Welcome to the first-ever, virtual culinary experience with Chef Jessica! Sponsored by ODE and ODNC, school and child nutrition professionals across Oregon are invited to watch or cook along with Jessica as she prepares easy, tasty and fun recipes that meet Child Nutrition Program guidelines. Participants receive tips for shaking up old recipes with new flavors and ideas to keep
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Quinoa, kale, Brussels sprouts, tamales, green smoothies. These are all foods you might find in a trendy restaurant … or on a lunch tray in your local school cafeteria. School lunches are fast overcoming their stereotypical reputation as bland and uninspired through some creativity and innovation by school nutrition professionals. On this National School Lunch Week, let’s take a look
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Chef Jessica Visinsky, RDN, is training a growing number of child nutrition program professionals to prepare delicious and nutritious food for Oregon students. Sponsored by the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) Child Nutrition Programs, a new series of the popular culinary trainings are helping improve school cafeteria and child care menus. Jessica Visinsky,
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When students from Armand Larive Middle School attended a Culinary Workshop in Umatilla, hosted by Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council, they saw their school nutrition professionals in action. This post debuts a great new video they created to share their experience. The Culinary Workshop is one of six regional workshops offered to school nutrition
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The words “school cafeteria food” are taking on new meaning as Chef Garrett Berdan is training a growing number of child nutrition program professionals to prepare delicious and nutritious food for Oregon students. A series of six culinary training events are underway to help improve school cafeteria menus statewide. With support from the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council and the
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Looking back over the past year, there were a lot of great stories about Oregon dairy farmers, processors and the positive work they support with schools, health professionals and communities across the state. In case you missed them, here are links to some notable posts we shared in 2017: Umatilla Learning Connection Town Hall Reaps Positive Results What I Learned
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by DeDe Poynor, Oregon State University Dietetic Intern Did you know school meals have been getting a makeover? It’s true – a lot has changed since the National School Lunch Program began in 1946. Here are some examples. Current federal requirements help students eat a well-balanced diet with the nutrients they need as they grow. Schools must offer a variety
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Sponsored by the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council and the Oregon Department of Education, Child Nutrition Programs, a new series of five popular culinary training events are underway to help improve school cafeteria menus for Oregon students. For the past seven years, Chef Garrett Berdan, RDN, has been coaching child nutrition program professionals at regional trainings on cooking innovative, healthy
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As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with experience in school foodservice management and child nutrition programs, Erin Hirte is hitting the ground running as the new Manager of School Programs for the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council. The position reflects the Oregon dairy industry’s long-standing commitment to investing in child health and wellness. Hirte started with the Council in September, filling
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“What’s for lunch?” It’s a common refrain in school cafeterias across the state, and some tasty plans are in the works to provide exciting new and nutritious menu items. Thanks to a special series of events called “Oregon Cooks for Kids,” school cooks are learning new recipes featuring dairy ingredients that they can take back to their schools. Sponsored by
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Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council 