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Have you heard of meal prep recipes? It’s an easy way to cook only once but have plenty of meals for later during the week. This works very well for seniors who want to stay in the kitchen as little as possible.
According to Everyday Health, there are plenty of beneficial reasons why you might want to engage in meal prep.1 Here are some of them:
· It saves money. With meal prep, there is always something ready in the fridge, which means you are much less likely to order out.
· It saves time. You prep one large meal and divide it into portions. That means you are cooking only once for four or more meals.
· You control what goes into your food. Unlike a restaurant where you don’t know what spices were used or a prepackaged meal that is loaded with sodium, you can choose exactly what goes into your meals.
· It can help you lose weight. Meal planning is strongly connected to healthy weight loss. You can control the fat and other nutrient content when you make your own meals, and that can help you drop pounds.
· You might actually live longer. Studies have found that eating more meals prepared away from home is associated with premature death from all causes. This could be because home-cooked meals are healthier for your body and thus can help control chronic conditions, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
Keep in mind that while these recipes make a lot of food, that’s the intention – they are meant to make four or more servings that can be divided into individual containers. They refrigerate well so they make good meals that last for up to a week. You can simply pull one from the refrigerator and heat it up for a fast, healthy, delicious meal.
Before you start these recipes, make sure you have at least four containers with lids. You will use these to divide the recipes and create the proper portions.
Roasted Vegetable Couscous
Let’s talk about chickpeas for a minute. Did you know they are little powerhouses of nutrients? Also known as garbanzo beans, chickpeas are loaded with fiber and protein. Healthline points out that chickpeas are also filled with manganese (74% of your daily recommended intake), zinc, copper, folate, and iron. They have enough fiber to keep you full and to help you manage your weight.2
Besides that, they taste amazing! Here’s how to get some into your diet through this easy meal prep recipe.
For the Couscous:
· 4 small tomatoes of your choice (Roma work great)
· 2 small zucchini
· 1 bell pepper
· ½ red onion
· 4 peeled garlic cloves
· 2 tbsps. olive oil
· 1 cup couscous
· 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
· ½ bunch of parsley
For the Chickpeas:
· Two 15 oz. cans of chickpeas, drained well
· ½ tsp. dried oregano
· ½ tsp. dried basil
· ¼ tsp. garlic powder
· ¼ tsp. onion powder
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chop the tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper, and onion into 1-inch pieces. Place the veggies along with the peeled garlic on a baking sheet you have covered in parchment paper. Drizzle the olive oil on top of the veggies to coat, give them a stir, and slide them into the oven. Roast for about 45 minutes, shaking the pan to flip the veggies every 15 minutes.
In the meantime, pour the vegetable broth into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the couscous and stir it well.
Put a lid on top of the pan and remove from the heat. Let the couscous sit for about five minutes, or until the broth is absorbed. Fluff the couscous with a fork to make sure it’s to your liking, then place it in the refrigerator to cool.
Rinse the drained chickpeas. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet until it shimmers. Add the chickpeas and sauté for five minutes, or until they turn golden and some are blistered from the heat. Remove them from the heat and sprinkle with the oregano, basil, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir well to coat all the chickpeas. Sample to taste and make sure you added spice to your liking.
To assemble: Pull the roasted garlic cloves from the pan and mash them. Combine the roasted veggies, mashed garlic, and the cooled couscous. Chop the ½ bunch of parsley and add it to the mixture.
Divide the mixture into four containers. Equally divide the chickpeas into those four containers as well. Place them in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Ground Turkey Stir Fry
Who doesn’t love a good stir fry? It’s healthy, fast, and uses many pantry staples. The ground turkey keeps the calories down, but you can replace that with ground pork or ground chicken for a little variety.
For the Sauce:
· ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
· ½ tbsp. roasted sesame oil
· ½ tbsp. brown sugar
· 1 tbsp. water
· Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional – if you want a little heat)
For the Stir Fry:
· 2 bell peppers (use colorful ones)
· 4 green onions
· 2 large handfuls of baby spinach
· 2 tbsps. olive oil
· 2 cloves of minced garlic
· 16 ounces ground turkey
· ¼ cup chopped peanuts (optional)
· 2 ½ cups cooked brown rice
Make the sauce by stirring all ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved into the mixture. Set it aside for later.
Dice the peppers and finely slice the green onions into rounds.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the ground turkey and the minced garlic. Cook while stirring constantly until the turkey is cooked through and there is no moisture in the bottom of the skillet. This will take about 10 minutes.
Add in the bell pepper and the onions. Stir and cook until the veggies begin to soften. Add the spinach and cook for another two minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted.
Give the sauce a final stir and pour it into the skillet. Stir and cook the turkey and veggies until everything is well-coated in the sauce. It’s done when the spinach is fully wilted and blends in well with the other ingredients.
To assemble: Place about ½ cup of rice into each container and divided the stir fry evenly by roughly one-cup servings. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top, if desired.
Egg Muffins
Sometimes meal prep can be delightfully easy. Just blend these ingredients together, pop them in the oven, and you have muffins that are loaded with nutrients and refrigerate very well. Grab one on your way out the door and you’re good to go with a healthy breakfast that took only minutes to make!
Note: If you have issues with cholesterol, use only egg white, or divide the ingredients by half whole eggs, half egg whites.
This makes 12 muffins. Have one as your breakfast and another as a midday snack.
Ingredients:
· 10 large eggs
· ½ cup cottage cheese
· Spices of your choice (good options include pepper, rosemary, or garlic)
· 1 ½ cups add-ins of your choice. That might include shredded cheese, spinach, finely-chopped onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and the like.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Use non-stick cooking spray on a 12-muffin tin.
Chop or shred the add-ins of your choice. Sprinkle about 2 tbsps. of those add-ins to each muffin well, dividing it all equally.
Place the eggs and cottage cheese in a blender. Add any spices you’ve chosen. Puree the mixture for about 30 seconds or until smooth and easily pourable. Pour the egg mixture over the add-ins, dividing the mixture among all wells. The mixture should fill each well almost to the top.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the centers are set and the muffins are golden around the edges.
Please note: These muffins will puff up quite a bit as they cook but will deflate as they cool, much like a soufflé. This is normal!
Allow them to cool a bit in the tins, then gently turn them onto a wire rack to finish cooling. When they are cool, place them in a large container or wrap them individually to take along for an easy meal.
For seniors concerned with health and safety, having an emergency button alarm on hand is an excellent idea. Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye, and getting help right away is the key to a good outcome.
Mediterranean Bowls
This recipe is an excellent representation of the Mediterranean diet. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, science has proven again and again that the Mediterranean diet is an excellent option to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 25%, lower the inflammation in your body, give you a better body mass index, help you lose weight, and lead to a 23% lower risk of premature death.3
This recipe is loaded with ingredients that promote healthy living.
For the Sauce:
· 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
· 1 tbsp. lemon juice
· ¼ tsp. garlic powder
· ¼ tsp. dried dill
For the Turkey:
· 1 tbsp. olive oil
· 1 lb. ground turkey
· 2 cloves minced garlic
· ½ tsp. dried oregano
· ¼ tsp. black pepper
For the Bowl:
· 1 cup uncooked brown rice
· 1 pint of grape tomatoes
· 1 small cucumber
· ¼ cup chopped parsley
Make the sauce by blending the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic powder, dill, and pepper in a bowl. Refrigerate it until ready to add to the bowls.
Cook the rice according to package directions.
While the rice is cooking, make the turkey. Add the olive oil to a hot skillet until it shimmers, then add the turkey and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Add the minced garlic, oregano, and pepper. Stir to combine and cook until you are certain the turkey is done (should reach 165 degrees), then remove from the heat.
Slice the tomatoes into halves and cut the cucumber into quarter-rounds. Blend with the chopped parsley.
To assemble: Divide the rice and ground turkey between four bowls. Add the veggies. Right before you grab one to eat, drizzle a quarter of the yogurt mixture on top.
Staying Safe and Healthy
Meal prep recipes are a fantastic way to minimize your time in the kitchen promoting good health. It can be a wonderful bonus for those seniors who have limited mobility and can’t stand in the kitchen for long periods of time.
An alert system for elderly adults can help you stay safe and sure in the home or anywhere you go. Give special attention to the options that include GPS and fall detection, as this could be a very helpful way to ensure you get the help you need as soon as possible, wherever and whenever you may need it.
