As the temperature starts to drop a little and leaves start to change colors, we should begin to embrace the autumn season and the fall dishes that come with it. Meal preparation is great for your loved ones because it’s a well-balanced meal that has already been prepared so no one has to cook and your loved one doesn’t have to wait that long to eat. From breakfast to snacks, to beverages, lunch, sides, and dinner, here is a list of easy and healthy meals you can make for seniors this fall.

Breakfast

• Whole-grain pancakes with turkey sausage
• Whole grain waffles with turkey bacon
• Oatmeal with cranberries or their choice of berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
• Premade fruit smoothies
• Premade vegetable smoothies
• Premade fruit and vegetable smoothies
• Whole wheat toast and a poached egg
• Yogurt parfait
• Egg muffins
• Pumpkin muffins

Snacks and Desserts

• Fruit (their fruit of choice)
• Pumpkin pie
• Cinnamon applesauce
• Dried fruit
• Carrot cake
• Pumpkin spice rice pudding
• Yogurt parfait
• Sweet potato pie
• Pumpkin muffins
• Apple chips
• Oatmeal cookies
• Pumpkin bread
• Protein bars
• Candied pecans
• Trail mix
• Granola bars
• Premade fruit smoothies
• Premade vegetable smoothies
• Premade fruit and vegetable smoothies
• Vegetables and hummus
• Chia seed pudding

Lunch, Dinner, and Sides

• Ground turkey with roasted vegetables and rice or quinoa
• Butternut squash pasta
• Baked chicken with sweet potato
• Pumpkin soup
• Butternut squash soup
• Salad
• Apple sage turkey meatballs
• Chicken tortilla soup
• Honey baked ham
• Potato salad
• Apple sage stuffing
• Premade fruit smoothies
• Macaroni and cheese
• Premade vegetable smoothies
• Premade fruit and vegetable smoothies
• Turkey chili

While meal prepping you can use mason jars and different types of Tupperware containers to keep the food in. It’s good to do grocery shopping for the week but first, you would want to make a plan of the meals you’re going to prepare. While cooking it’s good to multitask so you can cook a variety of things at once. Be sure to make plenty of room in the refrigerator, pantry, or freezer if needed. Feel free to write out the meals of the week on a piece of paper to hang in the kitchen or write on a calendar.

There are tons of fall recipe books and websites online to look up healthy meal prep recipes for seniors. If your loved one has a doctor, nutritionist, and/or dietitian, it would be great to get ideas from each of them for meal prep ideas this fall. Try and get their perspective so you all can work together on creating nutritious and delicious meals to prepare for your loved one during this autumn season. Caring Home Care caregivers assist with meal planning, including meeting special dietary needs. Caring Home Care also offers homemaker services that can help with grocery shopping,  meal preparation, and more.