Highlights + Bites

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MINNESOTA THURSDAY -- THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12

This month's MN Thursday meal is a classic TURKEY DINNER! There are so many great partnerships with farmers and MN makers that bring this meal together.

THE TURKEY:
These turkey breasts come from Ferndale Market in Cannon Falls. This is a third generation operation raising free range turkeys on pasture. Pasturing birds is sustainable, humane, and adds loads of nutrients to the meat.

MASHED POTATOES:

Is any Thanksgiving complete without mashed potatoes? We didn't think so. We source potatoes from Prairie Drifter Farm in Litchfield and Jane Windsperger of GEDEF in Mora for this meal. Yes, each kitchen team makes mashed potatoes from scratch for hundreds of servings!

BRUSSELS SPROUTS:

We love that students have opened up to brussels over the last several years. They're a very interesting plant (think: baby cabbages on a dusty green palm tree) and loaded with vitamin K, vitamin C and fiber. Hlee and Lee Family Farms in Northfield is growing hundreds and hundreds of Brussels sprouts plants just for our schools!

STUFFING:

This stuffing is extra special as it's also made from scratch with locally-made bread crumbs. Backwards Bread Co. is a local, artisan bread shop in St. Cloud. They specifically cube their pan loaves for us to streamline this process. Partnerships like this expand the quality ingredients students experience on their trays.

APPLE:

Three cheers for a great apple season! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! Apples this week are coming from Cedar Hills Orchard north of Hutchinson.

RAINBOW JOHNNY POP:

A Minnesota-made treat that most of you are familiar with, JohnnyPops center kindness in their business model. Not only do these sweet treats have great, clean ingredients, they encourage kindness in every package. World Kindness day falls on the Friday after this meal so we're celebrating a day early. Share a smile. Practice Empathy. Thank a farmer.

UNDERSTANDING MACROS CAN HELP STUDENTS FEEL MORE ENERGETIC THROUGHOUT THEIR DAY

9 High-Protein Snacks Dietitians Recommend for Better Blood Sugar

Understanding the different nutrients in food is a great habit for kids and families to practice! The three main macronutrients—carbohydrates, protein, and fat—all play important roles in keeping our bodies healthy. Carbohydrates provide energy for learning, playing, and growing; protein helps build and repair muscles and tissues; and fats support brain development and help our bodies absorb certain vitamins. Choosing a variety of foods and pairing them together, like an apple with peanut butter or whole-grain crackers with cheese, can help us feel satisfied and fueled between meals.

This knowledge comes in handy when students fill up their trays or make choices in our a la carte programs. Continue to encourage your eater to seek balance. Protein is not everything, despite its fanfare, but having carbohydrates, fiber and fat to go with it can help our students have sustained and level energy throughout the day. Instead of labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” learning what different foods do for our bodies helps us make informed choices that support our health and well-being.

MEATBALL MAKING IN OUR FOOD SERVICE CO-OPERATIVE

Years ago our Nutrition Services Co-operative, Hutchinson, Litchfield, and DC Districts, came together to purchase a meatball maker. At the time, we were moving toward serving 100% locally-raised beef within our program. Meatballs were the last remaining product that wasn’t locally sourced and had fillers that we didn't want to serve the students. Together, we could solve the problem. Over MEA, staff from the Litchfield, Dassel-Cokato and Hutchinson Districts worked together to make a round of meatballs for our menus.

Making meatballs is a two day process. One day to create the mixture and run mixture through the machine. After this they’re frozen on sheet trays. One day to pack them into bags and vacuum sealed in quantities of 100.

Look for these meatballs on our Meatball Sub Sandwich, as Swedish meatballs, or as Spaghetti and Meatballs! Check out the pictures and graphic below to learn more about the process.

Meatball Machine in Motion

The machine drops 4 meatballs per revolution. One staff person monitors the bulk mixture and quality of meatballs while another loads up a sheet pan to prepare for freezing.

Meatballs Ready for the Freezer

Meatballs trayed up and ready to freeze. Freezing the meatballs helps them hold their shape when being vacuum sealed.

Counting and Sealing

Staff works to portion and seal the bags in quantities of 100. Our youngest eaters receive 3 meatballs and our older students receive 4 per serving.

HAPPY WORLD KINDNESS DAY [November 13] TO THOSE WHO CELEBRATE!

On November 13, we will be recognizing World Kindness Day, by serving JonnyPops to on every student tray. “What is World Kindness Day,” you ask? World Kindness Day is a global initiative created 28 years ago, to empower people everywhere to spread kindness one thoughtful deed at a time. The founders of JonnyPops also share a similar mission, to inspire kindness. They have imprinted a kind deed on every popsicle stick. Such as a small prompt to hold a door for someone, or to share a smile.

In a world where things can feel overwhelming at times, perhaps we can all take a minute, enjoy a JonnyPop and make it our mission to do one kind deed for someone else.

FROM OUR KITCHEN TO YOURS - LET THE SEASON INSPIRE

Both of these recipes are created by Shelburne Farms in Vermont. We have been lucky enough to participate in leadership training alongside them and the National Farm to School Network through Minnesota's Farm to School Institute and the National Farm to School Leadership Academy. They inspire much of our hands-on learning and scratch cooking goals. For a printable PDF of both recipes, scan the QR code here:

Highlights + Bites