Round-Up Newsletter May 2018

Contents Amazing Grains ............................................................................................................................................. 1

Farm to Preschool ......................................................................................................................................... 2

Feed their Minds and Bodies – Grow a Garden ............................................................................................ 2

Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) Mobile App ............................................................ 3

Foodchamps .................................................................................................................................................. 4

Quick and Healthy Entrée’s ........................................................................................................................... 4

Sources of Local Foods .................................................................................................................................. 5

Using Summer Produce at Your Center ........................................................................................................ 5

Cucumber Apple Salad .............................................................................................................................. 5

Happy 50th Birthday CACFP ........................................................................................................................... 6

CDC Launches Website on Infant and Toddler Nutrition .............................................................................. 6

Amazing Grains

Grain requirement information, as set forth in the most recent UDSA memo titled: “Grain Requirements in the CACFP; Questions and Answers”, is an important aspect of the Child and Adult Food Care Program. Whole grains are essential to overall health – containing high fiber, which aid in digestion, and reducing the risk of heart disease. Grains are also an excellent source of energy from a carbohydrate food; which include many essential vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants; and are low fat complex carbs, which make us feel satisfied longer. Grains are an important source of nutrition for the children and adults in the programs that we serve. For additional nutrient information on grains – USDA’s Choose My Plate website is an excellent resource.

To ensure that we are providing children with the healthiest choices of grains, it is important to be able to identify whole grain rich foods. CACFP provides a colorful visual guide along with the most recent memo mentioned above.

This document serves as a guide, and as long as the product meets at least one of the six methods described, it is considered a whole grain-rich food. In this month’s newsletter, we will focus on the fourth method: Rule of Three.

The Rule of Three is a three-step process guiding programs in selecting whole grain-rich products.

o STEP 1: When reviewing the list of ingredients, the first ingredient (or second if after water) must be whole grain.

o STEP 2/3: The next two-grain ingredients (if any) must be whole grains, enriched grains, bran, or germ.

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The above steps are utilized for single products and mixed dishes (pizza crust or tortillas for example).

When checking the nutritional value of breakfast cereals, look for the first grain ingredient; if it is a whole grain AND the cereal is labeled fortified, the cereal meets the whole grain-rich criteria. The second and third steps do not need to be considered. If the cereal is not labeled as fortified, continue on to Step 2 and 3.

If you are not certain as to what counts for a whole grain, enriched grain, bran or germ; please consult the USDA memo: “Grain Requirements in the CACFP; Questions and Answers” – the memo provides an extensive list of examples of the above grains.

We understand that these changes can sometimes be overwhelming. The purpose of CACFP is to provide advocacy for the programs we serve, and offer the healthiest meals possible for children and adults. Please do not hesitate to ask if you are uncertain – knowledge is power!

Farm to Preschool

Early childhood is the ideal time to establish healthy eating habits. Farm to preschool works to connect early childcare and education settings to local food producers with the goals of serving locally grown, healthy foods to your children, providing related nutrition education, and improving child nutrition. There are many benefits to Farm to Preschool including

Increases children’s willingness to try new foods

Helps establish healthy eating habits at a younger age

Prepares kids for local foods they will see in school

Read more from the USDA on the Farm to Preschool webpage. Resources include:

Farm to Preschool: local Food and Learning in Early Child Care and Education Settings ;

Local Foods in CACFP Policy Memo;

Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs

USDA Team Nutrition also has a Farm to Preschool curricula kit called “Grow It, Try It, Like It” which is a garden-themed nutrition education kit for childcare settings. The kit introduces children to three fruits and three vegetables and includes a variety of hands-on activities.

Feed their Minds and Bodies – Grow a Garden

Spring has finally arrived, and my garden is tilled and ready for planting! I look forward to growing flowers and vegetables in my backyard every year. I find it peaceful, relaxing and rewarding when some of that produce comes to fruition in summer months. It has also been an excellent opportunity for our entire family to work together, but most importantly for our children to be exposed to various vegetables. They are much more eager to pluck from the garden, than try something new I bring home in a grocery bag. I believe it has something to do with being a part of the process, and the anticipation of observing the vegetables grow. An additional positive is that we are modeling to children the importance of creating and promoting a healthy environment. Alexia Thex, from the National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) reminds us that healthy eating starts early, and the CACFP considers it

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paramount to support programs in modeling building healthy habits for children. Kelly Rood, a CACFP participant in Arlington, TX, knows that teaching nutrition is not always easy. She states that, “…through my gardening efforts, I have created a learning environment that encourages teamwork and nurtures responsibility. As they tend their summer and winter gardens, not only are the children learning about healthy foods, they are also growing their sense of pride. Parents are excited to see their children trying new fruits and vegetables and the children are all smiles when they see their hard work result in a something ‘yummy.’” I would like to encourage everyone to consider planting a garden with the children in your care. It can be an incredible learning opportunity for the children, and encourages them to try vegetables they might not have otherwise. USDA provides many wonderful resources to begin the process, and it can even start small with a container garden. You do not have to be an expert, or have a green thumb – I certainly do not! Each year I learn something new and apply it to the next growing season. Children enjoy learning new things with the adults in their world, and growing a garden can be a beautiful learning experience for your whole program. A list of resources is included below that may be useful.

Farm to Preschool: Local Food and Learning in Early Child Care and Education Settings

Farm to Early Care and Education

Grow it! Try it! Like it! – Preschool Fun With Fruits and Vegetables

Pre-school Gardens in 10 Easy Steps

Kids Gardening: - Helping Young Minds Grow

Gardening with Kids

12 Easiest Plants for Kids to Grow

Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) Mobile App The Food Buying Guide (FBG) is the essential resource for food yield information for all Child Nutrition Programs (CNP). The FBG assists CNP operators, food manufacturers, and other stakeholders with:

Purchasing the correct amounts of foods for Child Nutrition meal programs

Determining the contribution that each food makes toward meal pattern requirements

The FBG has gone digital to provide menu planning features at your fingertips!

Easily search and navigate food yields for foods typically served in Child Nutrition Program

settings.

Create a favorite foods list!

The FBG Mobile App includes access to narrative content which provides:

o CN Program-specific information for meeting meal pattern requirements

o Helpful information related to food purchasing and how to utilize food yield information

in the FBG

o Additional resources related to meal pattern requirements and menu planning for

CNP’s.

The FBG Mobile App is now available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

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Foodchamps

In today’s technology driven world, it is sometimes difficult to sift through all the various websites and applications available. We have reviewed a website that you will find to be educational, informational, and family friendly. Foodchamps.org is a health conscious website that provides your organization, and families with interesting activities and nutritional information. It was created under the ‘Fruits & Veggies – More Matters’ health initiative that focuses on helping families increase fruit & vegetable consumption for better health. (The More Matters website is full of great information as well – see link below). The following activities are available on the website: coloring pages, fruit/veggie trackers and scavenger hunts. The coloring pages are available as an online activity that children can fill in on the computer and print; or print and color themselves. The tracker is a printable resource that encourages classrooms or families to track the various fruits and vegetables they are eating, in addition to providing encouragement to set goals and try new fruits/vegetables. What a great way in incorporate math skills with the tracking and charting, while also sharing positive nutrition experiences! The Supermarket scavenger hunt is an activity for families to share the planning process of grocery shopping, and involve children in the shopping experience. Classrooms could also utilize these cards if they had a trip at a local grocery store. Several cards can be printed, cut and hung on a key ring. In addition to the printed cards, the website provides you with blank cards to fill in your own food items. Children can look for, and check off the various food items as they are shopping with family. This is also an educational opportunity to involve children in the shopping experience, as they are receiving environmental print practice while identifying the food items.

Separate from the activities section of the website are ‘Fun & Games’. These are broken down into different age groups that cater toward various ages. The 2-5 years age group ‘fun and games’ include matching, sorting and color identification activities – all including various fruits and vegetables. The 6-8 years age group includes similar activities, and a math activity that when completed, provides children with additional activity sheets.

Last, but certainly not least, there is a recipe section. There are several delicious looking, ‘kid friendly’, dessert and snack recipes included that focus around fruits and vegetables. The recipe cards come with detailed instructions, a beautiful visual and nutritional information. Additional recipes and nutritional information can be found on the sponsored site: Fruits & Veggies More Matters.

Quick and Healthy Entrée’s Here a few great recipes that were utilized during the Team Nutrition trainings. They are fast, easy, homemade, and meet the meal component requirements. If you missed the training and demos of these recipes or have not had a chance to try any of the recipes yet – we have got you covered! In each month’s newsletter, we will feature recipes from the past Team Nutrition trainings. This month we are reviewing the “Quick and Healthy Entrée’s” recipes. The first recipe: Secret Agent Sloppy Joes is an easy crockpot recipe that includes lentils in addition to the ground beef. Adding the lentils into the recipes increases the nutritional value of the meal. The next recipe is a twist on the classic tuna fish sandwich. This recipe uses hot dog buns and includes toasting with melted cheese for a delicious hot ‘tuna boat’ sandwich. The third recipe features chicken as the

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meal component in a zesty Santé Fe Chicken wrap. Several vegetables are included in this recipe for a colorful and delicious lunch! Enjoy!

Sources of Local Foods

Purchasing local foods means more than just buying tomatoes from a local farmer. There are actually many different ways to purchase local foods for your center to serve. Local foods can be purchased directly from a farm, through a distributor, from a food hub, or from a farmers’ market. Your center can even grow its own garden produce and serve it as part of the CACFP reimbursable meals. If your center does purchase local foods to use as part of its reimbursable meals and snack, be sure to get a receipt and maintain that will all your other program receipts. The local foods receipt must include:

- The date of purchase - Name of the vendor/farmer - Item cost - Amount - Total cost

It is also acceptable for your center to serve donated produce from local gardens and farms. However, CACFP institutions must maintain records of the types and quantities of donated foods received. Records of donated foods will be assessed as part of your foodservice records during a review.

Using Summer Produce at Your Center

There are many creative ways to incorporate fresh summer produce in your CACFP meals and snacks. USDA recently released new ethnic CACFP recipes and several of these recipes include locally grown fruits and vegetables such as zucchini, carrots, apples, and squash. Here is a delicious recipe for Cucumber Apple Salad that also features locally grown produce.

Cucumber Apple Salad 10 or 50 servings

Ingredients For 10 servings For 50 servings Oil 2 Tbsp. 2/3 c. White vinegar 1 Tbsp. 1/3 c. Honey 1 ¼ tsp. 2 Tbsp. Apple juice 1 Tbsp. 1/3 c. Salt 1/3 tsp. 1 ¾ tsp. Ground black pepper 1/8 tsp. ¾ tsp. Apples, unpeeled with red skins 7 oz. (1 lg. apple) 2 lb. 4 oz. (about 7 apples) Lemon juice 2 tsp. 3 Tbsp. Cucumbers, peeled and diced 1 lb. 12 oz. (about 2) 8 ½ lbs. (about 12) Red bell pepper, diced ¼ c. 1 ¾ c. Red onion, diced 2 ½ Tbsp. ¾ c. Dill, chopped (optional) 1 Tbsp. ¼ c.

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Directions 1. Combine the dressing ingredients: oil, vinegar, honey, apple juice, salt, and pepper in a small mixing

bowl/cup. (This dressing can be made up to 1 day ahead, covered, and refrigerated until ready to use.)

2. Wash the apple. Core and dice the apple into bite-sized pieces. 3. In a large bowl, toss the diced apples with the lemon juice. This will prevent the apples from turning

brown. 4. Add to the bowl, the cucumbers, red pepper, red onion, and dill (if using). 5. Add the dressing that was prepared in step 1. Mix to thoroughly combine. Chill until ready to serve.

Happy 50th Birthday CACFP

It is time to celebrate! The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) hits a milestone this year as it receives acknowledgment for 50 years of service! USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care and making it more affordable for many low-income families. Each day, 3.3 million children receive nutritious meals and snacks through CACFP. The program also provides meals and snacks to 120,000 adults who receive care in nonresidential adult day care centers. CACFP reaches even further to provide meals to children residing in emergency shelters, and snacks and suppers to youths participating in eligible afterschool care programs.

May 18, 2018 is the designated day of celebration for CACFP’s 50th birthday and an opportunity to create CACFP Awareness. The following web link will provide your programs with several materials and ideas to help celebrate, and raise awareness for CACFP’s 50th Birthday! Go ahead and sign the National CACFP Birthday card, or download various social media banners and birthday cards to share your support of the program. The downloadable print material is a great opportunity to educate the public and elected officials on the importance of CACFP, or a great way to say thank you to your sponsors and/or monitors. Check out the CACFP's 50th Birthday for many more ideas including tasty fruit birthday cake ideas.

CDC Launches Website on Infant and Toddler Nutrition

Check out this informational resource on infant and toddler nutrition. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created a thorough resource with various topics that cover the importance of nutrition in the early years. They reiterate research that, “Children with healthier eating patterns in their first year of life are more likely to have a healthier eating pattern later on.” The topics covered include the following:

Breastfeeding

Mealtime

Formula feeding

Vitamins & Minerals

Feeding from a Bottle

Foods & Drinks for 6 to 24 month olds

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In addition, the website includes links to additional helpful resources, and a FAQ’s page that cover everything from basic nutrition questions to answers on introducing solid foods. Throughout the website, there are various “Did You Know?” facts that may provide programs with beneficial snippets of information to their providers and parents.

The following link will take you to this excellent resource CDC Resource: Infant and Toddler Nutrition.