Menu Plan For Grandpa

By Sinea Pies

Are you the event planner in your family? Personally, I love it. It is a pleasure to host special meals and parties for family and friends. 

My organizational skills are now being put to the test with a fun project: meals with Grandpa! The "test part" is that I can't host the dinners in my own home...I've gone mobile! 

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My dad, 86 years young, now lives with my brother and his wonderful wife. This is no easy task for them. Dad has Parkinson's Disease and requires round the clock nursing care. Thankfully, he is still well enough to know us, communicate and enjoy meals with us. 

Unfortunately, my house is not handicap-friendly. No wheelchair access. No first floor rest rooms. I want so much to help but having him come here for dinner is pretty much out of the question. 

So, for a little change of pace for Grandpa-- and some much needed relief for the rest of my family--Wednesday nights are now Family Dinner Nights with Grandpa and I bring it to him!

We started two weeks ago with one of his favorites: Stuffed Peppers. To save time, I made them "boat style". It cooks faster and yet you get the same great flavor. This recipe does not require par-boiling the green peppers. I like that. One less step!

Wednesday #2= Baked Lasagna

It was so much fun to get dad to the table and enjoy a meal with him. Dad, his aid Linda, my sister-in-law Sue, my husband Steve and I all ate together that night. My brother, Seth, joined us later when he got home from work. He ate his dinner while we ate dessert. 

I started making the meal at 3:30 pm. Much to my dismay, a couple of the green peppers had started to spoil so I had to make a fast trip to the store to buy more. It made for a hectic, high-speed production to get everything ready to hit the road by 4:30 pm.  

I loaded up the car for the 25 minute drive and left the house saying with glee "I feel like a caterer!" Everything went so well. 

This menu plan that we will have for the next five Wednesdays is:

• Wednesday #1 Baked Lasagna with tossed salad, Italian bread 
• Wednesday #2 Chicken Divan with rice pilaf and blueberry muffins
• Wednesday #3 Sweet 'n Sour Pork (Polynesian style) on rice
• Wednesday #4 Chili and Hot Dogs
• Wednesday #5 Little Cheddar Loaves with mashed potatoes and corn

We all had such a nice time and Dad said he'd like to do it again...and we will, every Wednesday!

Got any ideas?  How can I make this work even better? What recipes would you recommend? How about food-transporting styles?  Please share in the comments!

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Photo Credit: Meat & Cheese Lasagna by piyato on Free Digital Photos