H'Art and Soul of Dining - New Menus with Delicious Recipes!

We are proud to announce that on April 5th our revitalized spring/summer menus will begin for our H’Art and Soul of Dining Signature Program at all of our communities.  This new signature program will help us improve quality of life and whole person wellness for the individuals that call Juniper Village home.  We are very excited this season since the offerings will feature a delicious 5-week entrée select option featuring fabulous new choices using some of the fresh products available through our food vendors. Also, on our updated menus, we have added many lighter alternatives as well as recipes specific to each community that take into account special diets, regional tastes, food committee requests and our resident’s special needs and personal requests.  These changes to our meal plans significantly increase the variety of selections provided for our residents while focusing upon scratch made offerings and heart-healthy meals.  Furthermore, in celebration of our AIAS spring quarter “Healthy Aging,” our Grill Menus will be re-vamped to highlight healthier offerings throughout the season. In addition we will be implementing an innovative hydration assurance program served from our “Oasis Carts,” featuring a variety of flavored waters using citrus or mint or cucumbers, fresh brewed iced tea, lemonade, punch, smoothies and juices as well as nutritious snacks.

Below are some of the recipes featured on our new menu:

Carrot-Currant Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour (to measure, spoon into a cup and level)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup carrot juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup dried currants
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl whisk together butter, egg, milk, carrot juice and vanilla. Pour the egg mixture over the dry ingredients and gently fold just until moistened. Fold carrots and dried currants into the mix. Scoop batter into the muffin pan and bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan (cool on a wire rack if you have one).

Yellow Squash Soup

Cooking Spray

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

1 cup diced zucchini

1 cup diced yellow squash

3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 (15 ounce) can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 ounce) can diced no-salt-added tomatoes

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add zucchini and yellow squash; sauté 3 minutes. Add all other ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

The Eli Ripple Effect: Caring is What We at Juniper Village at the Spearly Center do Best!

The staff at the Spearly Center are a special bunch, and nowhere is that more evident than in our Environmental Services (ES) department.  No doubt the first image that comes to  mind when you think of  the Environmental Service staff of a nursing home is  men   laden down with tool belts filled with screwdrivers, hammers, flashlights and the like! But when I think about the ES staff at the Spearly Center, I think of three kindhearted individuals who view their jobs as more than just fixing a resident’s TV.  Rather, for them it means helping out each of our approximate 130 residents with compassion and care. 

Our department is headed by Mike “Tiny” Ladner.  Standing 6’6’’ inches tall and sporting a long beard, Tiny is anything but imposing.  Rather, he has the look of a large teddy bear, the inside of which houses a big heart.  You’d never know from the way Tiny walks the halls of our building, always stopping to say hello to a resident or spending five minutes talking to them, that he is always in demand, going from room to room fixing everything from a broken faucet to a malfunctioning light switch.    The residents, in turn, get a big kick out of calling him “Tiny, ”  as they thank him for all that  he does.    Always making sure those residents needs have been taken care of before he leaves for the day, Tiny roams the halls at eight most nights  to check one last time that nothing else needs to be fixed before he heads home.   “Aren’t you going home, Tiny?”  chimes in Robert, one of our residents.  To which he  replies, “Just checking to make sure you’re happy before I head out.”   

 

Tiny is assisted by Anthony and Josias.  All of them have a heartbeat on the special population that we serve.  “What we think of as little things aren’t little to our residents,” Anthony told me, referring to a time when he saw a dust ball in the corner of a resident’s room.  “I knew this little piece of dust could spur some scary images for individuals with mental health issues,” prompting him to sweep the room as quickly as possible.   And for all of them, they treat the residents as family.  As Anthony told me:  “Every time I get a room ready for a new resident, I always ask myself if I would feel comfortable putting my parents or grandparents in this room, for only then do I know the room is ready.” 

All three of them spoke of the appreciation they feel from residents, reminding them everyday that they are helping those in need.  Whether it is a relieved face that comes from reassuring a resident not to worry that his wheelchair accidentally hit the wall, or the outpouring of appreciation they receive when a resident tells them they made his day by the simple act of fixing his chair, they know the impact they have on residents is tremendous.  And when it comes to the resident’s appreciation for these three “cool and nice” men, one resident summed up the feelings of many here at the Spearly Center when she said, “This place wouldn’t be very good without the Environmental Service staff.”   

Tiny shared with me that the intrinsic satisfaction and joy he receives from connecting and helping the residents transcends the daily stress of his job. “It’s very heartwarming working with these residents, and something you can’t get at another job.”  So the next time you come visit us and see Tiny and his staff scurrying  from one job to another, please be sure and look beyond the tool belt, as you will see three very special compassionate team members.