Gibson Gleanings: Guest chefs program to begin in April

I hope you have adjusted well to springing forward, it takes me a bit.

We have been busy here this week, celebrating the 2023 Valley Mr. Pageant on Sunday, and our St. Patrick’s festivities during the latter part of the week. Our chefs prepared a classic corned beef and cabbage dinner that was amazing.

The highlight was the bread pudding with Irish whiskey sauce. They outdid themselves, preparing over 100 pounds of corned beef for us. We wish to thank again Bergeron Technical Services and Shawn, Linda and Kate for sponsoring our celebration.

This week, we wanted to take a moment during National Nutrition Month to talk about muscle loss.

As we age, our muscle may decrease naturally, as our testosterone and estrogen levels drop. Resulting in a condition called sarcopenia, which is also caused by inflammation, insulin resistance, heart and pulmonary disease.

To help maintain muscle, try adding seafood, dairy or fortified soy products to your diet, along with beans, peas and lentils. Vegetables and fruit, and foods fortified with vitamin B12, like certain cereals are also beneficial. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will aid in the digestion of food and the absorption of nutrients.

Try reducing sodium intake by seasoning foods with herbs and citrus, such as lemon juice. Walking and low-intensity strength training also help to reduce the risk.

If you have trouble obtaining or preparing nutritionally beneficial foods, please reach out to our nutrition office, we can certainly help you with one of our many programs, (603) 356-3231.

We have a pretty big announcement of a new program we are introducing here at the Gibson Center. In conjunction with top local chefs, we are featuring a guest chef program beginning in April. Led by our board member Brian Coffey, CEC and AAC, area chefs will prepare one of their signature dishes for our dining room guests.

Our first installment will be C]hef Coffey preparing his fabulous New England clam chowder, cranberry pot roast with maple-glazed carrots and garlic mashed red bliss potatoes. For dessert, Chef Coffey will be making apple brown Betty with whipped cream. We are very excitedly looking forward to this program, and cannot wait to share it with our guests.

Our Vermont trip is coming right up, and the deadline to sign up is fast approaching. Enjoy a trip through beautiful the Green Mountains on a guided travel bus, there are single and double spaces still available. Contact Jill for more details at (603) 356-3231.

Our menu this week: Monday, beans and franks; Tuesday), Morrocan lemon chicken; Wednesday, beef burgandy; Thursday, turkey pot pies; Friday, smothered chicken.

We look forward to seeing you soon.