Fresh Bites Fall Edition 2021

BACK TO SCHOOL

BACK TO SCHOOL

5 Ways to Add Whole Grain-Rich Foods to Your Back-to-School Menus

Attention Operators!

Develop New Recipes with Local Whole Grains Montana’s Office of Public Instruction is developing a recipe featuring Montana-grown barley as part of a Fiscal Year 2021 Team Nutrition Training Grant. They held a statewide recipe contest and the Bison and Barley Soup recipe was a clear winner. The recipe was taste tested with students, receiving high approval rates, and will be standardized for school meals soon! Start the Day with Whole Grains Add variety to your breakfast meal service with different whole grain-rich options. Feature items made with oats like Fruity Oatmeal and Oatmeal Muffin Squares. Switch it up with breads made with whole-wheat flour like these Baking Powder Biscuits and Pancakes. Don’t forget to try some whole grain- rich tortillas, which are used in this Breakfast Burrito recipe! Do you have a success story to share? Share it on Twitter and tag @TeamNutrition. Team Nutrition USDA Share your activities with us on Twitter @ TeamNutrition using the hashtag #TeamNutrition or by emailing us at TeamNutrition@fns.usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. 4 5

Make Whole Grains a Food Education Experience Promote local whole-grain menu offerings with educational activities and visits with local farmers. Use the Whole World of Whole Grains section of the Team Nutrition Popular Events Idea Booklet to find ways to introduce students to a variety of whole grains as you add them to your school menus. Read more about Integrating Local Foods into Child Nutrition Programs. Use Whole Grains from USDA Foods The USDA Foods in Schools Program has many whole grain-rich items for school meals. The frozen whole grain-rich tortillas make great grab n’ go sandwich wraps. Be sure to thaw the tortillas completely to prevent breaking when assembling the wraps. Try them to make this popular Roasted Fish Crispy Slaw Wrap recipe. See the full list of USDA Foods Available for School Year 2021-2022. Try New Whole Grain-Rich Products Consider adding a new whole grain-rich food to your menu, based on feedback from students. Use the Exhibit A Grains Tool in the Food Buying Guide to determine the grains contribution of the new item and how much to serve to meet meal pattern requirements. Learn more by watching the How to Maximize the Exhibit A Grains Tool! training video (now available with captioning in Spanish). 3 1 2

• Provide training on products, including the best techniques for them • Provide training to get CEUs to meet USDA requirements Did you know that our Industry Partners can assist you during the school year in a variety of ways? We want to encourage you to connect with our partners, because their knowledge and support is beneficial and valuable to assist you and your programs ALL YEAR LONG! Here are just some examples of how Industry Partners can help you during the school year: • Assist with Student Taste Tests – samples/surveys for students for new menu items • Recipes, Menu Concepts, Industry Trends, Bids, USDA updates, new product info • Commodities – they are a resource for directors to unlocking this commodity puzzle • We can help send distributors information about new items that you would like to purchase. Keep us in the loop to ensure that orders are placed for any new items you’re looking for. • We can help a director find items that are stocked at their local distributor. With many items being shorted from every manufacturer it can be helpful to have a back-up plan with alternate items. • Problem Solving – they are great at providing solutions • Give our School Heroes a Big HUG when we see them (if fully vaccinated) or a virtual hug over a teleconference call

NYSNA has a list of ALL of our Industry Partners CLICK HERE to check them out!

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FreshBites

FALL 2021

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