Articles in the May 2006 Issue
- From Sandra’s Desk
- School Wellness Videos Available Online
- Wellness Brochures
- Severe Need Breakfast and Operating Statement Changes
- Combining Months on the Reimbursement Claim Form
- Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week
- Building for the Future with the CACFP
- Off-Site Meal Requests
- Fall Conference August 1-4, 2006
- Eat Smart Play Hard ™ Campaign
- Developing/Implementing a Written Food Safety Program
- Single Minimum Temperature for Cooked Poultry
- ServSafe Training and Food Safety
- Summer Food Storage
- Department of Defense (DoD) FRESH PRODUCE UPDATE
- Food Distribution Commodity Fact Sheet Update
- Prime Purchasing Practices
- Volleyball, Tap-It and Scavenger Hunt at Certification Institute
- Top 10 Reasons to Attend Certification Institute
- Looking for Recipes? Try these website connections
- Kids in the Kitchen
- Kids on the Move
- The Power of a Bean
From Sandra’s Desk:
It seems that we were just welcoming folks to the 2005-06 school year. Did we really know what was going to happen in the year? Does it seem like it has been a huge year? It has! This last year for school food service has been like No Child Left Behind was for the education programs. “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails.” The winds blew in Wellness Policies, Food Safety, and increased health inspections. Sails were adjusted and the work is well underway, if not complete at this point. The Child Care Programs went through major changes the year before so they know your pain! Some agencies have also had a regular program review and/or a menu analysis. “Observe the postage stamp. Its usefulness depends upon its ability to stick to one thing until it gets there.” So – now you are ready for the next year!
Education
opportunities have come up throughout the year through the DDN
sessions, workshops, and meetings. I hope you have been able to
take advantage of them and will be able to attend the upcoming
professional development offered through CACFP Basics, CACFP Plus,
Certification
Institute, and Fall Conference. “Don’t sit still or you’ll get run
over!”
The first week of May is Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation week. We appreciate all you do each and every day to carry out the mission of education, child care, and other community agencies. Our work does put kids first and helps children and their families by providing food, teaching about healthy choices, raising the awareness of physical activity, and caring for children, and supporting education of children in the State of South Dakota. “Thank you.”

School Wellness Videos Available Online
Looking for information about the new required school wellness policy? Visit the CANS website to watch video specifically made with South Dakota Schools in mind. Dayle Hayes, a nationally known presenter on wellness policy, presents in three 25 minute sessions on the basics of wellness policy. Also included is a 5 minute introduction by the SD Secretary of Education and a 45 minute session on available resources by Kari Senger and Amy Richards from the SD Department of Education. To view the videos, please visit our website at http://doe.sd.gov/oess/cans/training/wellnesspolicy.asp.
Wellness Brochures
Five new brochures are available on the CANS website for you to use in your school to help spread the word about wellness topics. The brochures include: Healthy Vending Machine Snacks and Beverages, The Benefits of Recess Before Lunch, Healthy Fundraising Ideas for your School, The Use of Nonfood Rewards in School, and Eat your Fruits and Veggies! You may print the brochures to distribute to others. They are available at http://doe.sd.gov/oess/cans/nutrition/resources.asp.
Severe Need Breakfast and Operating Statement Changes
It’s almost that time of year again when annual operating statements are to be submitted to the SD Dept of Education covering the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and Special Milk Program (SMP). Public schools file an annual report with the department that includes all of the school’s finances. Non-public schools need to submit an operating statement to the Child and Adult Nutrition Service covering only their food service program.
There were changes in the operating statements this past year concerning the agencies on the Severe Need Breakfast program. In the past, agencies on the Severe Need Breakfast (SNB) program were required to report income and expenses from the SNB operations separately from the other food service activities. They were, also, required to submit a six month operating statement reporting their SNB operations to monitor that they were operating a non-profit breakfast program and in need of the additional reimbursement on the SNB. Those requirements have been cancelled. Agencies no longer have to document that they operate a non-profit breakfast program to be eligible for the SNB reimbursement.
Therefore, SNB agencies no longer are required to neither submit a six month operating statement nor list the SNB costs and revenues separately from other food service activities. This makes it easier and more appealing for those agencies eligible to be on the Severe Need Breakfast program. To qualify, feeding sites must have served 40% free and reduced lunches in the second prior year. Agencies may have some sites eligible and others not eligible for SNB.
Contact Bob Adams, Finance & Management, Department of Education at 773-3456 if you have further questions.
Combining Months on the Reimbursement Claim Form
The first and last month an agency operates its food service program each year is usually not a complete month and they may be able to combine two months information on one claim form. In general, if a program is operated less than 10 days it may be combined with the preceding or following month’s claim. There is one exception when the reimbursement rates change in July.
Many agencies operate a Seamless Summer Program where the meals are reported under the School Lunch (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP) claim forms. If the normal NSLP and SBP end during the month and the Seamless Program begins during that same month, the meals are reported on the same claim form. The Seamless Program Meals have a separate line on the claim form to be report, so the meals can be identified properly. The same is true if the Seamless Program ends and the regular NSLP & SBP programs begin.
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) regulations state that if the program is operated for less than 10 days in the first month it may be combined with the following month’s claim. But, if the program operates less than 10 days in the last month, it must be combined with the previous claim. Since the reimbursement rates for SFSP don’t change in July, June and July claims may be combined.
There is one draw back of combining two months into one claim. Often, when a program is operated for the first 10 days of a month and the information is combined with the previous month’s claim, the claim does not get submitted by the 10th of the month deadline to get reimbursed that month. In this situation, the claim is processed with the next month’s reimbursements.
Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week
Caring. Trained. Thoughtful. Professional. Dedicated. These are just a few words that describe today’s child nutrition professional.
May 1-5, 2006, is Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation week. The School Nutrition Association has designated this one week each year to honor child nutrition employees. Be sure to set aside some time to celebrate just how special these employees are and let them know you’re thinking of them.
Certificates of appreciation are available for long-term employees to be honored (10+ years) or those that are retiring. You can request a certificate of appreciation for years involved in providing nutrition to children by sending:
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First and last name of the person to be honored
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School District/Local Agency
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Numbers of years the person has worked (if in more than one district/agency, please identify the numbers of years in each)
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Name and address of person certificate should be mailed to from this office.
Send it by letter, fax to 605-773-6846 or e-mail to shar.venjohn@state.sd.us for completion.
Building for
the Future with the CACFP
Upcoming Training Events
“CACFP Plus!” Workshops
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May 10, 2006 – Youth & Family Services – Rapid City
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July 26, 2006 – Augustana College –Sioux Falls
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August 9, 2006 – Aberdeen Catholic Schools – Aberdeen
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August 22, 2006 – Capitol Lake Visitor’s Center – Pierre
These workshops are designed for veteran staff that have a solid understanding of Program requirements. The workshops will begin with a summary of the basics followed by training in the areas of fresh fruits and vegetables, safety and sanitation in the kitchen, and dealing with difficult people and situations in the workplace. For more information please contact Melissa Halling at (605) 773-3566 or by email at melissa.halling@state.sd.us.
The
end of the school year is a popular time for teachers to plan field
trips. Did you know that if the field trip is going to be an
educational event and happen over a meal period, you can claim those
meals? NSLP Memo #26.1 has the Off-Site Meal Request form that
should be completed and sent into CANS at least one week prior to
the event. The form can serve as a tool for the food service
department to help teachers realize the kitchen needs planning
time. CANS needs to have time to review the submitted menu to be
sure it meets requirements to be a reimbursable meal that will be
handled at proper food safety temperatures. The form will be faxed
back to the school granting approval of the off-site meal request.
Fall Conference August 1-4, 2006
Plans have been put together for the annual School Nutrition Association of South Dakota fall conference. Authorized Representatives and School Food Service Directors should be watching for the registration form and conference details to be arriving in your school mail box soon. The same information is also available on CANS website http://doe.sd.gov/oess/cans/docs/FallConfLettertoSFAs25.rtf
Be sure to take advantage of the early bird registration before June 30th.
This year’s conference will be held in Sioux Falls at the Sioux Falls Convention Center and Sheraton Hotel. Pre-conference classes will begin on Tuesday August 1st and conclude Wednesday morning August 2nd. Also on Wednesday morning will be the Industry Seminar session. The first general session will begin Wednesday afternoon followed by a fun evening at the Canary Bird Cage baseball stadium. Thursday will be the day to view new school food products at vendor’s booths. Thursday afternoon will offer many educational and training breakout sessions followed by an evening banquet. The conference will conclude about noon on Friday August 4th.
Eat Smart Play Hard ™ Campaign
The Eat Smart, Play Hard ™ (ESPH) slogan is designed to promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors in children in an effort to promote optimal well-being as well as to curb the prevalence of diet related health problems. Since dietary habits are established very early in life, it is important to teach proper nutrition as early in life as possible. Healthy eating and physical activity are important life skills that help children grow and prevent them from developing health problems later in life, including obesity. Obesity in youth often carries over into adulthood contributing to the development of many chronic diseases including heart disease and diabetes.
The partnership between Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) began in 2003 to increase awareness of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and encourage children to participate in the SFSP. Through the combined efforts of FNS and PRCA, SFSP sites at school, churches and parks across our region had successful visits by cowboys and rodeo queens. The PRCA members have been positive role models for the children, demonstrating their rodeo skills when possible, interacting with the children, signing autographs and joining them for lunch, while reinforcing the message Eat Smart, Play Hard™.
In2005 the partnership again evolved to get the message of ESPH and the importance of a healthy lifestyle to the children, with the coordination of PRCA visits to schools that participated in SFSP during the summer break. These visits occurred in May and the cowboys encouraged the children to maintain a healthy lifestyle by participating in the SFSP when school was out. One school was visited by the reigning World Champion bare back rider and another by the World Champion bull rider; each school held an assembly to showcase the visit and one had local media coverage.
Due to the overwhelming success of those PRCA visits expanding the partnership to the NSLP is a natural fit and will allow us to reach more children with the message Eat Smart, Play Hard™. A visit could also be coordinated to support a wellness program.
The ESPH Campaign has been revitalized with an updated mascot and mascot side kick, Slurp. More costumes are in the process of being made for next school year. This is twice as many as there are of the current costume so reserving the costume should be a little easier. The new costumes should be lighter and easier to wear and it is expected that the process for reserving, receiving, and returning costumes will be the same. There is also a plan for States and SFAs to be able to purchase their own costume.
ESPH materials will include two new activity sheets for 4 year olds, one new activity sheet for 7-10 year olds, a sticker activity book for 6-8 year olds, single stickers (Power Panther inside yellow circle), and life sized stand-alone boards of both Power Panther and side kick, Slurp. Other existing materials are to be updated with the new Pyramid and Dietary Guideline information and will be posted to the web site. And Power Plans (nutrition education lesson plans – 5 for adults and 4 for children) are also planned for release this year.
Developing/Implementing a Written Food Safety Program
With the end of the school year approaching, so, too is the deadline to have a written food safety program in place. As you are working on your plans, these are the things that you need to have in place: (From the USDA Guidance for School Food Authorities: Developing a School Food Safety Program Based on the Process Approach to HACCP Principles)
Documented Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
The SOPs serve as the foundation to food safety and controlling hazards. I would encourage you to start with the sample SOPs developed by the National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI). Choose the SOPs that pertain to your facility and “tweak” them accordingly. If you have more than one site…you will need to have a separate set of SOPs for each site.
A written plan at each school food preparation and service site for applying HACCP principles that includes methods for:
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Documenting menu items in the appropriate HACCP process category
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Menu items categorized into one of three areas:
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No Cook
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Same Day Service
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Complex Food
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Documenting Critical Control Points of food production (usually time/temperature)
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Monitoring
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Establishing and documenting corrective actions
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Recordkeeping
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Reviewing and revising the overall food safety program periodically
I would also suggest that you have a copy of the: USDA Guidance for School Food Authorities: Developing a School Food Safety Program Based on the Process Approach to HACCP Principles (this is the 79 page guidance)
Recordkeeping Requirements: (these are the ones I would start with)…
A. Food Safety Checklist
B. Cooking and Reheating Temperature Log
C. Cooling Temperature Log
D. Refrigerator/Freezer/Storeroom Logs
E. Receiving Log (Optional…this information can be recorded on the vendor invoice)
F. Damaged or Discarded Product Log (Optional…this information can be recorded on the vendor invoice)
Samples of all of these logs can be found on our website.
Here are the links that you may find useful. These are located on the front page of the CANS website.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/Downloadable/HACCPguidance.pdf
http://sop.nfsmi.org/HACCPBasedSOPs.php
I am also including the link to the “Your Plan” pages. This link is from the SDSU Food Safety Site.
http://extfcs.sdstate.edu/foodsafetysite/files/Myschool.doc
For those of you who are a new manager or have not had the opportunity to take initial training on developing/implementing a food safety program, training will be held on Tuesday, August 1 at the SNA Fall Conference in Sioux Falls.
If you have any questions, please call Janelle Peterson at 280-4278. You can email her at Janelle.peterson@state.sd.usSingle Minimum Temperature for Cooked Poultry
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently released a statement about cooking poultry. The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) was asked to recommend a single temperature that consumers could cook raw poultry to and be confident that various viruses and pathogens would be destroyed. According to Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond, “The recommendation is based on the best scientific data available and will serve as a foundation for our programs designed to reduce foodborne illness and protect public health.” Consumers are advised to cook raw poultry to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F. FSIS believes that viruses and pathogens such as “Campylobacter”, “Salmonella” and the avian influenza virus (commonly referred to as the “bird flu”), are destroyed by cooking raw poultry to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F. The FSIS is recommending that consumers purchase a thermometer to use at home to accurately monitor the temperature of foods they are preparing. If the consumer wants to cook their poultry to a higher internal temperature, they can. However, it is believed that reaching an internal temperature of 165°F will destroy the viruses and pathogens mentioned above.
Consumers are also reminded to use care when handling raw poultry. Make sure that you are washing your hands and also cleaning/sanitizing the surfaces that the raw poultry comes in contact with. Consumers are encouraged to separate raw poultry from any cooked food items in their refrigerators…thereby eliminating the chance for cross contamination. Consumers are also reminded to keep raw poultry properly chilled before cooking.
If you would like to read the entire news release you can access it on the FSIS Web site at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_040506_01/index.asp
Although this is not NEW news for people in the foodservice industry (like you), it does show you that information is being released by the government to support the new key recommendation in the Dietary Guidelines that addresses food safety and foodborne illness.
ServSafe Training and Food Safety
Questions have been raised about who is required to have ServSafe training in the schools and how many are required to be certified. There currently is not a state requirement for school personnel to be ServSafe trained; however, it only makes sense for personnel to have food safety training to ensure safe food in the schools. No school wants to be in the news headlines due to a food-borne illness in their school. This is not something a person would pick up in day-to-day living like you might take a class or learn how to do computers.
Schools are required to have Food Safety plans. It is up to the school to determine if ServSafe is a part of that, who will be ServSafe certified, and how the rest of the staff will be trained on that and the other food safety requirements. It is important that each person understand the reason for doing this and why their tasks are important, because they all fit into the puzzle.
It is possible that the law will change to require schools to have a ServSafe certified person on site, just like restaurants, hospitals or nursing homes currently do. ServSafe training is included as part of the Certification Institute so that folks have a good background in correct food handling procedures, and would be ready if the law changes. ServSafe training and recertification are both included as a part of the School Nutrition Association/Child & Adult Nutrition Services fall conference and workshops. The SD Retailer's Association offers classes; however, those are not only for school food service personnel and would not meet the 10-hour requirement for SNA certification if that is a concern for you. You can check their schedule http://www.sdra.org/calendar/index.cfm.
The inspection procedures changed this year, too, to emphasize the importance of proper food safety procedures. The results of the inspections have been very good in most cases. The results of the food safety inspection are to be posted in a public place until the next inspection occurs. The old inspection can be taken down at the time the new one is posted. If any items were written up, it is recommended that the corrective action the school has taken be posted beside the inspection so people who read the report know action has been taken. Posting the corrective action is not a requirement.
Check Freezers
Please remember to check your freezers during the summer months. Each summer we have unnecessary spoilage of commodities because of freezer failures. If a freezer fails and commodity food is lost over the summer, schools must let the Child and Adult Nutrition Services know of the commodities lost and the schools must replace lost commodities at the school’s expense.
Refrigerated/Frozen Storage
Clean, defrost, and dry all refrigerator equipment before storing foods for the summer.
Disconnect refrigeration equipment not in use over the summer.
Use all leftovers or discard them before summer storage. It is not acceptable to take items from school for personal use. If there is a need to re-donate the items to another eligible agency, contact Child & Adult Nutrition Services.
Store all foods off the floor (6 inches) and away from walls (1-2 inches) to allow for proper air circulation and proper freezing.
Date and label all foods in refrigerated storage.
Flour that might become infested over the summer or other products with a short shelf life, should be frozen or refrigerated (as appropriate) over the summer. (Once dry items are refrigerated, they may have a shorter shelf life, when taken out of refrigeration, due to the moisture they have collected during refrigerated storage.) The items could be left in storage when school starts until you use them. Consideration will need to be given as to whether cold flour acts differently than room temperature flour for some of the items.
Check freezers often (several times a week) in the summer to make sure the temperature in the freezer is 0° or slightly colder and refrigeration is 35°F to 42°F.
Make it easy for those checking storage areas, place thermometers where they, may be, easily read. Designate a person to log temperatures on appropriate temperature log records.
Keep refrigerated storage locked or the area where it is located locked.
Dry Storage
Clean the storage area thoroughly before closing for the summer (dispose of all bulging cans or infested products).
Seal all holes or crevices where insects and rodents might enter.
The proper temperature should be as close to 50° F as possible and should not exceed 70°F. Designate a person to log temperatures on a temperature log record.
To provide for proper air circulation, all dry goods should be stored off the floor (6 inches) and away from walls (1-2 inches).
Date everything in dry storage areas so it, can be used first, in the fall.
All dry storage areas must be locked.
Department of Defense (DoD) FRESH PRODUCE UPDATE
The Defense Commissary Agency will assume purchasing their own fresh produce beginning October 1, 2006, making Department of Defense (DOD) change the ways they manage the fresh produce program.
This is the 12th year of partnership with USDA and DOD bringing fresh produce to schools. We will see some changes in the program this coming school year. A couple of changes we will see in South Dakota are that all schools will have to order produce, using the TAP-IT ordering system. In South Dakota we set aside $450,000 to be used as entitlement for schools to use for purchasing fresh produce. In the past, schools that did not use Group D (fresh produce) entitlement were able to take that entitlement and add it to the Group A&B (regular commodity) entitlement. You will no longer be able to inter-change Group D (fresh Produce) entitlement with Group A&B (regular commodities) entitlement. If you do not use your Group D entitlement, it will be given to schools that do order fresh produce.
The TAP-IT system requiring internet access is available for you to place orders 24/7. The produce delivery to your school will not change much from the way it is delivered now. Vendors may change but same delivery periods will be met. The office in Denver with Karen Kenton and Rich McDougal is closing and they will not be available after September 1, 2006.
Schools that already use the Tap-It system for ordering should not see much change. Schools that are not using TAP-It to order will have to start using it or will not be able to be on the program for fresh produce. We hope that all schools will continue to order fresh produce through this program. This is a good program with high quality produce at usually the best price and helps schools provide fresh fruits and vegetables to the children as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends. You will be hearing more about the TAP-It system and training at Certification Institute in June.
Food Distribution Commodity Fact Sheet Update
The Food Distribution Commodity Fact Sheet web page has been updated to include a link to a new Food Allergens Fact Sheet. To access the commodity fact sheets click on Fact Sheets/Storage Tips in the box on the right.
Commodities are listed in alphabetical order along with the USDA Code. The fact sheet includes nutritional information, pack size and other pertinent information. Check out this site often for information about commodity products.
Coming soon! New and improved training from SNA on Prime Purchasing Practices: A Child Nutrition Guide to Purchasing. It will be worth 5 or more CEUS towards SNA certification. Even if you are not involved in the bidding process, this class will teach you how to prevent extra costs from being incurred during buying, receiving, and maintaining inventory. Also, you will learn about the ethical and legal issues related to purchasing practices. This class will become available on the Child Nutrition U site of the SNA website in the summer of 2006. For more information about this and other SNA classes available through the internet, please visit the SNA website at http://www.schoolnutrition.org/Index.aspx?id=1034.
Volleyball, Tap-It and Scavenger Hunt at Certification Institute
Join us for Certification Institute in Sioux Falls on June 18-23, 2006 and be sure to bring a pair of walking/athletic shoes and some comfortable clothes. Janelle and Amy are putting the together some fun activities including volleyball and a scavenger hunt.
On Wednesday evening, there will be a training session on the TapIt program. There will be a signup sheet for the session at the registration tables when you first arrive at Certification Institute.
New this year is a 2-hour Orientation to Computers class on Sunday evening. This class is free and is designed for those who are not sure how to use a computer and will cover basics such as turning on and shutting off a computer, using the mouse, opening and running programs on the computer, saving files on the computer and built in technical assistance on your computer (the Help program). This program will run at the same time as the 2-hour intro to math course on Sunday afternoon.
Registration is open until May 12, 2006. If you have not registered already, please do so soon. More information about all the tracks as well as how to register is available on the CANS website at http://doe.sd.gov/oess/cans/training/certinstitute/index.asp. Also, you may call the CANS office at 605-773-3413 if you have questions.
Top 10 Reasons to Attend Certification Institute
1. Continuing Education Credits
2. Learning helpful skills and knowledge
2. Graduation Banquet after you have completed the first four years of the tracks-Hurray!
2. New to food service? Attend Certification Institute, learn Child Nutrition Program Basics, and come back each year to learn more skills
3. New to management? Attend Certification Institute and learn skills to help you manage your program more effectively
4. Improve your skills in baking
5. Learn computer skills
6. Meet others in your field and ask them how they handle different things in their district
7. Learn more about seasonings and making quantity food taste good!
8. Learn how to handle inventory
9. Have fun! Scavenger hunt, volleyball and other activities
10. See others that you know from around the state and share pictures of your cute kids, grandkids, dogs, cats and others.
For more information, visit our website at:
http://doe.sd.gov/oess/cans/training/certinstitute/index.aspLooking for Recipes? Try these website connections
Looking for a recipe for whole grains, legumes or with more fruits and vegetables? Look no further than your computer. What? Your computer has recipes on it? Well, not yet, but it can have them with the click of a mouse. Want to check it out? Visit the sites highlighted below and bon appetite!
University of Nebraska-Lancaster Cooperative Extension--visit this site often for helpful information on many food related topics--the link below takes you directly to the a page with tons of recipe sources on the internet as well as tips on searching for recipes on the internet. http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciqj.htm.
To learn more about whole grains as well as find whole grain recipes, check out the following links:
North Dakota Cooperative Extension has recipes within individual articles on their website. A few links are below:
From California Project Lean website. Recipe courtesy of California 5 a Day; adapted as published in Physical Activities and Healthy Snacks for Young Children; Team Nutrition Iowa;
4 whole wheat pita breads (76 gram pita)
¼ cup spaghetti (or pizza) sauce
¼ tsp dried oregano
1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
1 ½ cups canned pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained
1/3 cup chopped ham
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1. Heat over to 400 degrees.
2. Place pita breads on baking sheet.
3. Spread each pita with 1 Tbsp spaghetti sauce.
4. Sprinkle with oregano
5. Top each pita with pepper, pineapple, ham, and cheese.
6. Bake until hot and cheese bubbles, about 5 minutes.
7. Remove pizzas from baking sheet.
8. Cut each pizza into five, place on a dinner place and serve.
Snack Idea (1-5 year olds):
1/5 Pita Pizza served with ½ cup watermelon cubes
Adapted from Physical Activities and Healthy Snacks for Young Children; Team Nutrition Iowa;
Parachute Play
Item Needed: Parachute or table cloth
Arrange the children around the edge of the parachute.
Begin by shaking the parachute. Place light objects (e.g. balls, jump ropes) on the parachute, have the children try to shake them off the parachute.
Walk around while holding the parachute with the inside hand. Reverse directions and hold the chute with the other hand.
Stand, holding the parachute with both hands, raise and lower the parachute. Allow it to fill with air. Repeat but everyone will move inside, and sit on the ground continuing to hold the parachute close to the ground. It should remain filled with air like a tent.
A new handout is available on the CANS website called the Power of a Bean. It gives nutrition information, cooking tips and recipe ideas. You may use the handout for nutrition education in your agencies. The handout may be viewed on our website at: http://doe.sd.gov/oess/cans/nutrition/resources.asp.


