Thursday was a wonderful day to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the the Wisconsin Dietetic Association at their Annual Meeting in the Wisconsin Dells.
Westby School District students sampled Creamy Spinach Dip as part of the Farm to School Harvest of the Month taste testing. The spinach was grown and donated by a local farmer and prepared in the school kitchen. The spinach dip provided an excellent source of antioxidants and vitamins and minerals; it contains 14 calories and 0 grams of fat in one ounce. Students enjoyed sampling the spinach dip as they have enjoyed other veggies including cabbage, beets, sweet potatoes and eggplant.
From Terrebonne Parish School District in Louisiana -- the first southernSchool Meal That Rocks. Thanks to Monica Walther, MS, RD, for submitted this wonderful example of putting a healthy twist on these traditional Louisiana favorites:
Lunch ladies rock and school meals, too. Terrebonne Parish provides healthy meals by adjusting traditional foods to be lower in fat and high in nutrition.
Last Friday, April 23rd, I had the honor of addressing the CO PTA at their awards luncheon in Denver about Fit, Well-Nourished, and Ready to Succeed: What your PTA can do to support nutrition and activity at school. We distributed the bookmark pictured here to reinforce the main points of the presentation (click for a PDF the slides on my website).
My positive approach to both childhood weight and school meal issues was very well received. The good news is that a Denver Post reporter interviewed me before the meeting and then attended the presentation. And the even better news is that her article (Fat fight: a game plan for schools. A nutritionist warns the state PTA against too much focus on kid's obesity) did a very good job with both issues. (I did not like the online headline, but you get always get what you want!)
The best news of all is that School Meals That Rockhas been collecting fans from all over – we are up to 244 – in less than 10 days!! However, we are falling a little behind on entries – and I think I know the reason why: School nutrition folks are so busy feeding kids that they have trouble finding the time to take photos and send them in!
Here’s the thing – I need your entries so that I can brag about School Meals That Rock whenever I get interviewed or do a presentation. Remember, my goal is 250 entries by the end of school year – at least five from every state in the USA. Wisconsin has exceeded that goal – and Indiana and Georgia are close behind.
Please take 5-10 minutes TODAY – and send me your entry for School Meals OR Nutrition Education That Rocks. VERY IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION: Your school does NOT have to be a HealthierUS School Challenge winner to send in an entry (but do let us know if you are).
Here’s all you need to do:
Send one or more photos of a School Meal That Rocks – breakfast, lunch, snack, vending machine, or party – any eating occasion (nutrition education examples also encouraged) to schoolmealsthatrock@gmail.com
Include a 50 word-or less-description of what makes it amazing (local ingredients, made-from-scratch, nutrient content, popular with kids, etc.).
If there are people in the photo (highly encouraged!), make sure that you have permission to share the image.
I've been traveling a lot ... presentations in HI, NC, WY, and CO in one week. In every location, I've been talking about School Meals That Rock and hearing wonderful examples from coast to coast (and out onto the islands!).
In North Carolina, I met Amanda Hester, RD, LDN, SNS, with Guilford County Schools. Here's a School Snack That Rocks from one of their elementary schools that was awarded a USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grant through USDA. As you can see, they are very creative with what they offer! At Frazier Elementary, students receive a fresh fruit/veggie every day for snack in their classrooms and often they also get a nutrition education lesson that rocks.
Look at this amazing Carnival Cauliflower - now that is SchoolSnackThatREALLY Rocks!!
Thursday was a wonderful day to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the the Wisconsin Dietetic Association at their Annual Meeting in the Wisconsin Dells.
