Healthy Schools Campaign

Life on an Organic Farm: A Special Guest Blog From Former HSC Intern Alyse Festenstein

Today we have a special guest post from a recent HSC intern, Alyse Festenstein!

After I finished my summer internship at HSC in early August, I left the Chicago Loop for Falcon, Missouri, in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks.  On August 6, I arrived at Falcon Ridge Farm to begin a WWOOF experience. WWOOF, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, is an organization of organic farmers who open up their farms for work-exchange volunteers. In return for help, volunteers usually get meals, accommodations and hands-on learning. I definitely got all of that at Falcon Ridge.

Falcon Ridge farm is a diversified small family farm run by a single mom, Wendy, and her three kids. They've only had the farm for about four years so things are still evolving. Her main operation is her organic goat dairy (not certified, but organic for all intents and purposes), and she also tends a large vegetable garden, about 40 chickens, many pigs, horses, ducks, and one Jersey cow. Basically, Wendy is Superwoman. Her goal is to become self-sufficient in food production for her family and require as little outside inputs as possible. Her goal and farm structure are probably quite different from any of the local suppliers providing the Chicago Public Schools with large quantities of produce or antibiotic-free chicken.  It's just a different model, which is great because we need lots of different models and scales for a more sustainable and equitable food system.

While at Falcon Ridge, I got to experience a lot of things, from milking goats to making natural de-worming remedies, eating meat (after being a vegetarian for six years!), and even butchering rabbits. Wendy treats her animals with the utmost respect and compassion and our daily routines were primarily dedicated to their care. She is in the process of doing research on alternative medical care for her goats to share with other farmers in her network. Part of that research involves trying out different herbal de-worming remedies and then checking her goats for worms (or rather each goat’s stool sample in her home kitchen/laboratory).  She is a true advocate for animal health, the farm's success and the healthfulness of the food she produces.

I would definitely recommend the WWOOF experience, whether that's in Falcon Ridge or one of the hundreds of farms in the U.S. and worldwide that are a part of this organization. Farmers are among our biggest allies in advocating for good, healthy, fresh food for all in school cafeterias and in our local communities. I really valued this opportunity to learn about the joys and challenges of a small, sustainable farming operation first-hand.

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Thanks for the great insight into WWOOF and your adventures after HSC, Alyse! 

Kids Compete . . . to Eat Healthy Lunches!

Today we have a guest post from Noah Pickens, Program Associate at Urban Initiatives. Thanks to Noah for this great post!

Encouraging kids to eat their vegetables is a timeless challenge, but Urban Initiatives’ partnership at Tarkington School of Excellence has implemented a new strategy to incentivize students to eat all their food at lunch.

I spend every Tuesday at Tarkington, pioneering health-related projects to reach all 1000 students in the school and help Tarkington complete the HealthierUS Schools Challenge. This week, I organized a contest with the 2nd and 3rd grades to see which class could have the smallest amount of wasted food after lunch. This is simultaneously an exercise in nutrition education as well as responsibility (through reducing waste).

Over the past few years in Chicago, grassroots campaigns have worked hard to implement policy changes that get more diverse and nutritious foods on students’ plates in the cafeteria. This is an amazing step toward improving kids’ health and academic success. However, Urban Initiatives folks spend time in schools during the day and know that a lot of food ends up in the trash. A study in Chicago showed that at one school, over 300 lbs of food was wasted every day. In an effort to raise awareness about healthy eating and the importance of reducing waste, I was eager to implement this cafeteria challenge!

The Tarkington team consisted of the lunchroom manager Ms. Warner, parent volunteer Brenda Villasenor, and me. Before lunch, Coach Villasenor and I visited each participating classroom to discuss the importance of eating a variety of healthy foods, using CLOCC's 5-4-3-2-1-Go! message, which includes getting “5 servings of fruits and vegetables” and “3 servings of low-fat dairy,” both of which are available at lunch! They also talked about why it is important to reduce food waste because it conserves resources and demonstrates responsible citizenship. The winning classroom would walk away with a cool blue Urban Initiatives wristband with the keyword: HEALTHY.

Students embraced this challenge enthusiastically, working together and cheering each other on to leave nothing behind. They encouraged each other and proudly displayed their empty trays! After lunch, Coach Visallenor and the cafeteria staff compared leftovers to determine that Ms. Miller’s 3rd grade class was the winner! Ms. Warner was incredibly excited with the way the kids ate their lunch and hopes to host more of these contests and reach the entire student body.

Urban Initiatives is so proud to be part of the city-wide effort to get all kids healthy by eating good food!

Thanks to Noah for this post! You can learn more about Urban Initiatives here.

Teen Advocate Spotlight: Lucia Iglesias

This post is the third in a series spotlighting teen advocates, youth leaders who speak up about school wellness and envrironmental issues that affect them most. 

Lucia Iglesias, now a freshman at Brown University, recently graduated from Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco. There she made an outstanding contribution to addressing environmental concerns, especially at her school. Lucia was also a finalist in the Teens Turning Green Project Green Challenge and was nominated by Judi Shils, one of the co-founders of Teens Turning Green.

Thanks to HSC intern Christine Andersen, who is beginning her senior year of high school, for this post! 

How did you become interested in environmental advocacy?

Last October I became involved with Project Green Challenge. I learned a lot while doing this and became very interested in addressing environmental concerns in my community. After that, I continued my work in environmental advocacy by doing research projects for Judi and interning for Teens Turning Green.
 
What methods are you using to raise awareness and rally support for your initiative?

While participating in Project Green Challenge, I held an electronics recycling drive at my school. Some months later I co-founded an environmental club with a classmate. Our club helped organize an initiative to remove paper cups from the cafeteria for Earth Month (April), and we held an Eco Fashion Show in May to raise awareness about sustainable and recycled clothing. 
 
What adults have inspired you along the way? What teens have inspired you along the way?

Judi Shils and Erin Schrode (co-founders of Teens Turning Green) definitely inspire me because they are dedicated to the entire issue of environmentalism and human health. They are so committed every day in the office, whether they are discovering new eco products, connecting with other advocates, or leading a conversation. They have this way of incorporating details of their teammates' contributions into one powerful idea. The other Project Green Challenge finalists were also huge inspirations to me. Many overcame incredible challenges of their own to participate in the project, and they all put amazing amounts of time and effort into their work; I am so honored to be one of them. 

What challenges did you face? How did you overcome these challenges?

I am a very shy person, so it was hard at times to stand behind my ideas when I was questioned. However, I know that this is bigger than me, and whatever I bring to the green initiative will make an impact in a much larger movement.
 
How has being involved with environmental advocacy in your community helped shape your personal outlook on these concerns and your daily life?

Environmental advocacy has helped me become more conscious about the choices I make every day. For example, as I prepare to decorate my first college dorm room, I am looking for eco-friendly dorm supplies. I try to consume less, and buy used whenever possible.
 
What message or piece of advice would you like to send to other aspiring teen advocates?

I have learned that environmental issues are at the core of all human issues. They are sometimes seen as elitist and for people who don’t need to deal with "real issues." But I see an interconnected system, and when environmental issues are addressed, so many other human issues are also being addressed. For example, choosing greener cleaning products doesn’t just reduce the spread of toxic chemicals in the environment, it also protects the health of family members who come in contact with the cleaning products and reduces their exposure to toxins.
 
What do you hope to do in this area in the future, what is your next step?

I hope to continue to advocate for green living at my college, and to learn about more ways that I can make environmentally conscious decisions in my daily life.

Thanks to Lucia for this interview! 

Previous teen advocate spotlight: Mariah Geiger

'It’s Not Rude to Ask about Food!': Film Urges Consumers to Drive Changes With Their Choices

By Ashley Hofmann, HSC public policy intern

Ashley Hofmann is completing the final practicum to earn her Masters of Social Work from the University of Missouri. Her academic research focuses on disparities in access to health care and how policy can act as a catalyst for social justice.

What if you changed just ten percent of your food habits? Would you eat more organics, buy food with less packaging, get eggs from a local grower or cook at home more often?  If 10 cents of every dollar you spent on food was shifted to healthier, more sustainable choices, what kind of impact would that make – on your health, the economy, the environment?

These are the questions behind a new documentary called Food Patriots, which I first heard about at an institute on food access around the world presented by the University of Chicago's Center for International Studies, followed by a dialogue with filmmaker Jeff Spitz.

The goal behind the film is to spark a conversation about our individual purchasing power as consumers of food.  

The choices we make in (and out) of the supermarket drive the food industry and determine what is available, both physically on the shelf and financially at an affordable price. The idea is that growers, manufacturers, and retailers respond to market demands. Consider the example of something as simple as ketchup: if today we all stopped buying ketchup with high-fructose corn syrup in it, for example, not only would the ketchup recipe change, but companies would also purchase less corn from large agribusinesses, which in turn could open up markets for farmers who grow produce for human consumption. The list of examples goes on and on: increased consumer demand could increase our access to chicken raised without antibiotics, recycled packaging, food with fewer additives and fillers and much more. Where would you start?

The film urges consumers to find out where their food comes from and how healthy it is, using the mantra, "It's not rude to ask about food!"

As individuals, each of us can make a small 10-percent change.  As a whole, we can drive changes in industry, the economy, and the health of our planet, our children, and ourselves. 

Not sure how to get started changing your food habits?  The film’s website has 10 great  suggestions that are easy and practical first steps.  Here are a few other resources to get you thinking about the power of your dollar:

• Save money shopping organic: An article in the Los Angeles Times with tips
• Good Food on a Tight Budget, an interactive resource guide by Environmental Working Group and Share Our Strength

Also, take a moment and head over to the Food Patriots web site to see the film trailer, join the effort, and watch member videos showing changes they are making in their communities.  And be on the lookout for the documentary’s release in January!

Back to School: Improved Meals at America’s Schools

This week, we’re focusing on the new nutrition standards for school lunch! Today, we’re happy to share a guest blog by Kevin Concannon, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. Check out yesterday’s post for our new infographic on what the new standards will mean for school lunch, and be sure to check back this week for more updates!  

by Undersecretary Kevin Concannon

As students head back to school this fall, they will find healthier and more nutritious school meals that offer both fruits and vegetables every day; substantially more whole grain-rich foods; only fat-free or low-fat milk; calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and increased focus on reducing sodium.

As Under Secretary for USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, I am excited that the school day is now healthier for America’s young people. Schools have always played a central role in the lives of our children – and not just in the classroom.

Many students eat two meals a day at school, making the quality of these meals all the more important. It’s vital that we provide our youngsters with healthy food choices that enable them to learn, grow, and thrive.

New federal standards, championed by First Lady Michelle Obama as part of her Let’s Move! initiative, align school meals with the latest nutrition science consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

To make these changes successful, parents, school staff, and members of the community need to get involved in inspiring and encouraging students to eat healthy both at school and at home.  Eat lunch with your children at school, review the school menus with your children, try new foods at home that are on the school menu, and convey the importance of healthy eating to children.

Schools will phase in the nutrition standards over a three-year period, starting in school year 2012-2013. Schools will focus on changes in the lunches in the first year, with most changes in breakfast to take place in future years.

The new meal requirements mark the first major changes in school meals in more than a decade and will help raise a healthier generation of kids. In short, these new measures do what’s right for the health of our children, and do it in a responsible way that is achievable even in the real-world circumstances of America’s schools.

In addition to the new meal standards, other resources give schools the opportunity to meet the challenge of providing healthier meals, including:

• Increased funding for schools – the first real increase in 30 years – tied to strong performance in serving improved meals.
• Training and technical assistance to help schools achieve and monitor compliance.

These improvements in school nutrition add up to a substantial investment in the future of our children – and our nation. As President Obama has said:  “…if we want to win the future…then we also have to win the race to educate our kids.”

No child should have to learn on an empty stomach.  All children should be fueled by the healthiest, most nutritious food we can provide.

So, as kids head back to the classroom, remember: The school day just got healthier.   For ideas and resources for getting involved, go to www.fns.usda.gov/healthierschoolday.

Celebrate and Support Healthy Eating for Kids with Purple Asparagus’ Corks & Crayons

HSC’s friends at Purple Asparagus are doing great work for kids’ health -- they bring exciting and delicious hands-on nutrition education to classrooms, farmers’ markets and beyond. That’s why we’re excited that this weekend brings an opportunity to support Purple Asparagus at the eighth annual Corks & Crayons event.

Corks & Crayons is Purple Asparagus’ signature annual fun-for-all-ages event. Taking place in the gorgeous Greenhouse Loft and hosted by Michael Moody, NBC's Biggest Loser Chicago Tour fitness expert, this year’s event will feature tastings from some of Chicago’s top chefs including Top Chef contestants Heather Terhune (Sable) and Richie Farina (Moto), and Mindy Segal, winner of the 2012 James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry (Hot Chocolate).

The event will feature activities to keep the entire family entertained including a mini farmer’s market, tours of the LEED Certified Green Exchange, a photo booth, a silent auction, raffle prize drawings, art projects for the kids, and the revealing of the winner of Michael Moody’s Redefine Yourself Fitness Challenge!

Corks & Crayons will take place at Greenhouse Loft in the Green Exchange on 2545 W. Diversey in Chicago on Sunday, August 26 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets and proceeds from the Corks & Crayons event directly support Purple Asparagus’ educational programs. For more information, please visit CorksAndCrayons.com.

You can also support Purple Asparagus through their online auction here.

Millions of Children, Teachers, and Staff are Returning to School. Are They in the Buildings They Need and Deserve?

Today, we share a special message from our friends at 21st Century School Fund. 

On the first day of school, our school buildings and grounds are always at their best. Our school staff, service providers, municipal agencies and community volunteers all work together to make sure classrooms are clean, grass is cut and flower beds are mulched; small repairs are done; paint is applied; mechanical systems are ready; and supplies and materials are in place for the millions of teachers and students who will attend our schools over the next school year. Construction crews that have been doing major projects over the summer are on long shifts to make sure the construction crews can leave and the children can arrive. 

Let's celebrate the 2012-2013 opening of the school year, but also examine whether we are really doing all we should to make sure we have healthy and safe school buildings and grounds that advance education quality and equity and support sustainable communities. 

• Find out what your states and local districts are doing to plan for and fund ongoing and deferred maintenance and to provide for school construction spending in these uncertain economic times

• There is a bill - Fix America's Schools Today - that has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate which would provide $30 billion in federal funding for K12 public schools and community colleges to address the problems of deferred maintenance in public schools-reducing local and state backlogs by about 10%.  Do your representatives support this bill?  If not, what would they propose to reduce our nation's public education infrastructure deficit?

• Ask elected officials and those running for office what they propose doing to support and ensure that all children have healthy, safe and educationally adequate school buildings and grounds to attend

• Contact your local public schools and find out how you can volunteer to participate in local school clean-ups and beautification days...not just at the beginning of the year, but throughout the school year...OR go to US Green Building Council's Green Apple Day of Service to join a school improvement project in your area

• Join the Through Your Lens campaign and take a photo of conditions in your school, post it on your Facebook page and tag it to Through Your Lens Facebook Photo Gallery

• View PARADE Magazine's Special Report: Rebuilding America's Schools, to learn about how two communities have improved the schools for their children, families and neighborhoods

 

Future Leaders in Sustainability to Showcase School Environment Initiatives at Climate Cycle's Soiree

Today, the HSC team shares a guest blog from our friends over at Climate Cycle, a non-profit organization that creates environmental education and leadership opportunities for youth in the classroom and in our communities.

by Joey Feinstein

If you’re like me, inspiring students to green our world is a passion of paramount importance. At Climate Cycle, we seek to fulfill this mission by supporting youth-led initiatives that encompass personal, planetary and economic sustainability.

On Feb. 25, five student led eco-initiatives will be on display at our annual benefit at the Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago (free childcare ages 4-12). Each body of work represents the efforts of students age 8-18 years old from schools across Chicago. While the projects are as diverse in scope as the students themselves, each explains how their focus is applicable to personal, planetary and economic sustainability. The projects are as follows:

• Smyser Elementary's Green Team performed an audit of school waste and decided to take action! With the data, they are brainstorming ways to reduce, reuse, or recycle more of the waste that is currently being thrown out and sent to landfills. Their first approach will be to develop a presentation to help students and teachers understand the basics of recycling and promote classroom recycling. Their second goal is to implement a waste management system in their lunchroom, where students help other students and staff in recycling, composting, and using less.

• Students at Walter Payton College Prep High School were appalled at the amount of energy being devoted to lighting rooms that were empty, especially on the weekends. They plan to monitor lights in classrooms after school and collect data. Then, they will launch a school-wide initiative to educate people on how and why to remember to turn off lights and take another data set to gauge results.

• Building from a garden project started last year, students at Perspectives Math and Science Academy will learn about factors that affect plant growth and why much of our food is shipped from great distances. They will also design a system to grow plants utilizing student-made mini greenhouses from materials they find at home.

• The Lincoln Elementary School Eco-Action Team is embarking on a project to change the way their school uses paper. Students found that much of the paper that should be recycled is being diverted to waste bins, recycled paper is rarely being used, and unnecessary printing often takes place. To remedy these issues, students will reduce the overall use of paper in their school, improve their recycling program so that waste and recycling bins are being used properly, encourage teachers, students, and parents to use and reuse recycled paper, and will subscribe to an e-book site that allows students to read assigned texts on school computers.

• This past summer, students at Al Raby High School for Community and Environment worked tirelessly in our habitat restoration efforts in East Garfield Park. They reclaimed green spaces, removing juniper bushes which are a favorite of landscapers for their easy maintenance but do little to support plant or animal biodiversity. They also planted over 600 plugs of Native prairie grasses and plants in the area to co-create the initial living classroom which is being utilized in outdoor education programs by the school. They will continue to scale up their work sites, which support learning about flood water remediation, soil remediation, sustainable farming, urban permaculture, habitat restoration, vermiculture, wildlife monitoring, nutrition and wellness. 

Polaris Elementary School students, winner of last year's Student Showcase at the 2011 Climate Cycle Benefit. This Friday, ABC 7’s Hosea Sanders will be showcasing one of the 2012 projects on the 5 p.m. news. Hosea will also be the MC for Climate Cycle’s Feb. 25 benefit.

In addition to those students on hand representing their respective projects on February 25, Climate Cycle’s newly launched Student Leadership Board members will also be in attendance. These students will be on hand to share their eco-aspirations and how they are being groomed to become the face of Climate Cycle.

The truth is that sustainability is something we’re all figuring out as we go along, because we don’t have ready examples of what a truly sustainable society looks like. Who better to unleash these secrets than young visionaries who can transform themselves into their own role models in the process?

We hope you will join us on February 25 at the Notebaert Nature Museum to meet the youth who will redefine our future.

Kudos to the emerging leaders in sustainability. Keep up the great work Climate Cycle!

Friday Recipe: Southwestern Tofu Scramble

 
Photo: eatingwell.com

Today's recipe comes from the kitchen of Kristi Cox, HSC's Special Events and Training Coordinator. Her recipe combines tofu, lots of veggies, spicy cheese and fresh herbs for a Southwestern inspired scramble. This recipe puts extra produce to use in a tasty, flavorful and quick weeknight meal or hearty breakfast!

Southwestern Tofu Scramble

4 servings, about 3/4 cup each

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 1 14-ounce package firm water-packed tofu, rinsed and crumbled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 4 scallions, sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup prepared salsa
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tofu, chili powder, cumin and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until the tofu begins to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add zucchini, corn, scallions and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
3. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are just tender, about 3 minutes. Return the tofu to the pan and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in cheese until just melted. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons salsa and 1 tablespoon cilantro.

Optional: Serve with cooked brown rice.

Enjoy!

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Plus! Click here to see other delicious ways to cook with tofu!

EPA’s New School Siting Guidelines Hit a Home Run with Preservation Community

Today, we have a guest post from Renee Kuhlman, who directs the Helping Johnny Walk to School project at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Thanks to Renee for this great and timely post!

It was with trepidation that I started reading EPA’s voluntary School Siting Guidelines this morning. Like Healthy Schools Campaign, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and other preservation organizations submitted many suggestions to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the public comment period for these guidelines.  I wondered how — and even if — their new tool for local education authorities, tribes, and states would address the preservation community’s concerns about rehabilitating schools in a way that sustains our older communities. 

Those sitting around me were probably startled by my small whoops of excitement. That’s right — excitement over a 143-page federal document. 

More importantly, I think anyone who strives for “healthy and safe learning environments that also meet other community goals”— such as preserving our older neighborhoods, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and encouraging active transportation — will be excited too. 

Abandoned school in Butlerville, Indiana

On the surface, environmental justice and preservation advocates may seem to have an inherent conflict around school siting. Preservationists would like to see more reuse of older buildings which may have contaminants that need remediation.  Before reading EPA’s guidelines, I mistakenly believed that environmental justice advocates would want to only build schools on previously undeveloped land, far from the residents they serve. 

But now I know better.

The first-ever federal guidance on school siting starts off with four key principles that both groups can agree upon:

1. Safe and healthy school environments are integral components of the education process;
2. The environmental review process should be rigorous, thorough and well-documented and include substantive and ongoing meaningful public involvement;
3. Schools should be located in environments that contribute to the livability, sustainability and public health of neighborhoods and communities; and
4. The school siting process should consider the environmental health and safety of the entire community, including disadvantaged and underserved populations.

EPA’s new tool makes many recommendations that preservationists believe are critical to preserving older and historic schools. Perhaps the most important one is the encouragement of a transparent siting process with input from all stakeholder groups.

With input from the community about its current needs and a fair assessment of current school facilities, a local education authority can make informed decisions about whether or not to renovate an  existing school.  And then. . . if all concerned determine that a new school facility is needed, EPA provides lots of guidance and resources for determining the most environmentally appropriate site.

Little Rock charter school in a restored bank

To learn more about the EPA’s voluntary siting guidelines and other new tools, join a Fall Webinar Series called "Expanding the School Siting Conversation:"

October 11 at 1 p.m. eastern/10 a.m. pacific: Location, Location, Location: New Guidance for Locating Schools in a Healthy, Sustainable Way 

October 18 at 2 p.m. eastern/11 a.m. pacific: State Strategies for School Siting; Locating Schools for Better Health, Environmental, and Fiscal Outcomes

October 25 at 2 p.m. eastern/11 a.m. pacific: The Environmental Justice and Preservation Concerns of School Siting

November 1 at 2 p.m. eastern/11 a.m. pacific: A Live Chat on School Siting and Community-Centered Schools. 

EPA was instructed in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) to develop, in consultation with the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, model guidelines for the siting of school facilities. Given that October 5 is Walk to School Day and October is Children’s Health Month, I don’t believe they could have chosen a better time to release their new guidelines. 

I hope you take time to read the guidelines and then take even more time to help representatives from your state, tribe, and/or local education authority figure out how to put this new tool to work for the benefit of your community. 

Back to School Shopping: Why Go PVC-Free?

Today we have a guest post by our friend Mike Schade at the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. This post originally appeared yesterday on the CHEJ blog. Thanks to Mike for this great and timely post!

Still stocking up on school supplies? If you're like many other parents and doing some last-minute shopping, be sure to steer clear of toxic PVC plastic, the most widely used hazardous plastic in the world.

Check out our 2011 Back to School Guide to PVC-free School Supplies, which features safer alternatives to toxic PVC plastic in over 35 product categories, from backpacks and binders to lunchboxes and laptops.

We also have created a handy wallet-sized version for you when youre out shopping for some quick tips.

Top 5 Reasons to Go PVC-free:

1. Toxic additives like phthalates, lead, cadmium and organotins are commonly found in PVC children's products, which can leach out of the plastic.
2. PVC chemicals like phthalates and dioxin tresspass into our bodies and are linked to chronic diseases on the rise.They're not just in the products or released at the chemical plants, but are entering our bodies at potentially harmful levels!
3. Children are uniquely vulnerable to even low levels of these toxic chemicals, because their bodies and brains are still developing.
4. PVC pollutes at every stage of its lifecycle, from production to use to disposal, releasing cancer-causing chemicals like dioxin and vinyl chloride.
5. Safer and affordable alternatives are available! Why take an unnecessary risk with your children's health?

Stand up for your children's right to a healthy future, and check out our Back to School Guide to PVC-free School Supplies.

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Plus: Learn more about PVC in this post on HSC's blog!

Student Perspective: Changes to Middle School Food Support Healthy Choices in High School Cafeteria

Today we have a blog by HSC intern Christine Andersen. Christine recently completed her sophomore year of high school. Thanks to Christine for sharing her story!

After another school year, I was thrilled to intern again this summer at Healthy Schools Campaign. Last year, I wrote about the changes my father helped make to my middle school’s lunch program and their immediate effects.

My high school’s lunch program is very different, primarily because my school has its own kitchen. Therefore, all of the food is prepared at the school, not just dropped off, heated up, and served to students as it is at many schools (including my old school). Not only does this allow for better tasting food to be prepared, but it gives the students more choices. This can be either a good thing or bad thing.

The benefit of the middle school program was that while students’ choices may have been limited, we only had healthy options to choose from. In high school, students still have the choice of hamburgers and pizza, but there is also a salad bar and a sandwich bar. Along with these daily options, students may still choose from the varying hot lunch selections.

So which is better? Ultimately, a turkey sandwich or a salad from my high school is probably still a better daily choice than the real meat hamburgers on wheat buns from my middle school. But now that students are given the choice, which will they choose? The answer is, the healthier option.

Based on my observations, the sandwich and salad bar lines are always much longer than the lines for the hamburgers and the pizza. Furthermore, those who choose from the hot lunch selections usually end up choosing from the wide selection of healthy sides which include fruit, vegetables, and yogurt, over fries.

These are the exact same students who five years ago were upset when they heard that their junk food was being taken away and replaced by healthy food. Now, however, those same students are choosing the most healthy options!

In thinking about the factors that could have led to this change, obviously the fact that the students are older and more mature is significant. However, being exposed to healthy food when they were younger, although maybe not by choice, must have made a real impact. Not all students develop healthy eating habits at home. (I have always been surprised when I go to a friend’s house and see a pantry stuffed with chips and cookies.) But when it comes to lunch, most students I see still make healthy choices at school. This leads me to think that our healthy changes to school lunch in middle school and the nutrition education we receive must play a big role. 

While last year I talked about the short term effects, I'm now seeing the longer-term effects of school lunch reform. From my perspective, it seems that a change to our food in middle school played a real role in helping many junk-food-loving pre-teens grow into health-conscious young adults.

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Plus: To read more about students making a difference for healthy school food, check out our upcoming Cooking up Change contest! You can read blog updates and profiles of previous participants here.

Corks & Crayons: Family-Friendly Benefit for Purple Asparagus

Today, we'd like to share a special announcement and guest blog from our friend Melissa Graham, founder of not-for-profit Purple Asparagus. Thanks to Melissa for sharing this announcement and for her tireless work for kids' well-being!

Imagine a class full of children swearing that they hate vegetables. Not hard to envision, right? Come back in an hour and watch them swarm the teacher’s desk for any leftovers from their veggie tasting. Believe that? I’ve witnessed this transformation on hundreds of occasions while teaching in the Chicago Public Schools for the non-profit that I founded and run, Purple Asparagus.

Purple Asparagus educates children, families and the community about eating that’s good for the body and the planet. Every year, we present Delicious Nutritious Adventures, our cornerstone education program, to thousands of parents and children throughout Chicago at schools, community centers, and farmers' markets. Delicious Nutritious Adventures invites families to explore the foods we eat in an entirely different way. We teach about the farmers who grow the food, the places it comes from, what’s good about food grown close to the earth, and how to prepare healthy, delicious recipes. Combining nutrition education, food literacy, cooking, and fun, our highly popular hands-on classes celebrate farm, fresh fruits, and vegetables.

Obesity is a national crisis, one that’s hit Chicago particularly hard. Overweight and obese children are at greater risk for diabetes, hypertension, increased risk of heart disease, and poor self-esteem. The issue is particularly prevalent in the underserved communities where good food is in short supply. Purple Asparagus is working to combat this issue in these communities by taking a new approach to healthy eating.

While teaching kids about healthy choices is a priority to Purple Asparagus, we’re sneaky about that message. Everything about our classes (even our name) is fun. Kids are more willing to try “healthy” foods when they’re not presented as such. A first grade boy will surely turn up his nose at a chickpea when told that it’s high in fiber and protein. Explain instead that its Italian name comes from its resemblance to a wart on a famous Roman’s face and he’ll climb all over his classmates to try it. Describe mint as a gum plant and a child’s resistance to the green leaves will melt. We explore food in a way that’s interesting and fun that makes kids happy to try new foods.

In the 2010-11 school year, we provided 250 hours of free educational programming to schools, community centers, farmer's markets, and health fairs in Chicago serving roughly 2,500 students in over 30 Chicago neighborhoods on a shoestring budget with an all volunteer staff. We also served as a lead partner with Healthy Schools Campaign on the largest coordinated response to Michelle Obama's call to chefs, Chefs Move to Schools. Through this program, we trained over 175 chefs who visited close to 200 schools reaching 8,000 children. 

All this is great, you say, but how can I help? It couldn’t be a better week to ask this question. Purple Asparagus’ annual fundraiser, Corks & Crayons Benefit at Uncommon Ground, 1401 W Devon Ave, Chicago, is on Sunday, August 28, 2011 from 3-7 p.m. The family-friendly event brings foodies old and young together to celebrate the joys of family meals and healthy eating all for a good cause. The event will include a mini farmers’ market sponsored by Harvest Moon Organics farm, live music from Old Town School musicians, the Kohl Foundation Storybook Bus as well as Truck Farm Chicago, a traveling mini-farm exhibit connecting kids to food and health.If you cannot attend, please consider bidding on our online auction. We have some terrific auction items to buy now as well as some new items coming on in the next few days.

Taking Action on Radon in Your School District? No Better Time than the Present!

Today we have a guest blog from Jani Palmer, a Physical Scientist in the Indoor Environments Division at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She has been in the indoor air quality and industrial hygiene field for more than 10 years, providing environmental consulting and services for school districts, industry, and public agencies. Thanks to Jani for this important post!

Dedicated maintenance and facilities staff at school districts nationwide knew that summer was on its way out just as soon as the last students slammed their lockers shut in June. Having worked to improve environmental quality in schools for years, I know that the only time to get those big projects done is during the holiday breaks and summer vacations. This summer, hundreds of school districts took steps to protect their students and staff by testing for radon, and if yours isn’t among them, there’s no better time than the present to plan for testing.

So you ask, what is radon?  Radon is a colorless, odorless and radioactive gas produced by the decay of naturally occurring uranium in soil and water. It is the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. The Surgeon General and U.S. EPA recommend testing for radon and fixing if levels are found to be a risk to public health. 

Radon testing and mitigation don’t have to be scary topics. What is scary is that radon causes cancer, yet exposure to radon is easily identified and fixed.  Testing is the only way to know if your building has radon; therefore it is the first step toward fixing it. Radon control is as integral to school health as other Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) management activities and fits right in with your IAQ Tools for Schools management activities. If your school doesn’t use the IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit, take a look at the graphic from the kit that shows how an effective school IAQ program integrates planning, communicating and four other key drivers. Click here for information from the IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit on how you can manage radon along with your other day-to-day IAQ duties.

When you return to school, or if you have already, let your facilities folks and school board know how much you appreciate what your school district does for IAQ and radon. Jobs in building management are often underappreciated, especially when staff do such a great job that occupants have nothing to complain about. Their dedication and perseverance to maintaining healthy buildings by fixing holes, changing ceiling tiles and testing rooms can make a huge difference in someone’s life, and for that, thanks!

Want to learn more about radon and schools?  Join us Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST for a free webinar on Radon in Schools. Register here and spread the word!

Plus: Be sure to check out our PSA with NFL Player Chester Pitts, Offensive Lineman for the Seattle Seahawks, as he tells homeowners about the dangers of radon:

 

"Cooling Down" the Classroom with Fit to Learn Facilitator Carla Tantillo

Today we have a guest blog by Carla Tantillo, founder of Mindful Practices and one of the wonderful facilitators at HSC’s Fit to Learn professional development training. Thanks to Carla for sharing this post!

As one of my favorite graduate school professors used to say, "As educators, it is our job to tend the flock we are given." Often, the direction our "flock" is heading can be frustrating. It is very easy to point out myriad factors why our classroom may not be following the path we had hoped. We find ourselves lamenting, "If only my students’ parents would do x, y, z," or "I could do x, if my school administrator would only follow through with y." We can easily end up stuck in a place of stress and inactivity. As a result, our classroom culture can become nebulous or stressful.

Just as we ask our students to set goals for their academic progress, it is important that we also set tangible and meaningful goals for the shape we want our classroom to take. To make progress, we need to set these goals today, not tomorrow when x, y or z may or may not happen.

One of the goals that I’ve found can make a real difference right away is a commitment to “cooling down” the classroom and keeping energy at a productive level.

Teaching students to cool down and be aware of how their level of energy affects their behavioral choices gives them the life-long learning tools to succeed. When students and teachers are aware of the effects of energy levels in their classroom, they understand that frantic and lethargic energy often prevent authentic learning from taking place. Once this energetic awareness is created, it empowers students and teachers with knowledge and they are able to modify their energy level with relaxation, breathing and physical activity. These tools help restore focus and concentration to the classroom, creating a cool and productive learning environment.

By including breathing, yoga or physical activity into a students’ daily routine, teachers empower themselves and their students to make the connection between energy and learning. If students realize that being tired or hungry negatively impacts their learning, with time they will be more inclined to go to bed a bit earlier or arrive in the morning for the school breakfast program. If you, as an educator, understand that angrily reprimanding overly energetic students after lunch is often ineffective, perhaps you will be more inclined to change your classroom routine to include a yoga pose or breathing activity.

One of my favorite activities that combines mindful breathing with a math experiment is called “cotton ball breathing.” The steps are simple:

1. Pass out one cotton ball per student and assign each student a partner.
2. Place two yard sticks end to end. Have one student stand at the end of the yard sticks, with a cotton ball. (He or she should place the cotton ball in the palm of his or her hand, remembering to always keep the palm flat.)
3. The other partner makes an estimate of the distance the student can blow the cotton ball.
4. The student blows the cotton ball five times. Each time, the partner records the distance.
5. The two partners work together to find the mean, median, mode and range for the set of values recorded.
6. The partners switch places.

You can check out some of the other fun classroom exercises that we recently shared at Fit to Learn here [pdf].

Yes, changing your classroom routine is scary and maybe even out of your comfort zone. But, to quote a famous yoga teacher, “If you wait until you feel 100 percent prepared, you will be frozen in immobility. The time to try your best is now.”

Plus! Hear from Carla and other Fit to Learn facilitators in this recent segment on WGN news about HSC's professional development program for teachers!

   

Carla Tantillo, MA, CYI, is the founder of Mindful Practices, an organization dedicated to putting wellness in the hands of students and teachers from all walks of life.  She is the author of Cooling Down Your Classroom, provides Professional Development workshops across the country and offers Hip-HopYoga™ to schools locally in Chicago.  Carla can be reached via email at [email protected].

Guest Post: Summer Squash Sauté

Thanks to Amy Hemmert for today's guest post! Amy is co-founder and president of Obentec, Inc., maker of the Laptop Lunches line of lunch containers. For additional recipes, nutritious menus, and inspirational lunch photos, visit www.laptoplunches.com. 

Photo courtesy of www.laptoplunches.com.

Summer is, without question, my favorite season. Sure, the rest of the year is pretty good too, but something happens inside of me when the weather has warmed, my garden has been planted, and I can savor my favorite meals outdoors. Long days, warm evenings, and an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. There’s just nothing like it!

Food always tastes better when it’s fresh, and it’s even better if you’ve grown it yourself. If you've got squash in your garden this summer (or have purchased it from your local grocery store or farmers’ market) you’ve got to try this light, delicious recipe. Serve it over brown rice for a wholesome, delicious summer treat. It’s great for lunch or dinner, and it travels well too. The accompanying photo of my bento box shows how appetizing it can be for a lunch on the go!

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini squash, sliced
• 1 patty pan squash, julienned
• 1/2 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• dried, crushed hot peppers (optional)
• grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

  1. Cut the squash and tomatoes, and chop the basil.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet.
  3. Add the minced garlic and stir to heat.
  4. Add the squash and tomatoes, and sauté until tender but not mushy.
  5. Add the cannellini beans and basil, and stir to heat thoroughly.
  6. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Top with parmesan cheese. (optional)
  8. Like it spicy? Add dried, crushed hot peppers. (optional)

Yes, I am a summer gal. I love summer zucchini. I love summer tomatoes. I love garlic and spice. That’s just the way it is!

Guest Recipe: One Hungry Mama Shares Her One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf!

 
Photo courtesy of OneHungryMama.com

Today we are featuring a recipe from a fellow food blogger, One Hungry Mama. Stacie Billis is the brains behind this blog and writes about recipes that are healthy and delicious, as well as kid-friendly. We're featuring her recipe for One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf, a tasty and easy weeknight meal sure to satisfy all members of your family and pack a nutritional punch thanks to fresh and budget-friendly ingredients.

The stars of this dish are quinoa and kale. These two ingredients are some of the healthiest you can put in your body.

Quinoa looks and acts like a grain, but it is actually a protein-rich seed and a relative of the leafy green family. Quinoa is considered a complete protein because it contains all nine essential amino acids. It is also a good source of magnesium which has been known to decrease migraines as well as improve cardiovascular health. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the health benefits of quinoa, however. To read more about this ancient seed here.

Kale is part of the cruciferous family, which includes other veggies like broccoli and cabbage. It has cholesterol-lowering health benefits, is full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties and has been linked to risk lowering benefits in as many as five major types of cancer. It is also an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamin A and beta carotene.

In combination with the other ingredients like feta cheese and pine nuts, this recipes is certainly a crowd pleaser. One Hungry Mama suggests doubling this recipe and freezing some for later, if it lasts that long!

To read her recipe, click here!

Special thanks to One Hungry Mama for allowing us to share this recipe! To see follow her blog, visit www.onehungrymama.com.

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Plus! Check out One Hungry Mama's charity cookbook called Peko Peko: A Charity Cookbook for Japan to help aid the victims of the earthquake. For more information on how you can purchase this cookbook, click here!

School Food FOCUS: “Turning Capitalism on Its Head” to Improve School Food

Today, we are featuring a guest post by Bettina Elias Siegel of The Lunch Tray, a post that originally appeared here on her blog.

Today, HSC's President and CEO Rochelle Davis is on her way to Denver for the School Food FOCUS conference, where she will have a chance to connect with leaders from large school districts working to serve the healthiest food possible to our nation's schoolchildren. We're excited to hear about the innovations and new solutions that emerge from the dialogue at this meeting.

We love hearing Bettina's updates and analysis at The Lunch Tray and thank her for sharing this especially timely post!

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For a long time I’ve wanted to write on TLT about School Food FOCUS (Food Options for Children in Urban Schools), a national collaborative that brings together the thirty largest school districts in the country to improve school food.  I’d first read about FOCUS in Janet Poppendieck’s Free for All: Fixing School Food in America, and later learned that my own Houston school district (the seventh largest in the country) is a member of the organization.

The idea behind FOCUS is simple:  large school districts procure so much food that they have considerable market power (second only to the U.S. military when it comes to food purchasing), which FOCUS helps them leverage to pressure manufacturers into producing better food.  FOCUS also creates a forum for large districts to meet and share their collective knowledge about improving school food, and it seeks to bring more regionally sourced food into the school food procurement system.

I recently had a chance to speak with Meredith Modzelewski, FOCUS’s Communications Associate, to learn more.

How FOCUS Came to Be

FOCUS’s Executive Director, Toni Liquori, first started working in the area of public school food procurement in the New York City public schools.  Interested in expanding her successes there on a national scale, in 2007, she held two successive meetings for colleagues in nutrition, sustainable agriculture, hunger, school food, and public health, as well as food service professionals from some of the largest school districts in the country.  Eventually the group received a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and FOCUS was born.

Says Modzelewski, “Until Toni arranged those first two meetings, people from these large school districts – ones with 40,000 or more students – had never been in the same room together, able to share problems and solutions, and share successes and failures.”

Making School Food Healthy, Local and Sustainable

When FOCUS works with a school district, it sets three main goals for school food:  making it more healthful in general, obtaining more of it from local farms, and making it sustainable.  To help it achieve these ends, each district is also paired with an official partner, whether it be a state governmental office, a city department or a nonprofit.

But what “local” or “sustainable” means to one school district might be very different in another.   “Because we work with so many districts, each with its own budget, regulations and needs,” says Modzelewski, “we allow the stakeholders – the school food professionals and their district partners – to make their own decisions about what their goals are.  There’s no such thing as one size fits all.”

Regional Food Hubs: Helping Local Farmers and Economies While Improving School Food

I was particularly interested in FOCUS’s emphasis on local food sourcing.  Modzelewski explained that FOCUS tries to integrate what are known as “regional food hubs” into the school food supply.

The idea behind regional food hubs is simple – farmers always face the challenge of getting their products from farm to market, and that’s all the more true for small, local producers who might not have sufficient trucks, refrigeration units or warehouse space, let alone the marketing savvy to get on the radar of potential customers.  Regional food hubs are now emerging across the country to address these problems, creating strategic partnerships with farmers, distributors, aggregators, buyers and others all along the supply chain.

According to FOCUS, school districts in Colorado and San Diego have already made significant progress toward developing their own regional food hubs.  These districts have found that not only can a regional food system be more efficient than a local or conventional one, but “when food grown regionally is eaten in season, it’s tastier when it reaches kids’ lunch trays – and there’s a better chance that kids will eat it.”

Case Studies: Chicken, Flavored Milk and Local Produce

Using market power to improve school food seems like a slam dunk, but the process isn’t always easy.  My own Food Services Director had told me that it had taken a relatively long time for FOCUS to make improvements in the poultry made available to schools, and that it was still hard to get products meeting the group’s poultry specifications.

I asked Modzelewski to tell me more: “We did have some good talks with different chicken suppliers a little over a year and a half ago.  At that point, it was pretty revolutionary that they were even sitting down to talk with us.  We told them what our specifications were, and at a last year’s annual FOCUS meeting we had our first school food showcase.  We invited vendors who were working toward, or had achieved, our specifications for chicken.  The problem was, most of the products, although great, cost a lot.  Many of our districts at that time couldn’t figure out how they could afford it.”

But progress has been made.  Modzelewski told me that in Chicago and St. Paul, districts are now able to source unprocessed chicken in the form of “naked legs” that can be cooked from scratch (and the same is true here in Houston).  “They’re lower in sodium and have no preservatives — none of the stuff you might find in a processed chicken finger or fajita strip.”  Those school districts have also come up with new protocols on food safety and food preparation for the raw chicken, protocols that can be used around the country.   “In one district,” Modzelewski told me, “they got a Flip camera and the staff made its own training video on how to handle raw protein.”

She added, “We’re pretty excited about those achievements.  We haven’t yet been able to come to a point where we can change the chicken supply for the whole country, but that’s the principle we’re trying to use.  There’s such immense buying power, that if we can get districts to agree on a set of specs to pressure producers, that should get us toward our goal.”

Another success story Modzelewski shared was how St. Paul, Minnesota was able to get local dairies to lower the sugar content in the flavored milk offered to students, a strategy I advocated in my recent post, “My Problem With Jamie Oliver’s War on Flavored Milk.”  Recognizing that St. Paul alone might not be big enough to demand change, the district sent a questionnaire to twenty or thirty other districts in Minnesota asking what each would like to see in terms of ideal sugar content.  It was then able to bundle this information and essentially guarantee suppliers that if they undertook the effort to lower sugar in the milk, there would be sufficient demand.

St Paul has also been able to change its school food bidding process to favor regionally and locally sourced produce, resulting in about 40% of its produce now coming from local farms, and it created educational materials for the lunch room to introduce kids to the local farmers growing their food.

Success stories like these often come from districts – specifically, St. Paul, Denver and Chicago – which have been selected by FOCUS as “Learning Labs.”  To become a Learning Lab, the applying district is asked to set out five to seven specific procurement goals, or to outline goals that it feels would be too hard to try to achieve without outside help.  If chosen by FOCUS as a Learning Lab, a district is then given substantial research and technical assistance, such as being paired with agricultural economists from a nearby university.  “That could mean doing a ton of research or talking to outside groups, like the USDA or the poultry industry, that a district wouldn’t have the time or manpower to do on its own,” explained Modzelewski.

I was so glad to be able to speak with Meredith Modzelewski and learn more about FOCUS.  It seems to me that the organization’s approach – using market power to bring about change – could well be more effective in the long run than any governmental regulation.   As Modzelewski said in our conversation, “We really feel very strongly about our niche and we’re going to keep forging ahead.  It’s a great mix of a nonprofit that’s working the free market, turning capitalism on its head so that it can work for good.  It’s pretty cool.”

[Ed. Note: Coincidentally, FOCUS is holding its annual meeting later this week in Denver, from June 2-4.  Entitled "Transforming School Food: A National Gathering of Peers and Partners Taking on School Food Change," the conference will draw over 160 school food service professionals and community organizations from over forty large school districts, as well as government agency partners and funders.  In addition to discussing regional food hubs, the group hopes to address how to implement salad bars and incorporate food from school gardens; teaming up with peers who have obtained improved chicken for school meals; the challenge and politics of school breakfast, and more.  Representatives from eighteen food companies will be in attendance, along with a delegation from the USDA.]

Guest Recipe: Shannalee T'Koy from Food Loves Writing Shares a Tasty Mother's Day Treat!

 
Photo courtesy of foodloveswriting.com

Today we are featuring a treat from a fellow recipe blogger. Shannalee T’Koy is the writer behind the food blog Food Loves Writing, and focuses on recipes with whole and natural ingredients along with how those recipes relate to her life. She has graciously allowed us to share her recipe for Orange Crostatas, which includes fresh fruit and palm sugar and could make for a delicious Mother’s Day dessert.

This recipe calls for fresh blood oranges which have deep red interior flesh more similar to the color of a grapefruit than an everyday orange. Due to the dark red pigment in the fruit, blood oranges are packed with antioxidants. Like other citrus fruits, blood oranges are also full of vitamin C and dietary fiber. They tend to have a specific sweet flavor that is somewhat similar to the flavor of raspberries.

This recipe, being a sweet treat, relies on sugar for much of the flavor. T’Koy chooses to substitute regular sugar with palm sugar, a natural alternative sugar that is finding its way to mainstream grocery stores. Palm sugar is full of nutrients and vitamins including potassium, zinc and iron. It also has a low glycemic index and is generally unrefined, without as much processing as regular sugar. Palm sugar can be found at Whole Foods or at international grocery stores, where for a bit more labor (it comes in a block that you'll need to break down), you can find it for a much cheaper price.

T’koy suggests serving these crostatas à la mode and I think they could make a delicious treat to share with your mother this weekend . . .  or if you are the mom, to treat yourself!

T'koy's Orange Crostata recipe, adapted from TheKitchn:

Fruit and Filling Ingredients

• 4-6 blood oranges, cut into 1/2 inch wheel-shaped slices
• 1-2 oranges, cut into 1/2 inch wheel-shaped slices
• 8 ounces (1 tub) cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 4 ounces (1 stick) butter, chilled and cubed
• 1/2 cup ice water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup palm sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Peel and slice oranges, set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla on medium speed. Taste this mixture and adjust sweetness to taste.

To prepare the crostata dough, place flour, salt and sugar into the bowl of the food processor, with the regular blade attached. Pulse about two times, for just 2 seconds each pulse. Add the chilled, cubed butter. Pulse again, about 5 or 6 times. Add the cold water all at once. Pulse another 4 or 5 times. The dough will barely look like a dough at this point. You really have to trust that it will come together.

Dump the contents of the food processor onto a large, clean surface and press the small clumps of dough together to form one ball. You may need to add a few sprinkles of water during this process. Try to form the ball of dough with as minimal amount of kneeding as possible. You just want it to barely become a disc. Refrigerate the ball for about 20 minutes.

On a floured surface, cut the ball into 6 or 8 small balls of dough. Roll out each one about 1/4" thick. The balls should end up being about 4-6 inches in diameter, roughly. Place all rolled pieces of dough onto the lined baking sheets. Spread about 1 heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture onto the center of each crostata dough. Arrange orange slices, about 3 per crostata (depending on size) on top of the cream mixture. You should have about an inch left of dough on all sides. Now, fold the crostata edges on top of the oranges, leaving about half of the arranged oranges exposed.

Lastly, brush the edges of the crostatas with the beaten egg. Sprinkle the palm sugar on top of the egg-washed dough (the egg wash will help the sugar stick). Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cool on a wire rack. Serve!

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Special thanks to Shannalee T'Koy for sharing this recipe! You can follow her recipe blog at foodloveswriting.com.

Happy Mother's Day!

Healthy Eating and Academic Performance

Today we have a guest post from Sara Salo, MPH. Sara is the 'spokes'woman for School Food Tour, a 6,000+ mile self-supported bicycle tour that advocates for healthier school meals and promotes cycling for transportation and recreation. You can follow her adventures on the School Food Tour blog, where this post originally appeared.

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What do wholesome meals and test scores have in common?

Quite a bit, according to public health research. One neat part about managing a blog is that I have access to every search engine query that directs a visitor to my site. I have noticed a remarkable number of Google searches on the topic of healthy eating and academic performance – an encouraging trend! Below, for interested folks, is a quick round-up of research and resources that should help to explicate the relationship between good food and a sharp mind. Enjoy!

• Journal of American Public Health Association: Hollar, et al concluded that children who participated in an obesity prevention program that included healthy food “had significantly higher math scores.”
• The American Dietetic Association: Rampersaud, et al. state, “Evidence suggests that breakfast consumption may improve cognitive function related to memory, test grades, and school attendance.”
• Journal of School Health: Florence, et al. found “an association between diet quality and academic performance.”
• Reuters: Healthy Diet Means Better School Performance
• Healthy Eating Research has a long list of additional resources.
• What about physical activity and academics? According to Leadership for Healthy Communities, test scores increase along with amount of physical activity. Learn more here.

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Thanks to Sara for this great round-up!