- Author: Shelby MacNab
Building Smarter Lunchrooms
One of the concepts from the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement has to do with branding and promoting cafeteria meals to increase participation and the consumption of healthy foods. Fresno Unified launched a new soft taco at Computech earlier this week. With just a few promotional signs and flyers, the tacos were a hit!
Join the Movement
The total cost to promote the new taco was just over $11. Low-cost promotions can help school food service departments encourage students to try new things.
UC CalFresh can provide technical assistance to help start a Smarter Lunchrooms movement in your cafeteria! If you'd like to join the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement in Fresno County, email Shelby MacNab at smacnab@ucanr.edu to get started.
- Contributor: DeAnna Molinar
- Author: Sandra Ortega
When you think of carnivals what normally comes to your mind?
Cotton candy and other sweet treats of course! But not at Aynesworth Elementary!
Students attending Aynesworth Elementary carnival recently learned that carnivals can have delicious healthy treats!
To support a healthy school environment, DeAnna Molinar and Sandra Ortega, Program Coordinators for the UC CalFresh program, taught students and their parents about MyPlate through an interactive display.
Parents and students also got to try a 2oz tasting of the "Energy Snack," which was a hit!
Recipe: Energy Snack
- 1 cup of Kix cereal
- 1 cup of whole wheat Chex
- 1 cup of Wheaties
- 1 cup of golden raisins
For some families, this was their first time tasting golden raisins. What a great way to introduce a new food!
The booth was buzzing with students eagerly awaiting their turn to build a healthy plate!
Two students try golden raisins for the first time!
Parent signing up for no-cost nutrition education classes.
Student building his healthy plate.
Does your school, agency or community center have a carnival or major event coming up? If so, contact your UC CalFresh coordinator to have a nutrition booth displayed at your next event!
- Author: Shelby MacNab
UC CalFresh had the pleasure of joining Mayfair Elementary parents on a tour of the Fresno Unified Nutrition Center on November 20th. The tour included nutrition education, taste testing and a tour of the food service facility.
All aboard! Parents were bused in from Mayfair Elementary for the tour. After touring the facility, they were headed to Olmos Elementary to check out food service in action!
Parents geared up in hair nets for the tour. Why hair nets? For food safety, of course!
UC CalFresh program coordinator DeAnna Molinar provided nutrition education to parents as part of the tour.
Parents got the opportunity to sample the healthy foods students get to eat at school.
Here are some of the salads prepared at the FUSD nutrition center.
These are some of the whole wheat rolls students will enjoy with their lunches.
We look forward to participating in the next field trip!
- Author: Shelby MacNab
- Contributor: DeAnna Molinar
UC CalFresh was recently featured alongside Fresno Unified School District's Food Service Department during a joint effort to encourage students to try new foods. Of the fruits and vegetables offered, strawberries, pineapple and jicama were students' favorites!
- Author: Shelby MacNab
