Nourishing News - November 2020

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2020

Nutrition in Disguise Menu Planning /P2

A Safe, Physically Distanced Holiday Season/P8

Community Spotlight Osgoode Care Centre/P15

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NUTRITION IN DISGUISE

Ontario long-term care (LTC) homes now have access to new recipes that will allow residents to get more nutrition out of the foods they already love! The Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI) at the RIA partnered with nutrition expert Professor Heather Keller to make it easy for LTC homes to make sure residents are getting the nutrients they need to stay healthy.

“Older adults living in residential care often have poor intake for a variety of reasons,” says Keller. “Easy to eat foods that taste good are often preferred.

However, these foods are often lower in vitamins and minerals. Adequate intake of these key nutrients is needed to support overall health including the ability to remain as independent as possible.”

In her work with the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, Keller transformed existing recipes with ingredients that are healthier and have added vitamins. For example, brownies were made more filling by adding lentils for protein and muffins were

Audra Thompson-Haile, MA Project Officer, Special Projects | Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA)

made more nutritious by adding wheat germ for fibre.

“The reality is, most people want to eat sweets and things that taste good. So, we thought perhaps we can put nutritious ingredients in foods that people want to eat. Something can taste good and also be good for you,” says Keller.

What the residents say Nancy Ma, Food and Nutrition Specialist at Schlegel Villages, was among the first to test and use NiD recipes in a longterm care home. From Nancy:

“Working on the NiD project has proven that incorporating plant-based proteins into LTC and Retirement menus isn’t difficult and it shows that we do not have to compromise on taste,” says Ma. Ma helped test The NiD Lentil Brownie and says that the overall feedback was very positive. Many Residents and team members thought the brownie was tasty and nobody could detect the presence of lentils.

Residents who tried the Lentil Brownie liked it, but some were put off by the word “lentil” in the name, which prompted the care home to change the display NOVEMBER 2020 2

NUTRITION IN DISGUISE

name to homemade decadent brownie.

“It is important to develop good recipes that will be well received by the residents and that are practical and viable in a large-scale production,” says Ma. “I look forward to seeing what future recipes the NiD project will bring!”

What about the budget?

The NiD recipes are designed to fit in an LTC home’s existing budget for meals. When Keller compared the nutrients and cost of the enhanced menu to a regular menu, she found that making the changes to ingredients works within the confines of an LTC home’s budget for food.

The Ontario CLRI at the RIA sampled lentil brownies at a food event last year. The Lentil Brownie recipe can be found on Synergy Tech Suite and online at clri-ltc.ca\nutrition.

Each of the NiD recipes was vetted by a dietician for nutrition and cost efficiency for LTC. The popular lentil brownie, for example, costs Ma $0.38/per serving, although the cost will vary depending on the size of the LTC home and mass ordering.

Example recipes The Ontario CLRI revamped the original recipes from Keller’s NiD research to scale them up for long-term care homes. These include:

Beef Barley Soup - A rich comfort meal in a bowl. Loaded with beef and veggies and full of fibre. Made with hemp hearts, barley, flaxseed and flavourful spices.

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Spinach and Cheese Quiche -This spinach and cheese quiche is the perfect blend of eggs, cream and vegetables. Made with fresh veggies, sharp cheddar, and eggs.

NUTRITION IN DISGUISE

Orange Carrot Muffin - Muffins packed with fresh carrots and orange zest that offer very little guilt and lots of flavours.

Made with carrots, oranges, nutmeg and other delicious spices.

The NiD program is currently developing new recipes - look for tasty additions like Lemon Loaf coming soon!

Where to find recipes The Nutrition in Disguise Recipes are available through Synergy Tech Suite, Sysco’s all-in-one foodservice management software and hardware solution for healthcare & senior living industries. To view and use the recipes look for the “Nutrition in Disguise” recipe box. For more information on Sysco Synergy Tech Suite, please visit sysco.ca/synergy. Recipes can also be found at clri-ltc.ca\nutrition.

For tips to start incorporating these recipes into your existing menu, check out the recorded webinar, Menu Planning to Enhance Resident Health & Well-Being, that showed the process for changing menus and recipes to maximize nutrition while considering the cost of ingredients. It’s available at clri-ltc.ca\nutrition.

The Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI) enhance quality of life and care for residents across the province. The Ontario CLRI is funded by the Government of Ontario and hosted at Baycrest Health Sciences, Bruyère, and the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging. Find out more at clri-ltc.ca\nutrition.

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WINTER THEME MENU

The Winter Theme Menu package will be available November 23rd! The package includes Christmas Day, Chinese New Year, Afternoon Tea, Pancake Tuesday and St. Patrick’s Day theme days. Each theme includes menus, snack cart ideas, low labor product listings and decoration and activity inspiration. Contact your Sysco representative for more information.

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NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Kaitlin Chard, MAN, RD, Sysco Canada Nutrition Services Consultant

Kristina Parsons, RD, Sysco Canada Nutrition Services Consultant

As we approach the upcoming holiday season, there is much to reflect upon as 2020 comes to a close. We continue to navigate unknown territory and encounter new challenges as we live in our new “normal� with COVID-19. For this reason, the holiday season may feel very different for each one of us and may evoke a variety of emotions. Though this holiday season may be less traditional in comparison to

years past, there are many festive & feasible ways to share the holiday spirt while ensuring the health and safety of everyone.

Starting with the plate, food is the main ingredient of many holiday celebrations. The aroma and flavours of festive foods can bring back memories and stimulate our appetites! Here are some suggestions to help bring the feelings and memories of a

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HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

holiday dinner to life in a time when social gatherings are kept to a minimum.

Recipes of Holidays Past: Your residents are a wealth of knowledge! Ask for holiday recipe submissions from residents. Select recipes to prepare each week leading up to the holidays.

Short on recipe ideas? Sysco Canada creates quarterly theme menus with special meal ideas and creative ways to celebrate in your communities! Reach out to your Sysco Representative for more information or check out Chef Danny’s recipes on page 12.

Create a Cookbook: Once you have received a variety of recipe submissions, create a cookbook! Ask residents to share a small story or anecdote about their recipe for a personal touch.

Organize recipes by category and create a document using festive images and colourful fonts. Print out copies to circulate to residents or display in dining rooms during the holidays.

Beyond the Main Meals: Get creative with festive foods, not only at lunch or dinner, but also at breakfast and on snack carts. Tip: Decorate snack carts for an added festive flare! Serve up some freshly baked cinnamon buns for breakfast or hot chocolate with a holiday cookie for snack!

Table & Tray Settings: Get creative! Add pops of colour or unique additions to tables and trays, like holiday crackers or plate chargers. Combo kits, placemats and coloured napkins are a great way to add a festive touch to the meal experience. Contact your Sysco Representative for more information.

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HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Holiday Special Touches: Add more fun to meal service with holiday themed place cards or Christmas crackers. Place at the dinner table or on each resident tray. Share funny jokes or warm wishes to brighten up your residents’ day. Create your own or use Sysco’s themed place cards found in the Theme Menu Packages. Contact your Sysco Representative for more information.

1. Holiday Gift Exchange: If in person visits are not possible, allow families to drop off gifts 2 weeks prior to Christmas so that residents can open their gifts on Christmas morning. Send a friendly reminder to residents’ families to schedule their gift drop off time in advance so that holiday gifts can be exchanged with family members.

2. Door Decorating Challenge: Provide staff offices and resident rooms with craft supplies to decorate their doors.

Residents could vote on the best door for a prize.

3. Cookie Decorating: Organize an afternoon of baking cookies to share amongst residents. If not feasible, prepare individual Cookie Decorating Kits filled with plain cookies like sugar or gingerbread cookies along with icing, sprinkles and more. Host a physically distanced cookie-decorating afternoon in a common space or distribute kits to resident rooms as a fun in-suite activity!

Contact your Sysco Representative for more information on items to help build your kit!

Beyond the plate, you may organize a variety of safe, physically distanced activities to create a fun holiday experience for all. From gift giving, to decorating, and holiday baking – here are some fun ways to have a holly jolly holiday season. Please ensure to always follow public health guidelines, as well as your home’s policies and procedures.

4. Holiday Card Exchange: Match residents to create and write holiday cards for one another. Exchange on Christmas morning!

5. Create a Holiday Observance Space: Ensure your home is aware of all holidays observed by your residents.

Create a space in your home to allow residents to practice holiday

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HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Celebrating the Holiday Holidays with Chef Danny from Brakes

Tips from a Chef to a Chef •

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Danny Silcock is the development Chef for the healthcare sector at Brakes UK, a Sysco company. Working closely with customers, Danny brings food to life through product presentations, recipe development and training days. He uses his expertise and creativity as a chef to develop innovative culinary solutions for the challenges that Brakes’ healthcare customers face in their daily operations.

His dedication to healthcare customers across the UK continues to help elevate the meal experience of countless residents with a wide variety of needs.

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The holidays are all about family and often this can be a difficult time for people in a care home, as not everyone will have a visit. Food is a real highlight in a care home setting and a time to engage in social activity. Here you will find some tips and hints on how to make the occasion feel special. It is not just about the food, also but the warm, cozy environment you create for residents!

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Make sure the room is well lit, with overhead lighting, lamps and maybe even a candle!

Play calm, festive music during mealtime for an added holiday ambiance Make sure the tables are set nicely - but not too busy, as this may cause confusion Have freshly baked bread put out in advance as the smell will stimulate appetite!

If doing 2 or 3 courses, offer smaller portions - too much food can often be overwhelming Make sure food is served at the correct temperature. Some residents may eat slower, so their dinner may become cold.

Look to refresh menu items like mashed potatoes or side vegetables during service, if possible.

Prepare as much as you can in advance including stuffing, veggies etc.

Make sure you are aware of delivery days as these may change during the holiday season Speak to residents in advance and ask them if they have any requests. They may remember a soup or pudding that reminds them of the holidays growing up!

Don’t overcomplicate the menu – a simple menu done well is better than a complex menu done poorly!

Consider how you can elevate the flavours of the dishes you are preparing - our taste buds diminish as we age, so enhancing flavours will help residents enjoy their meal Enjoy your work - the more you enjoy your work as a chef, the more it shines through in your food!

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Holiday Recipe Inspiration from Chef Danny Apple & Parsnip Soup Serving Size: 180 ml | Yield: 50

400 ml 785 g 220 g 780 g 430 ml 8.25 L 10 ml 10 ml 275 g 50 ml 50 ml 50 ml 2 each

margarine, melted parsnips, fresh, cubed onions, finely chopped apples, sliced wine, white vegetable broth basil, dried thyme, dried sugar, brown Worcestershire sauce cinnamon, ground pepper, ground, black bay leaf, whole

Tip: Garnish with crispy shallots, pan fried pancetta or shredded sprouts

Preparation: 1. Add parsnips and onions to margarine; sweat for 3-8 minutes. Add apples to onion mixture and sautĂŠ until tender.

2. Add wine and simmer for about 5 minutes or until wine reduces by half. Add stock, basil, thyme, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, cinnamon, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook for an additional 15-2 minutes. Cook to internal temperature of 165F/74C held for 15 seconds. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Mulled Cranberry Sauce Serving Size: 30 ml | Yield: 50

3.5 each 15 ml 37 ml 37 g 3.5 kg 2.5 L 2.5 L 875 ml 2 ml

cinnamon stick peppercorns, whole orange, zest cloves, whole cranberries, frozen sugar water cooking wine salt to taste

Elevate the flavours of a traditional cranberry sauce with this mulled recipe!

Preparation: 1. Wrap cinnamon stick, peppercorns, orange zest and clove in a small piece of cheesecloth and tie closted with kitchen twine to make a bundle 2. Combine cranberries, sugar, water, wine and salt in a medium saucepan. Add the cheesecloth bundle and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to cook stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst and sauce is thickened.

Remove from heat and let cool.

3. Transfer sauce to bowl and refrigerate.

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HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Mustard Mashed Potatoes Serving Size: 125 ml | Yield: 50

3.5 kg 1.38 L 1.38 L 50 ml 50 g 2.5 each 10 ml 75 ml 40 ml 2 ml 2 ml

potato, Yukon gold 18% cream milk garlic, minced thyme, fresh bay leaf, whole olive oil margarine mustard, whole grain salt, to taste pepper, to taste

Enhance of the flavour of a holiday classic with whole grain mustard!

Preparation: 1. Add potatoes, cream, milk, garlic, thyme and bay leaf into a large saucepan and gently boil for 15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Strain potatoes and add save cream mixture, discarding bay leaf, thyme and garlic.

2. Mash potatoes and fold in cream mixture until the potatoes are smooth and creamy. Fold in olive oil, margarine and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Beetroot Gratin

Thyme Honey Glazed Carrots

Serving Size: 125 ml | Yield: 50

Serving Size: 125 ml | Yield: 50

75 ml 500 ml 2 ml 2 ml 50 g 5.5 kg

6.25 kg 375 ml 375 ml 25 ml 30 ml

garlic, chopped 18% cream salt, to taste pepper, to taste rosemary, fresh, chopped beets, fresh, peeled

Preparation: 1. Mix garlic and cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and leave to infuse for about 10 minutes. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.

2. Put sliced beets in a bowl and add rosemary and cream mixture. Mix thoroughly.

3. Arrange beets in a baking dish, cover with foil and bake until tender.

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carrots, sliced olive oil honey salt, to taste thyme, dried

Preparation: 1. Toss carrots with oil, honey, salt and thyme until well coated. Arrange in an even layer on a baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

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OSGOODE CARE CENTRE

Community Spotlight: Osgoode Care Centre

Having been in the industry for 43 years, Kim has spent the last decade serving smiles to 100 residents alongside her team in their rural home in Ottawa, Ontario. And her dedication to nourishing the souls of her community through freedom of choice and exceptional food, is nothing short of inspiring.

Kim Floren, Foodservice Manager of Osgoode Care Centre told us when we asked her what she enjoys most about her job in long term care foodservice.

Since partnering with Sysco Synergy Tech Suite four years ago, Kim has been enjoying simplified operations and feeling fully supported as her community’s needs have changed over time.

At Synergy, we pride ourselves in being an all-in-one solution that continually innovates and adapts to evolving needs of our partners, especially through challenging times. Here’s how Kim took advantage of the customizability of her system as her operations evolved to accommodate a new normal (and how your community can do the same!)

First partnering with Synergy Prior to partnering with Synergy, because Kim was in charge of getting all the recipes and production sheets together in her community, she recalled her daily tasks as involving “a lot, a lot of paperwork!”

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OSGOODE CARE CENTRE

That’s why, when Kim discovered Sysco Synergy Tech Suite at a tradeshow, she was instantly intrigued, and self-described as “gung-ho to get it”.

Upon becoming a partner, Kim and her team started by implementing the Production Management and Recipe & Menu Planning portions of the software, so they could automate and simplify their operations and always ensure residents received exactly what they wanted, while catering to any diet and texture requirements.

One of the most important things, explained Kim, is giving her residents freedom of choice “because it is their home... residents being served what they want is probably the most important thing”.

Kim was not only thrilled with the results she saw within her foodservice since onboarding the software but was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to onboard and implement with the help of an industryleading support team.

Using Synergy Advanced Ordering amidst COVID-19 There's no doubt that the wake of the coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on all long-term care community’s foodservice operations – forcing countless homes to adapt to in-room dining on top of many other unforeseen circumstances.

Recognizing her community should make a prompt shift from tableside to in-room dining, Kim proactively reached out to her Synergy support network to see how she could use the system to navigate new challenges brought on by COVID-19.

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OSGOODE CARE CENTRE

That’s when Kim implemented the Advanced Ordering Module, offered at no cost to Synergy customers amidst the pandemic, so they could take and communicate resident orders via tablet at a safer distance, while operating in advance and ensuring residents were always receiving what they ordered.

“In a matter of 4-5 days, everybody was great. The whole thing was working beautifully, we got our production sheets and everything from that – and residents were being served what they wanted”, explained Kim.

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Re-Opening the dining rooms While keeping residents isolated to their hallways and well socially distanced, Kim’s community later transitioned back to dining service – implementing a completely new normal when it came to retrieving and communicating resident orders.

“We were used to using a binder with the residents names and diets... everything was plastic coated and they could write on the coating what the resident ordered”, recalled Kim. Deciding that their traditional way of retrieving orders involved too many surfaces being touched, and to support their new socially-distanced seating arrangement, Kim decided to implement Synergy’s Tableside Select Module.

“We had already fallen in love with Advanced Ordering, so we contacted (Synergy) and asked whether we could try the Tableside Select.”

And it wasn’t long before her community started seeing impactful results.

Plans for the future With plans to retire in the near future, Kim is determined to take advantage of the breadth of all-in-one offerings Synergy provides to support her team’s end-toend operations.

OSGOODE CARE CENTRE

Watch Kim’s full Community Spotlight video here!

Next on the docket? Kim would like to implement the interactive menu boards to help engage residents with vision challenges.

“Because we do have some people with sight problems... they’re able to expand it and see it by the day. That would be the finishing touch, and then we would pretty well have it all, and it all works amazingly,” explained Kim when imagining her plans for the future with Synergy on her side.

Recommending Synergy to other communities Kim has been so happy with the results of her foodservice solution, she’s proud to recommend Synergy to other communities!

“I actually talked my friend in another home into getting it, and he just couldn’t believe it – because he was used to changing the menus and working for 3-4 weeks trying to get it all up and running. So, he also has it now too, and we all love it,” she recalled.

The key reasons why Kim recommends Synergy?

“I’ve been in this field for 43 years... and I’ve had systems... where you were constantly, constantly having to work on it. It would take me an hour a day just to go through and make sure tomorrow’s menu came up the right way. And I don’t have that issue (with Synergy).”

If you're looking to automate and simplify your operations so you can attain safer service and have more time to focus on delivering the best possible dining experience for your residents, get in touch with a Sysco Synergy Tech Suite Technology Expert today at Sysco@MealSuite.com.

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SYSCO’S VIRTUAL KITCHEN

JOIN US EACH WEEK ON SYSCO’S VIRTUAL KITCHEN Check Out Sysco Canada’s On-Demand SVK Library: facebook.com/SyscoCanada/videos/

See the latest recipes with Gluten Free & Soft Bread Options for Healthcare & Senior Living from Weston Foods!

McCain’s takes us through their Solutions to Mealtime Boredom and how potatoes don’t have to be just side of the plate menu items.

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