Fall is here and we have the easiest pumpkin pie recipe for you! You can bake it with your client and you'll only need 5 ingredients.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 refrigerated rolled pie crust
• 1 can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
  
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

If you have a Facebook account, it's likely that you have seen videos on your feed from an account called Tasty showing how to make many different types of recipes. For senior caregivers, cooking at home or for senior clients may seem complicated and time-consuming. The new Tasty app offers caregivers the ability to view recipe videos and easily view how to make each part of the recipe as they go along.

When users first open the app, it asks them if they'd like to log in using their Facebook account. Then, once caregivers connect the app, it asks them if they'd like to see only vegetarian recipes or if they'd like to see all of the recipes. Users also need to select if they'd like the app to send them notifications or not.

Once users are logged in, they're taken to the home screen which shows different kinds of recipes broken into different categories. The recipe categories include summer produce, dips, Japanese-inspired and comfort food.

With the Fourth of July holiday on Tuesday, many caregivers and their senior clients may be planning to celebrate by attending a party or grilling at home with loved ones. While old stand-bys work, the Weber Grill app offers a wide selection of recipes to try this year.

The recipes are the main star of the Weber Grill app. When caregivers first open it, they are greeted with a home screen full of photos of featured recipes, such as California Hamburgers with Guacamole Mayonnaise or Caribbean Swordfish with Mango Salsa. As caregivers scroll down, new recipes continue to populate the screen.

Caregivers can also scroll through categories of recipes by selecting the different icons at the top of the screen. Categories include new recipes, red meat, pork, poultry, seafood, veggies, dessert, etc.

When users see a recipe that they'd like to make, they can click on the photo to see all of the details. At the top, caregivers can see the number of servings it makes, the prep time and the grilling time. As they scroll down, they can also see the ingredients and the cooking instructions for the dish. 

Whether you're looking to surprise a loved on Valentine's Day, to share something special with a senior client or to spoil yourself, try cooking a homemade meal. The New York Times Cooking app offers a variety of tasty sounding recipes ranging from basic recipes for daily cooking to fancier recipes for a special occasion. 

The homepage of the app features the Latest Recipes category by default. An array of new recipes such as Wild Rice and Quinoa Stuffing or Vegetarian Skillet Chili show up here for users to browse. Recipes like the Vegetarian Skillet Chili are comprised of  ingredients typically found in a pantry, such as canned tomatoes and beans plus garlic and onion. 

The length of time needed to make the recipe and the number of servings appears at the top for a quick decision about how much work it will take. A recipe like this one would be perfect for caregivers to make on a day off and eat throughout the rest of the week for dinner, or to share with a senior client who's trying to eat healthy. Users can also see how many stars the recipe has from fellow app users who have previously made the dish. Unfortunately, the app does lack a comments area to read about any tips or difficulties other users experienced when making the recipe. 

Back on the homepage, other topics for sorting recipes include Vegetarian, Times Classics, One Pot, For Two and Gluten-Free. For other dietary restrictions, caregivers can type in the search for terms like Low-Sodium, Low Cholesterol, Low Sugar, Kosher or Vegan. This feature serves particularly useful for caregivers whose senior clients have dietary restrictions set by their doctors. Narrowing down the recipes by diet restrictions still gives caregivers plenty of options. A search for Low-Sodium recipes offers 514 recipes to choose from. 

The major other area of the app features lessons on How to Cook. For example, the first screen that appears after selecting the category says, "Learn to Cook Salmon." Ideal for caregivers who are new to the kitchen, this area of the app serves as a step by step guide for not only the act of cooking salmon, but also selecting the correct cut and giving it the right preparation to be successful. 

This section of the app provides detailed instructions and videos on all of the various ways to cook salmon. Caregivers can learn to sauté, poach, sear, roast, broil or cook en papillote with their fish. Underneath the details for some of the techniques, the app brings up recipes which use that method for caregivers to choose from. This area of the app also features some videos and photos to augment the learning process. 

An additional feature of the app gives caregivers the ability to save recipes for later use if they create an account. The NYT Cooking App is available for Apple platforms. 

Senior caregivers, let us know your feedback on this app and keep us posted if you discovers additional apps that assist with caregiving duties and help relieve caregiver stress. You may also refer-a-friend to a senior caregiving job and win prizes weekly and monthly on Caregiverlist. 

-Paige Krzysko

The days following Thanksgiving are notorious for leftover kitchen concoctions -- turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, mashed potato pie -- but sooner or later you'll be left with a hole in your appetite and no stuffing to fill it. While personal feast withdrawals are hard enough to handle, Caregivers have the added responsibility of keeping seniors healthy and happy. Fortunately a great way to color a client's palate and help fend off withdrawals is to whip up these Chicken Paratha Rolls.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kilogram Boneless Chicken 1-inch cubes 

• 2 tablespoon Raw Papaya Paste 

• 1 tablespoon Ginger paste 

• 1 tablespoon Garlic paste

• 1/2 teaspoon Green Chili paste

• 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili powder 

• 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala powder 

• Salt to taste

• 1/4 cup Butter melted 

• Onion rings as required

• Green chutney as required

• 2 cups of flour

• 2 tbsp oil

• Water as required

Directions:

1. Mix together the papaya, ginger, garlic and green chili pastes with chili powder, garam masala powder, and salt. Apply this on the cubes of the chicken. Set aside in the refrigerator for three hours to marinate. 

2. Pressure-cook the marinated chicken cubes with one cup of water till the pressure is released.

3. Remove the lid when the pressure reduces and check if there is any liquid remaining. If yes, then cook till all the water evaporates. Remove from the pressure cooker and set aside.

4. Heat a grill and grill the chicken cubes till completely cooked. Baste with melted butter from time to time so that mutton does not dry out.

5. Combine all the dry ingredients for the dough. Add water, oil and form smooth dough. Add more water or oil if required. Cover the dough and keep aside. The dough should be pliable and soft, not hard.

6. Roll the paratha into a disc of 3-4 inch diameter. Make sure to put flour on the area you’re rolling, so it doesn’t stick. 

7. Fry the paratha on griddle with oil. Don’t fry the paratha on low heat otherwise they will become hard. The griddle should also be hot enough before you put paratha for frying.

8. Lastly, take the paratha and spread a thin layer of green chutney, sprinkle some onions and add the mutton on top. Roll the paratha roll evenly on both sides. Take a bite and enjoy!

Keeping a healthy snack around can sometimes be a challenge, especially when dealing with the extra stress of caregiving.  And since an apple a day keeps many bad things away, apparently, why not spice your apples up with just a couple of simple ingredients to create healthy apple sauce.

Caregivers can also use cooking as a way to engage with their senior client.  As we are in the middle of apple season here in the Midwest, talking about memories that surround apples and autumn could lead to some interesting stories.  Did someone in your senior's family bake the best apple pie ever?  Do they still have the recipe?  Or did they instead make an apple crumble or cobbler?

One of my former senior clients told a story about her family farm in Virginia where all the heirs of the 8 children who grew up on the farm still get together every October to do a weekend of apple butter making.  They collect apples from the orchard on their farm and build a huge bonfire and cook the apples down all night long.  Family members sign up for shifts to stir the apples.  Then they go home with jars of apple butter made on their family farm.

Healthy and Easy Apple Sauce 

3 Ingredients:  Apples, Cinnamon or Apple Pie Spice, Apple Juice

The amount of each of the ingredients varies based on how many apples you use and how much spice you like.  Use the below amounts as a starting point and then add more juice if you need a bit more moisture and more spice as needed to please your palate. No sugar needed!

4 Apples

1/4 cup Apple Juice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Peel and core apples and slice.  Add to sauce pan on stove top.  Pour in 1/4 cup of apple juice and a teaspoon of cinnamon.  Cook on medium to medium low, stirring and mashing the apples with a wooden spoon until completely cooked down to sauce.

A chilly fall afternoon calls for a nice warm cup of soup. Some store bought canned soup can be surprisingly high in both sodium and fat content, but homemade soup allows senior caregivers the ability to control all of the ingredients. Our Chicken Tortilla Soup comes together in a medley of several types of vegetables, low sodium chicken broth and black beans for a delicious but surprisingly nutritious dinner. 

Ingredients
1 fresh tomato
1 fresh green pepper
1 fresh red pepper
1 small white onion
1 tablespoons olive oil
10 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 limes
1 single use packet taco seasoning
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 avocado
Low fat shredded Mexican cheese mix
Low fat sour cream
Tortilla chips or strips, optional

Directions
Chop the tomato, red pepper, green pepper and onion into small pieces. Spread one tablespoon of olive oil over the bottom of your pot and add the vegetable medley. Sauté until the vegetables are cooked. Add chicken broth and taco seasoning mix to the pot and stir. Bring the broth to a boil then drop uncooked chicken breasts into the pot, cover and simmer. Allow the chicken breasts half an hour to cook then pull them carefully out of the soup. Place the cooked chicken breasts on a plate and shred using two forks pulling in opposite directions. Add shredded chicken breast back to the pot then squeeze the lime juice into the soup. Stir then serve. Garnish with low fat sour cream, low fat Mexican cheese mix and chopped avocado to taste. Eat with tortilla chips or add tortilla strips to the soup if desired.  

Caregivers and their senior clients can customize the recipe based on their personal tastes. Almost any favorite taco topping can be incorporated. Add brown rice if you'd like more fiber full carbohydrates, substitute kidney beans instead of black beans or add garlic and jalapenos for a stronger flavor. The result is a dish with a much lower sodium count than canned soup with fresher ingredients and low fat dairy products keeping the overall unsaturated fat content low. 

Tacos make a fairly easy go-to dinner for any group because they're totally customizable. Try our version of the classic taco with some substitutions for heart health. Share them with a senior client, a friend or just enjoy them yourself.  

Using lean ground turkey instead of ground beef, greek yogurt instead of sour cream and low fat cheese significantly decreases the amount of saturated fat in the dish. Adding avocado brings in some monounsaturated fat, which helps lower cholesterol. Avocados also have a high nutrient count and contain fiber to keep you feeling full for longer. 

For caregivers or senior clients who may be allergic to gluten, corn tortillas make a great substitute to still be able to enjoy this dish. Likewise, for those who are simply trying to eat healthier, using a whole wheat tortilla will get more fiber which can help lower blood sugar and cholesterol for heart health. 

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 packet taco seasoning
1 head romaine lettuce
1 tomato
1 avocado
1 8oz container plain greek yogurt
1 package low fat shredded mexican cheese mix
1 package tortillas of choice (flour, wheat, corn)

Directions
Brown ground turkey in pan until completely cooked. Drain excess fat then return to pan and season with taco seasoning packet. Chop the lettuce, tomato and avocado as desired. Assemble ingredients on tortilla and enjoy. 

Other ingredients to try in your tacos include green or red bell peppers, brown rice or black beans for extra protein. If you'd like to serve with a side, try a small salad with low fat dressing or a side of beans and brown rice.