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Cooking/meal prep for family during recovery



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How did you handle this during the days leading up to and weeks following surgery? I am the one who usually prepares meals for our family, and would rather not burden my parents with cooking each meal for the kids. Nor do I want them to eat fast food every night (if left to my parents). Did anyone prepare/freeze a bunch of meals in advance? My thoughts are the more that is done for them, the more likely it is the kids will have better tasting, healthier meals. Plus I doubt I'll have any desire to cook right away. Also DH is about to undergo surgery himself, so I don't want to burden him with this during his recovery process.

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Hi! I took the prep diet opportunity to use the things that have been sitting in the pantry and freezer for too long because I was very busy with teaching as a full time job, teaching math tutorials after school and weekends, and driving the kids to their lessons and fast food became my handy friend. Being on summer break and a liquid diet, I cleaned out the food that's been sitting there and turned it into meals that I froze for my kids and visiting friends when post op recovery rolls around. I literally don't have any more room in my freezer because it is so stocked with prepared meals! I didn't have to buy much to add to the recipes so I saved money (money that went to buying my Protein shakes :)

I didn't have any issue cooking with regards to temptation or torture. I actually enjoyed it. It gave me something to focus on instead of my hunger pains.

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I didn't have kids at home at the time but my husband and adult brother who lives with us were there....they can make toast. I cooked after the first 3 days and it didn't bother me...I like cooking so it was a relaxer for me. There were only a couple of times in the immediate after surgery that I thought....wow that would be awesome to eat...but it really wasn't a problem becuase 1 I knew I couldn't at that point and 2. I knew I could again some day :)

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I prepared a bunch of freezer meals that could either be thrown into oven or crock pot. I never had any problem cooking luckily but it made life so much easier. I just asked the kids what they wanted the next night and took it out...I did make a list of what I had prepared. Pinterest had lots of freezer meals.

There are still some left, 3 months out, but most I can't gave due to Pasta or rice but once the few that are left have been eaten, I am going to make lots of WLS friendly meals as my family is trying to avoid carbs too now. It took a full day of cooking, a day ahead of recipe shopping, (for food and disposable oven ware), but my daughter had a blast helping me.

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