Strawberry Chicken Salad
Today we recognize National Nutrition Month and give a shout out to our nearly 1,500 Presbyterian Homes & Services (PHS) employees who work in Nutrition & Culinary Services!
This year’s theme, established by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, is Personalize Your Plate, which promotes creating nutritious meals to meet individual needs. Per the Academy, “There is no one size fits all approach to nutrition and health. We are all unique with different bodies, goals, backgrounds and tastes.” Who better to help with this than a Registered Dietitian?
PHS employs 20 dietetic professionals. These skilled and knowledgeable Dietitians and Dietetic Technicians provide menu development throughout PHS as well as medical nutrition therapy in care centers and transitional care centers. They help those we serve live their best possible lives: whether it be to help control a chronic disease, manage weight, gain strength or maintain quality of life.
And now, with our focus more than ever on health, they point to one of the fundamentals of a healthy immune system: good nutrition. Examples of foods that help support a strong immune system include foods high in:
- beta carotene (sweet potatoes, kale, spinach),
- vitamin C (citrus fruits, bell peppers, broccoli),
- probiotics (cultured dairy products such as yogurt),
- zinc and protein (both are found in seafood, lean meat, poultry, eggs and plant-based sources such as beans and peas, soy products, nuts and seeds)
The Nutrition & Culinary Services team encourages eating a variety of nutritious foods every day. "One helpful tip is to incorporate more color into your meals,” writes Katie Eisen, Corporate Dietitian. "Fruits and vegetables have important nutrients which give them vibrant colors. So, go ahead, eat the rainbow!"
Need a little cooking inspiration? We’ve got you covered there, too. See below for a PHS recipe for Strawberry Chicken Salad, plus more colorful and nutritious recipes!
Strawberry Chicken Salad (Pictured above)
This version has been simplified.
Ingredients:
2.5oz chopped romaine lettuce
2.5oz diced cooked chicken
2 tbsp red onion (sliced)
2 tbsp sliced almonds
3oz mandarin oranges (drained)
3oz strawberries (sliced)
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette dressing
Instructions:
1. Lightly toast sliced almonds, slice red onion, drain mandarin oranges, and slice strawberries.
2. Portion the following onto a bowl or plate: chopped romaine lettuce, diced cooked chicken, sliced red onion, drained mandarin oranges, sliced strawberries, and top with balsamic dressing.
3. Garnish with toasted sliced almonds.
4. Enjoy!
Special thanks to the Boutwells Landing Culinary Team for capturing recipe photos and helping develop healthy, delicious recipes for residents! The photos serve as both training tools for culinary staff and as helpful visuals for residents when placing meal orders.
‘Eat the rainbow’: Stir-fry and pizza recipes online
Kirsti Mauthe, Registered Dietitian and Clinical Nutrition Manager, adds the following tips and recipes. "I am a vegetable LOVER and always enjoy all things veggies/full of color," she writes. "I find the easiest dishes to 'eat the rainbow' are stir fry and pizza." Here are some recipes from EatRight.org (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website) and the Mayo Clinic website... I personally enjoy both those sites for recipes."