MENU PROJECT WRITE UP

1. Menu Items
A. Removed- pork medallions, whole milk, chef salad, entre Caesar and
pasta bar, entre fruit plate and cottage cheese (still available upon
request)
B. Added- Taco salad, beef stew, pasta primavera, Gluten free Alfredo sauce
Homestyle/homemade chicken noodle soup, BLT, Almond milk
C. Where new items would fall on tray line?
i. Beans- in third warmer once utilized
ii. Beef stew- in place of cream of chicken or in third warmer
iii. Pasta- where it is currently
iv. Bacon- there is a spot currently open
v. Soup- where current chicken noodle soup is
vi. GF Alfredo- frozen into individual serving sizes and stored in freezer
until used
vii. Scrambled eggs all day-in cooler, covered behind alfredo sauce?
D. Who would be responsible for prep of new items
i. Beans- prepped during breakfast lunch prep by breakfast cook
stored in hot box until lunch
ii. Beef stew- with chicken noodle soup in the afternoon by line cook
MWF
iii. Pasta- could be prepped in afternoon after lunch shift for next day
iv. Bacon- cook extra during usual prep
v. Soup- with soup prep in the afternoon by line cook
vi. GF Alfredo- could be prepped once a month as needed on days
when load is light, frozen into individual serving sizes (2oz) and
then used as needed in primavera
vii. Scrambled eggs- as needed by lunch cook in individual pans, same
as breakfast
2. How menus are combined
A. Regular, Puree, No Salt Added, Mechanical Soft
i. Indicators for high sodium, heart healthy, high fat and carb content.
ii. Description for foods that do not fall under Puree and Mechanical Soft.
B. Heart Healthy, 2 Gram Sodium, Low Fat, Carb Controlled
i. Removal of highest sodium, high fat and high carb foods.
ii. Indicators for higher sodium, heart healthy, high fat and carb content.
C. Renal Carb Controlled (Low Potassium, Moderate Phosphorous)
i. Indicators for high sodium and potassium foods, carb information and
removal of excessively high carb, potassium and some phosphorous
foods.
D. Gluten Free
 i. Includes all gluten free items with carb information and high sodium
and high fat foods.
E. Full & Clear Liquids
A. Full liquids with carb information and high, sodium and fat indicators.
B. Clear liquids with carb information.
F. Symbols for education
=High Sodium Foods
=Heart Healthy Foods (low sodium and low fat)
*=High Fat Foods
(0)= Number of carbohydrates in one serving
= high potassium foods

3. As you like it menu

Menu items provided for patients who have LOS longer than 14 days or, can be
offered by the RDs (within dietary constraints) if patient is not eating well:
Quesadilla
Peperoni Pizza
Pasty
Grilled Ham and Cheese
Scrambled Eggs
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Chef Salad
Caesar Salad
Hard Boiled Eggs
French Toast
Waffles
Scrambled eggs

4. Recipes- options recipes for all new items are provided in a separate document
5. Feasibility from cooks:
A. The pasta primavera poses a challenge with the alfredo and/marinara sticking
to the pan and it needing to be washed between uses, possibly not coming
back from the dish room fast enough. Not impossible but, would be difficult to
watch along with other production. A way to possibly make this easier would
be to saute the veggies and cook the pasta, then have the sauce in the
warmer and once the pasta and veggies are plated pour the sauce over the
mixture.
B. Taco salad would be doable but storage for the beans would be the challenge.
It could be proposed that the third warmer be utilized and food be passed to
the expo above it and plastic silver wear could be moved to another spot on
the line.
C. Quesadilla would be doable with all of the ingredients that already exist from
breakfast.
D. Beef stew and chicken noodle soup could be prepped in the afternoon by the
line cooks MWF and stored in the third warmer. Cooks could have prepped
 soup with broth veggies and chicken in the current warmer and then add
pasta or rice (gluten free option) to it as needed.
E. Bacon has a place that it could exist currently, it would just be a matter of
cooking enough and making sure enough is always available.
F. If the third warmer could be available then larger portions of mac and cheese
would be able to be made and stored in there as well as a more standardized
recipe could be used for consistency.
G. Removal of the lemon crowns requested. Slices or packets in its place
because of lack of juice once they are done and sitting
H. Too much garnish with cod, a lot of cod is thrown out. It seems that a white
fish should be available but no fruit, only vegetable garnish needed. Served
with a lemon slice or packet.
I. Measuring utensils for all foods should be provided for consistency and
nutrient verification that are consistent with DFM.
J. Fruit plate is too large. Small fruit plates with a standard appearance should
be put in place recipe included.
K. New pictures of food could be taken and placed in the kitchen to help with
consistency of appearance. These would need to be updated with all changes
that occurred in the future.
L. Cutting meat loaf should have a measuring tool so that all slices are
comparable.
M. A cooks meeting once or twice a month could be proposed to keep
communication open for changes.

6. Education needs

A. Cooks-
i. Measurement and portions for all food items
ii. Diet education for Mechanical Soft and all of the texture variations
(chopped, ground and moist). This will require continuous education
and monitoring.
iii. If all foods were to be pureed (with the exceptions of the ones listed)
education on what liquids should be used when pureeing certain foods
(i.e. chicken broth with chicken, water or vegetable broth with broccoli
and other vegetables).
iv. Consistent sizes for how things should be cut and amounts of
ingredients.

B. Prep Cooks
i. Would need education on portion sizes for foods that are prepped and
served on tray line in individual portions.
C. Call center
 i. Full education on each specific diet and the parameters of each
nutrient constraint as well as specific textures and additions associated
with mechanical soft (chopped, ground and moist).
ii. Condiment specific additions for each diet order.
7. Equipment
In order for all of these changes to be made some additional equipment will also
need to be provided.
1. Pureed foods- blenders such as a Vitamix or equivalent for pureeing already
prepared food to the correct consistency. Strainers to catch any unpureed
chunks before it goes to the patient and serving dishes for the individual
foods.
2. Pasta primavera- there would need to be more pans available for sauting
because if the dish is cooked with the sauce in it, the sauce will stick to the
pan and it will have to be cleaned between uses and at this time pans are not
returned from the dish pit fast enough to keep up with production.
3. Taco salad- new bowls if the current salad plates wont suffice. Recommend
Bargreen round bowl EGSJW875B because its wide but the edges are not too
high.