Summer weather can be frustrating. One moment it’s cool and pleasant, and suddenly it’s in the 90s and humid. When it gets really hot, the last thing you want is to turn on the oven or burner. Cooking inside heats the house.
Your dad can’t go without eating, but he doesn’t cook much. The dishes he’s best at preparing all require the oven. What are some simple and nutritious meals that he can manage putting together during the summer?
Lentil Salads
Buy a package of lentils and cook them until just tender. Place portions into freezer bags and keep them handy in the freezer. He can turn lentils into a nutritious cold salad by adding some thawed frozen corn, diced red pepper, diced tomatoes, black beans, low-fat cheddar cubes, lime juice, and cilantro.
That’s one of many combinations he could try. For a Mediterranean salad, he could toss the lentils with chopped parsley, garlic, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, and tuna. Lentils work well with most vegetables and healthy oils like avocado and olive.
Chicken Salad
Keep some whole-grain pitas on hand and make a batch of chicken salad for sandwiches. When boneless chicken breast is on sale, buy it in bulk, and boil the breasts until tender. Save the water for chicken stock. Cool the breasts and move them to freezer bags. Freeze until needed.
To make the salad, thaw a chicken breast and shred the meat. Add his favorite combination of vegetables, nuts, and seeds. A popular option is dried cranberries, chopped celery, diced red onion, and toasted walnuts. Mix those ingredients with some mayonnaise or vinegar and oil and store it in the refrigerator until needed.
Grain Salad
When you’re out shopping, look for the pre-cooked bags of grains that are in the rice and grains section of an aisle. Instead of microwaving them, move the grains to a bowl and add your dad’s favorite chopped vegetables, cooked shrimp, canned chickpeas or kidney beans, and a dressing. Serve that grain salad over lettuce leaves.
Hire Professional Caregivers to Cook for Him
Is your dad struggling with aging at home but won’t admit it? If he wants to retain his independence, one of the best ways to do this is by making sure he hires help when he needs it. Instead of limiting how much cooking he does, let a caregiver handle the cooking. Elderly care services arrange the support he needs with meal preparation.
Meals are one way that caregivers help him. He eats nutritious meals, but he’s not the one struggling to chop and slice ingredients, carry pans from one area of the kitchen to the next, and do all the dishes after. Call an elderly care agency to talk about these services.