Saturday, November 23, 2024

Senior Recipes for Healthy Eating

Recipes for Elderly People

picture of herbs tied together to suggest cooking for example of recipe ideas for seniors Soups

Yummy Fall and Winter Soups

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Drinks

Dips

Soups

Beef, Barley, and Mushroom Soup: Makes 6 Cups, hearty and high in protein

1 TBS Olive Oil
½ Cup Chopped onion
2 Cups sliced mushrooms
2 Cans low-salt beef broth (14.5 oz. each)
½ Cup water
½ Cup barley
2 Carrots sliced thin
½ tsp. thyme
Dash of pepper and salt (salt optional)
8 ounces roast beef cut thick from deli and chopped

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Cook onions 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in mushrooms and cook stirring occasionally an additional 5 minutes.
2. Add broth, barely, carrots and seasonings to the pot. Mix and bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 15 minutes or when barley and vegetables are tender
4. Stir in roast beef and serve

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Butternut Stew: Makes 6 cups - no added fat or sugar!

1 large onion in small chunks
2 peeled or unpeeled sweet potatoes in bite-size squares
1 small butternut squash in bite-size squares
4 carrots peeled and sliced thick
2 parsnips peeled and sliced thick
1 TBS. Italian seasoning
Dash of pepper
1 cup of water

Directions: Place vegetables in order listed into a large soup pot, add water and seasonings, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for one hour.

Corn Chowder: You can sauté vegetables in water! No need for oil. Add cooked diced chicken to turn this low-fat soup into a hearty meal.

¼ cup water
½ celery stalk, minced
½ small onion, minced
¼ green pepper, minced
1 ½ cup water
1 10-ounce package of frozen whole kernel corn
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
Pepper
Salt (optional)
¼ tsp. paprika
2 Cups skim milk
2 TBS. Flour

Directions:
1. Sauté the finely minced onion, celery, and pepper in ¼ cup of water in a large soup pot till vegetables are soft (2-4 minutes).
2. Add water, corn, potatoes, salt, pepper, and paprika - bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 15 minutes.
3. Put ½ cup milk in a jar with tight fitting lid and add flour and shake to mix - or put in small cup and whisk till blended. Gradually add milk/flour mixture to soup - then gradually add the rest of the milk. Turn up heat and stir constantly till soup is boiling and thickening. Garnish with parsley.

Italian Turkey and White Bean Stew: Makes 6 cups

2 TBS. Olive Oil
1 small chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 small green zucchini in chunks
1 can Italian chopped tomatoes undrained (14 oz.)
1 cup low-salt chicken broth or one cup hot water with a chicken boullion
½ tsp. rosemary, crushed
½ pound of deli (thick cut) roasted turkey breast - diced in cubes
1 can Great Northern Navy beans, rinsed and drained (14-15 oz)

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat and add onion cooking and stirring 5 minutes
2. Add garlic and cook 1 minute
3. Add squash and cook 2 minutes more
4. Add broth, tomatoes, rosemary and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
5. Stir in chicken and beans, simmer 8 more minutes

Yummy Fall and Winter Soups

Fall soups for caregivers
In the fall, we want comfort and warmth. No food does that quite like soup! So, we have modified some popular soups here with reduced sugar, fat, and salt. With a loaf of crusty bread and a salad, these hearty soups can serve as an easy make ahead meal for chilly fall evenings.

Southwestern Soup (serves 2-4)

Soup Ingredients:
1 8-ounce jar of green salsa (Salsa Verde)
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 15-ounce can white northern beans - drained
2 cups low-fat, low-salt chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp chili powder

Optional (For garnish)
Low-fat sour cream
Low-fat Shredded cheddar cheese
Sliced green onion
Fresh cilantro
Baked Tortilla Chips

Mix all the soup ingredients into a medium sauce pan over high heat, stir and cook the salsa, chicken, beans, broth, cumin, and chili till boiling. Lower heat and simmer 7-10 minutes.

Butternut Squash (or Pumpkin!) Bisque (serves 2-4)

1/2 onion diced
1 TBS. olive oil
2 large Carrots diced
1 small butternut squash diced (or one 29-ounce can of pumpkin puree**)
2 cups low-fat, low-salt chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ cup half and half cream (optional)

• Saute onion in oil until soft, then mix in everything else except the cream.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Let cool for 15 minutes.
• Take out batches at a time and puree in a blender until smooth. Return to pot on low heat and add cream.
**If using puree, you may skip the blender.

Leftover Turkey fall soups for caregivers and seniors Soup: (serves 4-6)

(you can add more vegetables than listed below - like diced squash, turnips, raw sweet potato, or parsnips- just add more stock too).

2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 celery rib, chopped
1 onion - diced
1 clove garlic - minced
1 TBS. Olive Oil
2 14-ounce cans low-fat, low-salt chicken broth
About one pound of cooked leftover turkey meat
1 small box of packaged of wild rice mix - prepared/cooked
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
(Optional) Chopped fresh herbs to your liking: basil, thyme, parsley

Saute onion, celery, carrots, garlic (and any other vegetables) for about 8 minutes over medium high heat in a large stock pot. Add broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes on low heat covered. Last, add turkey, rice, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and any fresh herbs - stir and serve!

Super Easy Soup: (this soup serves 4-6)

Dump some canned food in a pot - stir - and dinner is on! It tastes much better than you would suspect! Sort of like chili - but not so - tastes great with cornbread! This soup is higher in sodium since it uses packaged prepared soups and vegetables. Look for low-sodium varieties if needed.

1 lb. ground turkey - cooked and drained of fat
1 cup elbow macaroni or other small pasta cooked and drained
2 cans Condensced Campbell's Minestrone Soup
1 can
1 can original tomatoes
1 packet of taco seasoning
1-2 cans of kidney beans (depending on how beany you want it!)
2 cups of water

Mix all of the above together, bring to a boil, turn off heat and serve!!! Mmmm….and so easy!

Great Chicken Soup for Winter Cold and Flu Season

Chicken soup is one of the oldest around. Sometimes referred to as an old-wives' tale, chicken soup is thought to the common cold. Does it really cure anything?

Well, for starters, it can't hurt. We are told to drink plenty of clear fluids when sick to encourage the flow of mucus. Chicken soup has a lot of broth! And, who has not heard of the anti-germ properties of gargling with salt-water? Well, chicken soup is very salty. And maybe a cup of tea could do this trick too - but the steam may help clear sinuses.

It is also a food that is somewhat easy to eat to keep your strength up when you are sick and not feeling like you have much of an appetite.

But, apparently, there are more complicated reasons it may help reduce the symptoms of a cold or flu. It appears to have anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine qualities as well.

While some store-bought soups will work just as well, sometimes, on a cold winter day when everyone is sneezing and coughing, this soup is a nice thing to have on the stove-top brewing all day:

Rotisserie Chicken Soup:

1 small pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, meat cleaned off and about half of it chopped in small chunks - preserve the bones, wings, and skin

2-4 carrots

3 stalks of celery - some leaves too

One large yellow onion

Dry or fresh herbs like:

Thyme

Rosemary

Sage

One Red pepper

32 ounces of store-bought chicken stock in a box (like Swanson)

One small container of dried tortellini

Directions:

Place the bones, skin, and wings cut up into a pot of about 4 cups of water (so the bones are covered). Add some herbs that you like, 1/3 of the onion in large chunks, one carrot in large chunks, and the celery leaves and and one stalk cut up in large chunks. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2-3 hours on the stove. Add water if the bones are not covered.

Strain the cooking liquid and discard the bones and skin and large vegetables, etc. Add liquid back to a large stock pot and add the rest of the carrots, celery, onion, and pepper all diced, some more herbs to your taste, salt and pepper, chicken meat chunks and store broth and boil. Reduce heat and slow simmer another 60-90 minutes. Add the tortellini and cook until pasta is done - about 10 minutes. Serve with your favorite rolls and a salad.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Low Fat Mini-Quiche: (these freeze well - make ahead!):

4 eggs (OR for less fat - 1 cup of a plain egg substitute, like )
½ Cup prepared biscuit mix, like Bisquick
1/3 Cup Melted butter
1 ½ Cup Skim Milk
Pepper
1 TBS. onion flakes or 2 tsp. onion powder
4 ounces shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
Sliced mushrooms and/OR steamed, chopped asparagus (optional)

Directions:
Put everything in the blender except cheese and optional vegetables till smooth, add vegetables and stir to mix in, pour into an oil-sprayed mini-muffin tray, top with shredded cheese, bake 30 minutes (or until eggs set) at 350 degrees. Let sit in tray 15-20 minutes to cool before removing. These can be frozen individually on a greased cookie sheet and once frozen, placed into a zipper freezer bag. Remove and microwave what you need for 30 seconds (or more - ovens vary) for a great make-ahead mini-breakfast.

Low-Fat Banana Bread: Make one loaf for breakfast this week and freeze the other for up to a month!

3 Cups all-purpose flour (or 2 cups white and 1 cup whole-wheat)
1 ½ Cups sugar
2 ½ tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 egg whites
4 small or 3 larger mashed bananas
½ cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions:
1. In one bowl, combine egg whites, bananas and applesauce.
2. In another larger bowl, stir flour, sugar, powder, soda, and cinnamon.
3. Add the wet bowl to the dry bowl and stir until just combined. If thick, add TBS. hot water
4. Pour batter into a greased 8 inch X 4 inch bread pan and bake 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool on a wire rack.

Super Easy Pasta Salad:

1 pkg. bow-tie pasta (16 ounce)
1 bottle of low-fat Italian Dressing (16 ounce)
2 chopped cucumbers
6 chopped tomatoes
1 bunch chopped green onions
4 ounces grated parmesan cheese
1 TBS. Italian Seasoning

Directions: Cook pasta according to directions for al dente, drain and rinse under cold water - then place in a large bowl. Toss vegetables and pasta together with the salad dressing. In separate small bowl, mix parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning and gently fold into pasta salad. Cover and refridgerate. Makes 8 cups. Good idea for a family meal.

Drinks

picture of milk shakes which are an excellent source of extra calcium and calories for those seniors who need to gain weight. Simple Smoothie:

½ banana
Six strawberries OR a handful of blueberries
3/4 cup of 100% fruit juice
3/4 cup of skim milk
Handful of ice cubes

Directions:
Blend all ingredients until Smooth and serve. You can use frozen fruit. Old bananas freeze well (peel and place in plastic wrap) for smoothies.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake: Great high calorie shake for seniors who need to gain weight and have lost their appetite

1 scoop of chocolate ice cream
1 TBS. chocolate syrup
2 cups skim milk
A banana
1 TBS. wheat germ (optional)

Directions: Place everything in a blender and serve!

Dips

Salsa: Don't make it!

Buy store-bought salsa (usually mild works best). Most varieties come without any added sugar, salt or fat. You can use this as a dip for vegetables or as a topping for corn chowder, lentil stew, or a plain baked potato instead of butter.

Honey Mustard Dip: Great with Chicken Nuggets

¼ Cup dijon mustard
¼ cup honey
Keeps in refridgerator for 2 weeks.

Healthy Bean Dip: (Nice with Pita Triangles)
1 can refried beans
¼ cup mild store-bought salsa
Chopped Cilanto (optional)

Directions: Mix the beans and salsa in a bowl and top with fresh cilantro.

Old Fashioned Onion Dip: (great with vegetables)
Olive oil
Salt
4 medium white onions chopped
1 can beef broth (14 oz.)
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
8 ounces reduced fat sour cream

Directions: Saute onion in a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Keep cooking till just starting to turn brown. Add beef broth all at once and stir to scrape the bottom of the pan - bring to a boil and then turn down heat to simmer until most liquid evaporates ( 15 minutes or so). Stir in onion powder, vinegar and keep stirring and cooking until the vinegar evaporates (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and cool for 30 minutes. Mix sour cream and onion mixture in a bowl and chill 30 minutes before serving. Makes 2 ½ cups and you can freeze in smaller portions for up to 2 months. Keeps 3 days in refridgerator.

Healthy Bean Dip: (Nice with Pita Triangles)

1 can refried beans
¼ cup mild store-bought salsa
Chopped Cilanto (optional)

Directions: Mix the beans and salsa in a bowl and top with fresh cilantro

Senior Recipes for Healthy Eating

Recipes for Elderly People

Soups

Yummy Fall and Winter Soups

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Drinks

Dips

Food and Nutrition