My name is Jennifer Smith and I am an intern with the Baltimore/Washington DC campus. I have the unique opportunity to complete my food service management rotation at the Madeira School in McClean, VA. It is a private, all girls high school on the banks of the Potomac River. This has been a terrific experience so far, with many opportunities to practice the ways a future dietitian can impact this type of population. I have been able to teach an 80-minute class on nutrition to freshmen and develop a new vegetarian lunch entrée, based on one of Sodexo’s recipes in FMS.
I was asked to give the nutrition class to incoming freshmen by the counseling and nursing staff at the school. The class blocks are 80-minutes long, so I decided to create a basic nutrition lesson, incorporating a trip to the cafeteria for a MyPlate and a portion size demonstration as well as a sugar sweetened beverage activity. I am fortunate to have a 14-year old daughter who helped me streamline my PowerPoint presentation so it would appeal to their age group. My take away message was “Strive for Five” fruit and vegetable servings a day. It is something I tell my own children regularly so they can make healthy choices for sides and snacks. The students were especially interested in seeing how much sugar is in all the beverage items that I brought. It was a great way to bring some practical knowledge into their everyday options so they can make better choices.
Last week the general manager and head chef of the cafeteria, Andy Gaylord, tasked me to come up with a vegetarian entrée for lunch. One of the meals I make at home is Cauliflower Fried Rice, so I asked him if I could look in FMS for a recipe. I was not able to find one, so he and I converted a cauliflower and pea stir-fry into my homemade recipe. I recalculated the ingredients and hand wrote them on the recipe for the cook, Thomas, to follow. I also went in early so I could help prepare the dish. It turned out terrific! Many of the kitchen staff were skeptical that cauliflower would come out like rice, but after I was done using the buffalo chopper, they saw the light! This is definitely a go to recipe in my house and the students and staff finished the pan on the entrée line. The recipe is so easy to make and a great way to “Strive for Five!”
I was asked to give the nutrition class to incoming freshmen by the counseling and nursing staff at the school. The class blocks are 80-minutes long, so I decided to create a basic nutrition lesson, incorporating a trip to the cafeteria for a MyPlate and a portion size demonstration as well as a sugar sweetened beverage activity. I am fortunate to have a 14-year old daughter who helped me streamline my PowerPoint presentation so it would appeal to their age group. My take away message was “Strive for Five” fruit and vegetable servings a day. It is something I tell my own children regularly so they can make healthy choices for sides and snacks. The students were especially interested in seeing how much sugar is in all the beverage items that I brought. It was a great way to bring some practical knowledge into their everyday options so they can make better choices.
Last week the general manager and head chef of the cafeteria, Andy Gaylord, tasked me to come up with a vegetarian entrée for lunch. One of the meals I make at home is Cauliflower Fried Rice, so I asked him if I could look in FMS for a recipe. I was not able to find one, so he and I converted a cauliflower and pea stir-fry into my homemade recipe. I recalculated the ingredients and hand wrote them on the recipe for the cook, Thomas, to follow. I also went in early so I could help prepare the dish. It turned out terrific! Many of the kitchen staff were skeptical that cauliflower would come out like rice, but after I was done using the buffalo chopper, they saw the light! This is definitely a go to recipe in my house and the students and staff finished the pan on the entrée line. The recipe is so easy to make and a great way to “Strive for Five!”
