Healthy Eating for Elders: No-Cook Recipes¹

Jennifer Hillan²

Try these quick, easy recipes for balanced and healthy meals. No cooking required!

Bean and Veggie Sandwich

Rinse and mash canned white beans and mix with low-fat plain yogurt. Add spices as desired (mustard, dill, parsley, garlic, onion, or pepper). Spread on multi-grain bread and top with Romaine lettuce, sliced cucumber, and tomato.

Fresh Fruit Salad

Cut up one or more kinds of fresh or canned fruit such as pineapples, peaches, melons, berries, or bananas. Mix the fruit with low-fat vanilla yogurt, and top with walnuts or pecans. Serve with a whole-grain English muffin or bread.

Tortilla Wraps

Layer the tortilla with sliced deli meat, cheese, onions, tomatoes, green leaf lettuce, and chunky salsa (optional). Fold one end of the tortilla over the filling, turn in the sides, roll up, and enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Sandwich

Mix leftover cooked (or canned) shredded chicken with low-fat mayonnaise. Add chopped celery, chopped pepper (green or red), and curry powder to taste. Serve on whole-grain bread with sliced tomato and spinach leaves or Romaine lettuce.

Pumpkin Breakfast Pudding

Combine vanilla instant pudding mix, one cup milk, one cup pure pumpkin (canned or fresh), one tsp cinnamon, and one tsp vanilla. Pour over one cup dry cereal (granola type) and refrigerate overnight.

Southwestern Bean Salad

Drain and combine one cup each of canned black beans and corn kernels. Mix with ½ cup salsa (may use diced tomatoes instead). Spoon onto salad greens and top with ¼ cup shredded cheese. Garnish with a dollop of low-fat sour cream if desired. Serve with whole grain crackers.

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Footnotes

1. This document, FCS8693-Eng, is one in a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Publication date: March 2004. This leaflet was developed with funding from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs in partnership with state, county, and local agencies. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2. Jennifer Hillan, MSH, RD, LD/N, former ENAFS nutrition educator/trainer, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Reviewed by Linda B. Bobroff, PhD, RD, LD/N, professor, and Leigh Ann Martin, MESS, former ENAFS project coordinator, University of Florida.

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U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.