The delicious smell of Curry...

Today for lunch we are enjoying Curry Chicken with yellow rice, sauteed spinach with garlic sauce and fresh apples, pears and oranges. Our Soup of the day is Roasted Red Pepper with Creamy Ricotta. Please come dine with us!

Truce Fitness Culinary Arts

Truce Fitness recently had it first culinary arts class. The students created a dish using fruit. The dish had to be creative in creating their fruit personality.

The students used pineapple, watermelon, grapes, melon and either fruits to get their dream to come to life.

Every Friday the culinary arts students create something new. The blog will be updated periodically so you can see what the culinary arts students are doing at Truce Fitness.

Great work Truce Fitness!!

Whats for Lunch? January 30, 2012

Todays Lunch menu will feature: Primavera Marinara, Spinach Fettucini and Vegetable Medley.

Fun Facts about Spinach:
- Spinach belongs to the goosefoot family along with beets and Swiss chard.
- Fresh spinach is available year-round.
- Spinach grows quickly. It can be harvested and eaten after only 37 to 45 days!
- California and Texas produce the most spinach in the United Sates. Spinach likes to grow best during the cool winter months.
- The whole spinach plant is picked during harvesting.
- Spinach is an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals, especially folic acid.

Did you know…that leafy vegetables,such as spinach, contain more vitamins and minerals and less calories than other vegetables.

Also happens to be a favorite of a very iconic cartoon. Guess who.

The story of the four little characters, Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw, who make their way through a maze looking for the "Magical Cheese" that makes them happy. And once they find the Cheese, it seems like it will last forever-until one morning when everything changes. Who moved their Cheese? Will it come back? Or will they have to look for different Cheese, venturing onto strange paths, around corners they've never explored?

This book is part of a book club in the 5 and 6th grades for Promise. The book was funny to read and showed different personality traits. Obviously the fact that its about cheese peeked my interest even more. My favorite characters were Sniff and Scurry, because of their no fear approach and focus on the end result.

The next book is The Three Questions. Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy.

Thank you 5th and 6th graders for including the Kitchen Team to read along with you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everybody's got questions! Perhaps you want to know:
"What guides the food served at HCZ?"
"What is a healthy nutrition environment?"
"What menu options exist in the cafeteria?"

Look no further than our recently updated FAQ Page. Simply click on the question and it takes you to the full answer, often providing additional links to more resources.

Our FAQ list reflects the inquiries that we hear most often from students, parents, and staff members when we're talking to them about the food and nutrition environment at the Harlem Children's Zone. It's constantly evolving and being updated and we're happy to add new questions and answers. Do you have a question that isn't on the FAQ page? Post it as a comment and we'll do our best to answer it promptly.

How to Navigate An American Grocery Store

One of the issues we run into again and again in our community and in our own lives is the struggle for access to healthy, whole foods that are fresh and affordable. New York City recently identified East Harlem as one of the most severe "food deserts" in our city. According to the New York City Department of City Planning, a food desert is a term used to describe "communities characterized by not enough supermarkets and too many health problems. Within those dense, urban areas, the study estimated that 750,000 people live more than five blocks from a grocery or supermarket."


We know there is room for improvement in our community's food scene and we're excited about helping to encourage and support it. We are in the process of working with the city and our High School Student Wellness Council to Adopt-A-Bodega around the corner from our main building. And we've been busy working with our adult groups too--from parents to staff--to educate them about healthful, affordable ways to maximize their food budget in our evening cooking classes. 


This video, featuring well-known food journalist Michael Pollan, describes how even the modern American supermarket (if you're lucky enough to have a good one in your neighborhood) is designed to market you all kinds of food products you don't need, before offering you the basics like milk and eggs. Watch and learn and then the next time you're walking along 125th, ask yourself "how can I help encourage my community to create and support a healthier nutrition environment?" even beyond HCZ and Promise Academy.


One final note, we recently updated our Frequently Asked Questions page to include more complete answers and better information to some of the most common questions we hear from students, staff, and parents. Please check it out and we'd love to know what you think!

Pak Choi

This graceful vegetable with Chinese origins has spread throughout Asia and beyond, developing a wide range of varieties. The most typical Pak Choi features dark green leaves atop white spoon-shaped upright stems. Stems vary considerably in thickness and shape, and in some varieties they are green. One variety produces a rosette of dark green leaves close to the ground. There are specialty pak chois that have frilly leaves to light yellow-green color. The slight mustardy flavor of Pak Choi makes it a delightful addition to stir-fries, soups, noodle and meat dishes, and salads, if the young leaves are used.

Health Benefits:
It is one of the rare vegetable that is very low in calories. However, it is very rich source of many vital phyto-nutrients, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.

Pak choi is very good source of vitamin K, provides about 38% of RDA levels. Vitamin-K has potential role in bone metabolism by promoting osteotrophic activity in bone cells. Therefore, enough vitamin K in the diet makes your bone stronger, healthier and delay osteoporosis. Further, vitamin-K also has established role in curing Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.

Friday May 13th menu will feature this delicious vegetable. The pak choi was just picked by our farmer and delivered today.
Menu:
Teriyaki Fish, Sesame Pak Choi and Rice. Fresh baked Bread, Fresh Fruit and Soup Du Jour.

Enjoy.

Pumpkin Patrol!

We continued the process of getting the beds ready for the first spring seedlings and plants enlisting help from as many community members as possible! One of Mr. Sander's 3rd Grade Science Classes at Promise Academy 2 has been growing Pumpkin Seeds in their classroom and brought them over to the garden to find more space to grow. Traipsing down Madison Avenue with the spindly pumpkin plants in tow, they happily dubbed themselves "The Pumpkin Patrol."

Transplanting seedlings can be a tricky process. Even if you are careful you may lose some of your hardiest plants along the way. For fledgling sprouts that have grown up in the comforts of a classroom, sudden exposure to the elements can often be too much. Be as gentle as possible and if you've got the time "harden off" your plants off by slowly taking them out into the fresh are. This process simply means that you gradually expose your plants to the outdoors in order to help them acclimate. When your plants are coming from one school building to another, you can't always create the ideal conditions. The harsh reality of the outdoors, combined with the fact that our roof can get very windy and we knew our pumpkin plants would have to be packed in well for good soil-to-root contact in order to have a fighting chance in their new setting. For more about transplanting your seedlings outside in your own garden, read this article: http://bit.ly/j13Wfm

We have had some surprises this spring in the garden...like the carrots and beets that survived through the winter! We've also got several herbs that have self-seeded and sprung back to life including oregano, thyme, sage and parsley. Thanks so much to the group of students and teachers who came over to help us start transforming our garden from winter's fallow ground to spring's sprouts. We have had a mysterious arrival of loads of Pansies in many of our vegetable beds which are beautiful and unexpected joys. We've been working to move them from the vegetable bins to a few flower boxes and pots where they can be enjoyed by everyone. We gave the Pumpkin Patrol several potted pansies to take back with them to beautify their own school and enjoy. Stop by the 5th Floor Terrace Garden to see the flowers for yourself.

Today's Menu

Good Morning! Happy Monday!! Today we are serving delicious Braised BBQ Beef on a Kaiser Roll, Herb Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes and Sauteed String Beans.

This is one of my favorite dishes. The slow cooking process helps to tenderize the beef and absorbs all of the delicious BBQ sauce.

Braising (from the French “braiser”), is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid, resulting in a particular flavor. Braising of meat is often referred to as pot roasting, though some authors make a distinction between the two methods based on whether additional liquid is added. Some of the best cuts of beef for braising—brisket, short ribs, chuck and round.
Bon Appetit!

We've got seedlings!

There's always a lot of excitement in the air (not to mention allergens! Achoo!) as the plants and trees that have survived with us through the long winter start to bloom and blossom. Walking around New York the past few weeks it's been impossible not to notice the Pear Trees and Cherry Blossoms showing signs of life from Harlem to Brooklyn. Meanwhile, here at HCZ we've been incubating our own set of seedlings for our Kitchen Garden...and after a few days and weeks of patience...we've got sprouts!

These seedlings will grow up to be some deliciously fresh fruits and vegetables. Plus along the way we'll get to learn about the amazing scientific processes that go on in the soil and the systems that support turning sunlight, air, and water into edible energy. So far we've started lots of tomatoes (Tiny Tim, New Yorker, Fox Cherry, Green Zebra, Goldie), some cucumbers (Big Munchers and Pickling Cucs), Eggplants (Apple Green and Black Beauty), Peppers (Big Jim and Hot Chili), Herbs (Thyme, Tarragon, Dill), some melons (Banana, Iroquois, Jerry Lind), some squashes (Patty Pan Squash and Pumpkins) and some cruciferous vegetables (Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts) to transplant into the garden.

We love the artist illustrated seed packets that we got from the Hudson Valley Seed Library and are excited about the heirloom varieties donated by John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds! What about you? Are you starting to think about growing your own balcony or fire escape garden now that the weather is turning? Or do you want to get your hands dirty in our garden? We would love to give you a tour of what's growing and we're always looking for volunteers to help us with our latest project. Let us know if you want to get involved. Until next time, keep growing and learning and eating well!

Happy Earth Day!

Since 1970, April 22nd has been celebrated around the world in ways big and small as "Earth Day." This unique holiday promotes awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. The Harlem Children's Zone recognizes what an important idea this is and we're excited to be in the process of preparing our own school garden for yet another year of connecting our students and community members with the process of growing and harvesting their own food. In honor of Earth Day, we got out in the garden and cleaned up what was lingering from last season so that we could kick off our compost bin and get the beds ready for the new seedlings that are started.

According to the Earth Day website, "planting a garden at a school or at home is recognized universally as one of the best ways to teach children of every age the life sciences, to inspire a greater desire for whole foods and generally to reconnect them with Nature." We could not agree more and we are looking forward to enjoying and honoring our garden and this beautiful planet we call home, not just on Earth Day, everyday throughout the coming seasons.

You can participate in this day by making your own pledge at www.earthday.org

Parent Cooking Class Spring Sign-Up

Calling all parents! We are currently doing sign-ups for our next Parent Cooking Class. The Free 10 Week Class is offered to all Promise Academy Parents and starts April 27th. Classes are held every Wednesday night from 6-8pm for 10 weeks. Executive Chef Andrew Benson will walk you through cooking basics covering everything from:

1. Food Safety
2. Knife Skills
3. Simple Classic Kitchen Techniques, including healthy cooking techniques like how to:
1. Saute
2. Roast
3. Blanche
4. Grill
4. Basics of preparing Healthy Foods, including:
1. Whole Grains
2. Lean Meats
3. Fruits and Vegetables
4. Beans & Legumes
5. Fast, easy recipes for fresh family meals

Learn how to take your weeknight routine to the next level and improve your family's mealtime habits...plus have fun and gain skills to show off to your friends and family!

To sign up or ask questions please email Zoila Del-Villar 

Photo used under Creative Commons via Flickr.com user ReneS

Make a Commitment to Wellness!

With your help, our community can change the alarming national trends towards lower life expectancy and obesity for the next generation that the modern American diet and an inactive lifestyle contributes to. We strive to teach our community how to eat for life: to set our children up to thrive and live their best life. We want to help  you develop a healthy relationship to food and an active lifestyle. And we need you to support HCZ's healthy nutrition environment.

Be A Positive Example

Adult members of the Harlem Children's Zone and Promise Academy communities set an example for our children. Whether you are a teacher, a parent or a member of the staff you help our kids learn to recognize food as fuel for their growing bodies and active minds. You can also help us teach the next generation of Harlem's children healthy ways to celebrate their own food traditions as a unique expression of family and culture while modeling what kinds of foods they should be seeking out and piling on their plates. Click to read more about HCZ's Wellness Policy and our Community Food Pledges.

Eat for Life

The basics of a healthy balanced diet are simple, but not always easy to satisfy. Essentially our bodies need a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins to function well. Our bodies also do best when we are active--for kids that means at least 60 minutes of active play a day! We've got lots of opportunities to get active around HCZ for parents, staff and students to take advantage of.

Create Change

Too much of the food that is readily available in Harlem and across the country is heavily processed and full of excessive salt, sugar and chemical additives. Whether you call it fast food or junk food the additives can cause high blood pressure, interfere with mental focus, cause mood swings, interrupt our natural sleep cycles and even contribute to our risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. We encourage you to fill your diet with more "whole foods" that are minimally processed and free of all the junk that's snuck its way into the typical American diet.

Simple, not easy

We recognize that changing your diet (especially as an adult) is not an easy task. That's why we're committed to helping you any way we can. Please let us know if you have specific needs or questions about eating well or feeding your family healthfully and we'll do our best to serve your specific needs. In the meantime, check out some of the excellent resources available around the web to help you eat better, get more activity and get involved with movements for creating positive change in our food systems locally and nationally.

Please visit our Wellness Resources to link to some of our favorite sites, groups and tools about healthy eating, living well, and making positive changes for yourself, your kids and your community.

What is a healthy school nutrition environment?

The healthy school nutrition environment is a phrase that's become popular in the last several years as more and more parents, educators and policymakers have taken an interest in how to provide the next generation with the tools for learning to eat right for life. A healthy school nutrition environment is one that:

• Reinforces healthy eating in the school dining room, classroom, afterschool clubs, sports and special events
• Provides clear consistent nutrition messages encouraging students to eat well
• Educates students about the science behind good nutrition, the impact of diet on health, and the importance of an active balanced lifestyle in relationship to food
• Trains students how to choose foods that support their bodies and teaching them where their food comes from
• Encourages students to take ownership of their own food environment and food security
• Enables students to achieve full academic potential and obtain physical and mental growth
• Promotes lifelong healthy eating habits

Our Wellness Council meets quarterly to discuss how we are doing in our efforts to create a healthier nutrition environment and brainstorm ways that we can make more positive changes. If you want to learn more about the process we encourage you to start by reading this excellent guide from the Center for Eco Literary called Rethinking School Lunch.

Do you share home-cook-friendly recipes?

Chef Andrew often shares recipes for items served in our cafeteria that have been adapted for you to prepare at home. In addition, we have recipes that are developed for our Middle and High School Cooking Classes, the Healthy Living Challenge Cooking Classes, and our Parent Cooking Classes.

If there's ever an item or recipe that you would like to see us feature here on the blog, please just let us know! Otherwise check out the recipes page for a full list of the recipes that we've posted on the blog so far.

Click here to keep reading our FAQ section.

I see that you have a community Food Pledge that states "Food should never be used as a reward or a punishment." Why not?

At Harlem Children’s Zone and Promise Academy we believe that using food as a reward (or a punishment) sends the wrong message to our children and therefore it is not allowed.  This means that under no circumstances should any staff member encourage students using food as the incentive.

This Better School Food article describes the negative impact of using food as a reward quite well:

“The ultimate goal of rewarding children is to help them internalize positive behaviors so that they will not need a reward. Rewarding children in the home or in the classroom does not need to involve candy or food. Using candy or food as a reward reaches beyond the short-term benefits of good behavior. Rewarding children with food:
- Encourages overeating of foods high in sugar and fat
- Teaches children to eat when they're not hungry
- Teaches children to reward themselves with food
- Teaches children to connect food to mood
- Contributes to poor health
- Undermines healthy habits
By giving children empty calories as a reward for good behavior, we are saying "Here is something unhealthy for you because you behaved so well." Does this make sense?"

We don’t think so. Especially for a generation at risk of living shorter lives because of chronic diet-related diseases, using food as a reward or a punishment simply doesn't make sense. So, we do our best to teach kids how to eat healthfully for life. Certainly there are times and occasions when eating something special might be a way that you reward yourself (at holidays, on your birthday, after running a marathon), but we're here to train kids how to take control of their own relationship to food and how to find that balance in their own daily routine and for their own level of physical activity. That way they grow into adults who can thrive and live to their full potential rather than struggle with preventable diseases.

Read the full article for a list of alternatives to food rewards that can be used by parents. Also check out this article promoting a healthy school environment and providing ways that schools can offer Alternatives to Food as Reward.


Click here to keep reading our FAQ section.

Where can I get and how do I submit a "food allergy" form?

Submit Food Allergy Action Plan forms at the start of each school year or as soon as a food allergy is diagnosed by a physician to the school’s principal. Your child’s teacher, the kitchen staff and our Health Center will keep copies of the Food Allergy Action Plan form on file in case of an emergency. Forms should be signed by both the child's guardian and their physician who has diagnosed and is overseeing the management of the allergy.

No allergy form is required if your student has Lactose Intolerance although if you want to turn one in so we have it on file, that's fine. Please speak to your student about asking what products contain dairy and requesting lactose-free milk at breakfast. Rice Milk and/or Soy Milk and other dairy-free special items are always available, but not always easy kept as visible as the regular milk.

How do you accommodate food allergies and other special diets?

Food Allergies can be life threatening and therefore we take them very seriously. We have become a Tree Nut Free Zone to accommodate the severe allergy that several of our students have to peanuts. We follow the School Guidelines for Managing Students with Food Allergies developed by the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. You can find the full guidelines here.

If your child, has a food allergy it is the family’s responsibility to alert the school and provide appropriate medical documentations, instructions and directions from a physician. Also, parents are required to submit a FOOD ALLERGY ACTION PLAN for their child. You can download or print the form here.

In addition, families should educate the child in the self-management of their food allergy including:
• Safe and unsafe foods
• Strategies for avoiding exposure to unsafe foods
• Symptoms of allergic reactions
• How and when to tell an adult they may be having an allergy-related problem
• How to read food labels (age appropriate)


Click here to keep reading our FAQ section.

Are vegetarian options available?

Yes! Each meal offers at least 1 vegetable dish prepared without animal products, 1 starch or grain. In addition to those items there is always seasonal fruit at every meal. At lunch and during after school snack, the salad bar offers a variety of healthy raw options and often a vegetarian soup option is available. We realize that as a whole community we need to incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables into our diets, whether we commit to a vegetarian lifestyle or not. We encourage students and adults to get at least the minimum of 5 daily servings of various colorful fruits and vegetables.

Click here to keep reading our FAQ.

What snacks are available in between mealtimes to Promise Academy Students during the day and after school?

Fruit is always available in the school’s principle’s office for students who are hungry in between meals. In addition to breakfast and lunch, we provide snacks for the After School students that range from carrots and hummus to chips and salsa and are served in approximately 100-150 calorie portions. We regularly change out and rotate the snacks based on feedback from students and what is seasonally available.