tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59073425173055123092024-03-18T19:51:08.351-07:00Make Lunch, Not WarAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-79881589978975174552018-05-14T12:15:00.001-07:002018-05-14T12:15:20.570-07:00<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">Hey Faithful Followers! Trying to take a more positive perspective, I have decided to change the title of my Blog & corresponding Facebook Page. It took a while to gain approval from Facebook, but that has finally been approved. I am now </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/healthyfoodfuelshungryminds?source=feed_text" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm">HealthyFoodFuelsHungryMinds</span></span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">, and I have migrating my blog to that same name and on another blog hosting site. <span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can browse on over to: www.healthyfoodfuelshungryminds.com. All of my old posts are there, and I'm ready to start posting some more content... so head on over & follow me on www.healthyfoodfuelshungryminds.com and on Facebook at Healthy Food Fuels Hungry Minds!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same content, new title, new web address!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-43708099716199942702018-03-25T12:32:00.005-07:002018-03-26T12:38:58.205-07:00Kicking out the Salt... Kicking up the Flavor! Strategies to enhance flavor & increase participation in School Meals! Anyone who knows me well, knows that I always seem to have a song stuck in my head. And last week, as I was thinking about the strategies that we had used in our RSU#14 (Maine) to decrease the sodium levels in our school meals, Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville found its way into my thought stream...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5tnuu9WPZOtQfwPxT_3OZpi1nl_iakwEQApmV9eULeVdk7r4-74B3QqU7-0bcmmOLlBRSPyFoEATm86ooz_b-2BKHSUrtFrtMZwFduW7Q3MERWVP3uc-A08Fc6UZhvsaB6ezJAfhAtWG/s1600/Kick+the+SaltEnhance+the+Flavor%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5tnuu9WPZOtQfwPxT_3OZpi1nl_iakwEQApmV9eULeVdk7r4-74B3QqU7-0bcmmOLlBRSPyFoEATm86ooz_b-2BKHSUrtFrtMZwFduW7Q3MERWVP3uc-A08Fc6UZhvsaB6ezJAfhAtWG/s320/Kick+the+SaltEnhance+the+Flavor%2521.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
"Searching for my lost shaker of salt... salt... SALT!" It doesn't even make much sense... but there it was, endlessly tracking though my consciousness. But then I got to thinking ... maybe Jimmy, and we, should stop looking for our lost shaker of salt, and instead learn to season food appropriately and with LESS salt, allowing the natural flavors to come through! <br />
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Since 2010, School Nutrition Directors across the country have been striving to lower the sodium in the school meals that they serve, in order to meet the Target 1 sodium level guidelines of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010. 8 years into HHFK, some districts are still finding the lower sodium guidelines challenging. I'll admit - decreasing the salt in our own district has been a process, and as I tell people all the time, you can't change everything overnight. It's too drastic. It can be unfamiliar and/or burdensome to your staff and your customers. Over the years, we have gotten it... and I always like to think of the process as steps on a journey. That way, if you get off track, you can always go back to the steps in the plan & get right back on track again, kind of like a road map. Perfection is not required... just forward movement striving toward the end goal. Here are 5 steps that we have found helpful in decreasing the sodium in our school meals while maintaining palatability and growing student participation. <br />
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#1. <b>Procurement - </b>In the process of building menu cycles and going out to bid for products, be sure to watch the nutrition labels on items such as hamburger/sandwich rolls, breads, cheese, prepared entree items such as chicken patties & chicken nuggets, soups, etc. Write bid specifications that request lower sodium options. Shop around for brands and if purchasing locally, work with the manufacturer to lower sodium. In our district, we were purchasing a locally prepared fresh salsa... but the sodium was too high for us to use the product on a regular basis. By cultivating our relationship & connecting with the company, we were able to have them decrease the amount of sodium in their salsa so that we could continue to menu it regularly in our school nutrition program.<br />
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#2. <b>Scratch Cooking - </b>Many processed foods have sodium added during manufacturing, therefore, transitioning to scratch cooking gives <b>you</b> the control over the amount of sodium in foods that you cook and serve. Explore new recipes, especially recipes developed for schools since HHFK 2010. Two great resources that we love are The New School Cuisine Cookbook from the creative folks at Vermont Feed. This is a free resource and it is packed with delicious recipes developed for schools! You can download the book here: <a href="https://vermontfarmtoschool.org/resources/new-school-cuisine-cookbook-nutritious-and-seasonal-recipes-school-cooks-school-cooks.">https://vermontfarmtoschool.org/resources/new-school-cuisine-cookbook-nutritious-and-seasonal-recipes-school-cooks-school-cooks.</a> Another great resource for recipes is Team Nutrition's Recipes for Healthy Kids Cookbook for Schools which you can find here: <br />
<a href="https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/tn/R4HKSchoolcookbook.pdf">https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/tn/R4HKSchoolcookbook.pdf</a><br />
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As you move to scratch cooking, or if you are already scratch cooking, but your recipes need a salt reduction, gradually cut back the added salt. Try cutting the added salt by 1/4 or 1/2 while increasing other seasonings, herbs & spices. Be sure to watch those nutrition labels on your ingredients, too! Sodium tends to lurk in unexpected places! Sauces, dressings, marinades - all tend to be loaded with sodium, so opt for low sodium versions or make your own!<br />
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#3<b>. Seasoning Blends - </b>We have found that by using salt free seasoning blends, we are able to enhance the flavors of our food without adding additional salt. Seasoning blends can be added in place of salt in the cooking process and/or can be added on the serving line to liven up the flavors. We have a chart that our team uses to help them season foods appropriately.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLACM2COqROBNwVWv_Kv5SnY_BlMWJ5SAHjUGPKODluZpkqb5MwFiPnqkMB7FqH3y0OaK_SDjCeQawLLT8A51B2TByeh4HBPOVtyXPNcRtSE2v18k85-ds_x7ZSJPggY9zGxFdiZ3wsGUi/s1600/salt+free+seasoning+blends.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLACM2COqROBNwVWv_Kv5SnY_BlMWJ5SAHjUGPKODluZpkqb5MwFiPnqkMB7FqH3y0OaK_SDjCeQawLLT8A51B2TByeh4HBPOVtyXPNcRtSE2v18k85-ds_x7ZSJPggY9zGxFdiZ3wsGUi/s400/salt+free+seasoning+blends.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Creating Culinary Strategies; Culinary Nutrition Associates<br />
Catharine Powers, MS, RDN, LD</td></tr>
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Seasoning blends, as well as herbs & spices can be part of a flavor station as well, giving students the ability to spice it up all on their own! Be sure that the seasonings that you are putting at the flavor station are sodium free or low sodium! Here is a fantastic resource with lots of ideas, from the School Nutrition Association: <a href="https://schoolnutrition.org/uploadedFiles/2_Meetings_and_Events/Presentation_PDFs/ANC_2017/Build-Customer-Satisfaction-with-Flavor-Stations.pdf" target="_blank"> https://schoolnutrition.org/uploadedFiles/2_Meetings_and_Events/Presentation_PDFs/ANC_2017/Build-Customer-Satisfaction-with-Flavor-Stations.pdf</a><br />
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Hot pepper flakes, Sriracha sauce, Lemon Pepper are some real favorites, especially with teenagers. Even the seasoning blends from the resource posted about are great to put into shaker jars for seasoning food at the point of service!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNntPajU6sPpNXqD5-4_YlIyYH0pWcHVcCcWO4JRhrvZ3h77BFhkYFC1LyfZvqgk75-ddHPOE96D0Mok9CkQ_LOeKYQBjfKr7HJ2z0JK5dtphmMDyUrF5egGfAtJgeLOiEvgEk05c4U7Tj/s1600/spices.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="638" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNntPajU6sPpNXqD5-4_YlIyYH0pWcHVcCcWO4JRhrvZ3h77BFhkYFC1LyfZvqgk75-ddHPOE96D0Mok9CkQ_LOeKYQBjfKr7HJ2z0JK5dtphmMDyUrF5egGfAtJgeLOiEvgEk05c4U7Tj/s400/spices.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A photo from Whole Spice, my favorite spice shop <br />
in Napa Valley</td></tr>
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#4 - <b>Switching from Canned Vegetables to Fresh & Frozen Vegetables</b> - This is really one of the easiest ways to lower the sodium in meals, while at the same time increasing acceptability and consumption! Salad Bars packed with fresh fruits and vegetables allow students the opportunity to crunch their way through healthy choices that they will love! As we have moved to offering more fresh vegetables, we have seen students taking ... and eating more vegetables than ever! In addition to offering raw veggies on salad bars or on garden bars, also consider roasting vegetables by tossing them in a small amount of olive oil and adding one of the seasoning blends from our chart! We recently served roasted asparagus and the kids went crazy for it, piling their trays with it & digging in! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfVp-vqDxxk_9U7Wt_YwjXdbepixu1tUS7B4aX4sZLO73n5A94k_sgZexV_4JBclMndKWrIE9GKWrcTQY-y_k8kIGwUzvX-0Xtkqj-OfbugejlVsm1qD8IZON-_94c5G3FFhM2ulGaGvq/s1600/asapagus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1214" data-original-width="1600" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfVp-vqDxxk_9U7Wt_YwjXdbepixu1tUS7B4aX4sZLO73n5A94k_sgZexV_4JBclMndKWrIE9GKWrcTQY-y_k8kIGwUzvX-0Xtkqj-OfbugejlVsm1qD8IZON-_94c5G3FFhM2ulGaGvq/s320/asapagus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted Asparagus Filling up a Middle School Student's Tray</td></tr>
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#5 - <b>Involve Your Customers - </b>Throughout the change process, it is essential to involve your customers - the students! We have worked to educate the students - in the classroom and in the cafeteria. From school gardens to in-class cooking & nutrition education to utilizing the cafeteria as a classroom, teaching kids about healthy food is a cornerstone of our school nutrition program! Kids love being involved - in growing food, in preparing food, in sampling food and in naming new recipes! When we switched from using canned baked beans in our school nutrition program to making them from scratch, our chef sampled the recipe in the classroom with students, allowed them to try them... and eventually letting them name the new recipe! Our school-made baked beans became "Chef Sam's Better Bacon Baked Beans"... and it is not uncommon to hear students exclaim that they don't like "regular" baked beans... but they really LOVE Chef Sam's Better Bacon Baked Beans. The process of involving the students in the process of developing the recipe and taste testing it and naming it gave them buy in. My friend Dayle Hayes, MS, RD, of <b>School Meals that Rock</b> and President of <b>Nutrition for the Future</b>, makes a point to tell audiences that food is not nutrition if it gets dumped in a trash can... but if you involve students by giving them opportunities to <b>Grow It</b>, <b>Cook It</b>, <b>Taste It </b>- they will embrace new menu items and they will be more open to tasting (and liking!) formerly unfamiliar foods and flavors.<br />
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One final hint: If you are a Facebook user, make it a priority to join the Facebook Group "Tips for School Meals that Rock". This group is a peer to peer sharing group that is an incredible resource for information, ideas and "how-to" strategies from school nutrition colleagues from across the country! Every day it is packed with fresh inspiration, recipes, questions & support that will definitely help you kick out the salt, increase participation and conquer other day to day challenges that we face as school nutrition pros! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-71887665337940534702018-03-21T14:35:00.000-07:002018-03-21T14:35:32.764-07:00<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Ideas swim around in my head a lot. They kind of lurk there, roll around and get bigger and bigger, until I finally just have to act on them. Or - they get discarded or go to simmer on the back burner.</div>
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That's sort of the case this week. I've had this idea that I wanted to share, but, seriously no actual time to share it... and it somehow just wasn't coming together. And then, in my mail box is my February copy of SNA Magazine. The "Oh The Places You Will Go" cover & headline, captured my eye... and my attention. I have to be honest.... and many of you reading this will know what I am talking about... I didn't have time to read the article associated with the cover photo, so I stuffed it in my bag for some quality reading on my way to <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/lac18?source=feed_text" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #4267b2; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">LAC18</span></span></a> later this week. So *disclaimer here* - I really have no idea what the article is really about... but the picture goes SO WELL with want I've been wanting to write about.</div>
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Earlier this fall, at the Northeast Regional Leadership Conference, I was inspired to hear the leadership story of several School Nutrition professionals from the New England area. I was struck by the impact of these personal stories and I really wanted to bring "Leadership Journey" stories back to my own state association, the Maine School Nutrition Association. I really was inspired by hearing about the career path that led to working in School Nutrition or why they got involved in their state association. The real stories that maybe you don't always learn sitting across from someone in a meeting or conference.</div>
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I decided to start off our next Maine School Nutrition Association meeting with part of my own leadership story.... which I like to think of as "The Power of Yes". I have worked in School Nutrition for over 20 years, but it wasn't until about 5 years ago that I began embracing "The Power of Yes". I like to say that my "NO" force field must have been up pretty high, because no one even asked me if I wanted to get involved in our state association, and to be honest... it for some reason never occurred to me. I suppose I was too busy to notice: busy with one district, then 2 districts, then a 3rd small one got added on... busy with life, family... you know what it's like. But then... about 5 years ago... a friend reached out - burst through my NO force field - and asked. Would you consider running for president of Maine School Nutrition Association? Now to be honest, by this time I was sitting on the education committee of our board and was helping to plan conferences. But this was different. I don't even know why, but I was inspired to do it. Many friends encouraged me. My husband did not. "Why would you want to add more to your plate?" he asked. And I really didn't have a clear answer for that... except that I really had developed some vision - ideas - of what I thought could happen in Maine SNA, ideas that I thought needed sharing about how we were serving school meals in my district. Just those ideas... the ones that swim around in my head. And now, there was a crack in the NO force field.</div>
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The crack in the NO force field led me to start thinking about YES instead. And I made a conscious decision to start saying YES to opportunities that presented themselves, instead of automatically saying NO, to see where it would take me. So, I said YES when asked if I wanted to run for president of Maine SNA. Then, YES to being a lead mentor for the Institute of Child Nutrition and YES to presenting sessions at local, regional and national conferences. And I can honestly say it has been an incredible experience, making my School Nutrition experience so much richer, so much more enjoyable! I've met and collaborated with people from across the country, presented at conferences in places I've never been before. I've stretched and I've grown... and I've loved the experience. Has it always been easy and comfortable? No way! But the experiences have made me more well rounded, more knowledgeable, and I've expanded my horizons.</div>
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Change is good! Isn't that what we are always telling our staff and the people that we work with? We expect that they will say YES instead of NO when we present them with an idea or a change or a new way of doing things. And so I challenge you to start considering saying YES ... because you never know where it will take you!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-45188419673254016872017-09-04T17:13:00.000-07:002017-09-04T17:13:53.241-07:00Teamwork Makes the Dream WorkChef Sam & I have been fortunate enough the past few years to have had the opportunity to travel around the country, sharing our School Nutrition Program's success strategies. Hitting the road to share our story often inspires us to do some soul searching & re-evaluating where we have been and how we have gotten where we are now. Over the past 5 years, participation in our school breakfast and lunch program has grown by double digit percentages. More students are eating school breakfast and lunch than ever before. Our participation has increased, we are serving more whole food, more locally grown foods, more recipes prepared onsite and community support for our school nutrition program is growing. <br />
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We are often asked now we have managed to accomplish this... and honestly, it's not one single thing that has lead to our success, but a whole bunch of strategies that we have implemented... and that we continue to implement... that have really changed School Nutrition in our district, RSU #14 in Maine. It all started with vision. 5 years ago, we were fortunate enough to have a visioning meeting, funded through a grant we had received. We invited community members, members of our administrative team, school nutrition staff, school staff and school committee members. Through this visioning meeting we established our vision and our goals for the way forward. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHVkNqNIsE6mOzoniMamjvtz7n9alQxtxszpXrGgoyhHT54O1glmkptn0c2quGZk7sA-Ptf7lwPegA6DK-xiV_fbRRrQvRcR2Bje2QO5YATcpJA6PVsyxdAY1Ki4VI2YrGpBwKunaQjpx/s1600/h-SHIFT-PERSPECTIVE-628x314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="554" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHVkNqNIsE6mOzoniMamjvtz7n9alQxtxszpXrGgoyhHT54O1glmkptn0c2quGZk7sA-Ptf7lwPegA6DK-xiV_fbRRrQvRcR2Bje2QO5YATcpJA6PVsyxdAY1Ki4VI2YrGpBwKunaQjpx/s320/h-SHIFT-PERSPECTIVE-628x314.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, I'm not saying that you need to have a fancy visioning meeting to establish your mission and vision, though for us, it was very helpful. It is essential, however, to sit down with key staff members and map out your mission and vision for the future. A mission & vision can serve as your roadmap and guide as you make decisions that will effect your department. One key decision that was made at our visioning meeting was a decision to consider adding a chef to our school nutrition team. We did not rush right out & hire a chef after this meeting.... but when presented with the opportunity to replace a key, district-wide staff person, we utilized the opportunity to fill that position with a chef who could work district-wide with our team. <br />
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Another key strategy that came out of our visioning meeting was to increase our focus on local food, farm to school and school gardens in our School Nutrition Program. Increasing our offerings of local foods - locally grown veggies, as well as locally raised meat - has really helped us to bring the freshest food possible to our customers - the students in RSU#14. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkvSm0jxysbDdXTp_YVEw1o275f3n5dRWocaGahnuXJNrPfQWsiuBp5KKJc8dCNX7BEOsuyG34jy733jlZ_UZNZIh6QlX3RR3xBw1XyTXug_h9_OQKHo_0al06cEj7KmaN8lvCsXgpMwA/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkvSm0jxysbDdXTp_YVEw1o275f3n5dRWocaGahnuXJNrPfQWsiuBp5KKJc8dCNX7BEOsuyG34jy733jlZ_UZNZIh6QlX3RR3xBw1XyTXug_h9_OQKHo_0al06cEj7KmaN8lvCsXgpMwA/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" /></a>These changes - hiring a chef & focusing on locally grown & locally produced foods - didn't happen immediately after our visioning meeting, nor, once implemented, did they immediately lead to increased participation. Of course, we needed a way to "get the word out"... a way to inform our customers that our program was changing and we were offering fresher, more delicious food! Enter social media....! As our school nutrition program was changing and so many exciting things were happening, we decided to start a Facebook Page for our School Nutrition Program as a way to document the changes and communicate with the public. The rationale was fairly simple... I was using Facebook personally and I knew that so many other parents, moms especially, were using Facebook daily, and often from their mobile devices. What better way to communicate with our community and show them pictures of what was happening in our kitchens than by using a social media platform that they were already using daily! It was easy, it was accessible, it was free... so we started our Facebook page. Gradually, we also started Instagram & Twitter pages and we continue to use these social media platforms and grow our audience. <br />
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Our marketing strategies don't stop at utilizing social media. We also strongly believe in offering fun,<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvZHhGxQLJVf2uQ5U-OOlv7fKr1DPk6llxbxqxfVi5qEK7wdAd_k8woGVnJTMCaFgII9_Nug9m1bXiWKP4Q2Zgpfjqar1DezE5pKYYilCPf9R2Tchmo2TmeRJxdN015uU0mfc1MYWNlgE/s1600/IMG_6029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvZHhGxQLJVf2uQ5U-OOlv7fKr1DPk6llxbxqxfVi5qEK7wdAd_k8woGVnJTMCaFgII9_Nug9m1bXiWKP4Q2Zgpfjqar1DezE5pKYYilCPf9R2Tchmo2TmeRJxdN015uU0mfc1MYWNlgE/s320/IMG_6029.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frozen Fun Friday Breakfast</td></tr>
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theme based menus for breakfast and lunch, especially at the youngest grades, as a way of making school meals fun and gaining new customers. Our monthly Fun Friday Breakfasts at our elementary schools have helped grow our breakfast participation from less than 10% district wide to a regular average daily participation at breakfast of 30% or more. Our fun themes might be a Dr. Suess theme, a menu based on the popular Frozen movie or even a Tropical Luau theme. Creative menu naming, student chosen recipes, fun decorations, staff support.... all are essential ingredients to a successful menu promotion.<br />
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The most important strategy that we have is building up & investing in our <b>amazing team</b>. I mean these people are real super heroes - they are so innovative & we are in awe of their dedication to feeding healthy food to the students in our district. Beginning in 2012, we started utilizing culinary boot camps for departmental training. Those trainings continue every summer, and Chef Sam offers "mini" trainings in each kitchen throughout the school year. Chef Sam is quick to jump in & support our staff if they are struggling to prepare a new menu item, and this support has enabled our gradual move from a freezer to oven operation to one that now is approximately 85% scratch cooking!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtq8ZlGvp1XRLDfa0zP_f6bctJRZowUJ4qn7XwefjPgQoS-v5itAFQDzLEtPi91CICXV5lQhO1DRtMl3yNmXBVE-0KnHS8KB_njTKp139rkejrxVFKCIwA8tUkivt4RQEI0SItDv-oFoG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-04+at+5.52.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="632" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtq8ZlGvp1XRLDfa0zP_f6bctJRZowUJ4qn7XwefjPgQoS-v5itAFQDzLEtPi91CICXV5lQhO1DRtMl3yNmXBVE-0KnHS8KB_njTKp139rkejrxVFKCIwA8tUkivt4RQEI0SItDv-oFoG/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-04+at+5.52.47+PM.png" width="293" /></a></div>
Honestly.... these changes did not happen overnight. Anyone who has heard me speak about this will know that I am a firm believer in the "baby-steps" approach to change. We did not switch to scratch cooking all at once, but recipe by recipe - very slowly adding recipes as we became proficient. There is no magic wand ... and it takes a lot of hard work, dedication and trial and error. We test recipes at our smallest school, working out the kinks, gaining staff & student feedback, adjusting as necessary. Only then will a recipe or menu item be rolled out on a larger scale. <br />
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From our visioning meeting way back in 2012 to back-to-school in 2017... it is all about hard work, dedication and team work! It will not happen overnight, and it may not happen in a year... we are 5 years down the road, and we've made so many changes! Who knows where the next five years will take us! Our fantastic team believes that healthy food fuels hungry minds and we are dedicated to our vision. Teamwork is what it takes to make the dream work. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90hgxVilCwimahugumSKt1sxvLNMEjhNCXL50vhIb8Dn_ksKQe8SQwjSIpATMVTQnikgWUSmJVvoBXyALPWylFQKxPXPry63nEzlpqeewS5miFssXiq_hSL6y2eOOa_cYIcLA_2PyswJO/s1600/IMG_3904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90hgxVilCwimahugumSKt1sxvLNMEjhNCXL50vhIb8Dn_ksKQe8SQwjSIpATMVTQnikgWUSmJVvoBXyALPWylFQKxPXPry63nEzlpqeewS5miFssXiq_hSL6y2eOOa_cYIcLA_2PyswJO/s320/IMG_3904.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very Veggie Culinary Boot Camp<br />
with Chef Sam & School Nutrition Staff from RSU#14</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1K9WYy9WgfluhaLsjdxspK9OdwXlv_sYJzTmSzIAXB_0xTpvW0nF4RSajfZV-U4fzTOfGoBwtrHdQ1dE60eb5Pd78PYjzI4fm_a7Jvb_hJo1EvK1WDM5b6z2SWwAuzXie5vBCdhl__5T/s1600/IMG_3897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1K9WYy9WgfluhaLsjdxspK9OdwXlv_sYJzTmSzIAXB_0xTpvW0nF4RSajfZV-U4fzTOfGoBwtrHdQ1dE60eb5Pd78PYjzI4fm_a7Jvb_hJo1EvK1WDM5b6z2SWwAuzXie5vBCdhl__5T/s320/IMG_3897.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-29773377096458210432017-08-27T13:12:00.001-07:002017-08-27T13:12:36.827-07:00Professional Standards Training - The Road to a Successful School Year<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another school year has begun! Menus have been planned, open positions have been filled, equipment serviced, food is ordered.... all we need is our customers! It is hard to believe that summer is coming to an end.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnBA9JEltNdZJ5eIUffeUmZv1YirqoLkz4uMWCHK1hUt1sQH5063C1ssZhOC3aVG08pvOwF9fNKPhSr1lyEnsUNMoqsq00-_tD1iCPFSBGltIXNkUitNFLZn6fD2BKzDEOI372mTWzcN2/s1600/IMG_3683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnBA9JEltNdZJ5eIUffeUmZv1YirqoLkz4uMWCHK1hUt1sQH5063C1ssZhOC3aVG08pvOwF9fNKPhSr1lyEnsUNMoqsq00-_tD1iCPFSBGltIXNkUitNFLZn6fD2BKzDEOI372mTWzcN2/s320/IMG_3683.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It seems that I have spent my entire summer thinking about training. The first part of my summer was focused on getting ready to attend the School Nutrition Association's Annual National Conference (ANC) in Atlanta, GA. The second half of my summer was spent planning and preparing for Maine School Nutrition Association's Annual Conference, as well as training sessions for our own staff as we prepare for the school year. All of this training - the planning, the organizing, the collaborating, the teaching, as well as sitting in education sessions myself, has given me a lot of time to think about training and professional standards and to consider the requirements and how to make the most of them. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTslrEOdBhmzTfHtPvmqCE2PSMV1MeVCmIymIAMuRG75IujbxrLGWkvFnKJt4ybpSdgPxbv25zzMgsM5a6w2GpFIhgeyQpzs16KWQt38tByOnKmawmb9YXhgm50cJR_tnoHFEf7KkgeB6/s1600/IMG_3274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTslrEOdBhmzTfHtPvmqCE2PSMV1MeVCmIymIAMuRG75IujbxrLGWkvFnKJt4ybpSdgPxbv25zzMgsM5a6w2GpFIhgeyQpzs16KWQt38tByOnKmawmb9YXhgm50cJR_tnoHFEf7KkgeB6/s320/IMG_3274.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Boosting your School Nutrition Brand Pre-Con Session @ #ANC17</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWF-nXW3vEw7-DDEH4gOxZD0I3UgGy8tyS1xMLSWGXh9ZjVH5R8GEPammDVRzeo7gBuzT-pEtCmAa5L2-CXcV1WGWxqmmS2UPr1RKMx7XLP92__dtbjT2cW-b9a447NpQwfm-zXjGdJjg/s200/IMG_3396.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="150" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teamwork Makes the Dream Work<br />session at #ANC17</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWF-nXW3vEw7-DDEH4gOxZD0I3UgGy8tyS1xMLSWGXh9ZjVH5R8GEPammDVRzeo7gBuzT-pEtCmAa5L2-CXcV1WGWxqmmS2UPr1RKMx7XLP92__dtbjT2cW-b9a447NpQwfm-zXjGdJjg/s1600/IMG_3396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even though I have been working in School Nutrition for 20 years, this year's ANC in Atlanta was only my 5th time attending SNA's Annual National Conference. I have attending ANC the past 5 years - Kansas City, Boston, Salt Lake City & San Antonio and this year, Atlanta. The past two years at ANC have been different for me, because I was involved, not only as an attendee, but also as a presenter. As a presenter, I was pushing my own limits and stepping out of my comfort zone... co-leading Pre Conference sessions, as well as teaching education sessions. Not only was I stretching my limits by being a presenter, but I also made a conscious decision to connect & network with other school nutrition professionals from around the country... not just from my own "neck of the woods".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Spending so much time thinking about & attending trainings has let me to several conclusions about staff training & professional standards... and the strategies for making the most out of the trainings you & your staff attend:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. The <b>Exponential Effect </b>of training with professionals from many different districts/areas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I am certain that many School Nutrition Directors opt to train their staff in house, which is likely the most economical means for meeting the Professional Standard training requirements. However, when school nutrition professionals gather together from different areas for training, the diversity increases the learning exponentially! Staff gain new insight, ideas & energy from other school nutrition superstars from neighboring districts, from neighboring states, from across the country! It is so powerful to share with other school nutrition professionals - kitchen staff, cooks, managers & directors - from all across the state, or all across the country to learn that our challenges are so similar and our solutions are so varied! In this environment, real change and progress happens! It is well worth it to plan room in your budget to send your staff to a state school nutrition conference, or even a national conference. The investment in your staff will lead to a more energized & engaged team.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. <b>Hands on Training</b> engages staff. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Confucius said " I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand". Are you that kind of learner? The kind of person who actually has to try something out & do it to actually master the task? I sure am! Let's face it - school nutrition employees are not accustomed to sitting in a classroom environment & just listening! Our days are spent running, cooking, serving & cleaning. Hands on trainings, such as culinary boot camps are much more engaging because staff have the opportunity to learn and practice new skills.<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Culinary Training in RSU #14</td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At our Maine School Nutrition Association conferences and at our trainings in our district, hands on trainings are often the trainings that receive the best feedback and highest ratings. Our most recent staff training day included a "Very Veggie" Culinary Boot Camp, where our team divided up into 7 groups, with each group preparing 3 recipes from a particular vegetable. We had the Corn Team, the Zucchini Team, the Carrot Team, the Cauliflower Team, the Broccoli Team, the Green Bean Team and the Squash Team! Each team received training on knife skills & the necessary cooking methods, and at the end, we feasted on 21 different vegetable recipes!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lots of these recipes will make an appearance this school year, either on a Try It Tuesday or as part of our regular menu. And now, our staff is ready to go, recipes in hand! They've made the recipes & sampled them. Now they are ready to serve them to our customers, the students!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. <b>Never Stop Learning, Never Stop Training!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The professional standard training requirements for staff development have given school nutrition pros an excellent opportunity to build themselves up professionally. Choose trainings strategically - learn new skills! Stretch & Grow! When you... or your team... stop stretching and growing, chances are good that your business will also stop growing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you are just starting the school year, and you and/or your staff still need some or all of their professional standard training hours, consider attending a state-wide or national conference where the diverse learning and connections can have a lasting impact. Consider attending a training that includes hands on learning, such as a culinary boot camp, a knife skills training or a training on alternative seasoning profiles to decrease the sodium in school meals! If your plan is to train staff in house, be sure to mix it up so that employees make new connections and learn from their peers from other schools <i>within</i> district! New connections will be made and sharing sharing of best practices, as well as challenges, will happen... and that is were the road to success begins!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy your school year! I hope you will utilize Professional Standard training requirements to engage your team and get them excited about school meals, because if your team is excited about school meals, the students will get excited about school meals! #HealthyFoodFuelsHungryMinds!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-16532435737705428832017-03-05T09:12:00.001-08:002017-03-06T09:37:53.184-08:00Eating Through the Alphabet for National Nutrition Month Alright, I confess. I am a bit of a "school foodie-geek". I mean, it's a good thing, right? Considering that it's my job to ensure that the 3000+ kids in the school district where I work are fed school meals that are delicious AND nutritious...<br />
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Just about a week ago, I was on vacation in Florida. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, everything was green and lush. <br />
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It was a school break week for us, and it was so great to "get out of dodge" after being slammed with over 50 inches of snow in just 10 days. I have to admit, I didn't want to come home. I didn't want to go back to work. Coming home to several feet of snow on the ground was hard.... going back to work seemed even harder. Not that I don't love my job! I LOVE my job and I'm incredibly passionate about feeding children. Still... the winter doldrums had set in. Suddenly though, I remembered that March was just around the corner. Not only does March bring the promise of spring (even though the wind chill is currently 20 below as I type this), but our biggest school nutrition promotion of the year happens in March, and it lasts the entire month. I had something to look forward to! <br />
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For years now, we celebrate National Nutrition Month by "Eating Our Way through the Alphabet". The inspiration for our "Eat Your Way through the Alphabet" came from a book by Lois Ehlers that I liked to read to my daughter when she was little. <br />
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This beautifully illustrated book lists fruits & vegetables, A - Z, and I was inspired to plan a month on our school menus where we highlighted an A - Z array of fruits and veggies as a way to expose kids to a wide variety of healthy foods. The month of March seemed to be the most appropriate month for this month long promotion, as March is also National Nutrition Month. <br />
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Coming back from my Florida vacation, I didn't have much time to wallow in my post-vacation pity party. I had a month of fun fruits & veggies to plan, procure and promote! Starting on March 1, our menu featured Arugula, Asparagus, Apples and Applesauce. <span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "san francisco" , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"> </span><br />
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By March 2, we were not only Eating Our Way through the Alphabet, but we were also celebrating Read Across America Day, and Dr. Seuss's Birthday. Our B menu featured Truffula Trees Broccoli, Bar-ba-loots Baked Beans, Birthday Blueberry Parfaits and Bananas.<br />
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Our A-Z fruits & veggies are promoted on the menu, on our digital signage, on posters, as well as through our social media channels - Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It may take kids a few days to catch on, but by the second week, they are all beginning to wonder... what will the E fruit or vegetable be? (Edamame) How about F? (Fear Factor Taste Test: Fresh Fennel) . Throughout the month, kids will have an opportunity to sample some new foods such as jicama, kale, napa cabbage, quinoa, and zucchini, as well as some old favorites, such as grapes, strawberries and sweet potatoes. We know we've got a winner of an idea when parents stand up at school board meetings, thanking us for introducing their kids to a new food. Often, the students go home talking about what they had at lunch, and then, because the kids have already eaten the food, parents feel more comfortable purchasing & serving that food at home.</div>
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Recently someone asked me what our School Nutrition Program is all about.... what 3 things encapsulated our mission. I replied that we weigh everything by these 3 statements: </div>
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<b>1. We want to feed students delicious & nutritious food so that they are healthy & ready to learn.</b></div>
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<b>2. We want the students to be excited and engaged in eating healthy, delicious food.</b></div>
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<b>3. We want to inspire children and their families to eat healthy, nutritious food at school AND at home.</b></div>
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Reflecting back on my "3 statements", I realized that this was why our "Eat Your Way through the Alphabet" promotion is our most successful promotion of the school year. With this month long event, we are feeding kids healthy & delicious food. We are getting them excited about trying new foods, by offering them on the menu, throughout the month, in a fun environment. Finally, we are inspiring families to try new foods at home, by exposing children to new foods in the cafeteria environment and by posting recipes on our menus and online. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhALmISPgWgiYwFZO8abNo5iBHmntL_X0ZHR-Iz78yAtG_g_D_64cQBnbmuWP0l54Qw4vv-ZxDR-1XoeBuOibNMwcyPXDFpppgIUTN9V0NAcvSAB6zfc1dU1rSEDv6e3RxsfsqEbr2WGS/s1600/IMG_1980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhALmISPgWgiYwFZO8abNo5iBHmntL_X0ZHR-Iz78yAtG_g_D_64cQBnbmuWP0l54Qw4vv-ZxDR-1XoeBuOibNMwcyPXDFpppgIUTN9V0NAcvSAB6zfc1dU1rSEDv6e3RxsfsqEbr2WGS/s200/IMG_1980.JPG" width="150" /></a>We are heading into our second week of "Eat Your Way through the Alphabet", and I'm excited! Edamame, Fennel, Grapes, Hummus & Honey Dew... It's a great way to focus on nutrition throughout National Nutrition Month. Last week, at our afternoon cooking club (not part of our Eat Your Way through the Alphabet promotion), Chef Sam brought out some star fruit that the kids were going to be preparing. One little boy commented, "Is that Star Fruit? I have always wanted to taste Star Fruit, but never had the chance!" </div>
Well, Star Fruit has a new fan! He gave the fruit a thumbs up! I wonder, by the end of March, how many other new fruits & vegetables he will give a thumbs up to? We believe that Healthy Food Fuels Hungry Minds, and that we are Feeding the Future. Happy National Nutrition Month!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-63992971714176788862017-01-29T14:07:00.003-08:002017-01-29T14:51:36.823-08:00This is not your father's (or your mother's) school lunch...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday morning, I was listening to the news, and the meteorologist was talking about a recent visit to a local school to talk & teach about all things weather related. As Mr. Weather Dude bantered with the news anchors about the event, he commented on how amazing the school smelled because in the cafeteria, they were baking apple crisp for the school lunch menu. This led to a conversation about school meals, past & present. Finally, Mr. Weather Dude commented: "Kids today have it made!". Quickly, I tweeted to Mr. Weather Dude, thanking him for his inadvertent shout out to school meals. He's right! When it comes to school meals, kids today do have it made!<br />
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I wonder though... how many people were listening... and how many people really got what he was talking about.<br />
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We've been brainstorming about this a lot lately. School meals do not look... or taste... like they did in the past: School meals have changed DRAMATICALLY over the past 10, 20, 30, 40 years. But, when parents consider whether to send a lunch with their child or whether their child will get school lunch, the parent's frame of reference for school lunch is often what the parent experienced for school lunch when they were in school. Or how they have seen school lunch portrayed on television or in the media.</div>
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If you were eating school meals back in the 60's, school meals at your school might have looked a little like this:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">school lunch in 1966<br />
photo credit Bon Appetit Magazine</td></tr>
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or in the 70's/early 80's, it may have looked a little more like this:<br />
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If parent's idea of school lunch has been framed by the media - tv & movies... or even worse, viral pictures that they may have been posted on social media, their idea of school meals may look more like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7RXfDD2iL_-WOq-ttPVfUQMCPor2ApxXun_vkga1IND5HpjJ7mf31b4xujfrv8l67yhQmbngkVoyk8ihu2xyugx5AgedxqMvImG5cQcDE0BdaTShDwKGa1uFu7wJVL2l5a0A1McrjUv4/s1600/screenshot.2015-02-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7RXfDD2iL_-WOq-ttPVfUQMCPor2ApxXun_vkga1IND5HpjJ7mf31b4xujfrv8l67yhQmbngkVoyk8ihu2xyugx5AgedxqMvImG5cQcDE0BdaTShDwKGa1uFu7wJVL2l5a0A1McrjUv4/s200/screenshot.2015-02-24.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPxC-V3EAwJOBzJ-fLpbKEkZZmT7_QOe8c8lBLwYT4viSEt_YftToPtUOF0JLhIDCLbZQwxsN7rqeRltpgBgNK_AIUg6n7EusNtx2rB-7zaYH3tZUilxTMl15ivs9oB0K0BMPGnTJiMG3/s1600/these_school_lunches_look_like_prison_food_640_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPxC-V3EAwJOBzJ-fLpbKEkZZmT7_QOe8c8lBLwYT4viSEt_YftToPtUOF0JLhIDCLbZQwxsN7rqeRltpgBgNK_AIUg6n7EusNtx2rB-7zaYH3tZUilxTMl15ivs9oB0K0BMPGnTJiMG3/s200/these_school_lunches_look_like_prison_food_640_01.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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These photos were widely distributed over social media as "examples" of how terrible school lunches had become over the years. Whether these photos were true examples or not, we may never know. But, here is my point: School Meals shouldn't be judges by past experience. And here's why: School Meals have changed drastically over the past 5 or 10 years. Initiatives such as Farm to School, Chefs Move to School and the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 have made a huge impact on the freshness and quality of the meals. So, when considering school meals, visit your school's cafeteria! Ask if you can eat a school meal with your child, or visit the school nutrition program's website or Facebook page. I bet you will be pleasantly surprised by what you find. Here are some photos of school meals from our own district:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quesadilla lunch in RSU #14</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panini & Vegetable Quinoa Soup<br />Chicken Pot Pie with Whole Grain Biscuits</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">These are just a few examples from our district, but for more, head on over to our Facebook Page at Windham Raymond School Nutrition Program. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Its not just us though! Across the country, schools are stepping up to the plate, serving fresh, delicious, restaurant quality food that meets the USDA guidelines. Here are a couple more examples from York Schools in southern Maine. </span></div>
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School Meals that Rock on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter, is a great place to check out what is happening in school cafeterias across the country, and if you are a school nutrition professional, it is also a fantastic place to get inspired! </div>
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There is one other thing about school meals that does not get talked about very often. Frequently, the lunches that students bring from home (brown bag lunches) are nowhere near as nutritionally complete as a school lunch provided by the school cafeteria. A study by Tufts University, and published online in the<span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2b2d; font-family: "georgia" , "arial" , "verdana" , "sans"; font-size: 15px;"> </span><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212267214005516" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans; font-size: 15px; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics</em></a> found that only 11% of lunches from home included a vegetable, only 17% contained a dairy product, and while many student had water packed for their beverage, a significant number had a sugar sweetened beverage packed for the drink. It is not uncommon for us to see a child in the cafeteria with a package of some sort of crackers and a drink as his or her entlunch. </div>
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School lunches provide BOTH fruit & vegetable choices, as well as protein, whole grains and milk. They are power packed with nutritious foods and a great value every single day! <br />
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I urge you to check out your school's school nutrition program. Perhaps they have an online presence on social media, or a website you can visit. Perhaps you can stop by for lunch with your child, though I recommend calling first so that the cafeteria is sure to have enough food. No matter what you do... it's time to give school meals a second look! You'll be happy that you did! Check out this great video, made by the School Nutrition Association:<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-87278661108132972182017-01-24T09:03:00.001-08:002017-01-25T04:16:43.431-08:00R-E-S-P-E-C-TAm I the only one that always, without fail, starts singing Aretha Franklin when I think about respect? The queen of soul sure knows how to command some respect... "<span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "arial" , sans-serif;">All I'm askin'</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "arial" , sans-serif;">Is for a little respect... just a little bit, just a little bit".</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: , "arial" , sans-serif;">The issue of respect came up this past week, and I starting thinking about ALL that school nutrition professionals do behind the scenes to support the education learning environment. </span><span style="background-color: white;">First and foremost, we ensure that students are well fed, well nourished. It's what we are called to do - its as simple as that. Or... is it simple at all? </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: , "arial" , sans-serif;">Food is a funny thing. Everyone has to eat food. Therefore, everyone thinks that they are an expert on food. Everyone has an opinion on what is good, what is healthy. Not a day goes by without a headline or article about some food related issue. You've seen the fads and the headlines. I don't need to reiterate them here- gluten, dairy, protein, carbs, fat, no fat, ... the list goes on and on. And while everyone is an expert at "the food they LIKE to eat", not many people are REAL experts at feeding kids - lots of kids, hundreds or thousands, all at one time - nutritious food. For that expertise... we look to the school nutrition professional.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: , "arial" , sans-serif;">Here's what happened this week that got me going on this. A new child nutrition manager in my district was concerned that the number of students who had signed up to eat school lunch on a certain day was significantly low, and so she ventured up to the school office to inquire if there was a major flu epidemic or a field trip that we were unaware of. The administrative support personnel in the office informed our manager that no... there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. But, perhaps it could be what was on the menu. Our manager replied that the menu was a favorite, BBQ Chicken, to which the administrative support person rolled her eyes and replied something like, "well there's your answer", as if it was the worst menu ever. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />I'll just stop right here for a second to tell you that our BBQ Chicken Drumsticks are amazing! Rubbed with a signature spice rub, then slow roasted in the oven, and brushed with bbq sauce at the end. Students love them, staff love them... they taste and smell delicious. Sometimes, before a student has enjoyed this meal... they are UNAWARE that you can eat chicken that still has the bones in it! We feel good serving this meal - it is #realschoolfood. Whole food, cooked on site, and served with delicious sweet potato fries, a school baked whole wheat roll, assorted fruits & veggies and milk. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: , "arial" , sans-serif;">This upsets me... and the school nutrition staff because we have worked so hard to change the school nutrition environment. It wasn't so long ago that our school nutrition operation was mainly freezer to oven. Due to changing regulations, combined with a desire to serve more local foods and more whole foods, we have transitioned to a place where the majority of our menu is made from scratch, often using local ingredients, as available. This has required incredible training and dedication on the part of our staff. You will not find a more enthusiastic, dedicated group of school nutrition professionals. They have embraced the change... the journey, as we have dedicated ourselves to serving school meals that meet the USDA Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 guidelines, while at the same time focusing on #wholefood and #local food. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: , "arial" , sans-serif;">Do we disparage the education professionals for their teaching methods or for their choice of curriculum? Of course we do not! We are not educational professionals! We are not educated in what the best way to teach reading... or writing ... or math. We leave that to the teaching professionals in our district. And we respect them for what they do! And all we are asking... "is for a little respect... just a little bit". We are tired of the emails and snide comments about the menu, like the comment I received last winter when we had our Super Bowl Fun Friday Breakfast: "whose BIG idea was it to put a DONUT on the menu this morning?".</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: , "arial" , sans-serif;">The week ended on a better note... as I sat before my administrators discussing next year's budget, and telling them about all of our successes, as well as our challenges, one of the administrators said, "School Meals are integral to the Learning Environment. We have to support them!" </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: , "arial" , sans-serif;">Wow, I thought! Thank you! All we are asking, is for a little respect... just a little bit! The time, dedication and effort it takes to feed thousands nutritious meals to the students in our district (state, country) cannot be minimized! As my friend Dayle Hayes, of School Meals that Rock says, School Meals Improve Learning Environments. Its almost like our administrator had the good fortune of sitting in on one of Dayle's excellent educational sessions. Maybe he has... either way - he's got the message!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S-M-I-L-E<br />School Meals Improve Learning Environments<br />from School Meals that Rock</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: , "arial" , sans-serif;">Children come to school hungry - without food in their bellies, without a lunch in their backpack - every single day. Hungry children cannot focus on their school work. And so, as my administrator said, school meals are an integral part of the learning environment. We are feeding the future!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: , "arial" , sans-serif;">Let's all just respect each other for amazing work that we do. Teachers, school nutrition professionals, technology specialists, custodians & maintenance professionals, ed techs & paraprofessionals - together we can accomplish amazing things. All we are asking, is for a little respect... just a little bit. Just a little bit!</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-32007485961364439652016-09-18T12:45:00.000-07:002016-09-18T14:15:18.036-07:00Chefs help to Change the Scene of School Nutrition(... an update from a previous post..)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Three years ago, our district made the very strategic decision to hire a chef as part of our school nutrition department’s management team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the time, we were knee deep into implementing the nutrition guidelines of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), intent on serving the children in our district the healthiest meals possible and striving to maintain our customer base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our strategy & goals were for our chef to help us manage these ever changing AND challenging guidelines. Our plan was to have our chef assist us with recipe & menu development, nutrient analysis, educating and supporting staff to develop culinary skills and techniques, increasing local foods in our school cafeterias, and increasing interest and excitement at the school level by regularly cooking in our school kitchens at “not guest” Chef events.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chef Samantha Cowens-Gasbarro<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I look back at the past 3 years, I am continually amazed at what a fantastic decision adding a chef to our team was! I firmly believe that this was one of the best decisions Windham Raymond School Nutrition program has ever made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At a critical time, when so many school nutrition programs have battled public perception and experienced decreasing participation, our program has thrived and even grown. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the past several years, breakfast and lunch participation has been increasing at all grade levels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a frequent occurrence for parents to email us for recipes or comment that they wish THEY had so many great choices for lunch everyday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Why a chef??<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: large;">A 2015 study by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has shown that "chef enhanced school meals increase healthy food consumption."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/chef-enhanced-school-meals-increase-healthy-food-consumption/">http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/chef-enhanced-school-meals-increase-healthy-food-consumption/</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The study shows evidence that while hosting Guest Chef events at schools can add excitement and lend positive public relations to school nutrition programs<span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">, having a chef <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><b>on staff</b></i> who tests and develops recipes and trains & supports school nutrition staff</span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: "georgia";"> </span><span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">results in children learning to like AND enjoy healthy whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.</span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: "georgia";"> </span><span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">The study showed that hiring a chef who works with district school nutrition personnel improved the quality, flavor and palatability of the food, and not only decreases plate waste, but increases school meal participation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">While our district was not part of this study, it could have been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The research and outcomes have been mirrored in our district, since hiring our chef, Chef Samantha Cowens-Gasbarro as part of our School Nutrition team. Chef Sam's culinary expertise has not only significantly impacted our staff's training level, acceptance of our menus and our participation but her presence & influence as part of our school nutrition team has encouraged students to embrace nutritious & healthy choices. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbi2fYHoqTO-IwAnnnXiSFTkV4uk-uy9aO5fhu_PmLhAC_38rR3AnsIOsUSUfFrGThvHcMRUIAOODKoeqRGTw3ZwIQbvCACaeB2EUJ04unTvV5q9JUCXV9N_J9MbSCBK5FQ_GkIHmy3q_h/s1600/IMG_3505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Chef Sam’s duties include </span>developing and taste testing new </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lX6_ROzN_AWNsSTxWAehb7evEbReYm5j25hP2weNn5gCFi8Q5_iCiOUJauatTU2YB2eV-eD0vzilyJWNSkxfKP1TDdFkMfGrFvi4XXXZgmwnC3IG5ZV5ki4byAWzI78isaLdgTpfwnQw/s1600/IMG_6679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lX6_ROzN_AWNsSTxWAehb7evEbReYm5j25hP2weNn5gCFi8Q5_iCiOUJauatTU2YB2eV-eD0vzilyJWNSkxfKP1TDdFkMfGrFvi4XXXZgmwnC3IG5ZV5ki4byAWzI78isaLdgTpfwnQw/s320/IMG_6679.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">recipes & foods, training and supporting staff as we increase “from scratch” cooking, adapting existing recipes to meet current USDA guidelines while maintaining palatability, and consistent culinary skill building with staff to increase productivity, efficiency and safety in the kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chef Sam frequently works in the school kitchens, alongside school nutrition staff, making delicious and healthy meals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> This school year, we have been rolling out several new & exciting menu items, as well as working with our own signature herb & spice blends to decrease sodium in our recipes. Across the board, the students are responding with rave reviews!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">happy customers @ Windham High School</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chef Sam is a frequent visitor in classes, weaving good nutrition & healthy eating into our district's curriculum. In class, students get to cook recipes such as curried carrot soup & carrot muffins made with school grown carrots. They also get to taste test recipes & </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbDE2YjXQlBaXxeHsewl8_X03oHZhqI6a67pF-Js8KaCuthsWcNT4TjLn1HzxWmyOIYpTuRYhD_RX2Wzgzn-5VrRHM3eies-ePvDBW_sBNCMCi3KnMHReMK_eZwwOISnN26HQXy8BlzOm/s1600/DSC_5171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbDE2YjXQlBaXxeHsewl8_X03oHZhqI6a67pF-Js8KaCuthsWcNT4TjLn1HzxWmyOIYpTuRYhD_RX2Wzgzn-5VrRHM3eies-ePvDBW_sBNCMCi3KnMHReMK_eZwwOISnN26HQXy8BlzOm/s320/DSC_5171.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">name them fun creative names for future menus. Lessons include learning to read nutrition labels & introduction to new, healthy foods. After school cooking classes also help to teach students more about healthy cooking and eating, as well as serve as a bridge to our districts families, as we send home samples and recipes and we get to meet parents during pick up time after class. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chefs are practically celebrities these days, with so many cooking shows on television and in the media, and school chefs are no exception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is incredible excitement when Chef Sam is in the kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Her delicious & nutritious health centered approach to cooking & eating inspires our menus, inspires our students and inspires us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any school district looking to build participation, credibility, excitement and enthusiasm for the school nutrition program should consider adding a chef to their team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When chefs become part of a school nutrition team, the results are increased school meal enthusiasm, increased participation, decreased plate waste, and most importantly, increased consumption of healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains in children. </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Fresh & Local - Lasagna made with fresh pasta</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Adding a chef to our School Nutrition team has been a practical, sustainable way to embrace the Chefs Move to Schools movement. Chef Sam has been an integral part of the growth of our School Nutrition Program. Our school nutrition team has passion & commitment to serving children the healthiest, most delicious & nutritious meals, and having a chef on staff has infused our team with fresh vision for the future of School Nutrition.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-14189325919493273052016-03-08T18:23:00.001-08:002016-03-09T08:44:16.043-08:00National School Breakfast Week<span style="font-size: large;">It's National School Breakfast Week, a celebration of schools that participate in the National School Breakfast Program, and an opportunity for schools across the country to promote the benefits of a healthy school breakfast. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We all grew up hearing that familiar phrase, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day". It seems that our grandparents and parents drilled it into our brains... and in fact, studies show that 93% of Americans would concur that breakfast <i>is </i>the most important meal of the day. Starting the day with a nutritious breakfast puts fuel in the tank, jump starts your metabolism and gives the brain the energy it needs to do the important work of the day. And yet, only 44% of Americans report starting their day with breakfast on a <span style="background-color: white;">regular </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">basis. With that ground work already in place, with more than half of all Americans routinely skipping breakfast, our challenge with School Breakfast is to teach our youth a better way. We want to make a healthy breakfast an absolute "must do" part of the day. Setting aside a week to celebrate the National School Breakfast program gives us an opportunity to get the word out. All across the country this week, School Nutrition Directors and nutrition advocates</span> are getting the message out: on television talk shows, social media, articles in the news. The story is this: School Breakfast Changes Lives!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are some fast facts about School Breakfast: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">1. Students who eat breakfast have better attention and memory.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">2. Students who eat school breakfast attend, on average, 1.5 more days
of school per year and score 17.5% higher on standardized math tests.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">3. The School Breakfast Program
significantly improves the cognitive
abilities and learning capacities of children.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">4. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Students who participate in school breakfast show improved
attendance, behavior, standardized
achievement test scores, and
decreased tardiness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">These are just a few of the benefits of School Breakfast, and yet, statistics show that only 1/2 of the students that are eligible to eat breakfast at school <i><b>for free or at very low cost</b></i> do so on a regular basis. The data is the same in my own district, where, even though we have had a 95% increase in breakfast participation over the past 5 years, we are still only serving breakfast to approximately 50% of our students who qualify for free and reduced price meals, and just 30% of our students overall. We have seen growth, thank goodness! But what about the students that are still not accessing breakfast at school? Are they eating breakfast at home? Did they have time? Was there adequate food in the home to ensure that the breakfast was well balanced?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In our district, we have experienced many school breakfast successes over the past 5 years, leading to our 95% increase in breakfast participation (admittedly, our participation prior was so low that we were at risk of canceling our school breakfast program altogether). However, we have also experiences our fair share of challenges. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Successes have come slowly and gradually. Changing and improving the menu, gaining the trust of parents and caregivers ("if I send my child to school without breakfast, will they<em><strong> really</strong></em> have an opportunity to eat?"), hosting fun, themed events to encourage our customers to attend (such as our monthly Fun Friday Breakfasts), keeping on trend with menu options. It has taken 5 years and a team of incredibly dedicated staff who will make 800 "Olaf" String Cheese Snowman when asked. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At our middle schools, the school nutrition staff have altered their morning schedules and routines, in order meet the needs of their teenage customers. At this grade level, we offer grab & go breakfast carts in the hallways, and First Class Room Service Breakfast Carts, during the first period homeroom time. Encouraging teens to eat breakfast is always a challenge, and it requires a menu that is "on trend" and timing that suits their appetites. It's essential that teaching staff be "on board", and that they understand the long term benefits of school breakfast. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Flexibility is key: flexibility of all the stakeholders. Custodial staff, transportation staff, school nutrition staff, teachers, administration - all must be willing to collaborate. The end result is well fed students who are ready to learn and succeed in school. If students are hungry, their focus will be on their stomachs, they won't feel well, won't be able to concentrate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Challenges remain lurking around every corner, making it necessary to always be flexible, always willing to change course, change directions. A change in administration can change scheduling, which in turn can adversely affect breakfast service. Teaching staff & administration are always looking to fill every minute with necessary instructional time. Collaboration is key. Changes in regulations send us back to the kitchen for recipe development and product procurement. Labor and budgetary cut backs can also adversely impact a school breakfast program. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Creativity, collaboration, flexibility and willingness to change - these are the steps we will continue to take until we are reaching </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">all </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">the hungry children, ensuring that they start their mornings well fed and ready to learn. We've come a long way... we have a long way to go. 50% of our students who are experiencing food insecurity are not eating breakfast at school. We need to reach them, we need to feed them. They are our future. We are feeding the future. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZXfaH3bGd_kOLLIYb2kRtM3eVdH8GfkLK4NhmcSpymNAnEahripjopBph-AjzzL2eA9uuXP7Iyskj0JnQF697Ue4FF9-pU_SWqFUGEhyphenhyphen4iBOu1rdM0eFMM2cieQuLttXN4yNPm0Hgd_x/s1600/bfastwinniethepooh.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZXfaH3bGd_kOLLIYb2kRtM3eVdH8GfkLK4NhmcSpymNAnEahripjopBph-AjzzL2eA9uuXP7Iyskj0JnQF697Ue4FF9-pU_SWqFUGEhyphenhyphen4iBOu1rdM0eFMM2cieQuLttXN4yNPm0Hgd_x/s400/bfastwinniethepooh.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast wisdom from A. A. Milne</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-14655636698017899832016-02-16T04:22:00.003-08:002016-03-13T12:20:06.123-07:00A Recipe for Success<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 6px;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDPkn7QVUZCZcdN2eDCZLZYM0OAvtVC_qLJc_rKQMrxXvjPRxOYw43ALEavZITTRMetC-eBFsUZumK1lYBku727pQ7k-QPZVuelTsZE0-uddcu1O3hvaphP-AD6KkK8aP4WZXviOsoAGm/s1600/9501904497_5dff05cf50_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDPkn7QVUZCZcdN2eDCZLZYM0OAvtVC_qLJc_rKQMrxXvjPRxOYw43ALEavZITTRMetC-eBFsUZumK1lYBku727pQ7k-QPZVuelTsZE0-uddcu1O3hvaphP-AD6KkK8aP4WZXviOsoAGm/s320/9501904497_5dff05cf50_o.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USDA Poster for Healthy School Meals</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In preparation for an upcoming trip to Washington DC, I've been thinking about reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, and the wild ride that ensued after we embarked with the changes set forth by the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm often asked about why following these guidelines has been successful in our district, while other districts have struggled. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I do have some thoughts regarding our "formula" for success. I h<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">ave boiled down my thoughts into what I call the 5 C's:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. <b>Culture</b>: It is really necessary to pay attention to the culture of the area, the culture of your schools, current market trends & market demographics. What I mean by this is... know your market. For some districts in the south, finding whole grain grits was a major issue. Our northern students wouldn't know what to do if we served them grits, not being familiar with that particular food item. We faced other challenges, including procurement: finding acceptable whole grain tortillas for wraps, consistent availability of all whole grain items from our distributers, etc. But, paying attention to the culture means knowing what the kids in your geographical area like to eat & are used to eating, and finding ways to offer similar fare within your own eating establishment and within the USDA guidelines By giving your customers what they want AND following the guidelines, you will achieve success. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. <b>Collaborate</b>: Collaboration is key to the success - Collaboration with administration, parents, staff and students. Building bridges with families, and gaining support from district administrators fosters a culture that welcomes the positive results that change brings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Having the necessary support from your district's administrators is essential, but even more important is building bridges and getting "buy in" from the customers - students and parents. Our district's after school "cooking club" is a wonderful way to foster the relationship between the school nutrition program and families. Families get to meet school nutrition personnel, taste actual recipes that are being made and served in the cafeteria. Taste testing and/or cooking in the classroom with students is also a great way to introduce </span></span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">students to new foods, new recipes and menu items. Allowing the students the opportunity to name the recipe takes this collaboration one step further.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h78xC-oXLnPVphwgHAZLfQEjQsv-yB6YYxc69fPD55eMiOAymd77jZcVlf7bq5CmOGKG3HGHKCSAW5puTw41thBNyj0m7iaX5Qjl5T_utx6Tdg1k0NV5THPhWcWE8JePP6DZN9LAsM0C/s1600/IMG_5848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h78xC-oXLnPVphwgHAZLfQEjQsv-yB6YYxc69fPD55eMiOAymd77jZcVlf7bq5CmOGKG3HGHKCSAW5puTw41thBNyj0m7iaX5Qjl5T_utx6Tdg1k0NV5THPhWcWE8JePP6DZN9LAsM0C/s320/IMG_5848.JPG" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">happy students at "cooking club" sampling<br />
healthy banana chocolate chip cookies</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. <b>Creativity</b>: Creativity helps to keep the changes fresh and new, allowing our customers to stay interested & engaged. Adding creative touches to menus, cafeteria environment and by featuring theme menus, market trends and other innovations creates excitement and generates increased meal participation.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In our district, monthly "Fun Friday Breakfasts" have had a positive impact on breakfast participation at our elementary schools. We have seen a sustained 30% growth in our breakfast average daily participation by hosting a once a month themed breakfast. Popular themes include sports themes (think: Super Bowl) and "Frozen" theme, featuring "Olaf" string cheese and hot cocoa muffins. We have even had an "Angry Bird" Fun Friday Breakfast and a "Fruit Ninja" themed breakfast. Keep it fun - they will keep coming :-)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUtl3DoFmQZ9cyEEvZ_YddoldeAGDrrRE8QUygb2BQ0mC97FdiRgtZTSKNSYlrMeOdQPrVHMgydd5nMtwKp8p5pB_H7JAO75IbbYaBJNpxd-bBzosHXblBFpCheSSiCb-o4OJ11naIzTI/s1600/10171043_686973591344640_660258335894384239_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUtl3DoFmQZ9cyEEvZ_YddoldeAGDrrRE8QUygb2BQ0mC97FdiRgtZTSKNSYlrMeOdQPrVHMgydd5nMtwKp8p5pB_H7JAO75IbbYaBJNpxd-bBzosHXblBFpCheSSiCb-o4OJ11naIzTI/s320/10171043_686973591344640_660258335894384239_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wear your "Angry Bird" gear to the <br />
"Angry Bird" Fun Friday Breakfast!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Need ideas to boost your school nutrition program's creativity level? One good place to start is by following School Meals that Rock on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & of course on Pinterest. There, you will find inspiration from school breakfast and lunch programs from all around the country. Here are a couple of great links to follow:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SchoolMealsThatRock/">https://www.facebook.com/SchoolMealsThatRock/</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/schoolmealsrock/">https://www.pinterest.com/schoolmealsrock/</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">4. </span><b style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Communication</span></b><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">: We have found that communicating has been essential throughout the change process. Communication = Marketing, and through marketing we have kept our customers & their families informed. Marketing can be done on menus, emails, newsletters, websites, and via social media sites. Families want to know how hard we are striving to provide healthy, nutritious meals.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Social media has become a powerful tool for us. Offering photographic documentation of our menu items and events lends credibility. Growing fresh produce in your school garden? Post a photo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and/or Snapchat. Are students excited about school meals? Post a photo (make sure you have the proper release, of course) of happy students enjoying their school meals. Families want to know & trust that their kids are being fed delicious, healthy meals. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">5. <b>Constantly Changing:</b> We are constantly changing and always adapting - as we tweak recipes, adjust menus, re-organizing work strategies and procure new product. It is a lot of work, but extremely rewarding - when you receive a simple <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/valentine?source=feed_text&story_id=518129931693227" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Valentine</span></a> from a student or a note from a parent thanking you for introducing a child to many new foods... it makes all of the work absolutely worth it.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-2831618616118970512016-02-08T17:21:00.000-08:002016-02-08T17:21:06.369-08:00Do you like my hat?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpNOgwoj5gh5fZpkns_isfC9KjEDbjxjG0wDpflCQSAqRWqIndMwyUy8Qj06ndlSC1d04-_c4iq41q6cZ5VoZ4DWmtaJfJbYK1q1DX5v8MdGCVD0lFoBAY_V4cQ4NhbOwE6UAs7c8vpbH/s1600/go-dog-go-hat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpNOgwoj5gh5fZpkns_isfC9KjEDbjxjG0wDpflCQSAqRWqIndMwyUy8Qj06ndlSC1d04-_c4iq41q6cZ5VoZ4DWmtaJfJbYK1q1DX5v8MdGCVD0lFoBAY_V4cQ4NhbOwE6UAs7c8vpbH/s1600/go-dog-go-hat.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an illustration from "<i>Go Dog Go</i>"</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My 2 year old granddaughter is obsessed with the children's book, "<i>Go Dog Go</i>". Throughout the book, two dogs regularly meet up and ask each other "Do you like my hat?". In the book, the answer to that question is consistently "No", until the very end of the book when one of the dogs is wearing an elaborate party hat with many objects being balanced from the hat. Finally, the answer is in the affirmative. "Yes, I do like your hat! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Reading this book, over and over and over, as one tends to do with 2 year olds got me thinking about hats...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Being a School Nutrition Director is a little like the dog at the end of the book. She is balancing so many items on her fancy party hat, that it is a wonder that she doesn't fall off of the precarious ladder that she is climbing on. I often feel that way... balancing all that I do is a little like climbing up a wobbly ladder, trying to keep everything in balance at the same time. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfGmss0yy1utbHpBfDSuCIFd1IoCrGHQx_s6vx5XJl-Y84agsd2Lds9U76bk9rGzl376cUpPdEm6CskXJDXN2AHTwkRT4JGE5GbOpStwjrwYbPxnpsteMIYWr-xS26KnouKhlztd5NiIh/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfGmss0yy1utbHpBfDSuCIFd1IoCrGHQx_s6vx5XJl-Y84agsd2Lds9U76bk9rGzl376cUpPdEm6CskXJDXN2AHTwkRT4JGE5GbOpStwjrwYbPxnpsteMIYWr-xS26KnouKhlztd5NiIh/s200/images.jpeg" title="" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Private Eye at your Service</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Recently, I returned from being out of the district at a state conference for 2 days. As soon as I got back, my staff had me digging and researching some recent Point of Sale transactions to see if I could find out where an error had occurred. So, I donned my "Sherlock Holmes" hat, and scrutinized the "books" for the morning as I tried to decipher where the errors were. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the time, we joked a little about how many different hats a school nutrition director must wear. Private eye was the top of the list. But as I worked at solving the financial mysteries that had occurred in my absence , accountant also topped the list. The accountant hat is never far away, as we always seem to be crunching numbers... not only participation numbers, but also the numbers of our financial picture. Are students paying? How much is our federal reimbursement this year? If we order milk from this company vs. that milk company,</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_gRd8FC9ppyVIRraTTLOkHokOESoQIcKfui-uo6kQBtl3wt_id-qOHiy58MQkzileM6vG6CeOmMKwNiVmpg-2UuTxIz7I_uwQhDzsqUB60P8aiu2GrOhgLjJbIEqU1RNFVrBFKOv_KsD/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_gRd8FC9ppyVIRraTTLOkHokOESoQIcKfui-uo6kQBtl3wt_id-qOHiy58MQkzileM6vG6CeOmMKwNiVmpg-2UuTxIz7I_uwQhDzsqUB60P8aiu2GrOhgLjJbIEqU1RNFVrBFKOv_KsD/s320/Unknown.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">can we save a cent or two per carton? On</span><span style="font-size: large;">e cent really adds up when you are purchasing hundreds of thousands cartons of milk each year. </span><span style="font-size: large;">What price should we charge for student meals this year, and how does the Paid Lunch Equity tool fit in? Indeed, our accountant hat (and our pencils) are never set aside for very long. It seems to be the most important balancing act of all.... making sure that we are managing our expenses, all the while ensuring that we are attracting new customers and encouraging our paying customers to pay their balances due. </span> <span style="font-size: large;"> Keeping all the finances balanced can be exhausting and overwhelming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of overwhelming... working in school nutrition can sometimes be as overwhelming as it is rewarding. Managing inventory, staff, meal counts, the changing guidelines & regulations is enough at times to drive you ( and your employees) crazy! Which is why at times, a school nutrition director needs to don a "therapist's hat". </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpiYFTRxlDRePxaSzFaNII9IPGpxrnPcFYrc2HcNN4hQOXj1L7lWwVjrnAJJ_1WyQB1LdymrVIrBKpCFw9ftg_auVpw-nm9rtLz3WFCMKDXO-GcGR4qAroLSv3d3hGUf1XdHclmvjaqG56/s1600/4102645583_6aec059950_o-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpiYFTRxlDRePxaSzFaNII9IPGpxrnPcFYrc2HcNN4hQOXj1L7lWwVjrnAJJ_1WyQB1LdymrVIrBKpCFw9ftg_auVpw-nm9rtLz3WFCMKDXO-GcGR4qAroLSv3d3hGUf1XdHclmvjaqG56/s320/4102645583_6aec059950_o-1.jpg" width="214" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">School nutrition employees are nurturers. We love to make sure that the needs of children are being met, and feeding them healthy food is how we strive to do that. But being a nurturer can sometimes lead to exhaustion. Add to the equation the stresses from home... and a school nutrition director often finds that they are offering support to staff as they sort out problems and issues that extend well beyond the school cafeteria. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And we can't forget some of the most obvious hats that we wear. The chef hat is one that we must frequently wear, in order to make sure that our meals look and taste good.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our district is very fortunate to have a full time chef on staff, and she travels throughout the district, from kitchen to kitchen, not only tasting and testing our recipes, but training our staff to do the same: making sure that our menus look and taste appealing every single day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, balancing the nutrition guidelines is extremely essential, and so a dietitian's "hat" (hairnet?) is a necessity! With the crazy pace that the federal school nutrition guidelines have been changing, it seems that we are always manipulating the sudoku puzzle of red/orange vegetables, leafy greens, legumes, whole grains & grain equivalents, meat/meat alternate, calories, fat, protein, calcium... on and on it goes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Marketing is another absolutely important "hat". Marketing can prove very challenging for school nutrition directors, especially when they are already juggling so many other hats! But without </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIwJL0hEfS3zWNimhcSsQqMTPsitSy-uFE_gQSyUUfq0AzDmzlLIFSYsxb9pDcYv9DI73I9jLAKpMjlAzVcpD53E0UzZqD-0AXRWePpnCTSfovUJUGIOoOLyEms5tptC7bRJnRGM55O4E/s1600/images-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIwJL0hEfS3zWNimhcSsQqMTPsitSy-uFE_gQSyUUfq0AzDmzlLIFSYsxb9pDcYv9DI73I9jLAKpMjlAzVcpD53E0UzZqD-0AXRWePpnCTSfovUJUGIOoOLyEms5tptC7bRJnRGM55O4E/s1600/images-2.jpeg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">marketing, our message and our product may get lost in the busy-ness of everyday life. Getting our message heard, sharing the news about all that is wonderful, delicious and exciting about school meals is key to maintaining and growing participation in our program. Marketing school meals can take on many forms, from the "old school" printed menus that are sent home, to blast emails home and websites. Others are using messages on digital screens and marketing via social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other sites in the constantly changing world of social media and the world wide web. Blogging and vlogging (video blogging) are also creative marketing ideas to consider. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wearing so many different hats can be exhausting, but it is also extremely rewarding and exciting. It is certainly never boring! And so, I will end this where I started it... back to <i>"Go Dog, Go". </i>Do I like my hat? I do! What a hat! I do like my hat!!!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an illustration from <i>"Go Dog, Go"</i></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-6306806719148443282015-10-09T15:02:00.000-07:002015-10-09T15:16:17.316-07:00I stand for#RealSchoolFood<br />
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I stand for & believe wholeheartedly in
#RealSchoolFood. I mean, of course I
do…. who wouldn’t? Would you stand for
#FakeSchoolFood? </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3jWPmy2JIzvpIwHaHUKxv1PKcVu65sIaNbZ2T5sCeclGJov4yw7JXSxi3MecJUvF5YwvGf_vgAJK9ansvhy9FPOkPf6W8WVK3N69ZxcFMbj1R3PjqnOC3lWQJJluzGCshF3n_OOQTl1c/s1600/DSC_5016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3jWPmy2JIzvpIwHaHUKxv1PKcVu65sIaNbZ2T5sCeclGJov4yw7JXSxi3MecJUvF5YwvGf_vgAJK9ansvhy9FPOkPf6W8WVK3N69ZxcFMbj1R3PjqnOC3lWQJJluzGCshF3n_OOQTl1c/s320/DSC_5016.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School Meal in RSU #14 with Local Grass Fed Beef, Local apple, <br />
fresh lettuce & tomato</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">The thing is… we’ve been working towards and serving
#RealSchoolFood for years now. Many of my colleagues in School Nutrition have
been doing the same thing… serving up locally sourced food, Farm to School and
#RealSchoolFood. We’ve been working at
this step by step, recipe by recipe.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">It
is exciting and rewarding… and a lot of work.
It takes a lot of work, a dedicated staff, a district with vision, and …
a lot of money.</span></div>
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Our path to #RealSchoolFood didn’t start with a bunch of
celebrities supporting a social media campaign, nudging us toward more
wholesome food in our child nutrition program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our path to #RealSchoolFood began with a vision and a grant. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vision of our district was to increase
local foods & to begin preparing more of our menu items from scratch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were fortunate enough to receive grant
funds to support our vision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grant funds
to pay for food service equipment, grant funds to support staff development
& culinary training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even so… the
transition to #RealSchoolFood does not happen quickly or easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a process that doesn’t happen
overnight, but menu item by menu item.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It involves educating our customers, taste testing and nutrition
education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Believe it or not, our customers frequently come to us
without a lot of experience with #RealFood. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We recently had a baked potato bar on the
menu, and many of our young students did not even know what a baked potato
was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we live in Maine, where
potatoes are our #1 crop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so, in
spite of all our efforts to serve and market #RealSchoolFood, our most popular
lunch menus are often our most processed items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because of this, we educate our customers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We taste test, we let them name our recipes, we
talk to them about the health benefits of eating less processed food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's baby steps, one recipe or menu item at a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we hope it’s working.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaznDaF24PS9Z64Q2hfwaH1KJ4T5TU1tUdottrxWxL6o1ZUPKGJxZMbVIphl5k4op_pEiRZDrxy-R6LbsjDYcekpRqI9DlTpknNhBfJZukERGrlgWpVB5sbqRVrH4dqPffBrWRLPnxxqU/s1600/DSC_4020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaznDaF24PS9Z64Q2hfwaH1KJ4T5TU1tUdottrxWxL6o1ZUPKGJxZMbVIphl5k4op_pEiRZDrxy-R6LbsjDYcekpRqI9DlTpknNhBfJZukERGrlgWpVB5sbqRVrH4dqPffBrWRLPnxxqU/s320/DSC_4020.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students at Jordan Small Middle School LOVED our panko crusted<br />zucchini "fries".</td></tr>
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#RealSchoolFood also costs more money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least, this has been our experience. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And with our current federal reimbursement
rate of approximately $3.00 per school lunch, we are barely breaking even.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This $3 per lunch is intended to cover all
food, supply, labor (including benefits) and miscellaneous costs that it takes
to make a lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cooking #RealSchoolFood
takes more equipment, more staff, and more staff training to serve up food that
doesn’t go from freezer to oven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
takes time, culinary expertise, marketing & educating the students and
their families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our district is
fortunate, and because of our vision, we have been able to have a full time
chef on staff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chef Sam not only works
with our staff, developing their culinary skills and working on recipes, she
also goes into the classroom and works with the students, taste testing &
developing new menu items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5EBB_IL2LXUDHP5Jgve_23pfeE_wyPJB5BHut6sV86SvleYMVoiQMovNCRcOSn6kcWG73jm5rP1zv3r63ruMQJoNMa8FODvUf6cHXamUCgs3iQ5gaHEd5DiI1oEoZAwGNBDUqaf3NMEu/s1600/DSC_7019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5EBB_IL2LXUDHP5Jgve_23pfeE_wyPJB5BHut6sV86SvleYMVoiQMovNCRcOSn6kcWG73jm5rP1zv3r63ruMQJoNMa8FODvUf6cHXamUCgs3iQ5gaHEd5DiI1oEoZAwGNBDUqaf3NMEu/s320/DSC_7019.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chef Sam taste tests curried carrot soup <br />with a group of students.</td></tr>
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I guess all this is to really say – if you support
#RealSchoolFood, support greater funding for the National School Lunch
Program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And visit your local school to
see what they are serving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do they have
the capacity to serve #RealSchoolFood?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The equipment? The storage space?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The expertise?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The money? Make
sure you understand, not only the USDA guidelines, but also the financial
component of the National School Lunch Program, and see what real #SchoolLunch
#Superheroes are doing every day… probably in a district near you! <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-78360747734591884882015-06-14T18:47:00.000-07:002015-06-14T18:47:30.641-07:00School Breakfast Changes Lives<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a bit of a hiatus that included a broken ankle on the part of my husband, a broken femur on the part of my 91 year old mother, and a new grandchild, I am back. And I've been thinking about school breakfast. School Breakfast changes lives. Studies show that students who eat school breakfast miss less school days throughout the school year, score 17% higher on math tests and are 20% more likely to graduate from high school. And the benefits extend long into adulthood: high school graduates on average earn $10,000 more than people who do not graduate from high school, and they are less likely to experience food insecurity. Clearly, breakfast lives up to its reputation as the most important meal of the day. And yet, while over 21 million students across the United States qualify for free and reduced price meals... less than half of these students are eating breakfast at school. The data is the same in my own district, and we spend a lot of time wondering why families are not taking advantage of this benefit, and working on strategies to make breakfast more accessible. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Several of our schools were recently awarded $1000.00 grants from Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry Campaign. The purpose of the grants were to test a variety of innovative breakfast marketing strategies to help determine which are most effective in increasing breakfast participation. We were excited to receive this boost to our existing breakfast program and were anxious to see if some of Share Our Strength's strategy ideas would help us to further increase our participation. As participants in the grant program, we were encouraged to offer breakfast free to all students in our elementary schools on a designated day, to study the impact that a universally free breakfast would have on participation levels. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At this "free 4 all" breakfast event, we chose to have a simple "Super Bowl" Top Your Own Cereal Bar, inspired by a Kellogg's Cereal & Milk pop up event that I happened upon in Times Square last summer. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLi668SX7XxGVVLGZqIsw5b9y1AyX7-WNEmtwrQNrbDm_1NJRx65xnwMBmlN7A_mIDS2pN395HlbFghSuE6_w9d7Ogiu3tycYNheDAMpAmtICXYS60SMfd8AJ9BU11uK2GrhJAatpoEDah/s1600/DSC_6020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLi668SX7XxGVVLGZqIsw5b9y1AyX7-WNEmtwrQNrbDm_1NJRx65xnwMBmlN7A_mIDS2pN395HlbFghSuE6_w9d7Ogiu3tycYNheDAMpAmtICXYS60SMfd8AJ9BU11uK2GrhJAatpoEDah/s320/DSC_6020.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kellogg's Cereal & Milk Pop Up Store in Times Square..<br />complete with The Roots in concert.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Student were able to top their cereal bowls with a variety of toppings, including fresh strawberries, blueberries and dried banana chips. Whole grain muffins, milk & juice selections rounded out the menu. We planned our event, gained support from building administrators and teachers, and marketed this free event to parents, with the simple message: Morning Rush got you frazzled? Leave Breakfast to us! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQ4F01n8AVWTykjFRBFNKjlQlbkSXo2joNtiIzayjMTJnFSsqP5wr2xnuYBfkfSKS9x9mzHls_ms07WioejI-LJ4uTdbx97TJGF2vGzOCwdKm86AQlqeQVqcwRBQWNgmwlq2MQLM9g5i8/s1600/11218452_918559508166796_5766932853874579711_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQ4F01n8AVWTykjFRBFNKjlQlbkSXo2joNtiIzayjMTJnFSsqP5wr2xnuYBfkfSKS9x9mzHls_ms07WioejI-LJ4uTdbx97TJGF2vGzOCwdKm86AQlqeQVqcwRBQWNgmwlq2MQLM9g5i8/s320/11218452_918559508166796_5766932853874579711_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The results were phenomenal! Our breakfast far exceeded our expectations! Not only did we double our overall breakfast participation at our elementary schools, we even served 56% more students who qualify for free and reduced price meals.... even though they can eat breakfast for free on any school day! Making breakfast "free 4 all" made the breakfast a fun occasion and eliminated any stigma that might be associated with eating breakfast at school. Since the "Free 4 All" breakfast, our breakfast participation has remained strong, with count numbers consistently higher.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, even before we participated in Share Our Strength's breakfast grant program, we had been working hard to implement strategies at all grade levels to increase breakfast participation. The results were encouraging.... and counts were up by anywhere from 30% at our elementary schools to 150% at our middle schools to 50% at our our high school. We believe that school breakfast supports the educational environment in our school system, and it is our mission to make sure that our students are well nourished and ready to learn. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At a recent networking session, I was asked to share the key strategies that we had implemented to increase our breakfast participation. Here are 4 Keys to Breakfast Success that we like to use:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Make Breakfast Accessible. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We use multiple delivery methods to ensure that all students have the opportunity to eat breakfast at school.</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Traditional Breakfast</span></b> in the cafeteria. Students come to the cafeteria at the beginning of the school day and eat their breakfast in the cafeteria as well.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">Grab & Go Breakfast. </span> Students<span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"> </span>get breakfast in the cafeteria or other breakfast access point such as a breakfast cart, or vending machine. The breakfast is then taken back to the classroom or eaten en route. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">First Class "Room Service" Breakfast</span></b> cart. At our middle schools, a breakfast cart, fully loaded with reimbursable breakfasts, goes from room to room during the first block of the day. By utilizing this method, our middle school breakfast participation has increase by 150%. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GOsOpzBk6peMMBOqZq5E-Y1_npPe0B5M80hGfX4WWV4XXWjvW8vkNBCxzLJy9acur1gvY_xrNTsH757A9EWAg-MRpdorum_XW3wIRam5TetOzlfqQoqANEXYUui4LTEcMoLuwrKfoSkH/s1600/10154554_721702161185866_6284340349971004338_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GOsOpzBk6peMMBOqZq5E-Y1_npPe0B5M80hGfX4WWV4XXWjvW8vkNBCxzLJy9acur1gvY_xrNTsH757A9EWAg-MRpdorum_XW3wIRam5TetOzlfqQoqANEXYUui4LTEcMoLuwrKfoSkH/s200/10154554_721702161185866_6284340349971004338_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">Extended Hours Breakfast </span>At our high school, we stay open for breakfast essentially until we switch over into lunch service, so students can access breakfast during a study hall or in-between classes. </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Make Breakfast FUN!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In our elementary schools, we host monthly Fun Friday Breakfasts. A Fun Friday Breakfast is a themed breakfast, with a menu, decorations, etc. built around the theme. Some of our themes have included Frozen, Angry Birds, March Madness, Winter Wonderland, Beach Party and Halloween. Sometimes we give our small "prizes" such as stickers or Hawaiian leis, but more often the fun in just celebrating the theme. Our Fun Friday Breakfasts have led to an increased breakfast participation of 30%. The fun themes and marketing associated with the event have helped to encourage our youngest students to TRY school breakfast. Additionally, these FUN events have helped to eliminate the stigma associated with eating school breakfast. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzI_1DEGn_K7pxy1hMUVPBFwZxdAX5Niujg8iXjtal5_MIYl6fUqaiv2zTs0qQfUphMSX-z-UXUyNMwLQ5XnM51PnYOCQG-_CmCb5gbMHgPnsXjFhPiGXh0Rjt_MdaOQ9AxgVXd2rvhzb/s1600/10862610_843646978991383_8949359551138563424_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzI_1DEGn_K7pxy1hMUVPBFwZxdAX5Niujg8iXjtal5_MIYl6fUqaiv2zTs0qQfUphMSX-z-UXUyNMwLQ5XnM51PnYOCQG-_CmCb5gbMHgPnsXjFhPiGXh0Rjt_MdaOQ9AxgVXd2rvhzb/s320/10862610_843646978991383_8949359551138563424_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenes from our Frozen Themed Fun Friday Breakfast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Make Breakfast Tasty.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stay current with breakfast food trends and make sure you understand what students like, and how their breakfast preferences can fit within the school nutrition guidelines. Some of our favorite breakfast items are yogurt/fruit/granola parfaits, smoothies, breakfast sandwiches and whole grain muffins. Taste test recipes and get ideas and opinions from your students. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6hFiQMEUHfSK1R5FrLLtBLSRXsP79jgDYstNaq4CzeseHHgpfi4dEXOPmJu5HoLRWQpyWBD_ao2sW9pCPCsydNi3aONo1B-DH3RyLbpwaEkNfldYBQO-Ps1np1BvlhNA3jD9LiLPfUWf/s1600/10665600_848959521781976_165423658_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6hFiQMEUHfSK1R5FrLLtBLSRXsP79jgDYstNaq4CzeseHHgpfi4dEXOPmJu5HoLRWQpyWBD_ao2sW9pCPCsydNi3aONo1B-DH3RyLbpwaEkNfldYBQO-Ps1np1BvlhNA3jD9LiLPfUWf/s1600/10665600_848959521781976_165423658_n.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>4. Market Your Program!</b></div>
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Toot your own horn!!! This is hard to do but incredibly important.<b> </b>Make sure you are telling administrators, teachers, parents and students about the importance of eating breakfast. Make sure to highlight the <b>nutrition</b>, <b>value</b> and <b>convenience </b>of school breakfast. Share menus, events and highlights through menus, newsletters, emails, Facebook, Twitter, your programs website, etc. </div>
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These strategies are working for us. We still have a long way to go (there is always room to grow!) .... but we continue to strategize, innovate, and look for new ways to make sure our students are well nourished and ready to learn. Maybe by School Breakfast Week in March of 2016, every student in our schools will start the day with a nutritious breakfast! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-2046314410469588572015-04-19T13:55:00.001-07:002015-04-19T13:56:28.243-07:00Chefs Move to Schools<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I wing my way across the country to attend the School
Nutrition Association’s Leadership conference, I find myself pondering my next
blog post.</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Stuck in my head is a “part
II” Make Lunch, Not War post about the players and problems facing school
nutrition professionals as we look forward to Child Nutrition Reauthorization
2015 (CNR15).</span> <span style="font-size: large;">That post seems stuck in
my head, without an eloquent or succinct way for me to continue that
discussion.</span> <span style="font-size: large;">It just all feels so
negative & political…. And it just doesn’t seem to want to come out of my
fingertips to the page. </span><span style="font-size: large;">And so, I will continue to push that pot to the back burner
and let it simmer some more, as I focus more on productive, and more relevant
posts.</span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLBoTcARQmQnL3-J85TU0MOgdlewJaQCTNxf9tMd8DWf_dheKz_wsopxOYeAvH2_sLBvcocMP_8xZr4zdANRovGxcM-UaHr9Ww-Uy4bSydUnXGs0QJwy8f3JlDhhw_jTyB6RvHV55fbXR/s1600/1470049_748013571888058_3759911737932109848_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLBoTcARQmQnL3-J85TU0MOgdlewJaQCTNxf9tMd8DWf_dheKz_wsopxOYeAvH2_sLBvcocMP_8xZr4zdANRovGxcM-UaHr9Ww-Uy4bSydUnXGs0QJwy8f3JlDhhw_jTyB6RvHV55fbXR/s1600/1470049_748013571888058_3759911737932109848_n.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RSU #14 Culinary Boot Camp Training</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Almost two years ago, our district made the strategic
decision to hire a chef as part of our school nutrition department’s management
team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the time, we were knee deep
into implementing the nutrition guidelines of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act
of 2010 (HHFKA).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our strategy &
goals were for our chef to help us manage these new changes by assisting us
with recipe & menu development, managing nutrient analysis, educating and
supporting staff to develop culinary skills and techniques, increasing local
foods in our school cafeterias, and increasing interest and excitement at the
school level by regularly cooking in our school kitchens at “not guest” Chef
events.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HBRc_EwT68l-dm6YiD-D-z2y2rQrDDRxFJcvpHp6qQYXQGXxJT5xSHdXvMF2Mhm_Qur6j1ANZu21mL6hcnL4XjVzudlIpLFnB7r9k9UCIMB-APKJOGY8CpICSEADKs_he76IBx3ILDra/s1600/DSC_6795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HBRc_EwT68l-dm6YiD-D-z2y2rQrDDRxFJcvpHp6qQYXQGXxJT5xSHdXvMF2Mhm_Qur6j1ANZu21mL6hcnL4XjVzudlIpLFnB7r9k9UCIMB-APKJOGY8CpICSEADKs_he76IBx3ILDra/s1600/DSC_6795.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chef Sam portions school made breadsticks</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I look back at the past 2 years, I firmly believe that
this was one of the best decisions Windham Raymond School Nutrition program has
ever made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At a critical time, when so many school
nutrition programs have battled public perception and experienced decreasing
participation, our program has thrived. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over
the past several years, breakfast and lunch participation has been increasing
at all grade levels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a frequent
occurrence for parents to email us for recipes or comment that they wish THEY
had so many great choices for lunch everyday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Why a chef??<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HBRc_EwT68l-dm6YiD-D-z2y2rQrDDRxFJcvpHp6qQYXQGXxJT5xSHdXvMF2Mhm_Qur6j1ANZu21mL6hcnL4XjVzudlIpLFnB7r9k9UCIMB-APKJOGY8CpICSEADKs_he76IBx3ILDra/s1600/DSC_6795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
recent study by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has shown that
"chef enhanced school meals increase healthy food consumption."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/chef-enhanced-school-meals-increase-healthy-food-consumption/">http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/chef-enhanced-school-meals-increase-healthy-food-consumption/</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The article explains that while hosting Guest Chef events at
schools can add excitement and lend positive public relations to school
nutrition programs<span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">, having
a chef <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">on staff</i> who tests and
develops recipes and trains school nutrition staff</span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">results
in children learning to like AND enjoy healthy whole grains, fruits, and
vegetables.</span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">The study showed that hiring a chef who works with district
school nutrition personnel improved the quality, flavor and palatability of the
food, and not only decreases plate waste, but increases school meal
participation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While our district was
not part of this study, it could have been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The research and outcomes have been mirrored in our district, since hiring
Chef Sam as part of our School Nutrition staff. </span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbi2fYHoqTO-IwAnnnXiSFTkV4uk-uy9aO5fhu_PmLhAC_38rR3AnsIOsUSUfFrGThvHcMRUIAOODKoeqRGTw3ZwIQbvCACaeB2EUJ04unTvV5q9JUCXV9N_J9MbSCBK5FQ_GkIHmy3q_h/s1600/IMG_3505.JPG" height="240" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheese filled cannelloni </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbi2fYHoqTO-IwAnnnXiSFTkV4uk-uy9aO5fhu_PmLhAC_38rR3AnsIOsUSUfFrGThvHcMRUIAOODKoeqRGTw3ZwIQbvCACaeB2EUJ04unTvV5q9JUCXV9N_J9MbSCBK5FQ_GkIHmy3q_h/s1600/IMG_3505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Chef
Sam’s duties range from </span>developing and taste testing the recipes, training
and supporting staff as we increase “from scratch” cooking, adapting existing
recipes to meet current USDA guidelines while maintaining palatability, and culinary
skill building with staff to increase productivity, efficiency and safety in
the kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, she teaches an
afterschool cooking class for students and oversees our weekend backpack food
program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chef Sam frequently works in the school
kitchens, alongside school nutrition staff, making delicious and healthy
meals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A current favorite is cheese
filled cannelloni with freshly rolled pasta sheets, accompanied by a school
baked whole grain roll, garden fresh salad, and a fruit & veggie bar. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fresh pasta in schools?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, please!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATuhzPUXL8Itb_qimwmdDYxYs52eS_9dMawHVp4dxfsxJeo5q7z3i-N1MHi8OusVuPyfW5pRh7CEOL49rx-R9ZHP1FLTnm6CJxfDe5_8Unx-i41tBFO4n-T3J0IsRg4Wcw2s7_o8bO98a/s1600/DSC_6783.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="212" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knife skills training @ Cooking Club</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATuhzPUXL8Itb_qimwmdDYxYs52eS_9dMawHVp4dxfsxJeo5q7z3i-N1MHi8OusVuPyfW5pRh7CEOL49rx-R9ZHP1FLTnm6CJxfDe5_8Unx-i41tBFO4n-T3J0IsRg4Wcw2s7_o8bO98a/s1600/DSC_6783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chefs are practically celebrities these days, with so many
cooking shows on television and in the media, and school chefs are no
exception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is incredible
excitement when Chef Sam is in the kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Her delicious
& nutritious health centered approach to cooking & eating inspires our
menus, inspires our students and inspires us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Any school district looking to build participation, credibility,
excitement and enthusiasm for the school nutrition program should consider adding
a chef to their team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When chefs become
part of a school nutrition team, the results are increased school meal
enthusiasm, increased participation, decreased plate waste, and most
importantly, increased consumption of healthy foods, including fruits,
vegetables and whole grains in children. </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFTzEGkOsY1wJT3FdFAUnU4ZBxZB5PUvmqX2NzLwJZ0MrDquZ-A4-IAJ30N6Dt48kJFX0ze9_PX1pyOCzPVTVW1wdBwYRfANx-1mC8ph8M3Moj_GGParQn6wkeF8RvhsHsZhO0SXqyTrY/s1600/10533867_779936678695747_8031301292640746183_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFTzEGkOsY1wJT3FdFAUnU4ZBxZB5PUvmqX2NzLwJZ0MrDquZ-A4-IAJ30N6Dt48kJFX0ze9_PX1pyOCzPVTVW1wdBwYRfANx-1mC8ph8M3Moj_GGParQn6wkeF8RvhsHsZhO0SXqyTrY/s1600/10533867_779936678695747_8031301292640746183_o.jpg" height="234" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh & Local - Lasagna made with fresh pasta</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today, Chef Sam worked on a recipe that we are trying out for the Kitchen Wisdom panel for the School Nutrition Association. The recipe was for a Roast Beef & Onion Sandwich. Roast beef, tomato, avocado, and a roasted onion & red pepper "relish". We opted to put the sandwich on a whole grain tortilla wrap, instead of a roll. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHaWLran3Xh8_eQ3xC6kNhMWsNoCTRN5d0e2PH4EJu8N6jaYx-oHwDl78jrp-BpWNspbtKcJpYIVxbSO6l5yUE38LVaGuUqN45nXXNs215hGoSl3SvWZ2co5agW7eZb61hfCyouTp2L2_/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHaWLran3Xh8_eQ3xC6kNhMWsNoCTRN5d0e2PH4EJu8N6jaYx-oHwDl78jrp-BpWNspbtKcJpYIVxbSO6l5yUE38LVaGuUqN45nXXNs215hGoSl3SvWZ2co5agW7eZb61hfCyouTp2L2_/s1600/photo.JPG" height="400" width="237" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">These sandwiches combined some very popular flavors. Freshly sliced roast beef, creamy avocado and the delicious onion & red pepper relish. Needless to say they were a smash hit. We packaged them together with a piece of fruit and/or some dried fruit trail mix, and a carton of milk for a quick grab & go reimbursable meal. Our feedback on the recipe: absolutely a winner, though we really like them better as a wrap vs. served on a roll, but that could be a local preference: our high school students are crazy about wraps.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnuJ-6YuGJabiw6QMxwHLwIu4qSVwixfIx5Df_WTgmxSo2zOhfvmOA7iW1xhCAY37HFiRM0WoLXx8VtqHtl-EtbmDlCNItBHRP15nLyqFkxPP4RoEFYgvvuEwClPI40YXIfW3DmRpUfAef/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnuJ-6YuGJabiw6QMxwHLwIu4qSVwixfIx5Df_WTgmxSo2zOhfvmOA7iW1xhCAY37HFiRM0WoLXx8VtqHtl-EtbmDlCNItBHRP15nLyqFkxPP4RoEFYgvvuEwClPI40YXIfW3DmRpUfAef/s1600/photo.JPG" height="188" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">The real deal here is this: kids like to be treated like customers. Not only that, but they like to have some input. Yes, of course we have to follow guidelines, and we reinforce this to our customers, the students, all the time. Beginning at the earliest grades, we are cooking with them in the classroom, involving them in school gardens, training them to use a salad bar appropriately. As students get older, we include them in recipe taste testing. Recipe naming is also a great idea to gain student acceptance and buy in. Our district's favorite baked beans are named Chef Sam's Better Bacon Baked Beans, and several years ago, we named a sandwich a Panem Panini, to coincide with the opening of one of the Hunger Games movies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Engaging and involving your customers is a win/win. Students who are more involved and feel like "part" of the School Nutrition program will support the program with loyalty. Participation goes up, students are eating healthy, nutritious meals. This has been a tried and true formula in our district, resulting in increased participation over the past 5 years. It takes work and strategy, but it is well worth it in the end!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgmBWghs0Y053-_zyslUVBi10gVEw7ZloEtVoOX5QFwiTs_-QRaA1rjPIOF_23WFzHGO8de6yHYWMS9tyNi5_SBBrYOCVENwkNLNllVVse-yRo2pQAhPcOQX6gFc7m3zqCNHhpsd8RSNz/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgmBWghs0Y053-_zyslUVBi10gVEw7ZloEtVoOX5QFwiTs_-QRaA1rjPIOF_23WFzHGO8de6yHYWMS9tyNi5_SBBrYOCVENwkNLNllVVse-yRo2pQAhPcOQX6gFc7m3zqCNHhpsd8RSNz/s1600/photo.JPG" height="200" width="159" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-56936606426702775222015-04-06T17:48:00.000-07:002018-04-07T04:18:04.698-07:00Veggie Tales<span style="font-size: large;">We interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post to bring you this message about vegetables. That's right. Vegetables. See, vegetables are a big deal in my world. Making sure our school nutrition menus include the correct amount of vegetables and the correct amount of vegetable "sub-groups" is like a monthly game of sudoku. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJy9waF3tfsJShZjskv1aT8QGc64kfuT1RgjOkGrJuhW07Y__TLS1ecHarPr2xw0dX3ZQw47GjwwvnMCtKKZH8rjoSb2wao3fThIjj-AF4r46LGDGxIe8x8ARZrRhnpgH_xnp_LsudZcf3/s1600/Unknown-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJy9waF3tfsJShZjskv1aT8QGc64kfuT1RgjOkGrJuhW07Y__TLS1ecHarPr2xw0dX3ZQw47GjwwvnMCtKKZH8rjoSb2wao3fThIjj-AF4r46LGDGxIe8x8ARZrRhnpgH_xnp_LsudZcf3/s1600/Unknown-1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There has been a lot of clamoring lately about the vegetables. Currently, students are required to take at least 1/2 cup of either fruit and/or vegetables, with every school lunch. This was a change under the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010. Previously, students could refuse the fruits & veggies offered with a school meal... they could take them or leave them. Now, they have to take some, which has resulted in a lot of people saying that it's our trash cans that are on the receiving end of all these 1/2 c. servings of fruits & veggies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But what I want to share today is a vegetable story. A story about some little girls. and their vegetables. and how they learned to like their vegetables. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the best things that Chef Sam & I get to do it go into a classroom and cook with kids and teach them about healthy eating. A couple of months ago, we were with a class of 3rd graders, making Curried Carrot Soup. The students were peeling and chopping the carrots, sautéing the carrots & onions in some olive oil, then adding broth, curry & seasoning and eventually blending the soup with an immersion blender. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxo-QH9-ITBDG4twtlBd3atoSuolA8YU1KN7d4n_ZFfJD6t9ikLr0_w-o2dw4xZbabHDrTZt8Aeuf1PyV7W9Mhlty9qyEcJGB1AnDsY4rDKXYPWaCSR7QXMfkUk8I8ZlO6P8gERNkD79g/s1600/DSC_7008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxo-QH9-ITBDG4twtlBd3atoSuolA8YU1KN7d4n_ZFfJD6t9ikLr0_w-o2dw4xZbabHDrTZt8Aeuf1PyV7W9Mhlty9qyEcJGB1AnDsY4rDKXYPWaCSR7QXMfkUk8I8ZlO6P8gERNkD79g/s1600/DSC_7008.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhON9SBB9PkvszGW-bmWB1pGV16LJsAOeWo8twZZ-BjiREDNvumtvK0wYY0_TF-dpIeGy2tFCrvz21SmSmUWG8p9_M8kqJi8ECY2hFFd_-JDAhsqfjghu5pYIzvcECvu9qvhNl3X6rGKoIc/s1600/DSC_5154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhON9SBB9PkvszGW-bmWB1pGV16LJsAOeWo8twZZ-BjiREDNvumtvK0wYY0_TF-dpIeGy2tFCrvz21SmSmUWG8p9_M8kqJi8ECY2hFFd_-JDAhsqfjghu5pYIzvcECvu9qvhNl3X6rGKoIc/s1600/DSC_5154.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">When it came time to sample the soup, one student tried a sip, wrinkled her nose, and said she didn't like it. We told her that was fine, she didn't need to like it, but we were happy that she had helped make it. All around her, classmates were trying the soup and making decisions. Did they like it? Maybe? Dislike it? The girl came back and asked if she could try another taste, so we gave her another cup, and she walked away, tasting the soup. This happened at least 4 times, when she finally came back and reported, "you know, I think this soup is growing on me! I think I am starting to like it!" Success! From dislike to like in less than an hour. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was one of the success stories that I shared in Washington DC in February. Interestingly enough, it was during that trip, that one of my own vegetable dislikes was challenged. You see, for my entire life, I was a b<span style="background-color: white;">russel s</span>prout hater. I can still remember sitting at the dinner table when I was only 7 or 8 years old, absolutely unable to swallow the brussel sprouts. It was one of those nights when I wasn't going to be allowed to leave the table until I ate those things. It was a battle of the wills, and a very long night. I never did swallow those b<span style="background-color: white;">russels </span>sprouts and I never ate them again. That is, until my trip to Washington. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our first evening in DC, we ate at this excellent restaurant called Zaytinya. My friend ordered a plate of "crispy roasted brussel sprouts", and I secretly wondered why anyone would eat a whole plate of b<span style="background-color: white;">russels </span>sprouts. And then, she offered me some. I thought of the student and the curried carrot soup, and I thought of myself, sitting at that dinner table, so many years ago. Remembering the student, I gathered my courage and decided to try them - the presentation was gorgeous, and they smelled delicious. And guess what? I loved them! I became obsessed with them and recently recreated the recipe at home. THAT is how much I loved these<span style="background-color: white;"> brussel </span>sprouts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXBvM_WTzF6swy7CpKNDixV1HYpd5E4y-OPakL88q4_fh3O3IiAdRqiXaiGE9rXuw1n4el6Av2uDmHjSQ6VJyI6E6cCvjJ0rTMW6od6v_qdGfZjFt9tnaV0dQQnzXKDYX2UDC6gwzKKEZ/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXBvM_WTzF6swy7CpKNDixV1HYpd5E4y-OPakL88q4_fh3O3IiAdRqiXaiGE9rXuw1n4el6Av2uDmHjSQ6VJyI6E6cCvjJ0rTMW6od6v_qdGfZjFt9tnaV0dQQnzXKDYX2UDC6gwzKKEZ/s1600/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So here is the moral of the story: learning to like vegetables takes time. It might take an hour, it might take decades. Freshness, preparation method, seasoning, presentation... all of these factors come into play. Creativity, imagination, and determination. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kids in schools are learning to like vegetables! We serve carrot fries (roasted carrot sticks), Chef Sam's Better Baked Beans, roasted cauliflower, kale & apple salad, butternut squash soup, roasted <span style="background-color: white;">edamame </span>salad, the list goes on & on. The key is lots of choices, delicious recipes, lots of time, trained staff. Allow students fun and friendly opportunities to try new foods, maybe even let them dream up crazy names for them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are discussions swirling around about relaxing the fruit & vegetable requirement with the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. I for one, am in favor of keeping the fruits & vegetables on the table. Because, after all, learning to like new foods takes time. </span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-66985257670084222962015-04-05T13:38:00.000-07:002015-04-05T14:00:09.273-07:00Make Lunch.... Not War. Part I
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's been said before: "As Maine goes, so goes the nation"...
and this may be true. Recently Kevin Concannon, U.S. Department of
Agriculture Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, told
C-SPAN that school nutrition programs in Maine are some of the best in
the nation. A recent count shows that 147 schools in Maine,
representing 46 school districts, have achieved awards through USDA's
Healthier US School Challenge (HUSSC). HUSSC award winning schools have shown
to meet a rigorous set of achievements involving physical activity,
nutrition education, and nutrition standards in the school meals program.
Go Team Maine! </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(241, 243, 242, 0.4);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.07999999821186066px; line-height: 31.5px; word-spacing: 0.4000000059604645px;"><br /></span></span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(241, 243, 242, 0.4);"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.07999999821186066px; line-height: 31.5px; word-spacing: 0.4000000059604645px;">Recently, a group of colleagues and I traveled to Washington to tell our stories - stories from the school nutrition front lines. Stories of success. Stories about kids, tasting foods for the first time, stories about feeding hungry students and nourishing lives. Powerful stories about making a difference. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(241, 243, 242, 0.4); letter-spacing: 0.07999999821186066px; line-height: 31.5px; word-spacing: 0.4000000059604645px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: rgba(241, 243, 242, 0.4);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.07999999821186066px; line-height: 31.5px; word-spacing: 0.4000000059604645px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AbrjKguCPmgv7CTGoBXnTSB9yqkgCZuWFCEaAxB5DAGMWQyiidVVxDY22nrnu4O72qbZGtgrPL_bzYeraVAVZTTdNF-oy0XicQfZ3zODGngCkVyrihwzgh8VwksONam5xi_SMrCy07Pa/s1600/KSHF_FlyIn098_km_OWN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AbrjKguCPmgv7CTGoBXnTSB9yqkgCZuWFCEaAxB5DAGMWQyiidVVxDY22nrnu4O72qbZGtgrPL_bzYeraVAVZTTdNF-oy0XicQfZ3zODGngCkVyrihwzgh8VwksONam5xi_SMrCy07Pa/s1600/KSHF_FlyIn098_km_OWN.jpg" height="266" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; word-spacing: 0px;"> Visiting Capitol Hill photo credit: Herb Perone</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(241, 243, 242, 0.4); letter-spacing: 0.07999999821186066px; line-height: 31.5px; word-spacing: 0.4000000059604645px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(241, 243, 242, 0.4);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.07999999821186066px; line-height: 31.5px; word-spacing: 0.4000000059604645px;">While in Washington, we met colleagues from across the country, colleagues committed to the nutritional integrity of school meals. We heard stories of success and innovation, stories from California, Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania... The truth is, there are exciting school nutrition happening all across the United States. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(241, 243, 242, 0.4); letter-spacing: 0.07999999821186066px; line-height: 31.5px; word-spacing: 0.4000000059604645px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(241, 243, 242, 0.4);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.07999999821186066px; line-height: 31.5px; word-spacing: 0.4000000059604645px;">It seems, however, that recently, we have been distracted by a food fight. On one side of the lunch war, we have celebrities such as Jamie Oliver and "mommy bloggers". Social media is bombarded with staged pictures of school meals from "around the world". It seems as though so called experts are intent on waging war against school nutrition programs, smearing the integrity of the school meals program, like jelly being smeared on a peanut butter sandwich. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(241, 243, 242, 0.4);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.07999999821186066px; line-height: 31.5px; word-spacing: 0.4000000059604645px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(241, 243, 242, 0.4);"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.07999999821186066px; line-height: 31.5px; word-spacing: 0.4000000059604645px;">No one has defended the School Nutrition program more eloquently and succinctly than my friend Dayle Hayes, MS, RD, of School Meals that Rock, in her recent blog post response to the so called School Lunch Haters:</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://schoolmealsthatrock.org/2015/04/01/10-ways-school-lunch-haters-can-get-off-their-soapboxes-and-support-realschoolfood/">http://schoolmealsthatrock.org/2015/04/01/10-ways-school-lunch-haters-can-get-off-their-soapboxes-and-support-realschoolfood/</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">The truth is, the battle gets tiring. We want to make lunch, not war</span>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpFptlhcHvGra-_E_AuHNak5XYvPqmpx7ZK2We_Dw38yPwWd9bAzfh6cJN6x6OcdIBXiZOI4BitoSXk1YB6pkcyY5AScXVvuhnfuy5kFRQkUXUEAG1_AR6F9lM32XiO5IUylogAC-uM08/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpFptlhcHvGra-_E_AuHNak5XYvPqmpx7ZK2We_Dw38yPwWd9bAzfh6cJN6x6OcdIBXiZOI4BitoSXk1YB6pkcyY5AScXVvuhnfuy5kFRQkUXUEAG1_AR6F9lM32XiO5IUylogAC-uM08/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">The battle, the fight, the haters... its discouraging AND distracting. I would challenge all of the haters, critics and celebrity "experts" to develop a menu within the USDA guidelines, and with in the allotted budget ($3.00 per lunch including food/labor/supplies/equipment). Make sure that the menu is whole grain rich, includes 8 oz fat free or low fat milk, healthy servings of protein, and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. And then, make sure the kids like and eat it. It's a challenge. But. We. Are. Doing. It!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In our district, we spent the month of March eating our way through the alphabet, fruits and vegetables, A-Z. Kids we able to experience everything from Asparagus & Arugula to Kiwi & Quinoa to Zucchini. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliAaq7R7cLDK-KKmdz2XrEEkVzEYzPFMnc8yzmNNn6efdfh4LEneMtRiFqxinscQByL24oCvXOf6KFviZxZ2G-KNN-iPh_qyA8sI8sUNzEPj3l6w1VUipTr1Z2dJdO6ahAKmskl90Ifk6/s1600/a_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliAaq7R7cLDK-KKmdz2XrEEkVzEYzPFMnc8yzmNNn6efdfh4LEneMtRiFqxinscQByL24oCvXOf6KFviZxZ2G-KNN-iPh_qyA8sI8sUNzEPj3l6w1VUipTr1Z2dJdO6ahAKmskl90Ifk6/s1600/a_z.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Students tasted, tried and learned. They were exposed to delicious foods they have never tried before. This is how we choose to fight the food fight - by making lunch and making it exciting and delicious. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">This is just part of the battle, but it is absolutely the most public part. The second part is that the need for increased funding for school nutrition programs is critical. I will save that Make Lunch, Not W</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">ar post for another day. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Happy Easter and nutritious eating! </span></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11694829942498844084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907342517305512309.post-83465645740796494322015-04-01T17:39:00.003-07:002015-04-01T18:02:05.418-07:00Healthy food... it's what we do.Over the past several months, I've been asked a lot of questions about our school meals program. How we do what we do... why we do what we do? I've been thinking a lot about it. Why are we successful when others struggle ? The simple, quick answer is passion. We have assembled a team of workers who are passionate about feeding kids healthy food. But aren't most school nutrition personnel passionate? I have met many who share our passion and vision. We do work hard. I work hard. Our staff work hard. We adapt, we change, we innovate, we adjust. <br />
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The School Nutrition Guidelines that are part of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 are challenging. School Nutrition has become a political hot potato, which is sad, because it has made feeding kids so unbelievably complicated. The battle about the guidelines rages on. Move forward with the guidelines or roll them back? Whole grains or no whole grains? Fruits? Vegetables? Sodium?<br />
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For years, I have thought about blogging about this... and so, here I go. I know nothing about blogging. It is, if nothing else, a place to catalogue my thoughts and ideas. A place to debrief after an exciting or a stressful day. And maybe I'll even share a few pictures and recipes. <br />
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