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Wellness Newsletter
J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 0
Family Taste Celebration
Highlight food from your own international background
and encourage your child to explore his/her
food heritage. Often, foods that were prepared as
everyday foods many years ago have become today’s
celebration foods. Special family recipes are
only pulled out for holidays. Why not create a
holiday by making that special food on an ordinary
day?
Chris Faro, District Manager
In the months of January and February, your
school cafeteria will be celebrating cultural diversity
through sampling cuisines from around the
world and learning about other cultures.
January is “Around the World” month. The cafeteria
will focus on the three most popular ethnic
cuisines… Italian, Mexican and Asian. There will
be decorations reflecting the styles of the three
cultures, as well as menu offerings, taste testing
opportunities, and nutritional information on
some of the healthy aspects of each cuisine.
IN THIS ISSUE:
•
Around the World
•
Farm to School
•
Farm Fresh Focus
•
Cold Weather
Exercise
•
Safety Feature
•
Chef’s Corner
We will also feature specials from a variety of
other ethnic cuisines, including Moroccan, Lebanese,
Greek and Caribbean flavors.
In February, we celebrate the diversity of
American society and the influence that diversity
has on our culture and the foods we eat.
Traditional New England, Soul Food and Tex
Mex style dishes will be featured, along with
information on how these styles of cooking
came to be as people from all over the world
added their own culinary flair to the dishes and
ingredients they discovered in America.
Suggest that he/she ask older family members
questions about your food heritage – “What
country did our relatives come from? What foods
did you eat when you were my age?” Select a
family recipe or one from the cuisine of your
background, and have your child track down the
ingredients at the grocery store, scavenger hunt
style. Go home, cook together and have fun celebrating
your food heritage!
“Often, foods that
were prepared as
everyday foods many
years ago have
become today’s
celebration foods.”
A Division of Café Services, Inc.
Here’s an activity
you can try at home:
“The cafeteria will
focus on the three
most popular ethnic
cuisines… Italian,
Mexican and Asian.”
P A G E 2
Farm to School Overcoming Barriers
John Kenyon, District Manager
in the cafes we run is supply
distribution. Local farms are
generally small and do not have
resources to distribute products.
They often rely on foot
traffic and walk in business.
Schools on the other hand,
don’t have the resources to
pick up foods and therefore
rely on large distribution companies
to deliver products
which aren’t necessarily locally
grown.
Café Services is overcoming
this barrier by developing relationships
with people who understand
the value of fresh local
produce in schools and assist
with the distribution of
those products. One person
that has been instrumental with
this is Hans Estrin. He is the
Coordinator of the Windham
County Farm-to-School Network
and PCS Greens Project.
He has created a farm-toschool
network that delivers
fresh local farm produce from
farms such as Westminster
Organics and Green Mountain
Orchards to eight school cafeterias
that we service in Brattleboro
VT and Bellows Falls
VT. We are currently working
with Hans to expand this service
to include the Springfield
Vt. school district as well.
Hans says “We are in this to be
a helpful local distribution service—
to connect as many
schools as possible with some
Farm Fresh Focus and Farm to
School continue to be driving
forces in schools and districts
that we serve. During the fall
local produce is abundant.
We have taken advantage of
the brisk harvest season and
have featured locally grown
apples, corn, and butternut
squash.
Overcoming Seasonality - As
the winter approaches in New
England, local vegetables are
scarce. We have however,
been able to identify foods
that are locally produced. In
December we featured Cape
Cod cranberries. In January
we will offer root vegetables
such as sweet potatoes. During
the month of February we
are featuring Onions and plan
to offer students the opportunity
to sample a variety of
products prepared with onions.
March we will focus on
turnip, and cabbage. It is important
to note in early spring
that although weather improves,
local produce is still
difficult to find. We have
been able to find products
that will support local Farms.
We are promoting local dairy
products in April, and locally
produced hydroponic tomatoes
in May.
Conquering Supply Distribution
- The second big barrier
to offering locally grown foods
some local farms and produce.
We clearly want to connect
with and collaborate with existing
FS programs in any way that
makes sense.” We have also
made these types of connections
in New Hampshire,
thanks in large part to NH
Farm to School Coordinator
Stacey Purslow, who has
helped us facilitate a direct purchasing
from Nottingham Farm,
Moulton Farm and Booty Hill
Farm to name just a few.
Finally, price is always a barrier
when deciding what to serve
for school lunch. It is very difficult
to prepare a 5-6 component
lunch menu and serve it
for between $1.75 and $2.50
labor included. Local produce,
although very desirable, can
also be expensive. We need to
serve products while they are
abundant and affordable. During
the planning process we are
working with Hans, Stacey, and
local farmers to identify a
growing schedule. This process
will allow us to coordinate
what produce will be available
and when. It will also aid farmers
to know what schools are
looking for while they are planning
their growing season for
the upcoming year.
One example of
success:
During the months of
October and November
we were able to serve
organic locally grown
lettuce in several school
cafes. Supplies were
abundant, product was
delivered as scheduled,
and the price was
right!!!!!
P A
Here are some points from our knife
training that can also be helpful in a home
kitchen:
•
A sharp knife is always safer.
•
Cut down and away from your fingerscurl
your fingers under and into your
palm to secure the food your cutting
to prevent slips of the knife from
catching your fingers.
•
Never place a knife in a sink full of
soapy water.
•
Never attempt to catch a falling knife.
•
Never cut raw and prepared products
with the same knife - sanitize your knife
and cutting board after using them to
work with raw meats.
•
Never use a knife as a screwdriver or pry
tool- the edge is not designed to support
lateral pressure and the tip can break and
contaminate a food item.
Knife Safety -
Michael Lewis, Manager of Operations Support Services
The cafeteria will be featuring Sweet
Potatoes in January. Here’s just one of the
interesting articles that will be presented to
students in the cafeteria:
Sweet potatoes are a Native American plant
that was the main source of nourishment for
early homesteaders and for soldiers during
the Revolutionary War. These tuberous
roots are among the most nutritious foods
in the vegetable kingdom. They are excellent
sources of vitamins A and C. This is why one
colonial physician called them the "vegetable
indispensable."
Sweet Potatoes are often confused with
yams, but yams are large, starchy roots
grown in Africa and Asia. Yams can grow up
to 100 pounds and are rarely available in
American supermarkets. Nutritionally,
sweet potatoes greatly outweigh yams. Because
of the common use of the term "yam,"
it is acceptable to use this term when referring
to sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes
contain an enzyme that converts most of its
starches into sugars as the potato matures.
This sweetness continues to increase during
storage and when they are cooked.
Knives are an irreplaceable piece of equipment
in any kitchen. Knives are also one of
the most critical safety concerns in any
kitchen, and can be the cause of injuries
and a factor in the contamination of food.
As part of our continuous safety training in
the cafeteria, basic knife skills are reviewed
and reinforced throughout the year. Being
cautious is the starting point, but learning
how to correctly use a knife gives our staff
confidence in their abilities – and that confidence
is a big factor in preventing injuries.
Farm Fresh Focus Sweet Potatoes -
Chris Faro, District Manager
Outdoor activities can relieve cabin fever,
pump up your energy on gloomy days and
boost your immunity during flu season. Have
fun in the cold with a little preparation:
Check
with your health care provider first if
you have cardiac problems or asthma, even if
you’ve had no problems exercising in warmer
temperatures.
Dress
in layers. Wear moisture-wicking polypropylene,
fleece or wool for insulation and a
waterproof, breathable outer layer. Remove
or replace layers as needed.
Wear
a warm hat and gloves, and if you have
respiratory or cardiac concerns, wear a scarf
over your mouth.
Stay
visible after dark. Wear light-colored or
reflective clothing, and clip on a flashing light.
Put
on footwear with good traction to avoid
slips.
Use
sunscreen and sunglasses to reduce UV
rays and glare.
Watch
the wind chill factor and consider
staying indoors when it’s below zero outside.
Stay
hydrated. Drink one or two cups of
water before exercising; you may need additional
water during vigorous exercise.
Don’t
go it alone. Exercise with a buddy or
let someone know when you’ll return.
Take care to avoid frostbite and hypothermia. If
you notice pain, numbness, tingling or skin whitening
(usually on the face, fingers or toes), get out of
the cold immediately and slowly warm the area
without rubbing. If hypothermia symptoms occur
(intense shivering, slurred speech, fatigue or loss
of coordination), seek emergency help.
Cold Weather Exercise
The Chef’s Corner
—
—
Stir 1 cup chocolate chips into the batter recipe above (without
the blueberries). Grease or line with baking cups in a 12- cup
muffin pan. Scoop the batter by rounded ¼ cupfuls into the prepared
pan; bake the muffins for 20-24 minutes, until a toothpick
inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Yield: 12 muffins.
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla, baking
soda, and salt. Add the bananas, honey, and eggs, beating until smooth. Add the flour, then the
walnuts, stirring until smooth. Then fold in the blueberries very gently. Do not over mix or the
blueberries will run. Spoon batter into a lightly greased 9x5-inch loaf pan, smoothing the top.
Let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Bake the bread for 50 minutes, then gently lay a
piece of aluminum foil across the top, to prevent over browning. Bake for an additional 10 minutes,
then remove the bread from the oven; a long toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center
should come out clean. Allow the loaf to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.,
and cooling it completely on a rack. Yield: 1 loaf. 16 slices
Ingredients
½ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar, light or
dark
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas
(about 3 medium to large
bananas
Mickey Jones, Corporate Resource Director
1E Commons Drive, Unit 25
P.O. Box 1069
Londonderry, NH 03053
Phone: 603-437-0200
Fax: 603-434-5962
www.cafeservices.com
Heavenly Healthy Blueberry
Banana Bread
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
“Original Recipe was from
King Arthur Flour. I added the
blueberries for a healthier
touch and it came out great!”
¼ cup honey
2 large eggs
2 cups King Arthur (or any brand)
whole wheat flour (I like white whole
wheat flour as it is a bit lighter, but
just as healthy).
½ cups chopped walnut (optional)
½ cup small frozen blueberries thawed
and drained
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