Chef Ann Foundation - Parent Advocacy in School Food

 

I almost forgot how to get back on my blog...
It's been awhile my dear mullies, and it's sure GOOD to be typing and sharing here again today!

My latest blog is up today on the Chef Ann Foundation website! It's all about real school food parent advocacy + the powerful impact of our District 76 Wellness Team.

One Parent's Journey Towards Better School Food

I must catch ya'll up to the recipes and pics from November + December's D76 Chef's Tasting Table in the lunchroom! The above pics are from our most recent Holiday tasting and below is the tasting we held right before Thanksgiving. Keep scrolling for the yummy recipes which I have included at the end!
xxxLindsey

Apple Carrot Slaw with Starfruit and Scallions

3 c (2lbs shredding carrots) from Prairie Wind Family Farms
3 sliced honey crisp apples
1/4 c honey mustard
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Using a food processor, shred carrots with the medium grater. Switch out the blade and slice the apples thinly. In a medium bowl, whisk honey mustard, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. In a large bowl, mix shredded carrots, sliced apples, and dressing until well mix. Garnish with sliced scallions and thinly sliced starfruit.

(*Recipe was x6 for 350 student & staff tastings)

Chocolate Black Bean Hummus + Fresh Fruit Dippers

1 can black beans, drained and liquid reserved. (Eden Organic brand is my favorite as the beans are already pressure cooked, which helps digestion).
4 Tbsp pure maple syrup
4 Tbsp raw cacao
1/2 tsp salt

In a food processor or high speed blender, mix all ingredients until smooth (stop and scrape the sides a few times). Add reserved liquid to thin to desired consistency. Favorite dippers = Strawberries, apples, kiwis, bananas, and oranges.
Optional: Add a few heaping Tbsp's of dark chocolate almond butter - YUM! Also, cannellini beans are my second favorite bean to use.

(*Recipe was x18 for 350 student & staff tastings)

Chef's Tasting Table 2019 | Pumpkin Butter + Jicima + Pears

Watcha making for your Thanksgiving Table?

How bout something super simple, tasty, versatile and your kids can make it?

Please welcome pumpkin butter to your world - I've never made so much in my life.

You can find pumpkin butter recipes all over the "interweb" and I chose this simple recipe from Half Baked Harvest as my go-to for our food education fun this Fall season; Thank you for the constant cooking inspiration Tiegan Gerard, your food blog is AMAZEBALLS. 

I slightly lowered the pumpkin spice amount and here is what I scooped up for our November school lunch tasting in the lunch room. 

The best part =  kids can make it themselves!

Pumpkin Butter

1 14-16oz can/box of organic pumpkin puree

1/2 c pure maple syrup

1/3 c organic apple cider

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp iodized salt

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and serve as a dip, spread, oatmeal mix in, yogurt parfait...  

or your own pumpkin spice latte!

OH YEA.

The kids loved the tasting and many had NEVER tried jicima ("yambean") before. I brought an uncut, whole jicima so the students could see how weird and brown it looks on the outside and identify it in the grocery during future shopping trips. 

Big thanks to Produce Manager Bob at our local Maple St Jewel for coordinating the massive jicima order and to Chef Myra for cutting them all up for us!! 

I am so thankful to the Diamond Lake School District Administration and Wellness Committee for sharing a passion for food education. It's been a dream to spear head this school lunch room tasting program every month, and I'm simply having a ball brainstorming new "bite sized" initiatives with the committee which are making such a difference in our #d76diamonds community.  

How did we get started? 

4 years ago, I helped the school district apply for the The Chef Ann Foundation Project Produce Grant which was the spark behind our "Chef's Tasting Table."

And speaking of sparks...

HAPPY 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CHEF ANN FOUNDATION!! 

Link over to their website and be inspired by how the foundation works tirelessly to inspire and empower school districts to reform school food. 

I am so very honored and excited to celebrate this incredible 10 year milestone with them: 

"One Mom's Mission - Food Educator, chef and mind body wellness coach Lindsey Shifley spearheads big changes in school food for Lake County, Illinois."

Thank you thank you thank you Chef Ann Foundation for leading American school food reform!

It all starts at home plate.

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

Chef’s Tasting Table Day 14 // St. Patrick's Day Carrot Top Pesto

Need a fun green food idea for St. Patty's day tomorrow (or really any day)? I've got just the pesto recipe for YOU. I love that you can swap in cilantro or mint or even arugula to make it the perfect accompaniment for any dish. The majority of students had never tried pesto before and it was really exciting to talk to the students about this new taste! As for the kids who had tried pesto before, they couldn't believe it had carrot tops inside! I definitely had more staff than ever before come say hello for a taste, "What's that incredible smell in the cafeteria today?"

It was also perfect timing to wear my new Big Green hat and introduce the students and staff to a food ed organization that is making a BIG impact in helping school districts across the country grow school gardens. The kids were really surprised and inspired to hear about the brotherly connection between Kimbal and Elon Musk. WUT?! Tesla and real food vrooms together!? 

Talk about green energy... Let's mix up some pesto!!!!

St Patrick’s Day Carrot Top Pesto
(all ingredients found at my local Jewel Osco)
Paired with a brown rice cracker, cucumber and carrot

1 small bunch organic carrot tops removed from carrots (approx 1 packed cup + bottom of stems removed)
2 boxes of Gotham Green Basil (approx 2 packed cups + tough stems removed. Also, you can sub in mint, cilantro or arugula!)
1 small bunch fresh parsley (approx 1 packed cup + bottom of stems removed)
1/4 c raw or salted sunflower seeds (just watch the added sea salt as you won’t need as much if you use salted seeds)
1-2 garlic cloves (just depends on how garlicky you want it!)
1/2 large lemon (zest + juice to taste. If lemon is small, use the entire thang)
2/3 c extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (if using raw sunflower seeds, start with a few pinches to taste)
1/2-2/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

Pulse together all ingredients (except for the olive oil) until rough chopped. Stream in about 1/2 of the olive oil amount into food processor (while running). Turn off and scrape sides. Stream in the rest or until desired consistency is reached. See above pictures for the play by play.

See you next month for our last Chef's Tasting table for the school year!! 

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

ps That there cutie pah-tootie carrot bag is hand stamped! Found here.

pps YES that's a tasty pesto pepper flake between my big teeth. 

Chef's Tasting Table Day 10 & 11 // A Celery Root Salad + Watermelon Radishes + A Very Berry Smoothie + Guava

Thank you Jennifer and Jeff Miller of Prairie Wind Family Farms for providing some of the gorgeous local and organic produce to our students! It's inspirational to watch the students try your watermelon radish, celariac, celery and spinach in the lunchroom. It's hard enough to inspire my kids at home and it's a thrill to experience first hand how much this impacts their willingness to try new tastes in and out of school.

Alice Waters of the Edible Schoolyard asked the Slow Food Community recently to reimagine the lunchroom as a school subject. YES!! The Chef's Tasting Table is definitely our kind of fun food education!

I could not do this without the support of Eric Rogers (Director of Finance) & Sue Kruckman (School Nurse and Wellness Committee Member). Thank you so much for being a part of our Chef's Tasting Table team - I am having the time of my food education life with you all!

Dan is the produce manager at Jewel-Osco on Midlothian and he is absolutely incredible to work with. I've learned so much from him about the seasonal availability of produce and he has really helped to broaden my knowledge of interesting and exotic produce to introduce to the kids and staff.

I had never tasted fresh guava before, or red cactus fruit... or dragon fruit... or kiwanu melon... I'm learning so much too!

Ms Curtis is our amazing lunch lady at Diamond Lake School and I'm just thrilled we piloted the Chef's Tasting Table with her this month. It was a huge hit and we'll be back in the Spring! Thank you for having us for the day!

Big love and thank you's to Kelsey and Wayne for volunteering their time with me in the lunchroom!! 

Here are the recipes and I hope you are inspired to try them at home or for your very own school food education tasting day!

Prairie Wind Family Farm:

Lemon Caper Celery Root Salad - This is Jennifer and Jeff Miller's go-to winter salad. With a nice, refreshing flavor, it pairs well with savory meats or serves as a fresh lunch salad.

1 lemon, juiced

1 head celery root, peeled

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons flavored oil (we like walnut, garlic or tarragon)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/3 cup juicy capers, rinsed (or Chef Lindsey subbed in diced dill pickles!)

Generous handful Italian parsley, chopped

Peel the celery root and shred it. Stop halfway through and sprinkle with a tablespoon of the lemon juice to keep the root from turning brown. Shred the other half and toss with another tablespoon of lemon juice. Salt and pepper liberally and toss.

Whisk the remaining lemon juice with the walnut oil, olive oil, sugar, and vinegar. Taste and adjust. Toss with the celery root, capers, and chopped parsley. Serves 4.

(Lunchroom tasting recipe per lunch period - approx 90-100 servings per recipe)

6 lemons, juiced

6 head celery root, peeled

Salt and pepper

12 tablespoons flavored oil (we like walnut, garlic or tarragon)

1 1/2 cup olive oil

12 teaspoons honey

6 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 cup juicy capers, rinsed

5 Generous handful Italian parsley, chopped

Have a Very Berry Holiday Smoothie

2 c water

2.5 cups fresh spinach

3 c frozen mixed berries

1 avocado (flesh)

1 ripe banana

½ lemon’s juice

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender (I use a Vitamix) until smooth. Optional: Add organic powdered stevia or liquid if banana is not ripe enough.

See you in January for our first Chef's Tasting Table of 2018!

It all starts at hOMe Plate!

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

Making the Case for School Food Transparency

My printer is tired.

I am prepping for Friday's #schoolfood brainstorming meeting with Preferred Meals and District 76. 

Please leave comments below if you have any concerns or ideas you would like me to bring along to the meeting! 

In addition to driving positive change, I hope this evolving story is a source of inspiration and hope for other parents, grandparents, teachers, administrators and any individuals who are interested in improving school food education and school food transparency. Our teachers and schools need our help in reaching our kids. I'm sick of hearing that it's the teacher or the school district's fault. I have a family FULL of teachers, not to mention a bus full of teacher friends. It's getting harder and harder to teach and reach students (for a variety of reasons... But I'm just sticking to food ed here). In our case with Abbie, it was not the teachers. It was her food. Instruction was not meeting her "needs" because of the food was not meeting her needs. I just didn't know. Once I cleaned it up for Abbie, her brain opened up. This mind blowing experience is what drives my passion. I am not keeping this information to myself. There are other kids out there whose brains could use a roto rooter too. 

This is not about food control, food judgment or food snobbery. This is about food transparency, food education, freedom of choice and the power of the consumer. Schools are the biggest restaurants in town and I think it's time we took a closer look at the ingredient lists to see if they are serving our children for increased academic success, not the other way around.

Let this article bring you up to speed: Connecting Attention and Nutrition

Food transparency = a win win for all: The kids win. The schools win. The companies win. 

Well, that is for the companies who change with the tides.

Food companies who are meeting the demands for cleaner, more organic food are being rewarded and those who are keeping up with the "status quo" of chemical companies who are being left in the dust.

Read about the food companies who keep the chemicals + fake food = real BIG profit losses (Robyn O'Brien)

I hope to discuss the following on Friday:

1. Fake food vs real food ingredients: D76 Preferred Meal Systems - Can we improve the quality of breakfast and lunch offerings within budget to increase sales?
2. Food transparency: Can the District provide full online ingredient list access to parents before June?
3. Can the "Allergy Systems Menu" be offered to all D76 families? At extra cost? How can we make this option accessible to all with or without a doctor's note.
4. When will added sugar amounts be provided to the D76? Is D76 responsible for calculating added sugar? How & when can we get this vital food education information on sugar to our parents and staff? We do have some more eating to do after school and most of us like to eat dessert from time to time.

The amount of added sugar is especially alarming in our school breakfasts. According to my quick math (on an OLD menu, albeit same items) PM breakfasts range from 27g of added sugar up to 46g of sugar. According to the Fed Up Challenge Sugar Facts, 4g of sugar = 1 tsp. The American Heart association recommends that children should not exceed 5-8 tsp's in a DAY (20-32g per day). So, we're already at a minimum of 6.5 tsp's of added sugar BEFORE they even have a snack or lunch at school. Got chocolate milk? That'll put you over the limit in one 8 oz box. What's a Mom and Dad to do at home!? That is one tough, restrictive menu to be handed in my kitchen.

Here is what I have come across in my search for information. More than you need I am sure, but the following is what District 148 offered online in 2011. This simple PDF format will be something I suggest our District can offer families from our District website. (It sounds like PMs website is still "under construction" for full ingredient food transparency.) In the meantime, let's take some pictures and upload them for anyone who would like to look into the school food ingredients.

District 148 - 2011 Preferred Meals spec sheet 1

District 148 - 2011 Preferred Meals Condiments

District 148 - 2011 Preferred Meals spec sheet fruit and veggies

Partially hydrogenated oil + high fructose corn syrup much? WOW - Major MEGA props to PM as these 2011 menu items have been reformulated and updated to meet the growing demand of parents and school districts for cleaner, more organic and local school food. 

Here is the most updated information I could find to access current PMs menus in our country. It took A LOT of searching. Nobody is granting much access to school food ingredient lists in America:

To find this, first you must cut and paste the following into a google search (it won't let me link it for you):

"preferred meals systems product specification sheet 2014"

Next, the following should come up 3rd in your list. Click to download:

"Elementary and Comm Ed Labels. pdf"

www.chelmsford.k12.ma.us/site/.../filedownload.ashx?...3415&dataid...

• Cached

(July 14, 2014)

So what do our menus look like now? I don't know. I still haven't gotten my hands on anything and there is NOTHING current online. So crazy. I have requested that D76 provide me the ingredient lists on Friday. I am looking forward to bringing home a "packet."

I'm most concerned with PM's claim that artificial flavors and MSG have been taken out of the menu. An ingredient does not have to be labeled with "Monosodium Glutamate" (MSG) for it to be in the product. Check out this link for MSG's "spy names". Unfortunately, companies are still able to get away with MSG in products under different names. There are still a shocking amount of MSG "spy names" listed and I'll bring these to everyone's attention on Friday. I'm so happy to see the menu's progress over the past 5 years AND I think there is still room for some progress. Baby steps. High fives. And we can do better. As I do not have our D76 - 2015 menus in hand just yet, I am going to have to wait before I assume anything.

I am fighting for cleaner, less sugar laden, more nutrient dense school food for ALL of our students so that they can perform at their highest potential in the classroom. This should be our highest priority, our shared responsibility in our District's quest to support our families and teachers, to inspire higher learning and to raise our District's academic performance. 

Below is a comment I received from PM on my recent blot post. I am so excited to hear back from them and I'm thrilled to get the opportunity to sit and brainstorm alongside them and the District. 

I am so impressed by the menu changes I can see between 2011 and 2014 and they should be applauded!!!

I'm not sure who should be responsible for providing me with ingredient information and added sugar content (the vendors are not "required" to give that to PM? WHAT!?), but somebody better.figure.it.out. It sounds like the District has had this information all along, which is highly aggravating as I/we asked for this information in several past Wellness Committee meetings. We were told that they would get the information from PM.  Shame on me for being complacent.

"Who's on first?"

***

Hello Lindsey,

Thank you for reaching out to us on your blog! We love and share your passion in providing healthy foods to kids. Our menu website is relatively new and we are still working on a way to tie in ingredients with specific products. Our menu system calculates nutrients as part of the planning process but ingredients are not part of the database yet. 

As for the nutrients that show, we do not include sugar because our vendors are not required to provide that information to us. Since some do provide it and some don’t, our calculation is inconsistent and we wouldn’t want to pass along incomplete information.

We do want parents to be able to view ingredients if desired and we provide updated product spec sheets to the district on a regular basis. Also, each case of product delivered to the schools is labeled with all ingredients. I’m sure if you visit the school they will be able to provide that information to you.

You will be pleased to know that we have eliminated from our products many of the ingredients that are likely a concern to you, such as MSG, artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and fats, bleached flour, high fructose corn syrup, palm/coconut and partially hydrogenated oils and more. In addition, by regulation, our menus are calorie, fat and sodium controlled by age group and contain 0 grams of trans fat. Since our menus are calorie controlled, we don’t add extra sugar and fat and always choose low fat, lean meats and cheese. Items are baked and not fried, all breads/ breadings /crusts are whole grain, juices / fruit cups have no added sugar or syrup and juice is always 100% juice.

Did you know school meals are very highly regulated? Check out the USDA’s website for more information: http://www.fns.usda.gov/…/national-school-lunch-program-nslp

As for our Allergy Meal System, this is available to the district as an option and should be discussed with the school. Offering an alternate meal may require additional planning and preparation for school staff, resulting in higher cost and additional labor, so making this available to all students would be a district decision.

A representative from Preferred Meals is always available to attend a meeting with the district if you would like to discuss further.

Thank you!

***

BIG thanks in advance to all the individuals who weigh in at the comments section below. Regardless of your school district, your voices COUNT and together, we can make change... 

One school district at a time!

Fighting for food transparency + food ed,

Stay tuned,

Lindsey
JOFR Super Ambassador


ps

Check out this fake food ingredient I just discovered from the lists: Cinnamaldehyde. Instead of adding real cinnamon, they add this "pesticide" to give applesauce and other foods a cinnamon essence. GROSS.

where are school food ingredient lists?

i honestly would LOVE to let my kids have school food. it would be so lovely if i knew what exactly was IN the food so that i could trust that my kids (especially miss gut-brain sensitive abbie) weren't overloading on fake food additives and added sugar.

currently our school food service, preferred meals provides basic nutritional information, excluding (what i consider the MOST IMPORTANT) added sugar content and ingredient lists online for parents and staff. in my digging to find information, i also discovered they offer an amazing "allergy meal system" for students with food sensitivities. of course, you need a doctor's note (why can't this menu be offered to all students even if at extra cost?) and i have no idea if our school district even offers it to families at all. i still haven't heard back. 

i am dumbfounded that our wellness committee was not informed of this option. 

here's the letter i sent off this morning to our district business manager. i haven't heard back from an email i sent off a week ago. i'm posting it here today in hopes that it may inspire another parent, staff or food revolutionary out there to ask the most basic food truth question: "what is in school food?" 

as a parent, i would sure like to gain access to that wonderful allergy menu. my kids just might like some of those options every once and awhile and i'd love to have the day off or two from making lunches every morning! 

***

Good Morning!

I hope all is well!  I have a few questions and thoughts for you regarding our school food provider. Is "Jane" still the contact at Preferred Meals?  You mentioned that there has been a change of personnel and I would like to get the ball rolling with getting our District families full menu ingredient disclosure plus added sugar content online. It is simply unacceptable that this information is not available to parents and staff.

In addition, is the special "Allergy Meal System" available to our student population?  If so, there needs to be information sent out to families regarding this amazing school food option. If not, we need to find out how to bring it into the food offerings. 

I am blown away by this menu option and am hoping it is something we can promote to the district. Also, I would also like to investigate the possibility of getting this option available at extra cost to parents who would like access to cleaner, more organic food.

Thank you!

***

xoxoL