[For Seniors] Making Snacks in Nursing Homes: A Collection of Easy Recommended Recipes
Eating snacks makes you feel happy, doesn’t it?
So why not incorporate snack-making into recreation activities at day services and senior care facilities?
Because older adults have a wide range of physical and mental conditions, there may be times when using fire or knives isn’t possible.
In such cases, recipes that use a microwave or oven, or ones that just require mixing and setting, are recommended.
They’re easy and safe to try, so many people can enjoy them.
Have the seniors share the tasks little by little, with care staff watching over and supporting as needed.
And at the end, how about everyone chatting together and enjoying a lovely tea party?
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[For Seniors] Making Snacks at Nursing Homes: A Collection of Simple Recommended Recipes (41–50)
Cream soda to be eaten slowly
Melon cream soda with a scoop of vanilla ice cream floating on melon soda—it’s a beloved menu item for kids and adults alike.
Still, some people may feel they have to rush because the ice cream melts too quickly.
This version is perfect for those people: it uses ice cream that’s slow to melt.
Mix ice cream base with milk and freeze it.
Combine melon shaved-ice syrup with carbonated water and a thickening powder, then stir gently until it thickens; pour it into a glass to finish.
Even with the thickener, you can still enjoy the fizzy sensation, making it a safe option for older adults with reduced swallowing function.
Pumpkin soft cookies
Let’s try making soft pumpkin cookies.
When you think of cookies, most are crisp with a bit of crunch, right? By using pancake mix, even seniors can easily make soft cookies.
The cookies also include mashed pumpkin that’s been microwaved.
You’ll get cookies with a gentle pumpkin aroma and a fluffy, tender texture.
Seniors might find it refreshing to use pancake mix for treats beyond just pancakes.
Pancake-mix recipes were trendy a little while ago.
There are many snacks you can make with pancake mix, so why not give it a try?
Tofu Mitarashi Dango
How about trying to make mitarashi dango as a snack activity? You use shiratamako (glutinous rice flour), and the ingredient to combine with it is tofu.
Mix the healthy, nutritious tofu with the shiratamako, roll the dough into bite-sized balls, and boil them in water; once they float to the surface, the dango are done.
For the mitarashi sauce, mix water, sugar, soy sauce, mirin, and potato starch, then heat until it thickens.
If you like, you can pan-fry or toast the dango to add some char.
Serve with plenty of sauce and enjoy!
Crepe
Creating something is fun, but recreational activities like cooking and baking that let you eat what you make are especially popular.
Here is an introduction to crepes—safe and easy to make even for seniors.
With common household ingredients like eggs, sugar, milk, and cake flour, you can make delicious homemade crepes.
Once you’ve prepared the ingredients and mastered the steps, heat a frying pan and start cooking.
Add toppings like fruit, cream, or chocolate, and you’ll have a cute crepe that looks as bright and delightful as it tastes.
Koinobori Castella
Here’s a dessert idea: carp-shaped koinobori made with castella cake.
Store-bought castella is usually rectangular.
Slice the rectangle into narrower pieces, then cut one end into a triangle to create a koinobori shape.
Use your favorite fruits to make the scales, and add facial features with jam or a chocolate pen.
It’s easy to make, so bringing a homemade dessert along for a walk with an elderly person is also recommended.
With a delicious treat and pleasant conversation, you’re sure to enjoy a lovely spring day.
Fruits dessert mix (Furūche)
This is the classic, long-loved Fruche dessert.
It was apparently released in 1976, so it’s been cherished for over half a century.
The secret to how Fruche sets is the pectin inside it.
The calcium in milk makes the pectin gel into that jiggly texture.
Interestingly, it won’t set well if there’s too much or too little calcium.
Besides chilling it to eat, you can also freeze it in summer—it turns into a sherbet-like treat.
Definitely give it a try!
Fruit Lollipop
When you eat fruit, why not make fruit lollipops that are stylish, cute, and keep your hands clean? Just stack your favorite fruits using cutters to punch out shapes, then skewer them with a bamboo stick—done.
If you think about the order of the layers, they’ll look like candy or popsicles, giving them a pop and super-cute appearance.
Serving them stuck into finely crushed ice lets you enjoy the fruit cold, too.
Depending on the type of fruit, you might even be able to freeze them.