Happy September! September is “Healthy Aging Month” so as to pay tribute to this fact, we thought it would be fun to explore some tips from the kitchen on how to prepare dishes that are considered healthy for older adults. As we age, there are many factors that contribute to our ability or desire to eat. There are dental issues causing some foods to be harder to chew. Often medications will alter our ability to taste or smell. Some illnesses, such as diabetes or high cholesterol, cause our diets to be restricted. While I am certain there are many more factors that I have not mentioned, these are a few of the most common that I see when assessing or speaking with our elderly clients.
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 eggs (large)
- 1⁄2 cup flour
- 1⁄2 cup milk (1%)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 ounces mozzarella
- 2 cups spinach (chopped, fresh)
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt butter or margarine in an 8 inch baking pan.
- Beat eggs well. Add flour, milk, garlic and baking powder. Pour into baking pan. Stir in cheese and spinach.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until firm and the cheese is slightly golden brown.
Please note that this recipe is for two servings. If more are needed, you can certainly double or triple the recipe.
Lastly, I’d like to give the nutritional benefits for spinach. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and folate as well as being a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2.
By Tonya Payne