Cooking up Ratatouille for School Lunches, Farm to School Style!

re:TH!NK Farm to School and the food service staff from Omro, Winneconne, and Oshkosh schools teamed up last week to prepare and freeze over 1,000 lbs of Ratatouille sauce to liven up the school lunch menus. Locally-grown tomatoes, squash, eggplant, peppers, onions, garlic, and fresh herbs from farms within a 50 mile radius were used to make the sauce. The mounds of beautiful, fresh produce were truly a sight to see! The kitchen staff were eager to prepare this dish from scratch, using new processing equipment purchased through a USDA Farm to School grant, awarded to re:TH!NK last year.
     

Over 12,000 students will have the opportunity to eat the ratatouille in their school lunch in various dishes like quesadillas, wraps, pizza or as a side dish. Fun school events will help promote the sauce, like showing clips of the movie Ratatouille, sending home colorful fliers with nutrition information, recipes and games, and having volunteers hand out samples of the dish while inspiring the children to try it.

The idea (and the recipe) for the ratatouille was borrowed from Chef Monique Hooker, who created this dish for schools in Virocqua, Wisconsin. Thank you, Virocqua! Since all of the vegetables are plentiful and ready for harvest right now, this was the perfect time to make the sauce and freeze it for use later in the year.
re:TH!NK has been working with schools in Winnebago County for the past two years on farm to school programs to bring more fresh, locally-grown and nutritious food to schools to support and encourage healthy eating habits for the students. Farm to school connects the classroom, school meal programs, farmers, and the home to foster a positive attitude towards healthy food. The more local food that can be brought into the schools, the more chances kids have to taste and eat these products.  Students involved in Winnebago County Farm to School programs have been more willing to try new foods; an important first step towards lifelong healthy eating habits! At the same time, farm to school supports local farmers and the local economy.

Associating the ratatouille dish with characters from the popular children’s movie is a way to peak the students’ interest, branding these healthy foods in a way that appeals to them and competing with the mountains of messaging they receive daily for processed, less nutritious foods,.  By allowing students to try new foods in a fun and educational environment, the program encourages them to discover new healthy foods that taste good!

See the ratatouille-making in action!

Active Schools Getting in Gear for the 2014-15 School Year!

In most Winnebago County Elementary Schools, the beginning of August marks a very busy time for administrators, teachers, and other staff as they prepare for nearly 16,000 public, private and charter school students to enter through their doors in just a few short weeks!  re:TH!NK and Winnebago County Health Department are jumping in as well for the excitement of continuing on with sustainability and new implementation of Active School programs throughout the county.  During the 2013-14 school year, we had the opportunity to assist in the implementation of Active Classrooms in over 200 public and private school classrooms, reaching nearly 5000 elementary students in Winnebago County!

Active Classrooms Brain Break at Wilson Elementary School in Neenah, WI!

In addition to these programs, we also implemented some active recess programs, including a recess walking program at Roosevelt Elementary School in Neenah where students can earn charms for every 5 miles they walk!

We look forward to continued collaboration with Winnebago County Elementary Schools and hope to aid in the growth of the Active School programs in Winnebago County to ensure healthy places for our children to learn and grow!