Learn About Our Meals
Open Arms offers delicious meal options to meet individual dietary needs. Our team of registered dietitians work with our chefs to design delicious, medically tailored menus using fresh ingredients instead of heavily processed food. The meals are prepared in our state-of-the-art kitchen, with beautiful, organic veggies from our very own Open Farms program when possible.
We also deliver the food right to your doorstep. Meals are delivered to clients’ homes once a week by volunteer or staff delivery drivers—all at no cost to the client. We can even include meals for others in the household, such as caregivers and dependent children.
Learn more about our medically tailored meals below, and contact our Nutrition Team at 612-872-1152 or [email protected] with any questions.
Our Medically Tailored Menus
Open Arms offers several options to help meet the nutrition needs of our clients. Meals are delivered to clients’ homes once a week by volunteers or staff. Each meal delivery consists of approximately 12–14 meals, or 60% of clients’ dietary needs for the week. Deliveries include:
- LUNCH (7 entrées): Four frozen entrées, fresh sandwich kit (makes two sandwiches), one entrée size salad, five servings of fresh fruit, and four servings of dessert (unless client opts out of dessert)
- DINNER (7 entrées): Seven frozen entrées
Heart Healthy
The standard heart-healthy menu is low in salt and saturated fats, and supports a range of health needs. It features animal proteins such as turkey, beef, chicken and fish. Examples: Pasta with meat sauce + mixed vegetables, Rosemary chicken + pilaf and broccoli
Kidney Friendly / Renal
The kidney-friendly menu is tailored to clients on hemodialysis. These meals are high in protein and contain low/moderate amounts of potassium, phosphorus, and sodium. Examples: Chicken stir fry + rice, Mustard herb tilapia + pilaf and corn
Mild and Soft
Appropriate for individuals experiencing taste and/or smell aversions, nausea, low appetite, and/or who need softer and easy to digest foods. This menu is low in strong seasonings and spices and excludes food with strong odors. Examples: Chicken Noodle Casserole with whole wheat egg noodles + mixed vegetables, Beef Cottage Pie + Applesauce
Vegetarian
The vegetarian menu is for those who do not eat meat, poultry, or fish. Some items may contain dairy or eggs. Examples: Sesame Noodles with edamame sauce + green beans, Tofu stir fry + brown rice
Gluten & Dairy Friendly
This menu is for clients who avoid gluten and dairy in their diets due to allergies or intolerances. Please note: Open Arms is not an allergen-free facility. Examples: Chickpea Masala + brown rice and mixed vegetables, Herb Chicken with Polenta and Peas
Pureed Diet
This menu includes entrees that are blended to a pureed texture. It is appropriate for clients who have dysphagia, missing teeth/poorly fitting dentures, or pain with chewing/swallowing. Please note: the pureed diet is not a formally approved IDDSI diet.
Hmong Menu
This menu includes only Hmong cuisine specific meals. It is sodium, carbohydrate, and potassium controlled and supports a range of health needs. It is dairy free* and features a variety of proteins like pork, chicken, fish, beef, and tofu
East African Menu
This menu includes dishes and flavors from a variety of cuisines throughout East Africa. It includes animal-and plant-based proteins, is low in salt, saturated fat, added sugars and is carbohydrate-controlled. This menu is heart healthy, diabetic friendly and supports a range of health needs
- Nutrition Support from our team of registered dietitians
- Additional Meals for caregivers and dependent children
- A Holiday Meal in November
- Birthday Cakes, delivered around clients' birthdays
- Add-ons such as nausea care packs for those experiencing nausea/vomiting due to their illness
Things to note
- All of our services are free-of-charge, regardless of income status.
- Some clients may be eligible for our shipping program.
- Clients have the option to switch menus while on service.
- All meals come with ingredient labels.
- We are not a certified allergen-free facility.
- Meals may contain traces of allergens, such as peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, eggs, dairy, soy, fish, shellfish, etc.
- Read our Client FAQ for more information.
