school meals

In this episode of The Green Life I speak to Chef and Author Gwen Kenneally about her new book Plantastic and her amazing work and story that took her from home cooking to professional cheffing! Gwen has a great story and is also endorsing and implementing the work of Alice Waters's Edible Schoolyard   in her own school district. Learn more as we dive into this awesome chat! 

BIG THANKS TO NAMA www.namawell.com the Best cold press juicers on the planet with the revolutionary J2 and now C2 being the mist amazing Bulk juicing champion. To get your Nama juicer at a discount, use code CHANTAL10 for 10% off!

This episode is brought to you by Dr Morse's Healing herbs, which I am an affiliate of , please feel free to order from my link to support my Podcast https://drmorsesherbalhealthclub.com/liveleanhealth USE CODE GREENLIFE FOR 5% OFF (only valid for your first purchase)

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About Gwen

Gwen Kenneally is a highly acclaimed chef and food enthusiast with over 20 years of culinary experience. She is known for her innovative and sustainable approach to plant-based cuisine. Gwen is passionate about creating delicious meals that are good for both people and the planet. Her work has been featured in top culinary publications, and she continues to inspire food lovers around the world with her creative recipes. Gwen has been featured in numerous publications and TV shows, and she brings her wealth of knowledge and expertise to her latest cookbook. She believes that plant-based cooking is not just a trend but a lifestyle that promotes health, ethical consciousness, and a greener planet.

Connect with Gwen at www.BacktotheKitchenCatering.com on Goodreads, and Instagram: @gwenkenneally

About Plantastic

Renowned chef and food enthusiast, Gwen Kenneally, has released her highly anticipated fourth cookbook.  The Plantastic Cookbook offers home cooks a delightful array of delectable recipes that will tantalize the taste buds of both vegans and omnivores alike. Kenneally, a celebrated chef with over two decades of culinary experience, has crafted a cookbook that reflects her passion for sustainable and delicious plant-based dishes. 

The Plantastic Cookbookis a culinary journey that showcases the incredible versatility of plant-based ingredients, bringing a burst of vibrant flavors to your table. Sections include toasts and jams, soups and stews, greens and sides, jackfruit, quinoa, grilled entrees, party fare and sweets. Over 90 recipes to expand the vegan palate and introduce new flavors and cooking techniques to those not yet familiar with the joys and benefits of plant-based eating.

Gwen's commitment to sustainability shines through in her recipes, with an emphasis on using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients to reduce the environmental footprint of every meal.  The Plantastic Cookbookdoesn't just offer delicious recipes; it also provides valuable nutritional insights and tips on maintaining a balanced plant-based diet, making it a valuable resource for those interested in health-conscious cooking.

Some of the recipes in the book include:

• Fava Bean Mint Toast
• Beet Soup with Cashew Crème Fraiche
• Crabby Jack Cakes with Red Pepper Sauce
• Breakfast Quinoa
• Cedar-Planked Pecan, Bourbon and Brown Sugar Glazed Vegan Brie
• Vegetarian Moon in the 7th House Rolls
• Jambalaya
• Cajun Grilled Eggplant
• Rice Pudding with Whipped Cashew Cream
• Lotus Kitchen Cookie

Whether a seasoned chef or a home cook looking to experiment with plant-based food, Gwen’s recipes provide easy-to-follow instructions and ingredient lists to ensure that every recipe is a success.

The Plantastic Cookbookis available for sale at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and Walmart.

11-14-22 AJ Daily

Association in Strong Financial Standing Despite Unpredictable Year
Adapted from a release by Miranda Reiman, senior associate editor, Angus Journal

Grand Prize Giveaway Recipients Win Big at Angus Convention
Adapted from a release by Peyton Schmitt, Angus Communications

USDA Invests $50 Million for Schools and Food Industry to Work Together to Strengthen School Meals
Adapted from a release by the USDA

Inflation Report and Food, Meat Prices at Retail
Adapted from a report by Len Steiner, Steiner Consulting Group 

Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal. For more Angus news, visit angusjournal.net. 

In this new episode of the Schools & Academies Show Podcast, we take a look at October’s educational headlines and review the impact these will have on the sector.

 This month we’re joined by Debbie Clinton, educational expert and former Ofsted inspector, to discuss leaked Ofsted crib sheets, the quality of school meals and the changing government.  

 This month’s headlines:

📰 Calls for Ofsted to share their training resources in the light of leaked inspector crib sheets

📰 30% rise in the cost of food items since May cause school meal providers to change menus

📰 A new prime minister and Secretary of State for Education   

Useful links:

💡 The LACA’s -the school food people- cost of living survey 

💡 Leaked Ofsted inspector training guides 

💡 Gillian Keegan MP and Secretary of State for Education

Join the conversation and let us know your thoughts by tweeting us @SAA_Show and follow us on LinkedIn. 

 This episode is brought to you by LinkyThinks 

That is the sound of hundreds of students at Tilingatar High School in Tokha Municipality lining up for their midday meal of rice and veggies. This still unfinished concrete school of 1,100 students on the urban edge of the Kathmandu Valley is one among tens of thousands of government schools country wide that serve hot meals to their students. In two more years the midday meal programme (known here as diya khaja) will feed children in all 77 districts, after the remaining 6 districts transition from meals provided by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). This is no small feat, nor cheap. From 2017 to 2020 the diya khaja budget almost quadrupled (from $20 million to nearly $70 million). After teachers’ salaries, this is the largest education expense in Nepal.

In March I travelled to the Far West region and visited five schools in both the hills and the Tarai plains. Unanimously I found that officials and parents liked the government’s school feeding. It made students excited about going to class and provided some of them with their most healthy meal of the day.

I'm not saying there are no challenges: some schools and the municipal governments that transfer the money to them to run the programme — budgeted by the central government — say that providing 15 rupees per child per meal just isn’t enough, when they also have to pay for cooks, utensils and transportation. And media reports appear regularly about low quality food in a certain school or of officials substituting processed food for the nutrition-based menu created by the ministry of education and WFP. Surprisingly, neither the government nor the UN agency has analysed the impact of school feeding on child nutrition in Nepal, a country where malnutrition remains a major health problem.

That said, schools and municipalities are forging ahead with diya khaja. In the fertile outskirts of Kailali district — with the help of the WFP — schools are contracting local women farmers to provide rice, lentils, milk, yogurt and almost every other ingredient needed for their menus fresh from their fields. And here in Tokha, the municipality has itself expanded school feeding beyond grade 5, the last year of the government programme, to grade 10.

Resources

Article and video on school feeding in Nepal

Article on school meals in Nepal and Canada

World Food Programme global report, with Nepal case study

Nepal Now social links

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.

Music: amaretto needs ice ... by urmymuse (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/57996 Ft: Apoxode

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On the last night of August, the California State Legislature wrapped up its 2019-2020 legislative session in a flurry. Many bills were passed and sent to the Governor, but several difficult issues were left unresolved. In this episode, CASBO’s dynamic team of advocates Sara Bachez and Elizabeth Esquivel share highlights. What were some of the legislature’s final actions (or inactions)? What are potential education budget and fiscal implications? And what is a frenzied last night of session in Sacramento really like, especially during this time of physical distancing?

Plus, Palm Springs USD Nutrition Services Director Stephanie Bruce joins us again to describe some recent good news out of Washington D.C. related to school meals.

KEY RESOURCES

• For details about education and budget bills that were (or were not) passed out of the legislature, read CASBO's "End of the 2019-20 Legislative Session NewsBreak." This NewsBreak also includes details about Gov. Newsom's new  “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” released on Aug. 28. 
• Additional information about budget and finance bills discussed on this episode:
  • SB 115 -- Makes technical amendments to K-12 education and early education associated with the Budget Act of 2020.
  • SB 820 -- Makes clarifying changes to education programs adopted as part of the Budget Act of 2020. These changes are described in more detail in the CASBO Newsbreak: New Education Budget Changes are Released in SB 820
• "Legislature fixes funding problem for growing districts and some charter schools," Sept. 2 EdSource article by John Fensterwald
• "USDA Extends Free Meals for Kids Through Dec. 31, 2020" press release from USDA

OUR GUESTS:

• Sara Bachez, CASBO Chief Government Relations Officer 
• Elizabeth Esquivel, CASBO Senior Director of Policy and Governance
• Stephanie Bruce, Nutrition Services Director, Palm Springs USD. Learn more about Stephanie on our March episode, "The Meals Must Go On"
• Plus a cameo appearance by Jeff Vaca, Chief Governmental Relations Officer, Riverside County Office of Education

ABOUT CASBO

The California Association of School Business Officialsis the premier resource for professional development and business best practices for California's school business leaders. Follow at @CASBO.


YOUR SERIES GUIDE
Paul Richman is a public education advocate and consultant. edfundingca@gmail.com and @pjr100

NPC President Britt Raybould calls in from Idaho to talk about the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), which are currently being drafted by USDA and U.S. Health and Human Services, as well as NPC's efforts to advocate for the inclusion of potatoes in all forms in the recommendations. 

NPC has played an active role in nutrition policy for many years, most recently correcting various policy decisions under the Obama Administration that disregarded nutrition science in the pursuit of excluding white potatoes from several federal feeding programs. It is anticipated that the final DGAs will be published before the end of 2020.  

Join Anissa, Linda E, Luanda Yasmin and Sophie Hannah for the second episode of [ETHNICALLY] SPEAKING where they explore the UK’s obsession with Primark, the government’s U-turn on funding free school meals over the summer, the worsening racial wealth gap, and negative portrayals of black women in the media and beyond.

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FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION 

#EthnicallySpeaking

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LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE 

https://unitedmelaningroup.com/es002
(Website – Show notes) 

https://youtu.be/3iskVBOYfOU
(Video – Britain's Hidden Hungry – BBC Documentary) 

https://fareshare.org.uk/co-op/
(Website – Co-op and FareShare team up) 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CBojEdQHOd7/
(Video – Alexandra Burke on her experiences – @alexandraburke IGTV) 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CBbhZsLj-MT/
(Video – Misha B on her experiences – @iammisha_b IGTV)

https://www.tamarawinfreyharris.com/works/the-sisters-are-alright/
(Book* – Tamara Winfrey Harris) 

*Please support Black UK businesses by purchasing your book or ordering it online from one of the black-owned independent bookshops listed here: https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/uk-bookshops-diverse-black-authors-books-online/396930

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Music by GC

As the federal government reviews the proposed 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), which will become the foundation for future decisions made by USDA, HHS, and other departments about which commodities can access various nutrition programs, the potato industry is working to ensure the DGA process accurately reflects the nutritional value of potatoes. Pam Miller, Administrator of USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, and Beth Johnson, Principal & CEO of Food Directions, who works to navigate the food policy landscape, joined the Potato D.C. Fly-In to talk about the importance of the federal nutrition programs and place of potatoes within them.

Guests:
Pam Miller, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service
Beth Johnson, MS, RD, Principal & CEO, Food Directions LLC
Kam Quarles, CEO, National Potato Council

California’s public school districts are rising to the challenge of providing students with much-needed meals during the COVID-19 crisis.

In this episode, special guests Stephanie Bruce, Nutrition Services Director for Palm Springs USD and Andrew Soliz, Director of Child Nutrition Services for San Mateo-Foster City School District share how their districts are preparing and delivering meals to thousands of students daily, even in the face of a global pandemic. Essentially, food service teams throughout the state are serving as first responders in the massive effort to ensure millions of students continue to receive nutritious meals while schools are closed. 

Andrew and Stephanie offer a glimpse into the approaches their districts are taking, including the innovative use of school busses to deliver meals to local neighborhoods and “Grab and Go” operations. They also discuss how they’re keeping staff and students safe, challenges, lessons to share – and inspiring moments as communities come together during the crisis.

Note: During this time, we’re utilizing our series to bring you more topical guidance and inspiring stories from around the state. 

Resources

• Gov. Newsom’s March 13 Executive Order states that to continue to receive funding, districts must “Provide school meals in non-congregate settings...consistent with the requirements of the California Department of Education and U.S Department of Agriculture.”
• National School Lunch Program Fact Sheet
• What is the California State Meal Program?
• How Are Kids Fed, Ed100.org blog
• Just in: New waivers announced by USDA allow parents to take meals home to their children. 

Fact: In 2019, 59.4% of CA public school children were eligible for free and reduced price lunches.

About our Guests

After starting his career with the Salt Lake City School District, Andrew moved to Fresno, where he served as Director of Child Nutrition, Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation for a small school district. Prior to his current role, he also served as Executive Manager of Food and Nutrition in San Leandro. Andrew has served as President of the California School Nutrition Association and currently serves as CASBO's Professional Council Chair of Child Nutrition, and Director I for CASBO’s NorthernSection Board.

Stephanie has worked in the food service industry for over 30 years and in Child Nutrition for 20 years. She has been with the Palm Springs USD for the past 6 years. She holds a Culinary Arts Degree from College of the Desert; a BS in Hotel/Restaurant Management from California Polytechnic College in Pomona; and an MBA in Finance from the University of Redlands. Stephanie currently sits as the West Region Leadership Committee representative for the School Nutrition Association (SNA) and is an Instructor for both the CASBO CBO certification program and the USC Rossier School of Business.

About the California Association of School Business Officials
CASBO is the premier resource for professional development and business best practices for California's school business leaders.

About your series guide
Paul Richman is a public education advocate and consultant. Contact him at EdfundingCA@gmail.com

In less than two weeks, nearly all school districts and schools in California have closed to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. These closures impact six million students and their families, plus hundreds of thousands of educators, school and district staff, and leaders. Moreover, school closures deeply affect our local communities. 

We're interrupting our planned schedule of ed funding topics to provide this special update. Join guests Sara Bachez and Elizabeth Esquivel from CASBO’s Governmental Relations team as they share important information about the school closures. They highlight actions that state leaders have taken to minimize spread of the virus. On March 13, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order, which ensured that schools continue to receive funding and outlined key efforts that schools should pursue. This past weekend the state legislature acted swiftly to approve a number of bills to support the effort. Also this week, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond, and the Departments of Education and Health briefed thousands of educators to help carry out the Governor’s executive order. The CDE is providing the latest, updated guidance on its website. 

Sara and Elizabeth also provide a quick recap about:

• Who makes the decisions to close schools? What services and instruction (such as distance learning) are school districts working hard to provide during this most challenging time?
• What is the vital role schools play in ensuring that students have access to meals, even when schools are closed.
• What else do schools need to remain stable and be able to support students and their communities right now?

We also share news that the Governor has issued another executive order, pending federal approval, to suspend statewide standardized testing for this year. Update: President Trump announced Friday that the federal government would suspend national testing requirements this year.

For certain, responding to a pandemic that has closed down schools and forced millions to shelter in place is largely unchartered territory for Californians. As we press forward in the days and weeks ahead, more information and guidance will be coming from the state and local leaders. CASBO will help share this information. If you have questions, email Sara or Elizabeth at sbachez@casbo.org or Eesquivel@casbo.org.

Resources

• California Department of Education Website 
• CA.Gov California Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response
• "What California Parents and Students Should Know About COVID-19" from EdSource
• “Learning in the Time of COVID-19” – Online Resources for Educators, Parents and more from the Learning Policy Institute
• California Releases New COVID-19 Guidance for K-12 Schools, Governor's Office
• CASBO.org
• Information for Schools on Responding to the COVID-19 Outbreak from CSBA