St. Patrick’s Day Treats To Make With Your Senior

If you’re getting into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit this year, why not create some leprechaun-inspired treats with your senior? Making festive fare to celebrate the holiday is a great way to enjoy the day, and can also be good for senior nutrition. Many elderly individuals’ senses of smell and taste have dulled, making traditional food unappealing. However, festive treats can entice them to chow down on a few different goodies. A few St. Patrick’s Day recipes to try include:

Four leaf cupcakes

Whip up a batch of traditional cupcakes, but give them a St. Patty’s-worthy twist using green spearmint candy leaves. Frost the cupcakes then arrange the candy in the shape of four leaf clovers on top for a delicious and fun dessert.

A healthy shamrock snack

For a healthier holiday treat, remove the seeds from a sweet green pepper and slice it up into several rings. Take a few smaller pieces and add them on for stems. To create a mini pot of gold on the plate, add a small dollop of honey mustard dressing. Not only do the shamrocks look sweet, but they also pack a powerful punch of nutrition.

Shamrock sugar cookies

Grab a package of sugar cookies and turn them into shamrocks using a cookie cutter. For the finishing touch, add green icing and sprinkles. It’s an easy-to-make treat that will stand out during a St. Patrick’s Day party.

Lucky Charms-inspired cookies

Few other food items scream St. Patrick’s Day quite like Lucky Charms. Pay homage to this iconic cereal with brightly colored sugar cookies. Buy pre-made dough and purchase festive cookie cutter shapes, like a moon, a heart, a shamrock, and a star. Create the shapes and then frost them with brightly colored icing. 

Luck of the Irish smoothie

For a nutritious snack that matches the theme of the holiday, try blending up a green smoothie. Use kale, spinach, and any number of different fruits, including bananas, apples, kiwi, and others. The result will be a green drink that is full of nutritious elements and looks right at home with the rest of your green decorations.

From healthy items to delicious desserts, there are plenty of different recipes that you and your elderly loved one can make together in order to celebrate the holiday. Share the items with friends at a St. Patty’s Day party, or make your own mini celebration together. 

Healthy Holiday Recipes to Enjoy Preparing With Your Senior

The winter holidays are a joyous time of year, filled with friends, family, and gratitude. However, delicious meals are also a major part of the holiday season, and can pack a serious caloric punch if you’re not careful. Part of care for elderly people includes encouraging them to eat a healthy, nutritious diet. If you want to enjoy time in the kitchen during Thanksgiving with your elderly loved one but are looking to lighten up your menu, consider incorporating these recipes:

New Year’s soup

This soup contains plenty of fiber so it will keep you feeling full, without the calories of cream-based options. This is ideal for good senior health, as the fat and calories in cream-based soups can become problematic. The chili powder contains capsaicin, which helps to jumpstart your metabolism. This is an ideal appetizer option if you’re looking for a soup that tastes great and is healthy too. It’s made using fire-roasted tomatoes, chickpeas, garlic, chili powder, lime juice, and cilantro, all in a vegetable or chicken broth base. Simply puree the tomatoes, chickpeas, and garlic, and then bring the ingredients to a boil with the broth and chili powder.

Recipe from: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-oz-belly-blasting-new-year-soup

Oil-based Parmesan turkey with walnut gravy

Senior care professionals explain that this tasty dish will become the perfect holiday entrée for you and your elderly loved one to prepare together. It has a nutty flavor that makes it rich and tasty, without any added salt or oil. With only nine ingredients, the meal is easy to make, thus taking the stress out of holiday meal preparation.

Recipe from: http://www.cookinglight.com/entertaining/holidays-occasions/easy-holiday-recipes-00412000085844/page5.html

White bean and pumpkin bisque

For a lighter version of a cream-based soup, this is the recipe to try. Use canned pumpkin for richness and white beans for substance and protein, and you end up with a flavorful starter that everyone will love. You can make the soup a few days in advance, thus lessening the burden that falls on your elderly loved one and you as you try to prepare for company.

Recipe from: http://www.cookinglight.com/entertaining/holidays-occasions/easy-holiday-recipes-00412000085844/page9.html

Cranberry orange relish

Cranberry sauce can be filled with sugar and calories, making it an unhealthy choice for a Thanksgiving side. If you want the flavor without the poor nutritional value, try making this relish. It’s got bright colors and just the right amount of sweetness, making it the perfect complement to turkey and other trimmings. Plus, you can make it up to three days in advance.

Recipe from: http://www.cookinglight.com/entertaining/holidays-occasions/easy-holiday-recipes-00412000085844/page13.html

There is no need to pig out on unhealthy treats over the course of the holidays. Together, you and your senior can make dishes that are as healthy as they are tasty.