A Whole Lot Of Healthy Snacking Going On!

The highlight of our growing season is in the harvest! Tasting farm fresh organic produce that you planted from seeds is such a rewarding experience. It is quite an accomplishment, especially when you are under 12. The last few weeks, many pounds of produce have been plucked from our garden beds and chomped on by proud farmers at Moss Haven! Greens, Broccoli, Strawberries, Onion and Sugar Snap Peas were cooked up and served in our classrooms and the kids really enjoyed it! Take a look for yourselves.

You Are What You Eat

Food art is always a fun option to get kids interested in healthy treats. If they create it, they are more likely to eat it.

Summer brings us a bounty of fresh fruit and veggies, so there is easy access during that time of the year.

During Winter, you can still find healthy options. So try to jazz up your holidays with some fun and healthy treats too!

In the last few weeks, I have received two pictures of kids making healthy choices. Both friends chose the options on their own, much to their parents amazement. So here's to healthy food choices and raising healthy kids!

With nutrition and healthy eating in mind, take a look at this video that our farm hands have created. It was inspired by Hip Hop Public Health and the Partnership for a Healthier America.

        We Love Vegetables by Moss Haven Farm

                         



The Days Of Taste - The Art Of Culinary Goodness

Days of Taste® is a national discovery-based program of The American Institute of Wine & Food. It was modeled after a French program called "Journée de Gout," which means "Days of Taste." Julia Childs and Robert Mondavi were two of the founders who brought it to America.The first Days of Taste® took place in New York City in 1995. This program teaches students about food and how it travels from farm to table.  It also takes the opportunity to teach the arts and graces of working together, making pleasant conversation and learning about food. Our school was one of five schools in North Texas that had the opportunity to participate in this incredible program.

The kids learned about their palate, taste buds and experimented with various flavors. 

A local chef taught us about his career and some of the ins and outs of owning a restaurant. 

Then some members of the AIWA took groups of kids out to the market to purchase fresh food from the farmers. Each child had $1 to spend, but first they had to come up with a plan to use their money to meet the needs of their recipes. Some kids learned quickly how to barter with the market vendors.

They took their goodies back to the test kitchen where they were washed. Then the fun began. The kids sliced and diced and made amazing salads! 

The conversation was focussed and the kids were on task. The kids were so proud of themselves and their creations. The salads were healthy and delicious!

After we cleaned up and thanked our hosts, we shuttled off to learn about food distribution at Chefs Foods. We walked into the cold fridges where food is stored before shipped out to restaurants, grocers and even our school district. 

This was a perfect extension of our Healthy Zone School program! We branched out to learn what others are doing in our city about food and healthy living and had a great time doing it!