During our recovery from gastric or bariatric surgery, we may only feel up to eating light food, so a nice thick steak may be out of the question. However, to aid our recovery, we need certain essential nutrients that we can either only obtain from poultry, meat and fish or are found there in their most concentrated or efficient forms – in particular protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12, not to mention omega-3 fatty acids only found in fish. This is an important consideration when you have only a limited stomach capacity.
During my recovery period, I found that I wasn’t up to heavy meat-based dishes, but preferred lighter rice or pasta meals containing some meat or tuna. I tried some commercially available prepared meals, but found them unsuitable for various reasons, so searched out or devised my own. And, as I was still not up to fancy cooking, I kept them quick and easy to make. When I felt like something meatier, so to speak, I turned to sausages, rissoles or meatballs.
To store them, I discovered 300ml oblong plastic containers in the supermarket that were just the right size for my needs, and stacked beautifully in the freezer. (They might still be larger than your preferred portion size, but, of course, you need not fill them to the brim.) Not only were these little parcels just what I needed from a nutritional standpoint, they were convenient and handy to have in the freezer, ready to be eaten at any time of the day.
Over time, you might feel up to something more substantial than the recipes you’ll find here. Fortunately, most of your favourite meat and fish-based stews, casseroles and soups are suitable for freezing. I would only suggest that, when you’re making them to be frozen in small portions, you use minced, diced or sliced meat or chicken rather than larger pieces of meat or chicken on the bone.
Canned tuna is not only tasty and convenient, it offers all the extra health benefits of fish. You’ll find tuna available in a wide range of price points, but for these dishes the economical brands will be fine. I prefer tuna in oil, but you can, of course, use tuna in spring water or brine and add olive or canola oil where required. If you prefer, you can substitute canned pink salmon or mackerel, just watch out for bones.
My first attempt at making savoury rice was with chicken, but I soon found that turkey was a much tastier option. As a darker meat than chicken, minced turkey can also be substituted for minced beef in the beef-based recipes. The Savoury Sausages recipe can be used with any sausage of your choice, though I must admit, I wouldn’t use gourmet sausages. Alternatively, you could also use rissoles or meatballs, again, made with any meat of your choice.
You’ll find that in most of these recipes, for the purposes of ease and convenience, I’ve used commercially available recipe base sachets. Those available in Australia come in approx. 30gm portions. You may have to make adjustments depending on the products available in your local supermarket, or make up your own seasoning.
Where the recipes specify Parmesan cheese, you can, of course, use freshly grated or shredded Parmesan, but I find that the finely grated Parmesan cheese that you can find on the supermarket shelf quite adequate.
When you do feel like making a single-serve meat or fish-based meal, go to the entry One Pot Main Courses and follow the links.
Recipes:
Savoury Rice with Chicken or Turkey
Creamy Tuna and Pasta
- 1 x 425gm can tuna in oil
- 1 x 400gm can creamed corn
- 1 x 420gm can peas, drained
- 1 cup chopped onion (or 1 large onion, sliced)
- 2 cups small macaroni or elbows
- 2 tsp. chicken stock powder
- 100gm grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp mild curry powder
- ½ tsp pepper
- Drain oil from tuna into a 5 litre saucepan
- Turn out tuna onto a plate and flake thoroughly
- Sauté onion with spices
- Add creamed corn, drained peas and tuna and heat through
- Add 2 cups water with stock powder and bring to the boil
- Stir in macaroni and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes, stirring often
- Remove from heat and stir through Parmesan cheese a small amount at a time
- Allow to cool, spoon into 300ml containers and freeze (makes approx. 10 serves)
Variation: substitute 2 cups low-fat milk for water at Step 5
Savoury Rice with Tuna
- 1 x 425gm can tuna in oil
- 500gm frozen mixed vegetables (preferably carrot, peas and corn)
- 2 cups white rice
- 1 litre salt reduced chicken stock
- 1 cup chopped onion (or 1 large onion, sliced)
- 2 sachets Tuna Mornay recipe base
- Drain oil from tuna into a 5 litre saucepan.
- Turn out tuna onto a plate and flake thoroughly
- Sauté onion
- Add frozen vegetables and sauté until heated through
- Add tuna and stir until heated through
- Add rice and stir through
- Add stock with recipe base and stir through
- Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes
- Stir thoroughly before allowing to cool.
- Spoon into 300ml containers and freeze (makes approx. 16 serves)
Savoury Rice with Chicken or Turkey
- 500gm minced chicken or turkey
- 500gm frozen mixed vegetables (preferably carrot, peas and corn)
- 2 cups white rice
- 1 litre salt reduced chicken stock
- 1 cup chopped onion (or 1 large onion, sliced)
- 2 sachets recipe base for chicken of your choice (e.g. Satay Chicken, Creamy Chicken Curry etc)
- Canola oil
- In a 5 litre saucepan, sauté onion in canola oil
- Add meat and sauté until browned
- Add frozen vegetables and sauté until heated through
- Add rice and stir through
- Add stock with recipe base and stir through
- Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes
- Stir thoroughly before allowing to cool
- Spoon into 300ml containers and freeze (makes approx. 16 serves)
Macaroni Bolognaise
- 500gm lean minced beef (or turkey)
- 1 cup chopped onion (or 1 large onion, sliced)
- 1 cup red capsicum, chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 2 x 400gm cans diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 cups small macaroni or elbows
- 100gm grated Parmesan cheese
- Garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, pepper
- Olive oil
- Liquidise diced tomatoes with tomato paste
- In a 5 litre saucepan, sauté onion with garlic in olive oil
- Add capsicum and sauté followed by mushrooms and then carrot
- Add minced meat and sauté until browned
- Add tomato mixture with herbs and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes
- Add 2 cups of boiling water, bring to the boil and stir in macaroni,
- Cover and simmer for 5 –10 minutes stirring occasionally (adding more water if necessary)
- Remove from heat and stir through Parmesan cheese a small amount at a time
- Allow to cool, spoon into 300ml containers and freeze (makes approx. 10 serves)
Chilli Con Carne
- 500gm minced lean beef (or turkey)
- 1 x 400gm can red kidney beans
- 1 x 400gm can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped onion (or 1 large onion, sliced)
- 1 medium red capsicum, chopped
- 1 small carrot, grated
- 2 cups white rice
- 2 sachets Chilli Con Carne recipe base
- Canola oil
- In a 5 litre saucepan, sauté onion in canola oil
- Add meat and sauté until browned
- Add capsicum and sauté until wilted
- Add carrot and sauté
- Add beans with the water and sauté until heated through
- Add diced tomatoes with recipe base and bring to the boil
- Simmer covered for 10 minutes
- Add rice and stir through
- Add 3 cups water, cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes
- Stir thoroughly before allowing to cool
- Spoon into 300ml containers and freeze (makes approx. 12 serves)
Beef Chow Mein
- 500gm lean minced beef (or turkey)
- 400gm coleslaw mix (or ¼ cabbage, shredded and 1 carrot, grated)
- 2 cups white rice
- 1 cup chopped onion (or 1 large onion, sliced)
- 2 sachets Beef Chow Mein recipe base
- Canola oil
- In a 5 litre saucepan, sauté onion in canola oil
- Add meat and sauté until browned
- Add vegetables and sauté
- Add rice and stir through
- Add recipe base with 1 litre water and stir through
- Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes
- Stir thoroughly before allowing to cool.
- Spoon into 300ml containers and freeze (makes approx. 14 serves)
Savoury Sausages
- 500 – 700gm beef, pork or chicken sausages
- 1 x 400gm can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped onion (or 1 large onion chopped)
- 2 cups mushrooms, carrots and/or red capsicum, sliced (or alternative vegetables as suggested on recipe base sachet)
- Olive or canola oil
- 1 sachet recipe base of your choice that requires tomato paste or sauce (e.g. Beef Goulash, Devilled Sausages, Chicken Cacciatore)
- Brown sausages in a 5 litre saucepan, remove and cut in half (if long)
- Add oil to pan and sauté onion, followed by sliced vegetables
- Add diced tomatoes with 1 cup water, stir in recipe base and bring to the boil
- Return sausages to pan and simmer covered for 15–20 minutes stirring occasionally and adding a little more water if necessary
- Allow to cool, place two half sausages into 300ml containers, cover with sauce and freeze
Variation: substitute meatballs or rissoles for sausages.