Ideas for "factory sealed" foods/snacks I could take to MIL to supplement her diet?

Fruit cups packaged in their own juice,
Apple sauce and all the different flavors of applesauce with fruit,
Individual cups of yogurt and Ensure-like puddings (higher in protein),
low salt crackers and chips,
individual dips like mild guacamole that has lots of good fats,
nuts and granola mixes - if she can chew them,
Ensure (high protein ones might be better for her),
individual cups of frozen fruit sorbet

IMPinky: Perhaps you can ask the individual in charge what Covid protocol food stuffs ARE allowed.

Maybe consider some protein foods like 3.3 oz cans of tuna with a dollop of spiced mayo on crackers?

Love these and they’re at Costco. Add a cup of coffee and it’s a sinful way to get 12 grams of protein. (Even the “I don’t like dark chocolate” 11 year old was “this tastes good.”) Plus if your mom doesn’t like them, you can return them to Costco.
NuGo Dark Variety - Chocolate Pretzel & Chocolate Chocolate Chip protein bars.

IMPinky, honestly, I wouldn't worry about what is in the processed/prepackaged foods at this stage in her life.

I would look for high calories and ease of consumption.

My dad loved pork and beans that had weiners in them. I think it was sweet, easy to chew and all the fiber kept him filled up longer.

You should call your ombudsman. I am pretty sure that the facility has to provide foods they will eat if you provide it. Especially if they are losing weight from not eating.

Sometimes facilities need to be reminded that they have certain obligations under their licensing.

My dads facility had a bad habit of serving al dente veggies to a room full of toothless seniors. Then complain nobody ate them. They were very red faced when it was brought to their attention that old bodies can not eat the same things as younger ones. I believe they were trying to provide the best nutrition, just the wrong crowd.

Sounds like the facility needs to catch up on “covid” facts. Primarily the fact that it’s NOT transmitted that way! I would be very wary of their competence & credibility if they aren’t even knowledgeable to this after almost 3 years!!!

Pinky, you say mom is bedridden; can't she be put into a wheelchair by staff and taken to the dining room for meals? Is that possible; would she be able to sit up in the chair? B/c that would be the best thing for her, imo. My mother was wheelchair bound but not bedridden (until the very end of her life); so the CGs would come in every morning & get her dressed, into her wheelchair, and out into the activity room (where the residents also ate meals at dining tables) to mingle and interact. THAT is what helped keep her alive and in decent spirits for so long, I'm sure of it. She lived to 95 with advanced dementia and other health conditions, but did ok right until the last week of her life. During the last year of her life, she leaned over to the right DRAMATICALLY in her wheelchair b/c she had lost core strength; (she may have also had some TIAs, I'm not sure); so the staff would prop her up with pillows in the w/c to keep her upright.

lealonnie, the dry erase board is a good idea. MIL was asking for one yesterday. At home she had Post-it notes everywhere to remind her of everything she was afraid of forgetting. SIL and I were just saying that once we leave after visiting, she doesn't seem to remember that we were ever there. We could leave little "love notes" on the board to help her remember, and that could remind staff of her snacks as well!

Is mom losing weight? If not, she's eating more than she says she is. My mother did the same thing....insisting she was starving to death bc the Memory Care ALF wasn't feeding her but horrrrrible foods she hated, etc. Except she never lost weight. Yet I was running myself ragged to bring her foods she liked, only to find she was complaining about THOSE too! We tend to get only a piece of the story in these situations.

That said, see if the B&C will allow you to drop off a restaurant take out meal right before meal time. That's what I'd do for mom. Like lasagna or spaghetti and meatballs. I also used Amazon to ship over sealed individual servings of foods, mostly snacks, that she could eat. Go to Amazon and search "individual serving snacks" and a ton of things pop up. It'll give you ideas.

Good luck to you

Just curious, are you close enough to take her out or visit? Part of the reason why I visit my mom daily is to provide her with snack alternatives, like fresh fruit, high end chocolate, etc. my Mom is relatively mobile so I take her out and we have lunch together however, I could bring her lunch /dinner and eat with her if I wanted to in her room.

There are the usual bevy of shelf stable snacks like granola bars and trail mix. As long as your Mom isn’t diabetic, there are also individual sized containers of cereal.

However, the more important question is whether they would even offer it to her. Personal food has to stay and be eaten in her room, unless it is nighttime. She has to ask for it. Any other time and place, if she asks, she gets the “normal” packaged snacks that everyone else gets.

At least in my state, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are preset meals as they have to conform to nutritional guidelines. Therefore, no substitutions for meals. However snacks are not regulated.

Individual containers of:
Yogurt
Fruits
Applesauce
Pudding
There are snack pack with bits of cheese, nuts and dried fruits if she can eat those it might be a good option.
single serving hummus. She can use crackers or veggies to dip
Now that school will be starting in many areas the stores will be stocking individual servings of a lot of snack and lunch items. I am sure a lot more options will open up.

My mom had issues with food also. I do not have the constraint you have. They allow me to bring food in. However, Libby’s has a diced vegetable that comes in plastic sealed containers. Has sea salt so watch the salt content but that can be warmed individually. 30 seconds in the microwave and they are good, they have beans and mixed veggies also, I have also left nutra grain bars for mom. She likes those. With my mom, the challenge is her ability to chew so I have to find soft alternatives. Ensure does crazy things to her digestion. Hope this helps, it is hard to see your parent not get enough nutrition.