Bistro Kids Blog

Students to see healthier school lunches under new USDA rules

bistrokids — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:22:06 +0000

By Sylvia Wood, msnbc.com

Millions of schoolchildren in the United States will see more fruit and vegetables and less fat on their lunch plates under new U.S. Department of Agriculture standards unveiled Wednesday aimed at improving child nutrition and reducing childhood obesity.

“Improving the quality of the school meals is a critical step in building a healthy future for our kids,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “When it comes to our children, we must do everything possible to provide them the nutrition they need to be healthy, active and ready to face the future – today we take an important step towards that goal.”

The changes mark the first overhaul of the school lunch program in more than 15 years and will affect the nearly 32 million children who eat at school. The new regulations will be phased in over the next three years, starting in the fall.

A Chance to Make Your Green Thumb, Greener!

bistrokids — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:46:47 +0000

Attention Green Enthusiasts -

URBAVORE Urban Farm <http://www.badseedkc.com/farm/> in East Kansas City is
looking to fill ONE LAST SPOT (!!!) for our 2012 apprenticeship
program<http://www.badseedkc.com/farm/volunteer-apprentice/>
.

We are seeking one *righteous* individual to work 15 hours a week in
exchange for fresh vegetables and hands-on training.

*Volunteer* apprentices work alongside our *full-time* apprentices to
develop skills in no-till, “beyond-organic” vegetable production. In
addition, apprentices will learn integrated livestock management, orchard
planting & tree crop maintenance, composting, direct marketing, food
preservation, homesteading skills, and more. Relevant skills and
qualifications in farming and building are desired, *but not required*. We
require *full-time* apprentices to complete the full season schedule from
March 1 through October 31. We can offer *volunteer* apprentices more
flexibility with scheduling and hours.
URBAVORE Urban Farm (a project of BADSEED) is a 13.5 acre “edible oasis”
located just 5 miles east of the Plaza in KCMO. Please visit our website
to learn more!!
If you are interested in working on our farm please send a resume and cover
letter to Brooke at brooke@badseedkc.com OR reply to this e-mail with
questions.
**Please feel free to pass this along to friends and fellow *Food
Revolutionists*!

Sincerely,
Farmer Brooke

BADSEED

An Urban-Organic Farm & Market Celebrating Local Food, Culture and Community

1909 McGee*KCMO*64108

www.badseedkc.com

Foursquare adds menu details to restaurant pages

bistrokids — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:44:02 +0000

Foursquare has added another new feature to its desktop service – restaurant menus.

The update, which uses technology from start-up SinglePlatform, adds 13m food items from 250,000 restaurants in major US cities.

At the moment the menus are available on the desktop and mobile sites, but the company says it will launch them soon on Foursquare’s apps.

To read more on what Foursquare is doing with this, click here: http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/8737-foursquare-adds-menu-details-to-restaurant-pages

Sweet as Honey!

bistrokids — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:36:54 +0000

Sweet As Honey: In celebration of a sweet HONEY MONTH Chef Monica has worked with each class this month on recipes that include the natural sweetener. The students learned about substituting sugar with honey as a healthy alternative. (Did you know that honey is 25% sweeter than table sugar?) Each class used the natural sweetener in culinary class. Some grades made granola energy balls. Some made apple snacksters. And while we were walking down the hallway yesterday, we caught fifth graders using honey in a dipping sauce for tempura veggies.

Try this delicious dipping Sauce at home. Here’s all you need:

1 cup Honey
1 cup chopped tomatillos
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch cilantro
4 juiced limes
2 avocados
salt and pepper

Put them all in the blender….blend and viola….Sauce for the Tempura!

Bistro Donnelly – Grand Opening

bistrokids — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:18:53 +0000

Don’t miss the GRAND OPENING of Bistro Donnelly!

Thursday, January 26

10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Grand Opening Menu – all locally sourced and homemade with love!

Tamales
Spicy Fiesta Rice
Refried Beans
Chips & Salsa
Garden Salad
Fresh Fruit
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins w/ a Honey
Cream Cheese Frosting

**All attendees will receive a promotional punch-card – “Buy 10 meals, get one free!”

Take Action Now! A Letter to Congress and the President

bistrokids — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:33:37 +0000

On Sunday, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, PolicyLink led a conversation in The New York Times Sunday Dialogue section about equity in America and how to create a nation in which everyone can participate and prosper.

Next Tuesday, President Obama will share with the U.S. Congress—and the rest of America—his plan for the future when he delivers the 2012 State of the Union address.

We must make sure that equity is a top priority in that plan. It’s time to take this conversation to the White House and Capitol Hill, and to key federal agencies.

Join PolicyLink and other equity organizations in signing on to a letter to the President and members of Congress that lays out a policy platform for the 99 percent

A final copy—with the list of organizations that sign on—will be sent to the President and members of Congress before the speech. (Deadline to sign on to the letter is Jan. 22.)

2011 will go down in history as the year that inequality was exposed; 2012 must be the year that it is addressed.

Stand with Us. Take Action. Demand Equity Now!

Thank You,
Angela Glover Blackwell

The Surprise of a Winter Radish

bistrokids — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:17:16 +0000

By Emily Horton, Published: January 10

A cook’s highest compliment to a fruit or vegetable is simplicity of preparation. Think of a mid-August tomato, the disinclination to interrupt its sun-ripened flavor with anything more than a bit of salt. May’s first spears of asparagus, the ones so sweet and tender that cooking them seems almost uncivil.

Or consider radishes, one of winter’s most convincing arguments for eating seasonally.

In 1974, writing in “On Food,” James Beard talked of being smitten with radishes; a novice gardener, he favored them pulled and eaten straight from the ground (though he also declared them something of an epiphany when served with bread and butter or wrapped in a single anchovy fillet). There, his adoration was of spring radishes, the petite cherry-red and pink-tipped icicle varieties sold at markets in tidy bunches when the chill finally starts to slink away, as demure in flavor as their looks suggest.

But in the same essay, Beard also mentioned “huge, black radishes,” which he recommended grating and combining with chicken fat or goose fat as a spread for bread. Though he didn’t specify, Beard’s black radishes probably were a Spanish heirloom variety harvested in the cooler months of fall and winter, part of a family of robust winter radishes that cooks and growers are just beginning to rediscover.

Twinkies Maker Hostess Files for Chapter 11 Protection

bistrokids — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:25:30 +0000

Hostess Brands Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday to confront burdensome debt and labor costs that the Twinkies and Wonder Bread baker says have left it fighting to compete.

Twinkies and Wonder Bread maker Hostess Brands Inc has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, struggling under the weight of debt and soaring labor force expenses. (Photo: Getty Images)

The privately held Irving, Texas, company’s move marks the second significant court restructuring in the past several years. In a statement, Hostess said the current cost structure “is not competitive, primarily due to legacy pension and medical benefit obligations and restrictive work rules.” It said it would be able to maintain operations thanks to a $75 million financing commitment from a group of lenders.

The Groundhog Run, Sunday, Jan. 29th

bistrokids — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:31:15 +0000

Unfortunately, the run is soldout, due to safety reasons. Only 3,500 runners can be in the caves. Our parent company, Treat America is sponsoring two teams in the event this year.

RUN TREAT AMERICA TEAMS! RUN!

Good luck and have fun, from all of us here at Bistro kids!

Facts about the Annual Groundhog Run:
The Groundhog Run is one of the very few 5k/10k races to take place totally underground.
The Hunt Midwest SubTropolis is the ideal place to run during a frosty January, with consistent temperatures in the mid-60’s throughout the entire course.
The race continues to sell out year after year, making it the race to run in. Chip timing is used in both races to provide accurate and timely results.
The top three male and female runners in both the 5k and 10k categories will receive medals. Runners come from 7 surrounding states to participate.
All money raised by the Groundhog Run will support Children’s TLC programs and services, directly benefiting more than 700 young children throughout the greater Kansas City area with disabilities, learning delays, and fragile medical conditions.

For more information on the run and support information, check it out here: http://www.childrenstlc.org/Events_GroundhogRun.html

Generation XL: Nutrition Across the School Day airs this Thursday at 8pm on KCPT

bistrokids — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:20:05 +0000

Generation XL: Nutrition Across the School Day

America’s schools serve 15 million free lunches and 3 million reduced price lunches. Some students might eat up to ten meals at school each week, and for many students, school breakfast and lunch are the only meals they eat in a day.

When students are properly nourished, they perform better academically, miss fewer days of school and are better behaved. On the next episode of Generation XL, KCPT talks to caregivers, educators, cafeteria staff and administrators about the pivotal role they play in advocating for healthier food served at schools.

Watch Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 8pm and 10:30pm.