

Thank you all for your good wishes for my Dad's recovery. I will be so glad when his surgery is over and he is on the mend.

"Any good recipes to bridge this divide?"

That's a lot to ask of a recipe. No, I don't see that divide being bridged. Not the way you have stated it anyway. I don't think you are asking for meatless recipes which would satisfy your meat eating dad. Or are you? And you say you are unable to cook with meat. Where is there to go. The only possibilities I can think of are to have someone else make the casseroles. That could be other friends, stores or the frozen prepared food companies. It's good that there are those alternatives.

Jim

"...I don't cook with or eat red meat. In fact the thought of it makes me queasy."

"The smell as it's (beef stew) cooking is WONDERFUL"

Umm. Might there be a failure to communicate here?

Jim

"The smell as it's (beef stew) cooking is WONDERFUL"

Jimster. that wastn't Annie's note. She copied the recipe from the original source. Mine says exactly the same thing lol.

And I agree that is something a vegetarian could easily cook. You just dump everything in a pot and slap it in the oven. It is VERY good for the small amount of work involved.

Hope your Dad has a speedy recovery!

Hormel has refrigerated entrees that are actually pretty good and I'm not one to like packaged food at all. Their beef tips can be heated in the microwave and are very good over rice or noodles. They are the closest beef tips as homemade as you can get and you wouldn't even have to see raw beef. They also have meat loaf, beef roast, pork roast and other items prepared into entrees too. I think some of these would be a lifesaver for both of you. If you live near a Publix, they have started having some of these also and they are usually near the Hormel. You can buy as many as you need at one time because you can freeze them too.

Good luck to both you and your Dad. It's very sweet of you to do this for him. I know he must feel desperate or he wouldn't have asked you to go this trouble.
Beverly

Thank you, Cookebook, for that clarification about my post. It was NOT my note, it was the note of the original poster.

That's a recipe that I don't make usually because it just has so darned much sodium but my daughter, Amanda, makes it and loves it. She's young and not so worried about such things, LOL. I tend to just let her make it and I drink the leftover ginger-ale...

Annie

You can also make mac and cheese and a vegetable, then pick up a rotisserie chicken or other meat. And remember that most casserole recipes make a lot. Try to package casseroles in multiple containers. If I use disposable freezer-to-oven containers, I write the contents and cooking directions on the lid with a sharpie.

"Jimster. that wastn't Annie's note. She copied the recipe from the original source. "

Aha! That explains it! My confidence in Annie is restored.

Jim