Easy Meal Prep Tips For Seniors For Lots Of Quick Meals

Your senior parent may not be getting enough to eat if they are living on their own. Seniors have a higher-than-average risk of becoming malnourished for a variety of reasons. Tooth loss, loss of appetite from illness or side effects from medication, and other factors can all contribute to your mom or dad not getting enough to eat. Senior home care service is a great resource to help your mom or dad eat more and eat healthy meals and snacks. One of the most common reasons why seniors don’t eat enough is that cooking or preparing food is difficult for them.

Senior Home Care Ridgewood NJ – Senior Home Care Easy Meal Prep Tips For Seniors For Lots Of Quick Meals

Even something like making a sandwich can be difficult if your mom or dad can’t lift a heavy jar of peanut butter or open the twist tie on the bread because they don’t have manual dexterity. But if your mom or dad has senior home care their care provider can prep meals and snacks for them.

Your mom or dad can enjoy a healthy snack or meal anytime they want if a senior home care provider has filled the fridge and freezer with healthy pre-portioned and pre-cooked meals and snacks.

Both you and your mom or dad’s senior home care provider can try these simple meal prep tips to make sure your mom or dad always has access to meals and snacks:

Cook In Batches
Prepare larger portions of meals like soups, casseroles, or stews that can be divided into individual servings and frozen for later use. Soup and broth are excellent easy meals and snacks for seniors.

Pre-chop Vegetables
Chop vegetables like carrots, broccoli, and bell peppers in advance and store them in airtight containers. Your mom or dad can put them in salads or eat them with a dip for a snack.

Use Pre-cut Veggies
Veggie trays or containers of pre-washed and cut veggies from the supermarket are fantastic for seniors. Your mom or dad can eat them plain or eat them with a protein like chicken breast for a healthy meal.

Prepare Protein in Bulk
Cook chicken, ground turkey, or other proteins in bulk and refrigerate or freeze them in portions. Your mom or dad can microwave them for an easy meal. You can also prep each serving with sauce or other condiments to make them more appetizing.

Healthy Snack Packs
Pre-portion snacks like nuts, cheese, yogurt, or fruit into small containers or snack bags for easy, grab-and-go options. Assemble cheese and crackers and leave them in a meal prep container for snacks. And you can pre-wash and cut fruit and do the same thing.

Smoothie Prep
Pre-portion fruits, greens, and other smoothie ingredients into freezer bags. Then your mom or dad can just empty the bag into the blender and blend it with some milk or juice for a quick, nutritious drink.

Use a Slow Cooker
Slow cookers are great for making tender meats and stews without much effort. You can set it in the morning and have a warm meal by dinner. A senior home care provider can also put oats, milk, apples, and other ingredients in a slow cooker just before they leave for the day and leave it on low so that your mom or dad has a healthy hot breakfast in the morning.

Keep it Simple
Simple meals with healthy ingredients are perfect for seniors. Plan meals and snacks that use the same ingredients so that shopping is easy.

Create Mason Jar Salads
Layer ingredients for salads in mason jars with the dressing on the bottom and lettuce on top. These can be made in advance and will stay fresh for several days.

Plan and Portion
Create a weekly meal plan and portion out meals and snacks for easy reheating. This ensures variety and saves time during busy days.

Source: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)02612-5/abstract

If you or a senior family member are considering hiring Senior Home Care Services in Ridgewood NJ, please get in touch with the caring staff at Caring Solutions Home Care LLC.

Providing in-home senior care, servicing Bergen & Passaic Counties. Call today at (973) 427-3553.