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.

Memories in the Making!

Church bells could be heard faintly ringing as we looked back upon our wedding days and the memories we shared with loved ones.  Just like our residents, no two weddings are alike and we shared a variety of stories and photographs. The highlight for the ladies was comparing dresses—and grooms, and in the end, it was agreed that everyone looked beautiful and had made quite a good catch.

While March was busy blowing in like a lion outdoors, we kept cozy and comfortable as we settled into the Brookside lounge for some Coffee and Crooners. Residents enjoyed a film highlighting performances and clips of variety shows from Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and Nat King Cole. The coffee was hot, as were the jokes and dance numbers. Perry Como was very funny, and Old Blue Eyes was just as captivating as ever.

We had a touch of the luck of the Irish with warmer weather and peeks of green popping up. In our Garden Spot lounge, residents watched a film that took them on an Imagination Vacation of historic Ireland, showcasing the country that brought us leprechauns and pots of gold at the end of rainbows.

Shakespeare said, “God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.” Residents decorated masks in the style of Comedy or Tragedy. Because we’re a lighthearted bunch here, most ended up leaning towards Comedy, although one did go for a romantic Tragedy, with our heroine wearing a smile despite her tears.

Your Treasure is Within: March Events

Our Alive in All Seasons program is alive and well at Juniper Village. This quarter’s seasonal theme is on Creative Expression: “Explore Your Creativity” and serves to promote our philosophy of encouraging an active body, an engaged mind and a fulfilled spirit. For March, we will turn our focus to Performance: “Your Treasure is Within”.

This month on March 2, 2014 we look forward to the 86^th celebration of the Academy Awards. As we watch popular comedian and talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres host the festivities while the beautiful stars dressed in their finery walk the red carpet we can’t help to stop, to pause and reminisce of all of the great performances of past years. Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, Vivien Leigh, Meryl Streep, Peter Ustinov and Dustin Hoffman; the list goes on! In addition to guessing who might win the Oscars for 2014, this month we will be learning about and experiencing all different types of great performance art, enjoying cultural events and trying our hand at acting in drama club.

It’s going to be a theatrical month at Juniper Village at the Mount Joy filled with creativity, great experiences and memorable performances! You are cordially invited to attend our Mad Crafters Mardi Gras Masks activity on March 3^rd at 10:30 am, our performance by Character Juggler Chris Ivey on March 11^th at 6:00 pm, our Irish Happy Hour and bagpipe performance by Michael D. Luckenbill on March 17^th at 3:00 pm, our Floral Arranging activity on March 30^th at 3:00 pm, or any of our other activities (see our Newsletter for a complete listing).

So come in, and join in on the act to find that “Your Treasure is Within”.

Stained Glass and Crooning

Valentine's love was in the air the other day as our residents were treated to a performance by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Dean Martin Tribute Singer, Lou Dottoli. Songs of love and romance charmed the ladies and had our gentlemen swaying along.

Earlier, we had an activity featuring Texture Painting, where we looked at the different textures brushstrokes can create with wet paint.

The featured artist another day was James Pollock, and while our stained glass project wasn't quite as abstract, we did embrace the use of saturated colors and geometric patterns. Splatters were avoided at all costs, though.

Sculptures and Love Songs

Michelangelo said that "every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the job of the sculptor to discover it," and while none of us are quite Michelangelo, we did have a go at sculpting some clay the other day. There's something so appealing about the ability to take a lump of nothing and make it into something that only you can create.

With Valentine’s Day memories near and dear, our residents were treated to Love Songs with Jeanie and Renee. The beautiful performance warmed our hearts while snow flurried outside our windows.

Jewelry Making and Super Bowl Partying

Art is the theme for the month of February, and the first Saturday of the month we were designing jewelry. The activity table was awash with beads and baubles as the ladies strung necklaces or bracelets. There was a charming necklace with little red hearts, and another lady strung a lovely bracelet of purple beads for her grand-niece's birthday.

The groundhog saw his shadow on Super Bowl Sunday! After lunch we had some fun groundhog trivia, then at 3:30, the Pre-Game Party kicked off with snacks and games in the Brookside Lounge. We at Mount Joy wish we could repeat this day again!

Winter Wonderland Play

While Mount Joy has become a picturesque Winter Wonderland with at least half a foot of snow on the ground, our residents had some fun after breakfast making S’more Snowmen. The poor little fellows just could not stand up to our cozy warmth, though.

A highlight of many of the residents’ day came with the playing of Deal & Steal, which is a straightforward card game that anyone can enjoy as they try to win a prize-- or steal one from someone else! A little competitive game between friends never fails to draw a crowd, and the activity room was bustling with conversation and good fun right up until supper time.