Creative Ways to Bring the Flavors and Nutrition of the Holidays into Your Regular Elder Care Menu

Elder Care in Irvine CA

Knowing how important nutrition is to your parents’ health and wellbeing, it is easy to fall into a pattern of serving largely the same meals and snacks throughout your elder care journey. You find meals and snacks that your parents enjoy and that give them what their bodies need to stay strong and healthy so you stick to them. While this is a good way to keep your routine easy and to feel confident your parents are getting what they need, it can also become tedious and lead to your parents not eating as much as they should, or relying on unhealthy snack foods and treats to get the variety that they crave.

This holiday season, change up your menu and keep things interesting by bringing the delicious flavors of your favorite holiday foods into your regular meals and snacks so you can keep up your parents’ nutrition while also making their eating more enjoyable.

Try these creative ideas, and share them with your aging loved ones’ elderly health care services provider, to bring the flavors and nutrition of the holidays into your regular elder care menu:

• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. Roasted pumpkin seeds are delicious and simple, but also exceptionally nutritious. Make this versatile little seed reminiscent of your holiday bird by sprinkling them with olive oil and poultry seasoning before roasting. You can also place fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme on the baking sheet with them during roasting to add a subtle hint of flavor. Make them sweet by replacing the olive oil with vegetable oil spray and sprinkling them with sugar and pumpkin pie spice.

• Mixed nuts. A handful of mixed nuts is a fantastic way to give your aging loved ones a dose of protein, healthy fats, and vitamins and minerals. Make them more interesting by putting them in a plastic zipper bag and add poultry seasoning and seasoned salt and shake them up. Go for a sweeter snack by adding dried cranberries and sprinkling with cinnamon and sugar.

• Cheese crisps. Sometimes only something crunchy and salty will satisfy a snack craving. Accomplish this without overdoing the calories by making cheese crisps. Combine 2 cups of finely grated Parmesan cheese, 4 teaspoons of flour, 2 teaspoons of chopped rosemary, and a sprinkle of sea salt. Make circles with 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on lined baking sheets, sprinkle with 2 more teaspoons of rosemary and more sea salt, and bake for 8 minutes at 375 degrees to create crispy little crackers perfect for satisfying a need for something salty while also offering some protein.

Get in touch with the elder care agency in your area to find out more about hiring an elderly health care services provider who can help you to pursue your nutritional goals with your aging loved ones so that they can stay strong and healthy while continuing to enjoy the favorite flavors of the holidays all throughout the season.

If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Irvine, CA or the surrounding Orange County areas, please call us at 949-535-2211.  We provide senior care services in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Woods, Laguna Beach, Mission Viejo and surrounding areas of Orange County California.  Contact us today to learn more.