Meals for someone on a special diet

My brother has been very ill and spent a few weeks in the hospital. He's home now, weak, and on a special diet - low sodium, low sugar, lower carb, low fat and bland, no onions, peppers, tomatoes, etc. I brought him some meals earlier this week and it is tough coming up with things. I made turkey burgers, chicken lasagna roll ups made with chicken and low fat and no fat cheeses with low carb noodles, turkey and mashed potatoes (the mashed potatoes aren't the best for his diet, but he requested them), low carb bagels with egg beaters and low fat, lower sugar blueberry oatmeal muffins.

I have a feeling I will be hearing from him next week asking for more meals. Any ideas?

A chicken pie without onions or peppers and with a gluten-free crust

Some kind of chicken and rice soup or chicken and noodle soup with lower carb noodles

A blander type of chicken or corn chowder

A white pizza with lower carb or gluten-free crust and low-fat cheese...you can put his choice of veggies on it

Multigrain pancakes or waffles with low-fat or turkey sausage

Turkey meat loaf

Mac and cheese with low-fat cheeses and low-carb or gluten-free pasta

A blander type of chicken or corn chowder

I have some recipes that specifically state low-fat, low-carb, etc, if you're interested. It's hard when you have to abide by all those restrictions.

Thanks, Pam. You and I are definitely thinking along the same lines. I like the turkey sausage idea. I wonder how that would be on his stomach? I mentioned soups to him last week and he made a face. :lol3:

The only thing about turkey sausage is that sometimes it's seasoned a little more than pork sausage, maybe to help make up the fact that it's turkey? I don't know, but Rick and I will eat turkey sausage and we don't mind it. I'm thinking about your brother's need for low-seasoned food.

I don't get the thing with soups, but a lot of people feel that way. I love a good soup.

How about beef stew, using a nice cut that doesn't have a lot of fat? You could always give him a few biscuits to go with it. Maybe a bit of coleslaw made with low-fat mayo as a side. 

Apple Thyme Chicken (in the Recipe Exchange) is delicious

Here's something that we all really like. I've added the Nutritional Info for you to see if it fits in with your brother's needs. Karen, it's like a pumpkin pie without the crust. It's really good. You could cut back on the spices to make it easier for him to handle. I'm not sure about carbs because we don't really worry about them too overly much.

RICH PUMPKIN CUSTARD

3 egg whites, lightly beaten
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (I just grated some, not sure how much)
Dash ground cloves
1 (15 oz.) canned solid-pack pumpkin 
1 tsp. vanilla extract 
1 (12 oz.) can nonfat evaporated milk

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites, sugar, salt and spices. Add pumpkin and vanilla and mix well. Gradually beat in milk. Pour into eight ungreased 6-ounce custard cups.

Place cups in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan, add one inch of water to pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm or chill before serving, if desired. Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals 125 calories, trace fat (trace sat fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 220 mg sodium, 26 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein.
Diabetic Exchange: 1-1/2 starch

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Apple Chicken Quesadillas

2 medium tart apples, sliced

1 cup diced cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed

1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed

3/4 cup shredded lettuce

3/4 cup salsa

6 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Place about 3/4 cup on half of each tortilla. Fold tortilla in half over filling and secure with toothpicks.

Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Carefully turn quesadillas over; bake 5-8 minutes longer or until golden brown. Discard toothpicks. Cut each quesadilla into three wedges. Serve with lettuce, salsa and sour cream. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Facts: 3 wedges equals 289 calories, 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 28 mg cholesterol, 629 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 18 g protein.

Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fruit.

You could eliminate the tomatoes and the salsa to make it easier for him to eat. Substitute another kind of tortilla for the flour ones, etc. The thing is you might have to go to his house to make them, unless you have a good way to transport something like this.

Thanks, Pam! :bigthumb: I'm going to call him today to see how he stands for food.