Food and Nutrition Services

Team Nutrition

School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC)

SHAC is seeking principals, assistant principals, school nurses, and teachers, especially physical education, health, family and consumer science teachers, to serve on the committee. The committee’s mission is to promote optimal physical, emotional, social, and educational development of students using a collaborative school health model which is designed to motivate and assist students to maintain and improve their health, prevent disease, and reduce health related behaviors. SHAC has been concentrating on improving nutrition and physical activity and educating students on cancer prevention, mental health and Red Ribbon Week. Meetings are the second Wednesday of each month from 3:15-4:30 PM. Contact Sue Sheehy at SueSheehy@aol.com or Nancy Wells at nwells@manchesternh.gov if you are interested.

Cafe Opportunities Available

Don't miss this opportunity to work mother's hours, from 10 AM to 2 PM, and be home for your children after school! The Manchester School District currently has positions available in the school cafeterias. Responsibilities consist of setting up the lunch line, serving food to the students, and some basic cleanup. Anyone interested should call Lucille Villemure in School Food Services at 624-6300 x120.

FAMILIES THAT COOK TOGETHER, MAKE MEMORIES!                                           

There are many benefits to spending time in the kitchen with your preschooler or young child.  Your child will gain:

¨  Knowledge about how to work safely in the kitchen

¨  Basic cooking skills (stirring, cracking eggs, spreading, sprinkling, shaping things into balls, scooping, etc.

¨  A sense of accomplishment from preparing food for himself/herself and others

¨  A growing appreciation for new foods (kids like to eat what they helped to prepare

¨  Information about a wide variety of foods (how they look, smell, taste)

¨  Real life experiences to complement language, math and fine motor skills

¨  Time with you, spent making memories together in the kitchen!

Courtesy of Nutrition Education for the Public

RECIPES TO COOK TOGETHER

Banana Grahamana

1.  Help your child peel a ripe banana, slice it into one inch thick pieces with a butter knife.

2.  Crush two whole graham cracker rectangles (chocolate ones are delicious) by putting them in a small plastic bag, sealing the bag and rolling over them with a small can or rolling pin.

3.  Add banana slices to the bag, seal and shake until the bananas are covered with crumbs. Freeze the banana slices in a pan.

4.  Eat as a snack or dessert (remove from the freezer for a few minutes to soften slightly.)

Tortilla Rollups

1.  Spread a small tortilla with a favorite spread (peanut butter, hummus, salsa, etc)

2.  Sprinkle on some vegetable pieces (cucumbers slices, grated carrots, red pepper slices, shredded lettuce, tomato pieces, etc)

3.  Spoon on a filling such as grated cheese, mashed beans, tuna, cottage cheese, sliced meat or poultry, chopped hard boiled egg, etc)

4.  Roll up the tortilla tightly. Your child can eat it this way or you can slice it into pinwheels using a sharp knife.

Courtesy of Nutrition Education for the Public

GET MOVING MANCHESTER 2008

Get Moving Manchester (GMM), an annual program to promote healthy eating habits and physical activity will begin March 17, 2008 and end April 11, 2008 for Manchester students in grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 with the addition of grades K-2. The program, in its 6th year, will focus on the theme "5-2-1-0" which encourages students and families to eat 5 fruits and vegetables, have 2 or less hours of screen time, exercise for one hour or more, and drink zero beverages with sugar and more of drinks such as water, milk, and 100% juice.

Students in grade 3, 4, and 5 will learn about making healthy snack choices at school. Teachers will recognize children by giving them points for drinking milk and eating fruits and vegetables as snacks. Teachers and parents will have access to recommendations for healthy snacks. Students who complete their homework each week, will be entered into raffles that include bowling passes, physical activity equipment and incentives from organizations such as Hood, CMC, Elliot, NE Dairy and Food Council, NH Healthy Schools Coalition, Fisher Cats, American Cancer Society and more. 

Students in the 6th grade will get points for eating fruits, vegetables, and milk products over four weeks.  They can also earn points for avoiding TV and computer games during the school week. Parents will be sent the forms so to join their son/daughter at home. Homework forms should be  returned to school weekly to be entered in a raffle. The middle school with the most students participating will also be awarded the GMM trophy. Last year, Mayor Guinta  presented fitness certificates and patches to the middle school students who participated in the program. The mayor presented McLaughlin Middle School with the trophy for most students participating in the program.

Parents are encouraged to bring their children grocery shopping to teach them about healthy eating, and to exercise with their children during the program! Good luck and Get Moving Manchester! Making healthy choices can be fun and easy for everyone!

 For  more information on healthy snack choices, breakfast ideas, and serving sizes, continue reading the information below. GMM is sponsored by the Manchester School District and Manchester Health Department. This year's program incentives have been funded by Catholic Medical Center, NE dairy and Food Council, Vital & Ryze Advertising, Indian Head Athletics, NH Dept of Health and Human Services, Ten Pin Stadium Bowling, Hood Inc and Fisher Cats.

CHICKEN PASTA SALAD WITH BLUEBERRIES

3 cups spiral pasta                       2 cups (1 lb) cooked chicken, diced

1 cup sliced celery                       1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup pea pods, cut in half             1/2 c chopped red pepper

1/4 cup parsley                             1/4 chopped red onion

1/4 cup red wine vinegar dressing (additional 3/4 cup red wine dressing)

2-3 TBSP chopped fresh basil

Pepper to taste

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS: Cook pasta according to directions on box. About 1 minute before it is cooked, add the pea pods. Drain and rinse with cold water. To a large bowl, add pasta and pea pods along with remaining salad ingredients, except Parmesan cheese. Toss with 1/2 cup red wine vinegar dressing. Cover; refrigerate several hours or overnight to blend flavors. Before serving, toss with remaining dressing and Parmesan cheese. Yield: 12 (1 cup) servings

Courtesy of Michigan Blueberries Growers Association

BREAKFAST ROCKETS

1 cup vanilla yogurt

2 TBSP peanut butter

4 teaspoons sugar

2 cup low fat granola

4 medium bananas

4 wooden, freezer pop sticks

Place yogurt , peanut butter and sugar in small bowl and mix together. Peel and cut bananas in half. Insert freezer pop stick into each banana half. Cut eight large squares of plastic wrap. Spread each banana half with yogurt mixture. Coat evenly with granola. Wrap each banana in plastic wrap. Freeze or refrigerate until ready to blast off.

Nutritional analysis per serving:

228 cals, 43g carb, 5g protein, 4g fat, 3g fiber, 67 mg calcium

Courtesy of New England Dairy and Food Council

CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI

1 c flour

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c cocoa

2 tsp  almond, orange or raspberry extract

2 egg substitutes, 2 eggs, or 2 whites

1/4 tsp salt

Cooking spray

2 tsp sugar

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with this ‘heart healthy’ chocolate recipe. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Separately mix flavoring and eggs. Combine until there is a thick consistency. If the mixture is too stiff, it won’t spread properly. Put mixture on a greased cookie sheet. Arrange in a log about 15 inches long and 2 inches wide. Bake at 350 degress for 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and slice into about 18 pieces. Place slices on their side and put back in the oven at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn over and cook another 10-15 minutes.

How  to Burn Calories in Chocolate

·  About 63 minutes of walking (4 miles/hour)burns the calories in 3 oz chocolate.

·  To burn off the calories in 1 plain M&M candy, you would have the walk the equivalent of a football field.

Non-Food Ways to Celebrate

Birthday Parties in School

• Donate a book to the school library or classroom in honor of the child’s birthday with a personalized gift acknowledgement plate inside

• Donate playground/physical activity equipment- jump ropes, balls etc

• Celebrate with active games chosen by the students

• Have a dance party

• Engage students in a special art project

• Go for a fun run with the principal or local hero (fireman, mayor, athlete)

Cheesy Chicken Crunchers -

Makes 6 servings

1 cup all-purpose flour                                   
 salt and pepper
4 egg whites
1/2 cup reduced fat milk
1 1/2 cups cornflakes
1 cup reduced shredded Cheddar
6 chicken breast filets; cut into strips
non stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Set up three bowls with the following: 1) flour mixed with a pinch of salt and pepper; 2) an egg-wash; made by beating the eggs and milk together; 3) cornflakes mixed with cheese.
Coat a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Dip chicken pieces in flour, then into the egg-wash, then roll in the cheesy-flakes mixture, coating the entire piece of chicken and place on the baking pan. Discard any unused cornflake mixture after coating chicken. Bake for 25 minutes, turning halfway through to ensure even browning. Serve with ketchup or BBQ sauce if desired.

Nutritional Facts per serving for individual food recipe: Calories: 320, Total Fat: 8 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g ,Cholesterol: 90 mg, Sodium: 320 mg, Calcium: 20% Daily Value, Protein: 37g, Carbohydrates: 24 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g.

Recipe created by Chef Jon Ashton of Orlando, Florida, Courtesy of the NE Dairy and Food Council 

WHAT IS “5-2-1-0 Healthy NH" ?

“5-2-10 Healthy NH” is a statewide public education campaign to bring awareness to the daily guidelines for nutrition and physical activity. Its message is simple and clear and represents some of the most important steps families can take to prevent childhood obesity:

5  Fruits and vegetables…more matters!  Eat at least 5 servings a day.  Limit 100% fruit juice. 
2  Cut screen time to 2 hours or less a day.
1  Participate in at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.
0  Restrict soda and sugar-sweetened sports and fruit drinks.  Instead, drink water and 3-4 servings/day of fat-free/skim or 1% milk.

For more information visit www.healthynh.com. There are  resources for doctors, teachers and anyone else in the community to use to promote 5210 Healthy NH and implement the recommendations outlined by the NH Childhood Obesity Expert Panel. All of the materials are free. 

APPLE ‘N 

SPICE MUFFINS

1 1/4 c flour

1/2 c cornmeal

1/3 c sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ginger

1 3/4 c shredded Golden

Delicious apple

3/4 c low fat buttermilk

2 TBSP vegetable oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

Cooking spray

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp  cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use cooking spray on 12 muffin cups. Combine first  8 ingredients in large bowl; make a well in center. Combine apple, buttermilk, oil, and egg in bowl. Add to dry ingredients, stirring until moist. Add to 12 muffin cups. Combine remaining ingredients; sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes

DID YOU KNOW…..?

·  Grapes are actually considered berries.

·  On average, there are about 100 berries per bunch of grapes.

·  Grapes come in three colors: green, red, and blue-black.

·  The first grapes were cultivated as early as 6000 B.C.

·  California’s fresh grape farmers provide 98% of the nation’s commercially grown table grapes.

·  When frozen individually on a cookie sheet, grapes become a sweet frozen treat.

Taken from the California Table Grape Commission

APPLE CRISP

9 cups of cored, peeled apples

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

½ cup oatmeal

½ cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine first four ingredients.  Spread into baking dish.  Combine remaining ingredients; sprinkle evenly over apples.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.  Makes 8 servings.

One serving (1/2 cup) = 150 calories, 1.5 gm protein, 29 gm carbohydrate, 4 gm fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 12 mg calcium, 80 mg potassium, 1 gm fiber.

WHAT’S THE SPREAD ON BUTTER?

Cardiac disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. More than 7 million people have had a heart attack and more than 6 million experience have angina (chest pain). Another 11 million have some other type of cardiovascular disease including congestive heart failure, stroke, or heart defects. Every minute someone dies from a heart attack or some other coronary event.

What do we do to decrease the incidence of heart disease in our families? Genetics is certainly one risk factor that we cannot control, but we can control diet and exercise. Exercise, although challenging to fit into our busy lifestyles, is easy to understand, yet, at times, is difficult to maintain. Diet is not as simple to understand with all the conflicting information that is in the media. Butter versus margarine is one of those controversies. Which is better, butter or margarine? Well, it depends. There are two types of fat in the diet that can increase the risk for heart disease and should be avoided as much as possible. They are saturated fat and trans fat.

Saturated fat is anything that becomes solid at room temperature. Saturated fat includes anything that comes from an animal such as meat, whole milk and whole milk dairy products (yogurt, cheese, ice cream, sour cream), butter, lard, cream, and half and half. Coconut oil is also a saturated fat. Of course, there are alternatives such as skim milk, nonfat yogurt, and fat free sour cream. Reduced fat ice cream or cheese and lean meat can be consumed in small quantities.

Trans fat is a little trickier. Years ago, when food scientists and manufacturers realized that butter is not a “healthy” fat, they attempted to take a “healthy” fat such as vegetable oil and make it a solid at room temperature. In doing this, the chemical process called hydrogenation created trans fats. After much research, the medical community realized that people who ate margarine and other trans fat were still linked to cardiac disease. In January 2006, the US government required that food manufacturers include trans fat on their labels. They also decided that foods with less than 0.5 grams or trans fat per serving were allowed to list trans fat as zero on their Nutrition Facts labels. If two tablespoons of a “trans-free” spread contains “partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated” oil, 1 gram of trans fat is consumed and this is not trivial. The recommendation for people with heart disease is 1 gram or less of “unhealthy” fat (saturated plus trans) per tablespoon. The acceptable range for the rest of the population is about 1.5 grams or less of “unhealthy” fat. 

 Other foods that can contain trans fat are commercial baked products such as  crackers, pastries, cookies, and cakes, frozen foods such as French fries, frozen dinners, pizza, pies, and ice cream, snack foods such as chips, and other commercial foods such as instant packages of rice, “starter” meals, prepared gravies, sauces, and instant mashed potatoes.

BEST SPREADS    

TUBS and SQUEEZES (1 tablespoon)

• Smart Beat
• Fleischmann’s Light
• Benecol or Benecol Light
• Take Control or Take Control Light
• Spectrum’s Naturals
• Blue Bonnet Light or Homestyle
• Brummel and Brown Made with Yogurt
• Country Crock Light, Plus Calcium & Vitamins, Plus Yogurt or Whipped Easy Squeeze
• I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter – Light, Calcium or Squeeze
• Move Over Butter
• Parkay – Light or Calcium
• Promise Light
• Olivio with olive oil
• Spectrum Essentials with Omega 3

ALSO ACCEPTABLE (1.5 grams or less of saturated plus trans)

·        Smart Balance Light or Light with Fax Oil

·        Country Crock

·        Fleischmann’s with olive oil, tub or squeeze or original

·        Parkay Original – tub or squeeze

·        Promise

·        Canola Harvest – regular or with calcium

If Butter is a must….

Land O’ Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil (has less than 2 grams of saturated plus trans fat)

 Perfect Pumpkin Bread

1 2/3 cup whole wheat flour    

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder                                     

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda                                                            

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 cup mashed cooked or canned pumpkin   ¼ cup Prune Puree

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons orange juice                         

¼ chopped pecans

Combine and stir the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add pumpkin, orange juice and prune puree to dry ingredients just until moistened. 
Fold in pecans.  Coat an 8 X 4 inch loaf pan and bake at 325 for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. 
Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Yield=16 slices;  One slice = 84 calories, ½ g fat, 2.5 g fiber and 2.5 g protein.

 Safe Turkey Tips for a Happy Holiday Meal

Roast turkey at 325 degrees with an internal temperature of 180 degrees. Defrost frozen turkeys in the refrigerator and not in the microwave. Remove stuffing from bird when serving; 
refrigerate stuffing and turkey as soon as possible. Keep cooked turkey in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and freeze the remainder. Prepare and handle turkey safely to avoid food borne illness. 
Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving

AN APPLE A DAY....

APPLES REALLY ARE GOOD FOR YOU!
Eating fresh apples is always good for you, but to get the full nutritional benefits associated with eating apples you should eat at least one fresh apple every day. The average U.S. consumer eats about 19 pounds of fresh apples a year — about one apple per week. 

WHOLE-BODY HEALTH BENEFITS
Lower blood cholesterol, improved bowel function, reduced risk of stroke, prostate cancer, type II diabetes and asthma.

The disease-fighting profile of apples provides a multitude of health benefits, including a potential decreased risk of cancer and heart disease. Several recent studies suggest apples may provide a "whole-body" health benefit.

A number of components in apples, most notably fiber and phytonutrients have been found in studies to lower blood cholesterol and improve bowel function, and may be associated with a reduced risk of  heart disease, stroke, prostate cancer, type II diabetes and asthma. Findings indicate that two apples a day or 12 ounces of 100% apple juice reduced the damaging effects of the “bad” LDL cholesterol.

CANCER PREVENTION
Over the past four years, apple consumption has been linked with reduced cancer risk in several studies. A 2001 Mayo Clinic study indicated that quercetin, a flavonoid abundant in apples, helps prevent the growth of prostate cancer cells. A Cornell University study indicated phytochemicals in the skin of an apple inhibited the reproduction of colon cancer cells by 43 percent. The National Cancer Institute has reported that foods containing flavonoids like those found in apples may reduce the risk of lung cancer by as much as 50 percent.

In large bowl, combine salad greens and apple slices. Add vinaigrette to salad; toss gently to coat. Arrange salad on large platter; sprinkle with cheese and walnuts. In small bowl, whisk together ingredients; set aside. 

12 Healthy Breakfast Ideas

1. Smoothies (fruit, yogurt and ice in a blender)
2. Oatmeal and fruit (raisins, bananas) and milk
3. Fruit (berries or bananas) and cold cereal and a low sugar, high fiber. (Some choices are raisin bran, shredded wheat, cheerios, bran flakes, wheat chex, kashi)
4. Chopped fruit and yogurt dip (cut up berries, melon, pineapple, grapes)
5. English muffin pizza with cheese and sauce
6. Sliced apples and peanut butter
7. Wheat toast with peanut butter and jelly and fruit
8. One half sandwich with cheese and meat
9. Scrambled eggs, cheese, and chopped tomatoes in a tortilla
10. Wheat bagel with reduced fat cream cheese, cinnamon, and raisins
11. Trail Mix (granola, raisins, nuts, chex)
12. Non traditional breakfast like leftovers from last night

Food and Wellness Policy

. The following is a list of healthy snacks that meet the Food and Wellness Policy guidelines.

• Fruit wedges, fruit slices or fruit salads (use different shapes and dip in lemon or orange juice to prevent browning)
• New fruits (star fruit, pomegranate, tangelo, mango, kiwi, golden raspberries)
• Apple or banana slices with *peanut butter or small amount of cinnamon and brown sugar
• Fruit with low fat or nonfat yogurt and small amount of cool whip
• Dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries, cranraisins
• Fruit cups in its own juice or in light syrup including applesauce, peaches, pineapple, and fruit mix
• Berry parfaits with low fat or nonfat vanilla yogurt and *granola
• Bugs on a log (celery or banana with *peanut butter or reduced fat cream cheese and dip in *granola or raisins)
• Baby carrots, grape tomatoes, celery sticks, broccoli or cauliflower florets, cucumber spears, red, yellow, green or orange pepper strips with reduced fat salad dressing or hummus
• String cheese, cheese cubes or cheese slices and wheat crackers (preferably part skim or reduced fat cheeses)
• Flavored milk
• Low Fat or Nonfat Fruit Smoothies (made with fresh or frozen fruit, ice, and yogurt)
• Nonfat or Low fat Yogurts or Go-gurts
• *Nut assortment (with shells or without)
• Wraps (turkey, ham, cheese, hummus, vegetable) cut into ¼’s or ½’s or 1/2 sandwiches
• Quesadillas with cheese and beans
• Make your own trail mix (cheerios, chex, raisins, goldfish, *peanuts, *granola, *cashews, etc.)
• Pita crisps (cut pita into triangles and brush with olive oil and Parmesan cheese and bake in the oven until crisp)
• Wheat crackers with tabbouleh, hummus, cheese or peanut butter
• Baked blue corn or yellow corn tortilla chips with vegetable or fruit salsa or melted cheese
• Pretzels (pretzel goldfish, rods, sticks, braided)
• Homemade banana, carrot, zucchini breads
• Small bagels with low fat spreads (sprinkle a little brown sugar & cinnamon on top of the spread to spice it up a little)
• Low fat popcorn (sprinkle Parmesan cheese on it when it is hot)
• wheat English muffin with cheese and tomato sauce

* These foods may not be appropriate for children with peanut allergies or for peanut free classrooms.