SeniorLivingGuide.com Podcast
Join us as we discuss topics related to seniors and their caregivers, curated to enrich their lives.
Get ready to level up your aging journey. SeniorLivingGuide.com is making waves, connecting seniors and caregivers with the vital resources they need-and we're doing it with a big, bold voice!
Don't miss out - tune in wherever you love to listen! Whether it's Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, Alexa, and more, we're there.
With over 125 incredible episodes to explore and now charging through our 6th smash-hit season, we are the SeniorLivingGuide.com Podcast. Thank you for being a part of our listening community!
Sponsored by: TerraBella Senior Living and LivDry
SeniorLivingGuide.com Podcast
Celebrating Seasonal Flavors, Healthy Tips & Recipes!
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Welcome to a wholesome episode celebrating fall and winter's delicious bounty! We've roped in our friend Stacey Silver with Mom's Meals, a seasoned registered dietitian, to help us navigate the flavors of the season. Ever thought of pumpkin beyond your lattes? Well, Stacey brings to our table recipes brimming with pumpkin goodness and the health benefits they pack. We chat about using pumpkin in everything - from mac and cheese, and hummus to pancake batter. Sounds delicious, doesn't it?
Beyond the pumpkin, winter introduces us to a plethora of seasonal foods. We explore the many ways to use winter squash, which can be as simple as roasting a butternut squash or as adventurous as adding it to your pasta sauce. Shopping seasonally for fruits and vegetables like clementines and cauliflower not only keeps your plate vibrant but also your body nourished. Lastly, we delve into the world of sweet potatoes, sharing how to transform this staple into a culinary delight. Tune in as we celebrate the seasonal symphony of flavors!
SeniorLivingGuide.com Podcast sponsored by TransMed Care Long Distance Medical Transportation
The background music is written, performed and produced exclusively by purple-planet.com.
https://www.purple-planet.com/
*SeniorLivingGuide.com Webinars and Podcast represents the opinions and expertise of our guests. The content here is for informational and educational purposes. It does not necessarily represent the views, recommendations, opinions or advice of Fairfax Publishing/SeniorLivingGuide.com or its employees
Senior LivingGuide.com Podcast discusses topics which are relevant to the everyday lives of seniors and their caregivers. We are joined by experts who share their knowledge on a variety of issues. Senior LivingGuide.com Podcast offers solutions and resources to create the best quality of life as we age. And now let's welcome your host, Darlene Mahoney.
SPEAKER_05Does the idea of searching for senior housing solutions seem overwhelming and you just aren't sure where to even begin? SeniorLivingGuide.com is created just for you. We are here to make sure your senior housing search is easy to navigate and right at your fingertips. We provide details on communities to include retirement, 55 plus, independent, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, and even home health and home care solutions all in one easy to navigate website, allowing you to decide which best fits your needs in connecting you directly with those communities and senior solutions. Visit us online today at seniorlivingguide.com and you can start de-stressing. I would like to thank and express our sincere gratitude to our senior livingguide.com podcast sponsor, Transmed Care Long Distance Medical Transportation. When a loved one with a disability or medical condition needs to relocate, Transmed Care is here to help with safe and secure nationwide medical transport services with an emphasis on comfort and care.
SPEAKER_03Transmedcare long-distance medical transportation is a business built on care.
SPEAKER_01Another satisfied customer writes, My family cannot recommend transmedcare enough. They made dad comfortable every single step of the way on a very long trip and went above and beyond to take incredible care of him, and he had a great time. Thank you all for getting dad safely to his new home.
SPEAKER_03To learn more about transmedcare, visit the website at trans-medcare.com.
SPEAKER_05Thank you for joining us today. We are welcoming Stacy Silver. She is the registered dietitian with over 17 years of experience, and she has a passion for the field of nutrition and an extensive background working in hospital management, outpatient long-term care, home infusion, and other health care industries, improving the overall health, outcomes, and quality of life for individuals. She is a manager of healthcare partnerships for mom's meals and has a real desire to help seniors stay healthy at home. We're super excited to jump into the deep end for all things fall as far as food, health, nutrition. And Stacy is just like me. She's a lover of the fall time frame and the fall foods and the taste and the smells and their health benefits. We're going to be talking and sharing a few of our favorite recipes.
SPEAKER_04Welcome, Stacy. Yay. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited. You know, for so many of us, including me, of course, fall means so many different things, including a shift in weather. It also means introducing a lot of new sports like football season. So I'm super excited for my Florida State Seminals. I watch them every Saturday. And some new activities also come into play when we think of fall, like apple picking, pumpkin patches, pumpkin carving, all these fun costumes to create, and of course, new schedules and time changes too. There's a shift in eating more cold weather foods too, especially when that new weather change comes on.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, you always want that comfort food. And sometimes the comfort foods can be more heavier. And then with the time change, you're not as active. I feel like for me, I feel like you get a little less active. Do you think?
SPEAKER_04You know, I think it kind of shifts too. Like we know it gets a little darker earlier at night, so you might be tending to do a little bit more activity earlier in the day, uh starting your morning off with something a little bit more active versus ending your day with something active. So this could be a kind of a fun time to shift those schedules a little bit.
SPEAKER_05Especially for those morning people. I am a morning person, so I love to get up and to have that pumpkin coffee or that pumpkin latte. It's just calling your name during the fall, right?
SPEAKER_04It is. It is. I I agree with you. I'm definitely a morning person too and love some coffee in the morning. So I've definitely been switching things up with my coffee ever since they announced that it was officially fall last weekend. So I'm super excited about that.
SPEAKER_05Exactly. We clearly keep mentioning pumpkin because it's a main ingredient during the fall and it's something you know everyone really focuses on. I think pumpkin's just a big one. So what are some health benefits and some different things with pumpkin?
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. We know, you know, obviously it's important to keep in mind that when we change seasons, it also changes fruits and vegetables that are in season. And sometimes shopping those can be a little bit more or less expensive. So you would definitely want to go ahead and stock up on some of those foods. So speaking of pumpkin, um, I don't know anything that screams more fall than pumpkin. I mean, when Starbucks announces pumpkin spice lattes are here, we know that fall is officially here.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Um, we also know that pumpkin is a chock full of different vitamins, vitamin A. It also delivers uh three grams of fiber per serving. And a serving is a half a cup of cooked pumpkin. So we definitely know that Americans overall don't get enough fiber every day. So this is just a nice little way of getting something fall flavored, but some extra nutrient benefits. You can actually try adding pumpkin puree into mac and cheese. I've done that, it's super delish. And adding it to hummus too for a seasonal spread is something a little bit more nutritionally impactful. You can add it to pancake batter too. Oh, that's my favorite. Yes. I actually make a couple of different recipes, adding it to oatmeal and smoothies too. We'll talk about that at the end. Um, and then chili. Have you ever thought about adding, you know, cubed pumpkin to chili? It's really, really delicious. So when you talk about pumpkin puree, are you talking about canned pumpkin? You can make it from the can. All it is is just pure pumpkin puree. It definitely is different than the pumpkin pie in the can. So you want to make sure that you're not getting that one. But um, pumpkin puree, it's already pureeed for you. Or if you wanted to create your own pumpkin puree, you would just put a pumpkin into the oven and roast it and then peel it and puree it on your own. But it's super easy to add to a lot of different foods and just adds a more nutrient impact.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I love those little tips. I never thought about like the mac and cheese and adding it to the oatmeal for sure. Just adding that little punch during the fall time is a really great idea.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and like we said, it it adds a little bit of extra dietary fiber, which is super important and gives you some extra fun flavors.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. By the end of fall, you'll be sick of pumpkin. You can't you just add that to everything every single day, and you'll be good to go for a while.
SPEAKER_04Exactly. We actually can you can do some fun things with the pumpkin seeds too. So if you're actually gonna make your own pumpkin puree or anything else from the actual pumpkin, the seeds are delicious and they can be a healthy snack too, and have a lot of different nutrients also in them, including zinc, which is essential for many body processes, just like immune function, which is super important to keep your immune health up, especially during the fall-winter months.
SPEAKER_05Oh, definitely, definitely. Everybody starts getting sick during the fall time frame and in the winter time frame. So that's a really great tip. So, how would you toast pumpkin seeds?
SPEAKER_04It's super simple. First, you want to take your pumpkin seeds and you want to rinse them and remove any of the pulp and the strings that are attached to it and spread those seeds on a baking sheet. Um, and they can be evenly coated with like a cooking spray, or if you wanted to use a little bit of olive oil over the seeds, you definitely can. And then you just bake those at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes or until they're lightly toasted, depending on how toasty you want them. Stir them occasionally during cooking just to make sure they're not sticking, but they're super easy. And then you can actually look at some spices too. Um, so take a look at some of your spices on the spice rack, things maybe you haven't utilized in a little bit of time, and you can add that to the toasted seeds too. So I think of things like garlic, or if you like a little bit of extra spice or kick, you can add some Cajun seasoning. So a lot of different fun things you can do, and then it's a it's a fun little snack.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, no, that sounds amazing. And you know what I was thinking when you were talking about roasting a pumpkin in your oven, you know, we all put, well, at least I do, you know, the pumpkin candles or the plug-ins just so that your house has that smell. I cannot imagine what your home smells like if you're roasting a pumpkin in your oven. I imagine it just is an amazing smell and it's natural because it's an actual pumpkin.
SPEAKER_04So, you know what's so funny about the that you say pumpkin right now, as we're currently recording this podcast, I have pumpkin pecan waffles burning from Bath and Body Works downstairs in my kitchen. So it is definitely fall in my house for sure.
SPEAKER_05Yes. Oh my gosh, I love that. That's amazing. I had someone that I was talking to last night and we were talking about getting excited for fall as well, food. And she said she does not like pumpkin, but she loves coconut in the fall, which I thought was a little strange. But um, she said it she thought it was funny because a lot of people, if they don't like pumpkin, they like coconut, but if they like coconut, they don't like pumpkin. That was just her feedback, but I like both. So what are some other things in the fall that you think are really great?
SPEAKER_04Oh gosh, there's so many things. Um, when we talk about different health benefits, you know, we think of oatmeal. We were talking about oats a few minutes ago and adding um pumpkin to your oatmeal. Oats are super heart friendly, and they definitely are also a great source of dietary fiber for slow burning energy. And warm oatmeal is super affordable and it's a super filling breakfast, too, to start your day. I personally eat oatmeal every single day for breakfast. So I definitely change things up based on seasons. You can top your oatmeal with different types of nuts. You can even take those pumpkin seeds that you roasted and add those to your oatmeal. Um, you can add things like walnuts, so you think of different types of nuts that are fall and winter friendly. I always think walnuts remind me. Pecans also remind me of the fall and winter. Um, you can add flaxseed, another source of nutrient impact. You can add different fruits too. So, talking about shopping for the seasons, take a look at the different fruits and vegetables that are around. But you can add all of the different fruits that are on the market right now for the fall and the winter months. Cranberries are awesome, also a great source of fiber, some additional vitamins and minerals. It really makes breakfast fun. Oatmeal can be such a great way to transition into different seasons based on all the different toppings. It's super fun.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. And honestly, I'll even have oatmeal as like a snack. It's a great hearty snack that's nutritious. It's super filling. So, but I love the idea of mixing additional items in it that add that punch of flavor and then have that nutritional value.
SPEAKER_04Absolutely.
SPEAKER_05So, one of the things that I used to do with my kids, and my mom used to go, I mean, my mom was an avid. If there was a place where you could go and pick something, we were there. Blueberry picking, apple picking. So I know the fall brings in areas to do some apple picking.
SPEAKER_04Oh, it's so fun. I'm so excited for this season. I'm excited to take my nieces to do all these fun activities too. And apples definitely is something that that screams fall. And we know that there are so many different variations of apples, so there's a little bit of something for everybody. Um, and apples really pack a really powerful nutrition punch. They're a great source of vitamin C. And we talk about dietary fiber all the time, but this fruit definitely packs in some extra fiber. And if you eat the skin, it's full of fiber benefits too. And I always think about different things you could do with apples. So, like we talked about with the pumpkin seeds, it's really cool to um take those apples and slice them, sprinkle ground cinnamon on there. You can also put it with cheese or peanut butter. Growing up, I used to always eat apples and peanut butter. Sometimes I forget and I actually, you know, go to reach for something. I'm like, oh my gosh, I would love to do this with peanut butter. It kind of brings me back to that time when. And it's a great source of not only fiber and a fruit serving, but also pairing it with peanut butter gives you a little extra protein too.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, absolutely. I feel personally, mixing fruit like apples with like roasted pork, things like that, that has like a fall feeling to it. Cause I think you also, with those types of meals, have a fall spice. It seems like it kind of marries well with it.
SPEAKER_04Apples go, they actually go great when they're stewed too. So you can serve them with a savory food like a roasted pork, for example. A great way to add some nutritional impact and a little extra fruit serving to your dinner time, too. People don't always think about fruit at dinner, but that's a great way and definitely a fall winter favorite.
SPEAKER_05Absolutely. I love that. It's just so yummy. So we've talked so much about fruits, but you know, we all need our veggies. So, what is a really great winter or fall veggie?
SPEAKER_04So, when I think of fall, I think of Brussels sprouts. They are small, but they are mighty. They are a powerhouse vegetable family. And about one cup serving of cooked Brussels sprouts provides four grams of dietary fiber. And it's also an excellent source of vitamins. So think of things like vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, even folate and iron. So these vegetables really pack a really nutritious punch. And they even have a little bit of protein too.
SPEAKER_05And they're also really easy for me to throw in when I'm making a meal as a veggie side. I'll just rinse them, cut them, olive oil, salt, oven, done. It's not rocket science. Super simple. We particularly like them slightly burnt. Um, we like them to crisp up where they're really nice and crunchy, but I think everybody has their own preference.
SPEAKER_04I am a huge fan of the everything but the bagel seasoning from Trader Joe's. It is my go-to for everything. So I actually take whole Brussels sprouts, I cut them in half, sometimes into quarters, toss it with a little bit of the everything but the bagel seasoning, a little bit of olive oil, put them on a cookie sheet. I lay down uh some tim foil too, so it makes it super easy to clean up afterwards. And you bake it at 350 or a little higher. So for you, if you like them a little crispier, 15-20 minutes or a little bit higher temperature for those, you know, to get a little bit more burnt, as you said. Super delicious and so easy and super uh quick cleanup too. And you can add it to uh salads too. You can even shred them or buy them shredded too, a little bit of olive oil and toss it into your favorite pasta or rice. Um, I actually sometimes mix the Brussels sprouts with some sweet potatoes and butternut squash cubes. You were talking about if people don't like pumpkin, what's something else that you think of when you think of fall? I definitely think sweet potatoes, butternut squash for sure.
SPEAKER_05A hundred percent. In all honesty, at our local grocery store, most of them you can buy the squash already cut up and sweet potatoes already cut up. So you don't even have to do all the work. It's easy. They're probably slightly more expensive, but it's it's ready to go. Um, so that's really nice.
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. Especially too if you don't have the dexterity to be able to chop up those foods or you don't have the ability to stand for long periods of time from a food preparation standpoint. You know, buying those things that are already made makes it a lot faster to incorporate some of these fun, different different fall flavors into your recipes.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, absolutely. We've talked about fall. We're gonna get a little bit chillier and talk about winter. So we're gonna take a quick break to hear from our podcast sponsors, TransmedCare Long Distance Medical Transportation, and then we'll be right back.
SPEAKER_02Hi, this is Andrew Brainerd, owner of Transmedcare Long Distance Medical Transportation. We are proud to help make this podcast possible. When a loved one under medical care needs to relocate, TransmedCare is here to help. We offer the very best in nationwide medical transport with fully appointed vehicles and a team of caring medical professionals. At TransmedCare, nothing is more important than bringing your loved one home safely. Visit our website at trans-medcare.com.
SPEAKER_05All right, thank you again for joining us. We are once again joined by Stacy Silver, and we're gonna talk about when the temperatures drop, foods that be healthier to eat and kind of, you know, be a better fit.
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. I mean, you are just you just mentioned it. Sometimes when when the colder winter months happen, not only am I excited to break out the boots at this point, but I definitely want to make sure that we focus a little bit extra on the right nutrition for this time of year. We definitely want to consider helping to support one's mental health, but choosing great foods and focusing on energy, mood, appetite, sleep. Some of those things are super important too. And I think about things like from a protein standpoint, I think of salmon. That's the first thing that comes to mind. You know, these are there are amino acids in salmon, such as tryptophan, tyrosine, glutamine. These are the building blocks of protein and can be found in salmon and other protein sources, but they also produce neurotransmitters that contribute to mood regulation. So there's been some emerging evidence that links actual fish consumption to the lower risks of depression, which can definitely happen during those winter months.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I did not know that. You're completely right. During the winter months, everybody gets a little bit into a funk. And I think sometimes seniors, even more so, the holidays can be really hard on seniors just in general. So I think this is a nice boost. That's a natural boost. It's not a medication, it's not anything else. So I think just incorporating that every little thing helps, right?
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. And we know that salmon is packed with omega-3 fatty acids. We always hear about those omega-3s, but it's actually been shown in a lot of studies to help manage depression. And it's super easy to make salmon. You can broil it, you can grill it, you can use your favorite marinades or sauces. Um, you can also cut the fish into really small pieces and make little kebabs with some added vegetables. We're talking before about some other vegetables for the season. You know, definitely get creative. You know, food doesn't always have to be the same every day, and we can definitely do a little bit of something to make it more appealing. We talked a little bit before about uh squash and sweet potatoes. You know, butternut squash is actually rich in vitamin A and carotenoids, which actually have shown benefits to heart health and immunity. So we talked about a little bit before about how the winter months can sometimes bring on a lot of common colds and the changes in weather. You know, it's really important to keep our immune um immune systems up. So promoting healthy skin too is really important because those winter months can dry out our skin too. So the winter squash is um a great source of fiber, which is also going to help our blood sugars remain stable, which keeps us happy. And those winter squash varieties are naturally sweet, so you don't even have to add a lot of additional stuff to it. You can roast it, it's super easy. We talked about before about roasting things. You can roast butternut squash or acorn squash, toss it with some cinnamon, still bringing in that fall-winter flavoring, and maybe add a little bit of maple syrup. It could be sugar-free or regular, whatever is your passion.
SPEAKER_05I love the idea of the cinnamon and the maple syrup, especially when you can do sugar-free. That's really yummy.
SPEAKER_04And super simple too. Like cooking doesn't have to be a super big production, it can be some of these quick little things that just add so much more to your plate.
SPEAKER_05That's why I love talking to you because I don't do long recipes because no matter how closely I follow that recipe, it will be wrong. I will have done something, I will have missed something. Some somehow it does not end up the way it's supposed to. And a lot of times I don't know why. I just do not have that touch. Now I can usually bake pretty well, but cooking is just not my thing. Um, I would love for it to be, but it's just not. So the really simple stuff always turns out really well because just a few simple ingredients, a few simple steps is really the key for me.
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. And that's why it's so important, you know, to think about when we are changing seasons to shop by season. So not only is it cost effective to do that, but it actually creates some more variety. So we all can get stuck in ruts and we tend to gravitate towards the same types of foods, the same types of snacks. But, you know, shopping across the perimeter every season will have us, you know, kind of trying some different things and adding some new recipes to the equation, which is super fun. I actually have you ever had spaghetti squash?
SPEAKER_05I have. I've never made it. I've had it at restaurants and it's been quite delicious.
SPEAKER_04It's another super popular winter type of squash, and it's super easy. You can actually combine it with your favorite pasta sauce for a quick dish, too, which is um super fun and a little bit of something different to add some fall winter flavoring.
SPEAKER_05Now, I think that you can actually buy that as well at the grocery store already ready to go. Yes, you can. Yeah, I've seen that before. Just a little note there. Do we have any fruits that are like kind of fall fruity?
SPEAKER_04Yes, we do. So this time of year in the winter especially brings out the clementines. They're so cute when you see them at the grocery store. Um, it's a winter citrus, it's packed with vitamin C, helps keep our immune system strong. So that seems to be the common thread as we're talking about these coming up months, is definitely keeping up that immune system. But also, uh, and you know my favorite thing, it also provides some dietary fiber. Uh, so little ways to sneak in that extra fiber, and they're usually seedless, which is awesome. So easy to peel, fun to eat, makes perfect for snacks. You can also toss in the sections of these clementines into salads, which makes your salad a little bit more fun and more appealing. You know, different ways to use clementines.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, so clementines I will buy and then I'll put them on a bowl in a bowl on my bar in my kitchen because they tend to get grabbed. They're just perfect little yummy snacks. So that's really perfect. Wanted to also ask you about any other veggies that are really fall veggies that you think would be a good benefit.
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. So, you know, cauliflower is a part of the vegetable family, and it's actually known for high phytochemical content and potential to prevent cancer and other type of inflammatory responses. And it's actually delicious on its own, but it also blends in really easily with other types of flavors and takes on that flavor. And then from a nutritional impact, it has a lot of vitamin C, a good source of vitamin K. And so continuing with that trend for immune system health and healthy bones, cauliflower is a great vegetable.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, so I'm not a big cauliflower fan, but I do like it when it's like roasted.
SPEAKER_04It's delicious roasted, and you can also make cauliflower rice. So you probably have probably have seen that in the stores too. It's a really great alternative to rice, uh, which is the traditional rice, or you can add it into your rice to add a little bit more of a nutritional impact. We know cauliflower is a great source of folate. It also has B vitamins that are super important for growth, development, also additional dietary fiber. You know me, I love to throw that in there. Also helps with good digestion, too. But it's super easy to make, even if you didn't want to buy it pre-made, just add cauliflower into the food processor and you can add it to stir fries and other little uh dishes that you can throw that in there to add some additional punch.
SPEAKER_05And I will tell you this: I do watch some cooking shows, and I know that a cauliflower puree is, I think it's something that people really enjoy. I don't know that I've had a cauliflower puree.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and you can turn cauliflower into a mashed potato uh consistency. So it you know instead of serving the traditional mashed potatoes at your meal, you can use a cauliflower mashed potato just like cauliflower rice. And have you ever had cauliflower pizza crust? It is delicious.
SPEAKER_05Yes, and you can buy that even in the frozen food section. I've seen cauliflower frozen pizzas.
SPEAKER_04Yes, a lot of fun things you could do with cauliflower and all those nutrient benefits that we talked about. You're getting all of those benefits by just switching up a something a little bit different. Yeah, absolutely. Oh, that's really great. And you know, coming off of what we talked about earlier, not everybody likes pumpkin, and that's okay. There's sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are another great source of dietary fiber. They're packed with lots of vitamins, like vitamin A and potassium, and they have a really mellow, sweet taste that works in a lot of different recipes. So thinking of easy things to do, like we talked about adding pumpkin puree to that macaroni and cheese recipe or oatmeal, you can do the same thing with sweet potato puree. Add it to macaroni and cheese. Oatmeals, have you ever added it to brownies? It is delicious.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, that sounds really yummy.
SPEAKER_04It is, and it can be swapped out too. So instead of it's alternative French fries, you can use sweet potatoes instead of french fries.
SPEAKER_05Oh, who doesn't love a good sweet potato fry? Oh, yeah. Yeah, and even putting a little bit of, well, you can put some sugar on it versus the salt if you wanted to go with a little sweet versus the savory on the French fry.
SPEAKER_04Put some cinnamon too. You're not even adding any sugar to that. You're just adding a little bit of extra fall winter flavor. Or slice them into coins, toss them with olive oil, canola oil before you roast them. So the same way that we roasted those Brussels sprouts, you can do the same thing with sweet potatoes too.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. Oh my gosh, so yummy. We did tease that we would share some recipes. I know you have a pumpkin cheesecake smoothie recipe. Do you want to share that?
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. So we talk all the things fall-related and things that kind of bring us into the holiday season, and nothing says holiday fall, winter like a pumpkin and pumpkin cheesecake. Sometimes a smoothie can be a super uh quick recipe, something that you can use for breakfast, something you can use for snack. You can take one cup of canned pumpkin. You can also sub that out with sweet potatoes too. So if you don't like pumpkin and you want to substitute it with something else, you can definitely do that. Add some low-fat yogurt. If you are lactose intolerant or have a milk allergy, you can substitute it with a milk-free yogurt. So they have soy yogurts available on the market, a cup of fat-free milk, or you can use a milk alternative to that too. A little bit of cinnamon, some vanilla extract, a little bit of sugar, you could use a sugar alternative, and then a sprinkle of nutmeg. Blend it all in the blender or food processor until it's smooth, pour it in your glass, and you have got something super delicious, super nutrient, and full of benefits.
SPEAKER_05Specifically, one cup of canned pumpkin, one cup of uh low-fat vanilla yogurt, one cup of fat-free milk or alternative to that, and then a half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a quarter of a teaspoon of vanilla extract, teaspoons of sugar, and then your sprinkle of nutmeg. That is correct. And you've got an amazing smoothie. That's perfect. I'm gonna actually try that.
SPEAKER_04It's delicious for breakfast, for snack.
SPEAKER_05I will give you a review on that. Yes, it'll be amazing. So I have a recipe as well, and I shared this with you, Stacy, last fall after I made it for Thanksgiving, and it was a huge hit and it was super easy. It's just a side that I had for Thanksgiving, and it was sweet potatoes, and it was four cups of chopped and peeled sweet potatoes. Clearly, you won't take the skin off, one sweet onion cut into wedges, two cloves of garlic sliced, not minced, three tablespoons of olive oil, one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of salt and black pepper. And then I had a preheated 325 oven, and you just mix everything together, except for the olive oil, pour it on a sheet pan, and then you put the olive oil on top of all those ingredients, and then you roast it for about 30 to 35 minutes. Um, you can turn during cooking, and it just was absolutely delicious. And I had rave reviews. And how easy is that to throw that in? And you have an incredible side.
SPEAKER_04Super simple and delicious too. Anything else that you wanted to add that would be fun for our listeners? I think we hit on some of my most favorite things when I think of this time of year. I would just encourage people to really shop the perimeter of the grocery stores, pay attention to you know what's coming out for these seasons, and really start incorporating and challenging yourself to in to add little things that might be a little bit outside of your comfort zone, but might actually be something that you turn out to really enjoy.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, no, I agree with you. Well, thank you so much for joining us on this podcast, Stacy. I am gonna do some of these fun things and have a more seasonal fall and winter in regards to food. Absolutely. Bring it on and the boots too. And the boots and the boots, and maybe a sweater here and there in Florida, but we'll see. That is TBD. All right, thank you everyone for joining us on this podcast episode. Please join us for additional episodes at seniorlivingguide.com podcast, which can be found anywhere you can see music or podcasts such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Good Pods, Alexa, Amazon, etc. Thank you, everyone.
