March is National Nutrition Month. A balanced diet plays a crucial role in health and wellness for everyone, but it’s especially essential for older adults. To help your loved one maintain a healthy diet, we partnered with Chef Wade from BrightStar Senior Living of Waunakee, our assisted living and memory care sister brand, to bring you a nutrient-packed meal (including starter and dessert!) your senior loved one will enjoy.
Our lemon and dill poached salmon filet on a bed of couscous with peppers, tomatoes and onions with a side of steamed asparagus spears is both delicious and nutritious. It is paired with a garden salad with an Italian dressing and for dessert an angel food cake topped with fresh strawberries and sugar free whipped topping.
Read on for the recipes and nutritional information.
Garden Salad with Italian Dressing
Chop ½ head of romaine lettuce after washing and mix in 8 cherry tomatoes, skinned and diced cucumber and thinly sliced red onion. Toss the salad in Italian dressing just before serving. Approximately 4 servings.
Poached Salmon
Place four fresh salmon filets in a hotel pan and mix ½ cup each of lemon juice and water and pour over the filets then top with fresh or dried dill, cover pan with saran wrap and put in steamer for 15 – 20 minutes.
Steamed Asparagus
In another slotted steamer pan line up asparagus after washing them in a vegetable wash solution and trimming off the woody ends. Steam them for about 7 to 10 minutes. About 4 to 6 spears per person.
Buttered Couscous
Bring one cup of water to a boil with 2 TBSPs of olive oil in it, then remove from the heat and stir in one cup of dry couscous. While this is happening take 1 diced red pepper, 2 green onions sliced thin and 1 skinned tomato diced and sauté in a pan with 1 TBSP of unsalted butter or olive oil. When vegetables are tender stir into couscous and serve warm.
Angel Food Cake topped w/Fresh Strawberries and Sugar Free Whipped Topping
Cake:
1 ½ cups sugar, divided
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup of sifted cake flour
12 large egg whites
½ tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp lemon juice
Toppings:
2 pints fresh strawberries washed and cut up
2 cups of sugar free whipped topping
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, mix ¾ cup sugar with vanilla and stir then add flour. In a mixer beat egg whited at high speed until foamy, then add cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Then slowly add the remaining ¾ cup of sugar (about 2 TBSP at a time) and continue beating until soft peaks form. Put egg white mixture into a larger mixing bowl and add lemon juice and ¼ of flour sugar mixture at a time folding it into the egg white mixture making sure not to over mix. Once all of the dry mixture is added put into a non-greased cake pan and bake for 50 minutes. Invert pan after it comes out of the oven and cool completely, then cut along all sides of the pan and cut into portions. Makes about 12 portions. Top with cleaned and cut strawberries and sugar free whipped topping.
Nutritional Information
Italian Dressing – Calories 90, Fat 9g, Saturated Fat 1.5g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 240mg, Carbs 3g,Dietary Fiber0mg, Sugars 2g, Protein 3g
Salmon – Calories 400, protein 41g, total fat 26.3g, saturated fat 7.3g, Carbs 0, Sugars 0, Dietary Fiber o, Sodium 83mg, Potassium 606mg, Calcium 14mg, Cholesterol 129mg
Couscous – Calories 650g, Fat 1.1g, Saturated Fat .2g, Cholesterol 0mg, Dietary Fiber 8.6g, Sodium 17mg, Potassium 287mg, Carbs 134g, Protein 22.1g
Asparagus – Calories 40, Fat .4g
Saturated Fat .1g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 25mg, Carbs 7.4g, Dietary Fiber 3.6g, Sugars 2.3g, Protein 4.3g, Calcium 41mg, Potassium 403mg
Angel Food Cake – Calories 144, fat 0.1g, Protein 4.3g, Carbs 31.7g, fiber 0.1g, Iron 0.6g, sodium 105mg, Calcium 4mg
