What to do (cook?) for someone recovering from chemo?

People going through chemotherapy have no taste (at least that is what my wife told me) and they dont eat much.  I typically made fresh buns and soups and she ate that.  A nice soup and some simple bread rolls would be a great gesture.

People going through chemotherapy sleep a lot.  My wife sleep 12-16 hours a day.  Yeah it was a lot.  Other than cooking, just talking to them or showing them photos or maybe bringing them something to do.  I bought this cross-stitch kit where you cross-stitch some picture and it had all of the thread pre-packaged.  She liked it and worked on it every day.  Some type of craft at any of those craft stores would probably be a great gift.

I hope this helps.

I'm going through chemo right now, and trying to support my health nutritionally.  Different people have different experiences, and what used to taste good might taste bad, and what wasn't so great before now can sometimes taste appealing.   Not good, but something I want to eat. 

I also have to watch my blood sugars, and the corticosteroids (dexamethasone) given with the chemo does a job on the carb-sensitive body.   I try to avoid sugars and carbs, but then I was losing a lot of weight so have eaten some.  Real meat, real vegetables and soups are more appealing to me -- even if they don't taste good, they taste nourishing and sometimes I can eat more because it appeals to me in some way.

Sometimes pickled vegetables or a hot sauce (I was never crazy about hot sauce before) or something a little different can be appealing, where it was not before chemo.    Also, eventually the person's normal sense of taste will return months after the chemotherapy ends.

Some of the lower-sugar cookies-- like Italian cookies and toast-like biscotti - - might be a treat for someone who has no appetite.  Varying the texture with nuts might make it more interesting.

Real egg custard (I bake them in my Insta-Pot in a closed pan under pressure, but you can cook the dishes or casserole of custard in a bigger pan used as a water bath in the oven) --  don't put too much sugar,  and thicken with extra eggs or mix powdered milk into the milk or cream to make it denser - -never flour or cornstarch which will affect blood sugar.

Simple stew made with real meat and vegetables can be comforting.   Old-fashioned New England Boiled Dinner (with rhutabegas, turnips, parsnips instead of peas and carrots) is healthy.   A little onion and thyme with a bayleaf for flavor, or some turmeric and cumin and curry powder as in a curry -- but don't need to use a lot --  can make things a little more appetizing.  Some of the East Indian spices have medicinal value to support the immune system and stimulate the appetite,  and curries were originally a way of taking these beneficial spices every day as food.

Soup and broth with real vegetables might be good.  If you have an Insta-Pot you can make bone-broth in an hour that normally would take all day.  Strain the broth, then add some celery, tomatoes, green beans, canned shelled beans (kidney, etc.) a little of this and that -- might be interesting.  If she's diabetic, don't put pasta, cornstarch or flour in the soup.

Egg casseroles or quiche is a comforting food.  Use extra eggs and cream to thicken it and provide non-carb calories.  Little bits of meat and vegetables can make it look interesting and tempting.

Some friends of mine who have their diabetes under excellent control (and have managed it for decades) tell me to focus on protein and vegetables, cut back on carbs to control sugar, and don't worry about fat at all (protein helps conserve or rebuild muscle and organ tissues, and fat gives needed calories).   This is what I try to do.   I have lost weight before and during chemo, so I'm not trying to lose weight.  I also suspect that people who gain a lot of weight on chemo were eating a lot of carbs --  which the body doesn't handle well due to all the corticosteroids they give with the chemotherapy.  JMHO.