[Elderly] Feel the Arrival of Spring with Snack Activities! Recommended Menus for March
March, when it gradually gets warmer, is such a pleasant season—you can feel spring approaching and it makes your heart skip with excitement.
Here are some snack activity recipes that are perfect for March.
A distinctive feature is that many of them are inspired by Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day), since it’s in March.
It’s great for staff to make them so everyone can enjoy a treat, and there are also relatively simple and safe options that older adults can make together and have fun with.
It’s still a bit too chilly to enjoy walks outside, but how about savoring spring-like treats indoors to get a taste of the season?
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[Seniors] Feel the arrival of spring with snack-time activities! Recommended menus for March (31–40)
matcha cake
Matcha cake is the perfect sweet for Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day).
Matcha has a pleasant balance of bitterness and sweetness, making it popular among older adults as well.
Let’s make a cake using matcha this time.
Cakes might sound difficult, but the recipe I’m sharing uses pancake mix, so it’s easy to make.
Just add all the ingredients, mix, pour into a mold, and pop it in the oven—your cake will be ready in no time! The fluffy texture and gentle sweetness are simply irresistible.
Give it a try and have fun making it together with everyone.
Strawberry jelly cake
The vivid red of strawberries really makes you feel that the weather is warming up and spring is near, doesn’t it? This cake makes the most of that bright red look, with a soft, jelly-like texture that leaves an impression.
Crumble cookies for the base, then pour in a mixture of milk, sugar, and gelatin warmed together to form the foundation, and arrange strawberries on top.
Finally, pour in clear jelly, chill until set, and it’s done.
You can enjoy the pure taste of the strawberries themselves, so it’s a good idea to adjust the flavor of the jelly to complement them.
Crepe
Let’s make some delicious crepes that bring a taste of spring.
Mix flour and eggs to prepare the crepe batter.
A frying pan works fine for cooking, but how about trying a hot plate? With a hot plate, you can set it on the table and make the batter right there.
Of course, you can also prepare the batter at the table, so you can sit while making it.
If you make crepes while seated, even older adults who find it difficult to stand can participate.
Once the batter is cooked, add strawberries and whipped cream, roll it up, and add extra toppings.
Tasty crepes are sure to satisfy older adults as well.
Three-colored uirō in the style of hishi mochi
How about making hishimochi—traditionally made from pink, white, and green mochi—using uirō instead? In addition to flour, sugar, and water, add matcha to the dough you want to make green, and pink sugar to the dough you want to make pink.
After heating each dough in the microwave, let them rest in the refrigerator for a day.
The next day, layer the doughs and cut them into diamond shapes like hishimochi, and your uirō hishimochi is ready! Since this is a two-day process, please make sure to plan so that everyone can have some regardless of the facility’s usage days.
Hishimochi-style milk kanten jelly
Let’s make milk agar jelly in three colors—pink, white, and green—just like hishi-mochi! First, put milk, agar, and sugar in a pot and bring it to a boil.
For coloring, strawberries are recommended for pink and kiwifruit for green.
Mash each fruit finely, then divide the milk agar you made at the start and mix it with each fruit.
Once ready, pour the mixtures into a container in the color order of hishi-mochi, layering them.
Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator until set, then remove from the container and cut into the shape of hishi-mochi to finish.
It’s smooth and easy to eat, making it perfect as a snack for older adults.
[Elderly] Feel the arrival of spring with snack activities! Recommended menus for March (41–50)
Sakura mochi
When it comes to springtime treats, many people probably think of sakuramochi.
It’s also perfect for Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day), so give it a try! There are Kansai-style and Kanto-style sakuramochi, and their methods and ingredients differ slightly.
Kansai-style uses domyoji flour and is shaped like a little bun, while Kanto-style wraps sweet red bean paste in a thin crepe-like batter.
It’s a great idea to decide which style to make based on your facility’s location or the seniors’ hometowns, or even make both and compare the two!
In conclusion
We introduced recommended snack activities for March. Many of them are inspired by the three-colored diamond-shaped rice cakes of Hinamatsuri, with soft, cute colors that evoke spring. Be sure to incorporate Hinamatsuri and spring into your snack activities and enjoy a delightful time.