Adding a Summer Flare to the Menu

The sun is out, it’s time to turn up the heat with your new Summer feed. Summertime is the hottest and brightest of all the four seasons. It starts on the 1st of December and continues through January and February. At this time, our body starts to switch gears by going for the colder, lighter meals and drinking plenty of fluids to keep our body cool. With the body changes, this is a sign to also change the kitchen menu that suits the hot season.

Why the switch?

Changing up the menu based on seasons is a great way to bring dishes that help aid our body in regulating temperature. These dishes keep us comfortable, and with fruits and vegetables that are in season, they are at their highest quality when it comes to nutrients and taste!

For example, in aged care and childcare, more vulnerable groups such as residents and children are at a high risk of dehydration and this could be due to a number of reasons. If consuming a very hot soup served from the Winter menu on a hot summery day, this can cause sweating and fluid loss. And, without additional adequate fluids, they can end up dehydrated. With adjustments to the menu, we can include foods that hydrate and cool down the body instead.

Other benefits to having a seasonal menu includes reducing menu fatigue, affordable prices on fruit and vegetables, seasonal foods are more readily available from the supermarkets and suppliers, and it supports local farmers.

Summer Vegetables

Summer produce is best for its flavour, vibrant colours and variety. Vegetables that thrive in the summer include asparagus, beetroot, capsicum, carrot, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplants, leek, peas, radish, silver beet, tomato, zucchini.

Summer Fruits

During summer, there is an abundance of vibrant colours and variety of stone fruits, berries and melons. Summer fruits include apricots, banana, blackberries, cherries, grapes, honeydew, lychee, mango, peach, pineapple, raspberries, rhubarb, rock melon, strawberries and watermelon.

What’s on the menu this summer

Summer dishes that match the hot weather include lighter and cooler dishes such salads, noodles, stir fries, light pastas, barbeques, quiches, wraps, and no-bake or refreshing cool desserts.

Here are some examples to include in your aged care menus:

• Peach salsa halloumi Bowls

• Pesto pizza with chickpea salad

• Stuffed capsicums with mince

• Asparagus and leek frittata with garden salad

• OSCAR Care Group high energy and high protein HEHP Panna Cotta recipe

• OSCAR Care Group high energy and high protein HEHP Tropical Smoothie recipe

Here are some examples to include in your childcare menus:

• A light meal from OSCAR Care Group’s  ‘Easy ‘Pea’sy Tuna Mac & Cheese’ recipe

• Vegetable wraps with lamb, carrots, capsicum and tomato

• Turkey and silver beet pasta

• Berry smoothie

• Frozen yoghurt fruit popsicle or have a look into OSCAR Care Group’s ‘Avo Chocolate FroYo Pops’ recipe

Collaborate with a Dietitian for your Summer Menu

What makes a seasonal menu good? It involves collaborating with different groups to generate ideas and ensuring adequate nutrition. This includes the Chef, and feedback from the residents in aged care and retirement villages, clients in the community and children and parents in childcare.

But, to make it even better, include an Accredited Practising Dietitian who can further assess the menu for recipe repetitiveness, texture modification, food fortification, managing specific health conditions and nutrient adequacy.

Aged Care Summer Menu Ideas

Many summer dishes are light which may make it harder to fortify food. Here are some tips to ensure we can increase the energy and protein:

• Include protein sources into salads such as meats, fish, poultry, cheese, legumes and beans.

• Include dressings and sauces to increase the energy through fats and oils

• Add extra butter, oils and full cream milk powder into the frittatas, quiche fillings, omelettes or scrambled eggs.

• Add full cream milk powder to milky-based desserts including panna cotta, mousse, custard, yoghurt and cheesecakes.

• For non-milky based desserts, add a side of ice-cream, yoghurt or custard.

• Include nourishing dips with barbeque meats such as lemon yoghurt dip, hummus.

• Add a drizzle of olive oil or cream as a garnish to your light pastas.

Childcare menu tips for summer

In childcare settings, consider the following:

• Include a wide variety of colours and textures across all main meals and snacks

• Provide watery fruits and vegetables as a snack such as melons, berries, grapes, tomato, cucumber and celery for hydration.

• Regular protein spread through the day through cheese, meats, legumes and dairy.

Need More help?

The OSCAR Care Group team support a wide variety of services with seasonal menu reviews and practical advice. If you are planning your summer menu now and unsure where to start, consider reaching out for support.

Seasonal menu planning is great in providing different variety of meals being offered for those in aged care, retirement villages, disability support homes, meals on wheels, community food provision and childcare. Not only does this help with taste fatigue, but by including fruits and vegetables that are at their highest quality, this ensures we are maximising the most with their nutrients at an affordable price.

If you are unsure what to include in your menus, reach out to an Accredited Dietitian Practising at OSCAR Care Group and we can help you.