The Menu: Healing a Human Body

If you follow Auntie's New Hip, you'll know I'm the newest, youngest bionic hip recipient as of six days before this writing. Having gone through major surgery before, but not having to have dealt with the food allergies the last time I went under the knife, I knew I was going to do some serious meal prep in the weeks before surgery, as well as keep certain "convenience" foods on hand for quick, easy nutrients in the days after. I documented the prep process on my surgery blog, now you get the full guide to filling your freezer and pantry for feeding your body in recovery.

Stocking your kitchen:

Your body is going to crave what it needs to heal, and the best way to give it to your body is in nutritionally varied ways. You'll want to have on hand:

• Carbs. They'll load you up with them right before surgery, and your body will keep wanting a steady flow in the days immediately post-op. You'll want varied sources, I stocked a lot of homemade bread, oatmeal, and potatoes for baking, as well as cooked with a lot of brown rice, and am eating a lot of bananas, dried fruit, and allergy-safe granola bars.

• Your favorite sources of both meat, and plant based proteins. Preferably in the same dish, like using pea flour as your meatloaf binder.

• Microwave steamable frozen veggies, and salad mixes.

• Dairy-free yogurt alternative, and favorite dietary fiber source. They give you antibiotics as a matter of course on surgery day, you'll need to build your gut biome back up while combating opioid constipation after that.

• Electrolytes. I was told the number one cause of ER visits after joint replacement surgery is dehydration. Make the water easy for your body to absorb! Give your body vitamins and minerals it needs to heal!

As for specific products I made sure to have on hand (none of these brands sponsor this post) :

• Instant Bone Broth Sticks

• Allergy-Free Granola Bars

• Dried Fruit Packs

• Electrolytes

• Instant coffee/tea sticks

How to post-op meal prep:

This doesn't have to be the grab-and-go kind of meal prep you're used to for the gym or office, nor do you need a chest freezer for putting away frozen casseroles in bulk. Here's how I did it:

1. I made a 6-9 portion serving dish for each prepped meal.

2. I let it cool completely.

3. I sliced it into individual servings, if needed.

4. I froze the individual slices on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and covered with parchment paper as well.

5. Once the portions are frozen, they're transferred to a labelled gallon-size freezer bag, and stored flat, stacked on each other.

To reheat:

If all you have is a microwave, place your individual frozen portions on a microwave-safe dish, cover with a microwave-safe lid, and run your meal on the quick thaw setting before reheating it for 3-5 minutes, until it's your preferred temperature.

But my favorite way to reheat them is to portion them into a small metal baking dish, cover with foil, and bake from frozen in a pre-heated 450°F toaster oven for about 30 minutes.

What I prepped for my own post-op:

• Dijon marinated pan-fried chicken breasts, with Bread & Sausage Stuffing made without the sausage or lentils, and with half a loaf of Pinto Bean Bread.

• Sausage, Brown Rice & Mushroom Meatloaf, to be reheated alongside a baking potato and served with a side salad.

• Sardine & Brown Rice Croquettes, to be served with steamed veggies and a salad.

This averages out to around 8 portions prepped per meal, so 24 meals set aside to reheat over those first few weeks. It's taking up a fraction of the standard-sized kitchen freezer my family of five shares.

Other good prep recipes:

• Steak & Pinto Beans with Cornbread (these will have to be individually pre-portioned to freeze)

• Birria rice & frijoles negros with steak or fajita meat (same as above)

• Lentil Burgers

• Meatballs

Rice Cooker Meals:

Days before surgery, my mom ordered a simple rice cooker on after-holiday sale, and picked up individually-wrapped frozen fish fillets from the grocery store. This is exactly the kind of simple that I can do post-op, and fish and rice is the kind of BRAT combo of carbs and protein my body wants right now.

• Salmon & Shiitake Mushroom Rice Cooker Bowl

• more coming soon!

Easy Breakfasts:

• Auntie's Restorative Bone Broth

• Auntie's Restorative Avocado-Berry Smoothie

• Maple Spice Instant Oatmeal

• Banana-Seed Parfait

And don't forget your no-effort go-to foods! All good small meals for easing into a little more food prep as your energy picks up.

Homemade healthier sweet treats to prep:

• Fruit Balls

• SunButter Balls

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