Crock pots are our very best friends.

My family does a secret Santa for Christmas. What we do is write our name and what we want on a slip of paper and fold it up and mix up the slips and randomly pick them out. We have a general $50 limit but we are allowed to go over. We don't have to buy everything on the list but it gives you an idea of what your person wants. I listed a crock pot and an ice cream maker (my lovely cousin and her husband got me and blessed me with everything on my list) among my wants. 
One of my roommates got a very bad cold and it came just in time for me to try out my new pot. She happened to get me a very large one which is great because not only am I the cook in my household but my roommates eat like cows (I love it!). I put together a batch of fresh homemade chicken soup and it came out AMAZING. Half of the pot was gone the first night I made it! I absolutely love to cook for my friends and I love when they love the food. (As I type one of my friends' just tasted my bowl of leftover soup and put it down so he could get his own, lol). 
One of the best things about the cooker is that the meat comes out very tender and easy to digest. Since my surgery on 10.31.11 I haven't been able to eat meat. Even when it's tender and delicious I just have a hard time keeping it down. Even fish! This however is not the case with the chicken soup. It is thick and hearty and wonderful and I am completely able to keep it down. Everything was fresh; I will totally post the recipe if anyone wants me to. 
My bottom line is that if you invest in nothing else, please invest in a crock pot. It will make post surgical eating so much easier and since you control everything that goes in the pot you can be sure what you're eating is fresh and healthy.
**The ice cream maker is pretty amazing too. I was lactose intolerant before the surgery and now I'm not. I substituted sugar with Splenda and it was delicious.