Caregivers near Guelph–Summer is Salad Season

After a long cold winter there’s nothing more enjoyable than a nice salad made with freshly grown ingredients. Salads have a lot going for them! They are nutritious and delicious. They can be made from an almost endless variety and combination of ingredients. They are mostly very affordable, unless you opt to add a few pricey ingredients of course. They are usually fairly quick to make and can be eaten almost anytime, anywhere; even on the run.

Being a family caregiver means you are a really busy person. Planning some salads ahead means you can chop vegetables all at one time and store in the fridge to combine later for a yummy salad. The following recipes will give you some variety and put a little spice in your salad.

Thai Peanut Salad with Canadian Bacon

• 1 ½ tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• ½ tbsp. hot sauce (sriracha)
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• ¼ lime, juiced
• ½ tbsp. ginger, freshly grated
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ½ tbsp. honey
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• ¼ bunch chives, chopped
• ¼ head butter lettuce
• ¼ head red cabbage
• ¼ purple onion
• 1 carrot, grated
• 2 tbsp. roasted peanuts
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, mint)
• ½ cup Canadian bacon, chopped or slivered

1. To make the dressing, combine first 8 ingredients, all the way up to and including the olive oil. Blend or whisk until well mixed.
2. Combine all the vegetables together in large salad bowl and toss in the peanuts and fresh herbs.
3. Serve topped with dressing right before serving. Makes 2 large servings.

A salad such as this one contains several food groups and can be eaten as a stand-alone meal. If saving some of the salad for another day, keep the dressing and salad separate until serving to avoid wilting the lettuce.

Salads can be enjoyed all year long of course, but there’s just something about a fresh salad that really makes a person’s mouth water. For you and your elderly loved one, salad ingredients deliver some nutritious and healthy benefits.

You can make plans with your elder’s home care provider to decide on a menu that will be delicious to your loved one and also meet their dietary needs. Because they do not require as many calories, it’s even more essential to make sure that all the food they eat is very healthy and has the vitamins and minerals their body needs. For people of all ages, diet really plays a big role in health and overall well-being. As a family caregiver, what you eat is also vitally important to you and your energy levels. Even with help from a home care provider, you still play a vital role in your loved one’s caregiving and need to keep yourself as healthy as you can.

Contact us for caregiving services care and companionship. For more information about caregiving services, call 905-709-1767.