School Nutrition Program Updates |
|
-
Hot Breakfast Month – The National Honey Board is celebrating with several ideas to cover both Hot Breakfast and Valentines. Find their suggestions at National Honey Board
-
American Heart Month; February 14 - Valentine’s Day; February 27 – National Strawberry Day - Cut strawberries celebrate the heart and anything strawberry, including a Creamy Strawberry Parfait are hits with students and staff.
-
Superbowl – Kansas City Chiefs vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers play on February 7th. Iconic Kansas City BBQ vs a classic Tampa Bay Cubano could be two entrees offered on one day as a forecaster of the Superbowl LV winner. Offer up plain pulled pork sandwiches with the USDA recipe for BBQ Sauce as a version of the Kansas City BBQ served over USDA pulled pork. For the Tampa Bay Cubano, you will need mustard, pickles and a slice of each swiss cheese and ham on top of the plain pulled pork to fashion the replica.
-
February 12 – Chinese New Year - The Year of the Ox – try a Beef Stir-Fry USDA style over rice then add a tropical fruit and milk for a reimbursable meal.
-
February 16 – Mardi Gras – Green, yellow and purple vegetable trays would be symbolic of Mardi Gras colors however anything rich and ‘fatty’ such as cheese, meat and eggs also celebrate this day, also known as Fat Tuesday.
-
February 17 – Ash Wednesday – and the 6 weeks of Lent preceding the Easter Holiday feature meatless menus. Some school boards request that the Lenten season be planned for to keep participation up; think eggs, cheese, and fish for your Ash Wednesday and following Friday entrees. The American Egg Board has you covered with K12 recipes on their Incredibleegg.org Website
-
February 20 – National Muffin Day – Muffins can be a quick scratch grain item to add interest to a breakfast menu. USDA's Basic Muffin recipe has a ‘Morning Glory’ version if the optional fruit pieces are added. Test out some of your own healthy additions to the Basic Recipe through February and announce a winning muffin during School Breakfast Week. Naming contests could also be planned for the muffin mascot. We would love to hear about your “Prowler Power” or “Cougar Comfort” muffin!
|
|
Transitioning from the
Emergency Summer Food Service Program (ESFP) to the
Traditional Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
|
|
The Emergency Summer Food Program will end on the last day of regular school. If your school would like to continue a feeding program past the last day of school, you must sign up under the traditional SFSP in NDFoods. The SFSP application process will be open in NDFoods on or around March 1. Sponsors will indicate their plans for feeding children after their last day of school. Continuation of your program is completely optional.
When determining your participation in the SFSP, please keep in mind that all USDA waivers will be applicable until June 30 unless they are extended.
If your site is only eligible to participate in the program due to the Area Eligibility Waiver then you will not be able to operate past June 30, 2021. During the traditional SFSP, sites must be determined eligible to participate in the program. A list of all eligible potential school sites will be sent out to sponsors prior to the March 1st application process.
If your site is currently offering non-congregate meals under the Non-congregate Meal Waiver your meal service will have to switch to congregate feeding on July 1, 2021. Sponsors have the option, under the current waiver, to provide meals in either a non-congregate or congregate setting. When there are no waivers in place, during the traditional SFSP, all sites must provide meals to children in a congregate setting and the meals must be consumed on site.
CNFD will host a webinar towards the end of February or early in March to inform sponsors on the SFSP application process and to highlight other important dates for sponsors. Watch your email for an invite to the webinar.
|
|
SFSP Reimbursement Rates Effective January 1, 2021 |
|
|
|
Click HERE or on the image (left side) to enlarge and print out the Summer Food Service Program Reimbursement Rates, effective January 1, 2021.
|
|
UPCOMING! Back-To-School Workshops (BTSW) |
|
We are wondering how people feel about attending BTSWs in-person. So far, we have booked Fargo for July 27 and 28 with the exact same sessions offered each day to keep the crowd size smaller. Minot is booked for August 5. We would like to know how you feel right now about attending in July or August so we can cancel these dates or continue on with booking a Bismarck date. Please fill out the survey below. This is not a commitment; we just want to see how people are feeling about sitting in a room with 100 people. We can still cancel the Fargo and Minot contracts. Several people have asked if we could offer the virtual option along with in-person for people who are not comfortable travelling, that is a really good idea we are hoping to implement, just not sure if it will be that day, later, or a recording. We really enjoyed seeing you in your groups on Teams during last years’ virtual events and we did have many new people attending who would never drive to a conference in another town.
|
|
Bread: Is it a Grain Serving? |
|
To meet the bread/grain requirement, an item must first be a grain; hopefully an ounce of grain. A grain item must contain at least 16 grams of creditable grain in a one ounce serving to be credited as a grain. A quick reference is Exhibit A Grain Components from USDA (in the Menu Planning Workbook) that says a slice of bread needs to weigh 28 grams to credit as an ounce equivalent. We are finding bread slices that weigh 26 grams, we cannot round up so that bread is actually a .75 ounce grain serving. Some brands state on the label that a serving is two slices, which would be 1.5 ounces equivalents of grain, however, you would need to make sure a student took two slices to be a full component. Most schools are currently on the SFSP that only requires one ounce of grain for all ages, however, for regular NSLP, grades 9-12 must be offered a full two ounces of grain and if that is one of the 3 components on their tray, it must be the full 2 ounces which is 3 slices. Bread that weighs 26 grams may be cheaper per slice than 28 g bread, but in the long run it will cost more due to having to offer 2 slices.
|
|
MyPlate 'Bite-by-Bite' Series - PROTEIN |
|
MyPlate puts to action the consumer use of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).
February is American Heart Month, so the perfect time to promote heart healthy protein options! There is much more to Heart Health besides eating lean protein options, so check out the sources related to American Heart Association for a full listing of Heart related ‘healthy living’. (Healthy for Good | American Heart Association)
What is included in the protein group of MyPlate? Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, peas and lentils, eggs, nuts, and seeds.
What does this mean for us in Child Nutrition Programs? All listed foods above, in addition to cheese, tofu and yogurt are considered meat/meat alternates in the Child Nutrition Programs. (Be sure to check your program materials for specific guidance on credible items to count towards reimbursable meals).
Health Benefits of Protein
“Proteins function as building blocks for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. They are also building blocks for enzymes, hormones, and vitamins. Proteins are one of three nutrients that provide calories (the others are fat and carbohydrates).
Nutrients provided by various protein foods can differ. Varying your protein food choices can provide your body with a range of nutrients designed to keep your body functioning well. B vitamins help build tissue and aid in forming red blood cells. Iron can prevent anemia. Magnesium helps build bones and supports muscle function. Zinc can support your immune systems.
EPA and DHA are omega-3 fatty acids found in varying amounts in seafood. Eating 8 ounces per week of seafood may help reduce the risk for heart disease.” (Protein Foods | MyPlate)
What is protein’s relation to heart health?
High intake of fatty cuts of meat (some beef/pork/lamb, bacon, sausages, hot dogs, etc) cause excess caloric intake as well as increased intakes of saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol. The recommendation is to limit your intakes of these to help decrease your risk of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and negative impacts on weight status.
Increasing intakes of plant-based proteins such as dry beans, peas and lentils, nuts and seeds or seafood can have heart health benefits by offering omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, micronutrients such as zinc, magnesium and choline and can be cost effective. Intake of low-fat animal proteins can also be beneficial to providing heart health benefits!
|
|
BONUS! February 10th, 2021 is World Pulse Day! This day is celebrated to raise awareness of the nutritional benefits of pulses and their contribution to sustainable food systems. You may want to take this day to try a new recipe or a taste test a new kind of pulse. If you are unsure what a pulse is, don’t worry! It’s a broad name for a grouping of foods, better known as “dry beans, peas and lentils”. Find more information on pulses, including recipes HERE!
In the coming months, we will continue our ‘Bite-by-Bite’ series to explore each component of MyPlate! Look forward to these upcoming topics:
· March - Fruit
· April – Grains
· May – Vegetables
· June – Dairy
|
|
|
|
March is NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH! |
This year’s theme is “Personalize your Plate”.
Think about offering a new food or recipe in the month of March, as many of the students in your schools come from various food backgrounds and taste cultures!
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers a National Nutrition Month Toolkit which includes games, tip sheets, social media posts and other handouts – Needing a suggestion for enrichment or nutrition education? – Find some here! National Nutrition Month Toolkit (eatright.org)
|
|
Food Safety Reminder: Date Marking is Important! |
|
In a review of the fall school kitchen inspections, each of the health inspectors has found at least one school in their jurisdiction that was cited for a date-marking violation. Most violations were for bulk mayonnaise or gallon jugs of salad dressing that were opened and used to fill smaller bottles to use in condiment areas. In a couple situations however, food was thrown out.
[Observation: RTE, TCS food prepared on-site, or any opened commercial container that exceeds the 7-day time limit, or when date-marking is not done shall be discarded.]
One idea to help remind staff to date mark and make the process convenient is to tie a black Sharpie marking pen on a string and then tape the string next to the cooler. This way no one needs to hunt for the tool to get the job done.
Several health units have provided school kitchens with a handy flow chart as a decision tool for the age-old question “To Mark or Not to Mark?”. Click the image for a printable page if you do not have this flow chart and hang it by your cooler as a reminder.
|
|
|
|
National School Breakfast Week (NSBW),
March 8-12, 2021:
“Score BIG with School Breakfast”
|
|
The School Nutrition Association held a NSBW marketing session in January to talk to successful directors with creative marketing tools. Chesterfield County Public Schools was asked to share their marketing campaign tools. Among their ideas were complimentary breakfasts for teachers and staff members, providing fun “props” for students to take selfies at breakfast and choosing a ‘Face of Breakfast’ local personality to use in promotions. Chesterfield chose a popular principal, but other ideas may be the school mascot, a teacher, a local restaurant owner, or a community member (maybe a centenarian) who supports eating breakfast. Breakfast posters, announcements and chances to dine with the ‘Face of Breakfast’ all featured the principal with great success. Download a copy of their ‘Complimentary Teacher Invite’ poster here.
Check out the SNA National School Breakfast Week Toolkit as well. There are a lot of suggestions for all of your service models (cafeteria, classroom and even at home), posters for the cafeteria, motivating messages to share on social media, newsletters and announcements. For example, “Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.” -Roy T. Bennett. What a way to start the day if you had this on your serving line!
The menu suggestions are great on page 15…’Crunch Time’; ‘One in a Melon’; ‘Checkmate’.
There are a few schools that engage students on the serving line with ‘Jokes of the Day’. Find the answer to this laugh and others on page 16.…”Why did the fans throw bread after the state championship?”
The tagline this year is “Score Big with School Breakfast” although you can do something else. SNA noted that even though this has a sports-feel to it, it is important to celebrate all of the student achievements in academics, the arts and personal milestones. Being a breakfast champion is not winning or losing, it is about giving one’s best efforts in everything.
Good luck with your NSBW efforts! We would love to see them – send us pictures or post to the facebook group – North Dakota Kitchen Nutritional Staff
|
|
Professional Development Opportunities |
|
Kitchen Counter Conversations – A Few of Our Favorite Things |
|
|
|
With increased payments for meals served in the Emergency Summer Food Service Program, school districts must watch the balance of the 05 Fund designated as the Food service account. Cash on hand in the account must not exceed 3 months of operating expense. We will go through the calculations of excess funds and then give you some ideas of things we have seen in schools that may make your job easier in the kitchen. Ideas will include professional memberships, café makeovers, hot new cooking/serving equipment, staff gear for NSBW and more! Join us on February 16, 2021 – 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. CST over the Microsoft TEAMS link.
A recording will be made of the session in case you can’t make it that day. Join the meeting at the link below.
_________________________________________________________
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app
Join with a video conferencing device
teams@join.nd.gov
Video Conference ID: 115 372 266 8
Or call in (audio only)
Phone Conference ID: 282 939 126#
|
|
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) has a new round of Virtual, Live Trainings available in February and March. They are instructor led courses that are targeted to the foodservice director at each school district and are between 1 ½ hours to 4 hours long depending on the training. Most are repeated two to three times during the two months at various times designed to accommodate most schedules. The list includes:
Essential Key Performance Indicators, 4 hrs (To be held on 2/12 or 2/23 or 3/11)
Emergency Preparedness, 1 ½ hrs (To be held on 2/23 or 3/9 or 3/25)
Program Accountability and the Role of the Director, 1 ¾ hrs (To be held on 2/24 or 3/4)
Food Production and Operation Management, 2 hrs (To be held on 2/25 or 3/5 or 3/15)
Customer Experience, Merchandising and Food Presentation, 3 ½ hrs (To be held on 2/26 or 3/10 or 3/23)
Procurement and Inventory Management, 4 hrs (To be held on 3/2 or 3/19 or 3/30)
Human Resource Management, 1 ¾ hrs (To be held on 3/3 or 3/18 or 3/31)
Workplace Safety, 2 hrs (To be held on 3/3 or 3/16 or 3/29)
Special Dietary Needs, 1 ½ hrs (To be held on 3/10 or 3/22)
ICN is also offering an intense training called Introduction to School Nutrition Leadership. You will be devoting 4 full days from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to participate in this course, either March 15 though 18th or in June (Tues and Thurs. June 15 & 17 and June 22 & 24). The training will encourage school nutrition program directors with less than 5 years’ experience to increase their skills in the management components of the programs.
|
|
|
|
Healthy School Recipes is... |
hosting a training on February 17th at 1 pm. CST “Building Fresh Breakfast Flavors”. The executive chef for the organization and former district chef at Windham Raymond Schools in Maine will prepare several healthy breakfast recipes to use in the cafeteria or grab and go line.
|
|
Produce For Better Health Foundation Presents: |
Sugar has not been on the chopping block in school meals, YET, however it was identified in the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Produce for Better Health Foundation will hold “America’s Sweet Tooth: Using Fruits and Veggies to Create Delicious Sugar Substitutions” on February 23 at 1 pm CST. This will be a culinary training to reduce added sugar in everyday recipes. They will also present the last research and policy on added sugar intake. Hearing the evidence and watching the cook make easy substitutions in recipes will be professional development for school cooks but will be helpful in home cooking as well. Take care of yourself!
|
|
|
|
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: February |
|
In season produce for February are two vegetables that are “Cousins in the Kitchen”. Standard celery is tall with long fibrous stalks ending in leaves. It usually comes into the kitchen with the fine short roots cut off.
Celeriac is a variety of ordinary celery, so it has the same tall stalks and leaves although shorter but has a big bulb at the base of the stem and the fibrous roots protrude from the bulb. Celeriac is found in the grocery store usually without the stems, leaves and roots. For this reason, it is sometimes called knob celery or even celery root.
Both have a mild taste with the characteristic celery flavor. Both will be crispy, crunchy and ‘fibrous’ in texture, but the celery stalks will be stringy while the celeriac will have the consistency of a potato. Both stay crispier if they wait for service in the cooler.
Peel the celeriac bulb before serving however it would be helpful for students to see what the celeriac looks like before it is prepared. Most know what the celery bunch looks like as this is a common vegetable in home kitchens. Allowing students to see, touch and even smell the unprepared vegetable engages them into the sense we are hoping for – a taste!
|
|
Celery (Left Photo)
Celeriac (Right Photo)
To go one step further in the ‘show and tell’ of celery and celeriac, many kitchens will have a container of celery seed used to enhance the flavor of potato salad or soup. Send a labeled baggie of these small, round, grayish brown seeds along with the prepared samples for the fresh fruit and vegetable snack. Most kids are amazed that from such a small seed, a large piece of produce can be harvested.
|
|
NDDPI Child Nutrition and Food Distribution
Main Office:
600 E. Boulevard Ave, Dept 201
Bismarck, ND 58505
PHONE: 701-328-2294 or 888-338-3663
FAX: 701-328-9566
Mayville Office:
14 Main St E, Mayville, ND 58257
PHONE: 701-877-8901 or 888-788-8901
|
|
Non Discrimination Statement
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
