High School Food Interns Garden and Cook

This summer we have been so fortunate to have a small group of dedicated High School students work with us in the garden and cooking clubs. We've tackled all kinds of different projects from writing our own personal food stories to keeping a food journal and setting goals for making one healthy change to our eating habits. We've weeded and watered and harvested in the garden. We've made smoothies and salads and Kale Chips. Each student has a different reason for wanting to learn how to eat better--whether it is to loose or gain weight or simply learn how to take better care of themselves--we've discovered during group conversations that opinions and experiences which have shaped our relationships to food vary widely. Here are some links for you (whether you're a student or a grown-up) to start thinking about what's shaped your own relationship to food and also some resources for helping you set yourself up for making healthier choices. Let us know if you take advantage of them and what your experience is.

Evaluate Where You Are:
1. Calculate and Assess Your Body Mass Index (BMI) here.
2. Track Everything You Eat for 1 Week Using this Online Food Journal's (Free Trial Version).
2. Monitor How Much Exercise You Get Daily. Adults need about 30 minutes a day and kids need about 60 minutes a day.

Set Some Goals
1. Based on your weight, your food diary and your daily activity what changes do you need to make? Do you need to gain weight, loose weight or increase your physical activity? What does being healthy look like to you?
2. What are two small lifestyle changes you are willing to make to help you achieve a healthier you? Write them down. Enlist your friends by sharing your goals so they can support you. This guide to a healthier you is great!

Learn to Cook and Enjoy More Fresh Whole Foods
1. Most of us are comfortable cooking the foods we grew up with or have eaten throughout our lives. In the Standard American Diet this unfortunately often doesn't include many fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, and lean proteins. (Not familiar with what the Standard American Diet is? Check out this great interactive timeline about how it has evolved from the NYTimes.) There's still a place in your life for fried chicken, but you'll achieve a greater balance if you seek out and learn how to prepare for yourself some healthy and delicious options.
2. Become an Educated Eater.
Learn to read labels, ask questions at the grocery store and the farmers market, plan your meals and use your network to find out what other people enjoy eating. Avoid empty calories and instead eat a diet rich in various plant foods. Make meat more of an occasional treat or flavoring agent than the main event.

What's for lunch? July 14th 2011

Todays Lunch Menu features Turkey Bolognese, Fettucini, Sauteed Spinach.

Spaghetti alla bolognese, spaghetti bolognese, esparguete à bolonhesa or spaghetti bolognaise in a form popular outside of Italy, consists of a meat sauce served on a bed of spaghetti with a good sprinkling of grated Parmigiano cheese. Although spaghetti alla bolognese is very popular outside of Italy it never existed in Bologna, where ragù is served always with the local egg pastas tagliatelle or lasagne.

In recent decades, the dish has become very popular in Australia, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway. It is called spagetti med köttfärssås, in Swedish, spagettia ja jauhelihakastiketta, in Finnish, spaghetti og kødsovs in Danish, and spaghetti og kjøttdeig in Norwegian, especially among children. A version is popular in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term 'bolognese' is sometimes applied to a tomato-and-ground-beef sauce that bears little resemblance to the ragù served in Bologna.

What's for lunch? July 13th 2011

Buon Giorno!

Todays Lunch Menu features Chicken Marsala, Orzo and a Brocolli/Cauliflower Medley.
But wait..... What is Orzo?

Orzo pasta is a type of pasta which is made in the shape of a grain of rice. Orzo pasta is often about rice-sized, as well. This pasta is very versatile, and it can be used in a range of recipes, with many people consuming orzo in soups. Many markets carry orzo pasta, and several options may be available for consumers to choose from.

The word orzo is Italian for “barley,” and a reference to the size and shape of the pasta. You can also see orzo called kritharaki, manestra, rosa marina, reiskornpasta, or pasta gallo pion. This pasta is very popular in Greece especially, although it is used in other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern nations, and in some parts of Germany as well. The small size can make orzo a very fun pasta to work and cook with.

The classic use of orzo is in soups. It can also be used in pilafs. The Greeks have a number of pilaf recipes which call specifically for orzo pasta, but it is also possible to use a rice pilaf recipe, substituting orzo for the rice. Orzo performs very well when baked in casseroles as well, and it can be used in things like stuffed peppers and stuffed squash. The pasta
absorbs flavors very well and acts as a filler in these dishes.