Two California schools are finalists in the Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge for Schools. In association with the USDA, the Let’s Move Initiative challenged schools, nutrition professionals, chefs, students, parents and interested community members to create recipes that kids will love on their school lunch menus. These tasty, healthy, exciting new recipes fit into one of three categories--legumes, dark green/orange vegetables and whole grains. Just five entries per category were selected from all over the country.
A team in the finals from Manteca, CA wanted to develop recipe that encourages students to try new dark green or orange vegetables. The creative team includes high school students from three of the five area high schools with the help of their Culinary Arts teacher, Amy Lee, Manteca Unified Nutrition Services Department and local restaurant chef Bryan Ehrenholm. They created a delicious side dish using butternut squash grown by a local farmer that supports their Farm to School Program. It’s now a favorite dish served with roasted chicken at school and will be published in a new USDA recipe book!
Many taste tests from Joshua Cowell Elementary School students later, the final Central Valley Harvest Bake became a star!
Next, a review team will be visiting schools to check out the recipe, meet the team and narrow the finals down to one recipe from each category. Those three teams will go to Washington D.C. for the final cook off with White House chefs!
Teams will be rewarded separately for popularity, so they need your votes! Support our local California schools.
- Vote for Manteca’s Central Valley Harvest Bake in the vegetable category here.
- Support fellow California team from Oakland for their Spanish Chickpea Stew in the legume category here.
To see the final 15 recipes in all three categories, visit Recipes for Healthy Kids. Public voting ends May 15, 2011. The website has recipes and new ideas worth checking out. Happy cooking!
Tracy Witmer, R.D.
Territory Manager
Photo: Chef Bryan Ehrenholm with Sierra High School students.
Tracy Witmer, Registered Dietitian
About me:
Tracy Witmer is a registered dietitian and Territory Manager for Dairy Council of California. Within the districts and schools of her 10-county territory, she engages teachers to use nutrition education in the classroom and is touched by the testimonies she hears from teachers, parents and students about its impact.
Tracy volunteers her time to serve as the 2011-2012 President of the Northern Area Dietetic Association. She received her B.S. in Nutrition Science with a Minor in Spanish at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and completed her dietetic internship at CSU Fresno.
As a dietitian, Tracy enjoys dispelling misconceptions about healthy eating and encourages a positive, individual, holistic approach to nutrition. She’s convinced everyone can find ways to eat well and be active, no matter if your day is spent in a school, office, home, car, field or factory. Though she keeps it simple in the kitchen, Tracy’s adventurous spirit is evident in her eating habits. She believes no one should pass an opportunity to try new food when presented with it… at least just a bite.
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