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.

Sweet and Sassy Swingers

What a treat!  The Sweet and Sassy Swingers, an over 50 line dancing
group, gave us a show to remember.  These energetic men and women had
us tapping our toes and clapping our hands from the start.  By the end
of the performance we were all on our feet and dancing!

Erin go Bragh!

Ireland forever! We had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day celebration
here at Juniper Village at Lebanon. We started with the traditional
green decorations, displaying shamrocks everywhere we could. We have
to thank our Environmental Services Director, Jon, for his amazing
wall art. Every month he creates a thematic sculpture for our Best
Friend's Wall; we can't wait to see what he has planned for Easter!
Even Gerald the Giraffe is displaying his Irish pride.

Travis Wetzel transported us to Ireland with his guitar, mandolin, and
violin playing. We were amazed that one person could so fill the
lobby with music. The next day we invited our families for a corned
beef and cabbage supper and then the Joyful Noise Singers entertained
us with an Irish Songfest. Our resident singers had a blast; pounding
on the drums and shaking tambourines for Macnamara'a Band and crooning
the Irish Lullaby. By the end of the week everyone was either proud to
be Irish or wishing that they were.

Happy Fastnacht Day!

You may know the day before Ash Wednesday as Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras,
or even Shrove Tuesday, but in Lebanon Pennsylvania it is Fastnacht
Day.  On this day, the local Catholic churches make and sell these sinful 
confections called Fastnachts.  They are like a doughnut, but more dense and 
flavorful.  Fasnachts were originally made as a way to empty the pantry of 
lard, sugar, fat, and butter, which were traditionally fasted from during Lent. 
The word Fastnacht originates from the German words "Fast" the shortened 
version of the verb "fasten" which means "to fast", and "Nacht" meaning night, 
indicating the eve of the traditional Lenten fasting period.  There is nothing in 
the world like a freshly fried Fastnacht and we look forward to this day all year!

Creativity Blooms at Juniper Village

"A man paints with his brains and not with his hands."
                                -Michelangelo

It requires true bravery to stare at a blank canvas and make the first
of many paint strokes. One must set aside your inner critic and allow
a different part of yourself to take control.  At Juniper Village at
Lebanon, our artists exercised the creative side of their brains:
mixing colors, thinking spatially, and getting into the flow of
creativity.  In the process, they created a tantalizing glimpse of
summer.  We must have been craving some sunshine and looking forward
to Spring as we near the end of this long, cold winter.