Serving Up Nutrition

Our phenomenal Student Nutrition department serves over 4,400 nutritious breakfasts and 15,850 nutritious lunches per day. This year, we launched four restaurants in each of our high schools. Our students have excellent choices for healthy meals.

Yummy Pumpkin Casserole

Pumpkin Casserole

2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup white sugar
½ cup self-rising flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup butter
2 pinches ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Combine the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla, melted butter and ground cinnamon to taste. Spoon into a casserole dish.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.

Fruit of the Month for October

In an effort to introduce elementary and middle school students to new FRESH fruits, the student nutrition department has launched a "fruit of the month" campaign.  One day a month, a new fruit will be served and posters will be hung in the cafeteria introducing the fruit. 

The fruit for October is Cantaloupe.  Next up on the list is Pears which will be served to students on December 7. 

Fruit of the Month

In an effort to introduce elementary and middle school students to new FRESH fruits, the student nutrition department has launched a "fruit of the month" campaign.  One day a month, a new fruit will be served and posters will be hung in the cafeteria introducing the fruit.  The fruit for September is Watermelon.  Next up on the list is Cantaloupe which will be served to students on October 26. 

Food Detective

WHAT IS BOK CHOY?

Bok Choy is a member of the cabbage family and quite popular in Asian cuisine.  Also known as Chinese white cabbage it is found in wonton soup and many stir-fry dishes.  It can be found fresh year-round in your local supermarkets.  It is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, beta-carotene, calcium and dietary fiber.  In addition the leafy vegetable is low-fat, low calorie, and low carb and also contains potassium and vitamin B6. 

You will find this fresh salad on C-FB school lunch menus this year, here is the home-sized recipe:

Yummy Bok Choy Salad

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup white vinegar

1/3 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 bunches baby bok choy, cleaned and sliced

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/8 cup dried cranberries

½ (6 ounce) package chow mein noodles

In glass jar with lid, mix together olive oil, white vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce. Close the lid and shake until well mixed.

Combine the bok choy, green onions, dried cranberries and chow mein noodles in a salad bowl. Toss with dressing and serve.

Food Safety is Priority

·        C-FB ISD school nutrition professionals have rigorous training in food safety and have implemented a HACCP plan.   Hazard analysis and critical control points, or HACCP is a systematic preventive approach to food safety that is used in the food industry.

Underground Nutrition!

 
STALKS, LEAVES AND EVEN FLOWERS!

Celery and onions provide some tasty stalks that are used in many recipes for flavor.  Leafy vegetables such as kale, lettuce, spinach and cabbage are full of nutrition.  Leaves are eaten raw in salads or cooked such as greens and spinach.  We also consume flowers; broccoli and cauliflowers is the flower produced by the plant.  Eat a bouquet of broccoli and cauliflower for a snack.  How many stalks, leaves and flower can you find on the menu?

Answer:  All of the above!  You will find a healthy variety of leafy vegetables and stalks on our menus.  

New Food - New Guidelines

You may have heard there will be new requirements for school meals on the horizon.  Most of these new rules will begin for school year 2012-13.  Knowing what changes were likely to take place, the C-FB ISD Student Nutrition Department has been moving our menus gradually towards these targets for the past couple years.

Biggest Changes:

• There will be three different age groups; K-5, 6-8 and 9-12.  Before, we had fewer age groups which left some of the younger students with too much food.   Minimum and maximum ranges have been established for calories, before we only had a minimum target.

• We are now limited as to the serving size of meat/meat alternate (cheese, yogurt, etc.) and grains we can offer.  Previously, we only had a minimum to meet, but could offer more.  Now we must stay within the specified ranges for each age group.  This means entrees may not be as large as they have been. 

The best way to explain the changes is to show you.  Below are before and after pictures of examples for elementary and secondary breakfast and lunch trays.

Cafeteria Managers Demonstrate New Menu Items

The high school cafeteria managers met last week to prepare and demonstrate some of the new menu items being served in the newly renovated high school cafeterias. 

All C-FB ISD high school cafeterias have been remodeled and will feature four restaurants with unique menu items.  The restaurants are All American, Pasta Perfetta, Sabroso, and Wok.  Click here to see the new high school menu.

No Icing Needed

These school cafeteria cinnamon rolls are so good no icing is needed AND they meet student nutrition guidelines!