Caring for Elderly Parents

Whew! What a week!! Randy’s mother has had the flu and my mother’s cold turned into a mild case of pneumonia.  Further blood tests have revealed she is slightly anemic.

While helping Mother this week, I learned she has been eating KFC, yogurt, or popcorn for most of her meals. Mmm-wonder if that has anything to do with the anemia??

I can understand that it is no fun to cook for one person…especially when we don’t feel well.  And, since we raise soybeans and the Colonel is a really good customer— I don’t want to tick him off.  Besides, that original recipe has been the centerpiece on our picnic table many times—it is finger-lickin’ good!!

However, a diet that includes beef helps provide essential vitamins and minerals, including Zinc, Iron and B Vitamins. It is important to get enough iron in our diet because iron helps carry oxygen from the lungs to vital organs and muscles (including the brain), enabling them to function normally.  Low levels of iron can lead to iron deficiency anemia, which can worsen existing health problems and cause fatigue.  Beef also supplies the body with B vitamins, which help convert foods we eat into energy to fuel activity. B vitamins can help protect against cognitive declines later in life. (Some days I REALLY NEED more beef and B vitamins!)

When Randy visited with his mother about her food intake for the day (she lives in a Health Care Facility) she told him she had been given some spaghetti with a red sauce and when she looked real hard she found some meat in it.

Is it any wonder the cold and flu season is dragging on and on?

It was Hippocrates who said,

“Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.”

Kara’s Swiss Steak

This is one of Kara’s favorite meals. It is delicious and the round-steak is cooked slowly making it really tender and easy to eat. I’m taking some to Mother…

• Tenderized round steak, floured, seasoned to taste (I like Lawry’s seasoning salt) and seared in a couple tablespoons oil

• Tomato sauce (I have used spaghetti sauce and it works great)

*If using tomato sauce, add onion and garlic powder to taste

• Add some water and cover. Let simmer on low for 30 minutes or longer while you cook and mash some potatoes.

Serve with green beans, a salad and chocolate for dessert.  It’s that easy!