Mealtime can be complicated when you bring someone into your home with special needs or when a family member is advised to drastically change their eating habits. Your family, like mine, wants meat, potatoes, pastas and breads and snacks. How do you meet these special dietary needs and keep the family content?

Caregivers often feel stretched to the limit. Struggling to prepare foods that meet everyone’s likes and needs can seem overwhelming. Here are a few ideas to ease stress and free some time. At the end is suggestions for a week’s menu.

1. Determine the absolute needs of each person you will be preparing food for. Is salt an issue? Fats? Gluten? Other considerations?
2. Look at your list and determine which foods will work for everyone. What items can be adjusted to meet current needs? What can you eliminate completely and still have good variety?
3. Consider some new foods and dishes that will meet the needs of the entire household. New preparation methods (see below) will add variety and flavor to old standbys.

Here is a simple week’s menu for a household that includes heavy eaters and a person eating gluten-free foods and no meat or meat products.

Load crock pot with beef roast and stew meat. (If you prefer, use chicken or pork for your meat.) As that cooks, fill a large pan with chopped veggies: potatoes, carrots, leeks, green beans, etc. I added frozen vegetables, chopped spinach, and canned chopped tomatoes. Divide when cooked and add stew meat and stock to one pan of vegetables. This will provide each group with several days of good soup.

Later in the week, cook a big pot of beans for everyone. Be sure to add several kinds of beans for variety and taste. Season according to the needs of those you are serving. It’s best if possible to reserve the salt for table use.

For everyone, make a large salad with greens, radish, green onions, peppers, celery, and other fresh vegetables. For added freshness, do not add tomatoes until ready to serve. For variety at the end of the week, add fruit and nuts to the salad.

For between-meal snacks, I kept a large jar of mixed nuts on the counter and loads of fresh fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator. The refrigerator was stocked with boiled eggs, veggie sticks, fresh berries, and apples.

The regular diet will include: hearty stew and cornbread; roast beef, baked potato and salad; bbq beef sandwiches; beef and noodles. The gluten-free, no-meat diet had vegetable stew, salads, and fresh veggies and fruits. Sautéed sliced mushrooms, leeks, and spinach with slivered almonds made a nice warm dish. Try grilling squash, peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, and many fruits for great addition to a meal.

At night, gluten-free chex topped with low fat yogurt and berries made a healthy, low-cal meal.

The bottom line: relax, don’t stress when challenged with something new. Don’t be afraid to try new things on your family. Everyone benefits with a healthier menu.

Hugs,

Find more tips on healthy eating under my “Articles for Caregivers” tab above.