Chatham Place BLOG

EXPLORING SUMMER CUISINE: DELICIOUS AND NUTRITIOUS RECIPES FOR SENIORS

June 12, 2024 / By admin / No Comments

The beauty of summertime is the ease with which the community comes together—festivals, barbecues, reunions, and more. The common thread between all these get-togethers? Food!  Food brings us together, and summer’s bounty has so much to offer. In today’s blog, we want to help you gather with friends and family and enjoy some healthy foods, so we’re sharing a few recipes and tips for delicious (and nutritious) eating this summer!

Healthy Eating Idea #1: A New Summertime Favorite Recipe

Sometimes when we think about healthy foods, we automatically think “boring.” That’s far from the truth!  If you don’t believe us, just ask Chatham Place at Mary Wade’s award-winning Director of Food Services, Hunter Merrill. Hunter oversees all operations and programs related to food on our campus. He is a master at making flavorful, nutrient-rich foods that feed the body and mind.

Residents at Chatham Place at Mary Wade love Hunter’s Baked/Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa. This recipe looks and tastes just like summer. It also packs a punch nutritionally with Omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins such as vitamin D and B2. In fact, the American Heart Association recommends regular fish intake as an essential part of a healthy diet; this recipe helps you get these essential nutrients in.

 

Baked/Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa

Check out this special recipe by trying it for yourself!

Ingredients

 

                Fish    Salsa
  • ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
  • ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 (6 ounce) tilapia fillets
  • 1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
  • ½ red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
  • 2 tablespoons minced red onion
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

  1. Prepare the fish: Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, basil, black pepper, and salt in a bowl and pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add tilapia fillets, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  1. Meanwhile, make the salsa: Combine mango, bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, red onion, and cilantro in a bowl. Add lime and lemon juices and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  1. Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate or cook on the stove.
  1. Remove tilapia from the marinade and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade. Grill fillets until fish is no longer translucent in the center and flakes easily with a fork, 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fillets.
  1. Serve tilapia topped with mango salsa.

 

Recipe Tip:

Strawberries can be substituted for the mango; both are excellent.

In addition to being healthy, this meal is very colorful and looks great as a plate presentation… making it a great choice for parties and get-togethers.

Healthy Eating Idea #2: Refreshing Fresh Foods For Your Tastebuds and Your Health

Fruits and vegetables are some of the healthiest foods we can eat. Unless you have health conditions that prevent you, you can enjoy them (and all the antioxidants that come with them)

freely! Not only are they tasty, but they are a great natural tool to prevent heart disease and high blood pressure.

Hunter gave us the pleasure of gathering a list of fruit and vegetable-focused recipes for you to try this summer. We couldn’t pick a favorite, so we wanted you to pick yours.

Are you more of a traditionalist, going straight for the apple recipes? Or are you looking for the outliers, like garlic and okra?

No matter your tastes, check out the recipes by clicking on your fruit/veggie of choice!

  • Apples
  • Apricots
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Beets
  • Bell Peppers
  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Cantaloupe
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Cherries
  • Corn
  • Cucumbers
  • Eggplant
  • Garlic
  • Green Beans
  • Herbs
  • Honeydew Melon
  • Lemons
  • Lima Beans
  • Limes
  • Mangos
  • Okra
  • Peaches
  • Plums
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries
  • Summer Squash
  • Tomatillos
  • Tomatoes
  • Watermelon
  • Zucchini


Healthy Eating Idea #3: Get to the Farmer’s Market (And Maybe Even Grow Your Own!)

A trip to your local Farmer’s Market is a wonderful way to connect with local growers and eat some of the freshest foods available. You’ll get the opportunity to socialize, stretch your legs, and enjoy the sights and sounds of summer. You might even discover healthy food choices along the way! These are a few of the many reasons Chatham Place at Mary Wade Residents love our planned trips to local markets. It’s a lovely way to spend the morning (and, of course, your tastebuds and waistline will thank you too!)

Likewise, gardening helps you get active while growing foods you love. If gardening in the ground is a challenge (or not possible,) consider something as simple as planting lettuce, your favorite herbs, or even a tomato in a pot. Gardening reduces stress, improves muscle strength, and helps us get Vitamin D. The exercise can even improve muscle strength! It’s a win-win for body, mind, and spirit! At Chatham Place at Mary Wade, residents are planting and enjoying herb and vegetable planters on campus this summer. We can’t wait!

In addition to Farmer’s Market visits and gardening, Chatham Place at Mary Wade residents will also enjoy summertime cooking demonstrations that help them enjoy the bountiful foods of the season.

It’s going to be a summer of fun, tasty, healthy foods. And, of course, it’s a time to share these summertime food favorites in a vibrant community with one another. So challenge yourself to try a new recipe, visit a local Farmer’s Market, or even grow your own. You won’t regret it!

________________________________________________

At Chatham Place at Mary Wade, our Food Services program works diligently not just to create  healthy meals, but to develop programming that encourages healthy relationships with food. At  Chatham Place, food truly becomes a community experience. In the process, residents support  and improve their health with fresh, seasonal food options. Learn more about Chatham Place at  Mary Wade by giving us a call: (475) 900-6040

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