Fun and flavorful senior recipe ideas can help you celebrate fall’s bounty of fresh, healthy fruit.
Apples are one of America’s most popular fresh fruits, but nursing home residents don’t often have the opportunity to enjoy them in creative ways. October is National Apple Month, so why not try some new senior recipe ideas to incorporate apples in your seasonal menus?
Your senior residents are sure to enjoy any of the following tasty recipe ideas.
Fun Senior Recipe Ideas Using Applesauce
Applesauce is a staple of many assisted living food menus. After all, it’s nutritious, delicious, and easy for seniors to eat. Fresh applesauce is probably a favorite among your residents. So, adding it to other recipes is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Try stirring some applesauce into the morning oatmeal along with a dash of cinnamon and some brown sugar. Or, make apple pancakes or waffles by replacing some of the sugar in your regular recipes with applesauce. You can also use fresh apple compote in place of the jelly in peanut butter sandwiches.
When mixed with a bit of sour cream (or plain yogurt) and nutmeg, fresh applesauce is a delightful complement to pork or chicken dishes.
Senior Recipe Ideas for Delicious Apple Beverages
Apples can be used in many different types of drinks, both warm and cold.
Homemade apple cider or juice is a simple and cost-effective addition to assisted living food menus. You can even use the apple peels and cores when juicing. That way, you avoid food waste while providing a fiber boost for your residents.
You don’t have to limit your apple beverages to plain cider and juice, however. For a fun treat, melt cinnamon candies in heated apple juice and serve steaming mugs to your residents on movie night. Or, make a non-alcoholic sangria, adding sliced apples, berries and grapes to chilled cider.
For holidays and special occasions, top your mock-sangria off with a splash of club soda or seltzer water for a fun, celebratory beverage.
Apples can also be used in a wide range of milkshake and smoothie recipes your seniors will enjoy. Who wouldn’t want to drink an apple spice milkshake, for example, or a banana apple smoothie?
These senior recipe ideas are also an ideal vehicle for adding in supplements, protein powder and other nutritional augmentations.
Creative Ways to Use Apples in Recipes for Seniors
Apples are packed with fiber and antioxidants, and they have many other nutritional benefits. While the jury’s still out on whether an apple a day really keeps the doctor away, regularly serving this versatile fruit provides many benefits for senior health.
Consider garnishing a fresh green salad with finely diced apple, or shredding some along with your cabbage for a twist on coleslaw. You can also make a fresh fruit salsa to top fish and chicken tacos. And, if your seniors enjoy crunchy snacks, homemade baked apple chips make a healthier alternative to potato chips. Apples can be used in many baked goods like pies, muffins and cakes, too.
The Grove Menus advanced menu planning system focuses on allowing you to add fresh, seasonal items to your food service program. By facilitating the ordering and preparation processes, you can reduce waste and save time. All of these benefits contribute directly to reducing your bottom-line costs.
Contact Grove Menus today to learn more. We look forward to providing you with a complimentary demonstration of our proprietary system, including our field-tested, dietitian-approved senior recipe ideas.