March is recognized as National Nutrition Month, which makes it the perfect time to start making healthier food choices.
Over the next few weeks, we plan to further enhance our Eat Smart, Live Strong program at Gardant communities. The nationally recognized initiative encourages residents to be more physically active and eat healthy.
The staff at our communities are planning weekly cooking demonstrations throughout the month. Their presentations will include everything from making your favorite foods healthier to butter alternatives and the health benefits of herbs and spices.
Our dietary teams are also working on providing even more healthy meal choices for their menus and including a calorie count for some meals in March.
We invite you to come back and visit our blog this month for healthy recipes that you can incorporate into your diet.
To get you started, here is a recipe for the strawberry salad that was recently introduced at our communities.
INGREDIENTS
Washed, cut romaine lettuce – 2 pounds
Fresh sliced strawberries – 6 cups
Walnut halves and pieces – 3/4 cup
Rondin goat cheese log – 6 ounces
Balsamic vinaigrette dressing – 1 1/2 cup
Marinated boneless and skinless chicken breast – 1 pound, 8 ounces
DIRECTIONS
Toast walnuts by cooking them in a pan without oil for about 1-2 minutes on medium-low heat, moving occasionally.
Lay the lettuce out on a plate. Evenly distribute the strawberries, walnuts, grilled chicken breast and goat cheese on the salad.
Drizzle balsamic vinaigrette dressing over salad.
Tim Renner is an Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Services at Gardant Management Solutions.
