Q and A With David Waters – @DBW356 – CEO of Community Servings – @communityserv

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Happy Food Day!  Congratulations on the recent Boston Business Journal (@BBJNewsroom) article about the expansion of Community Servings’ mission and geographic reach to Worcester.  Kudos as well for the 20th anniversary of Pie in the Sky.  Tell us about Community Servings and your involvement in the organization.

DW:  Thanks to the Food Day MA organizers for helping spread the word about Community Servings on Food Day!  I’ve been involved with the organization since its founding in 1989, and I’ve been the Executive Director/CEO since 1999.  A coalition of AIDS activists, faith groups, and community organizations founded Community Servings to provide home-delivered meals to individuals living with HIV/AIDS.  When we started we were feeding thirty people living with HIV/AIDS each week.  Today we prepare and deliver 7,500 lunches and dinners each week to the homes of almost 775 individuals and families throughout Massachusetts who are homebound with an acute life-threatening illness such as breast cancer, renal failure, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and diabetes, as well as HIV/AIDS.

Q:  What is “Medical Nutrition Therapy,” and how does Community Servings put the concept into practice for your clients here in Massachusetts?

DW:  Medical Nutrition Therapy is an approach to treating critical and chronic illnesses, offering nutritional counseling and medically tailored menus developed by our registered dietitian, delivered weekly to our clients homes.  We offer our clients 25 different diet combinations, including renal, diabetic, vegetarian and low Vitamin K, to address specific illnesses and side effects of medications.  By regularly eating nutritious foods that are tailored to their specific medical needs, our clients have the physical and emotional support they need to stick with their medical regimens and manage their illnesses.

Q:  When you say “Medical Nutrition Therapy” or “food as medicine,” I think “hospital food.” How are the meals Community Servings prepares different from what we think of as “hospital food.”

DW:  We partner with local farmers and fishermen, and grow our own herbs to ensure that the raw ingredients in our meals are wholesome, fresh, and visually appealing.  Our Executive Chef, Tim Williams, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has 35 years of culinary experience.  We feed our clients vibrant, culturally appropriate comfort foods, like chicken ratatouille during summer or Jamaican style shepherd’s pie in the fall.  We strive to make the food resonate with our clients on an emotional level, evoking “food memories” of the meals their grandmother served when they were children.

Q:  What actions can readers of this post take on this #FoodDayMA to support Community Servings programs?

DW:  We rely on volunteers for a wide range of activities, including preparing and packaging meals in our kitchen, delivering meals to our clients, and assisting with special events.  Corporate and student volunteers can sign up for our adopt-a-shift program, committing to helping our kitchen on a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis.  From February through April, college students take part in Alternative Spring Break (ASB), a national movement that promotes service in communities in need.  Finally you can buy a Thanksgiving pie to support Pie in the Sky, or you can simply make a donation.  Every $25 donated feeds a sick neighbor for a week!

October Workout Wednesdays and Food Day

Shaw’s and Star Market, Boston Moves for Health and the Fuel Up to Play 60 program are teaming up this month with Boston Public Schools to support kid’s health through the creation of “Workout Wednesdays,” an integrated health and fitness program.  The events launched on October 10^th and will continue throughout the month.

Each “Workout Wednesday” begins with students participating in an outdoor physical activity led by local Fitness Expert Brandy Cruthird, founder and owner of Body By Brandy 4 Kidz.

Russell Elementary School gets active outdoors with Brandy

Students from Russell Elementary School work on the game plan for “Workout Wednesday”

Rogers Middle School gets active outside with Brandy

Next the students participate in a healthy eater store tour with Jennifer Shea Rawn, Shaw’s Registered Dietitian and health and nutrition expert. During the tour, the kids learn about how to shop for nutrient-dense foods offered at Shaw’s including low-fat and fat-free dairy, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Healthy Store Tour with Russell Elementary School

Healthy Store Tour with Rogers Middle School

Each event concludes with a tasty make-your-own yogurt parfait bar and the kids receive a goodie bag full of healthy treats from Shaw’s, ChopChop Magazine and Fuel Up to Play 60.

Yogurt parfait bar with Cabot Greek Yogurt, granola, and fruit

So far, “Workout Wednesdays” have been a hit with the kids. From the exciting physical activity with Brandy Cruthird to the educational Shaw’s store tour with Jennifer Rawn, more than one student has described the event as “the best field trip ever.” We’re looking forward to our third Workout Wednesday tomorrow on Food Day!

Tomorrow, you can celebrate Food Day with Shaw’s Supermarket and Cabot Creamery! Stop by your neighborhood Shaw’s on Wednesday, October 24^th between 2-7pm to learn more about Food Day and try free sample “Crazy Bobs”, which are kabobs with nutrient-rich cheese, fruit and vegetables that are kid-friendly and delicious!  Hope to see you there!

This Food Day, Visit ChopChop at Shaw’s and Give Your Family a Supermarket Education

Supermarkets are the perfect place to get kids excited about cooking-it’s like being in a museum where they are able to touch, smell, and sometimes even taste (if there are samples or demos.) At a supermarket, kids are literally surrounded by food and it provides a great opportunity to discuss positive food choices. Take a tour together of the supermarket and show them which aisles have the healthiest selection.

Food Day is a great time to visit your local supermarket and share this time together. And ChopChop may be in your local market this Food Day!

We’re teaming up with Shaw’s, Cabot, and the New England Dairy Promotion Board to get kids cooking. Stop by any Shaw’s or Star Market this Wednesday October 24 (Food Day!) and you will find copies of ChopChop. You’ll also find a booth where Cabot and Shaw’s representatives will be making Crazy Bobs-fruit and Cabot cheese kabobs. Get your kids involved in the process of making snacks and take a ChopChop recipe card home so they can recreate the kabob.

Kids may even want to go shopping to purchase their ingredients. For Crazy Bobs, let children peruse the produce section and choose their own fruits and vegetables. Then stop by the cheese section and do the same.

  ChopChop is a quarterly, non-profit cooking magazine aimed at ages 5-12 and their families that encourages kids to get in the kitchen and try new foods by cooking them.

ChopChop’s mission is to inspire and teach kids to cook and eat real food with their families. The magazine was launched as an antidote to childhood obesity. We believe that cooking and eating together as a family is a vital step in resolving the obesity and hunger epidemics.

How to find ChopChop:

Visit chopchopmag.org for recipes, games, and fun food facts and to subscribe to ChopChop.

Find us:  Facebook     Twitter      Pinterest

 

5 Reasons to Love Your Crockpot

As the days get shorter and colder, October is the perfect time to dust off your crockpot (or slow-cooker, if you prefer the term) and whip up some simple, hearty fall fare. Seasoned and rookie chefs use this kitchen gadget for a variety of dishes.

Here’s a look at why we love the crockpot and how it relates to
the Food Day principles.

1. Health and convenience. With work, afterschool activities, and the ramp-up to the holidays, getting dinner on the table isn’t easy. The drive-thru line or takeout menus can be tempting alternatives to home cooking but they’re often laden with preservatives, added sodium, and trans fats. Crockpots are a ridiculously easy way to make a large (or small) quantity of food with minimal hassle. Before you leave for work in the morning, slice up leftover veggies from your CSA or farmer’s market, toss in some beans or meat, and let it simmer in the crockpot throughout the day. Voila! You’ll return home to a warm, nourishing meal that’s ready to eat.
2. Versatility. Chilis, soups, and stews are the first image I associate with crockpots, but they’re not the only option. Crockpots are incredibly versatile appliances. They can be used to make pot roast, oatmeal, gravy, veggie dips, mulled cider or wine, apple, pumpkin, or pear butter, fruit cobbler, cheesecake, and bread. A crockpot can even make cheaper cuts of meat taste juicier, allowing home cooks to create a tasty family meal on a budget.
3. The warmth factor. Fall and winter are prime time for comfort foods, and a crockpot lends itself to those warm, delicious meals that many of us crave this time of year. For instance, you could make oatmeal overnight and awaken to a hot, satisfying breakfast. Homemade oatmeal is also a healthier alternative to the sugary instant oatmeal packs you’ll find in stores.
4. Delicious aromas. Is there anything more quintessentially autumn than the smell of apples, cinnamon, or other seasonal foods simmering in a crockpot? It fills your home with incredible scents, boosting the sensory experience of preparing your own food.
5. Lower energy use. Crockpots generally consume less energy than a traditional convection oven – even when you factor in the longer cooking times. This means lower energy bills for you and a less impact on the environment.

Not sure what to do with the leftovers? You could always freeze them for later or bring them to the Boston Food Swap, where you can swap soups, chilis, jams, and other goodies with like-minded home chefs. There are a variety of soup swaps and other organizations around as well.

Do you have a favorite crockpot recipe or reason for using it this time of year? Leave a comment and let us know!

Harvard Square Eateries Come Together to Support Food Day

The Harvard Square Business Association, in conjunction with the folks from Yelp Boston, are thrilled to announce that they will be participating in the 2^nd Annual Food Day, with not one, but two exciting culinary events!

The 20 – Mile Food Day Challenge on October 24^th will showcase restaurants that are featuring special dishes using ingredients sourced within a 20 mile radius of Harvard Square, and in some cases, slightly beyond.  Participating restaurants include the following, with more to be added soon!  Please check harvardsquare.com for updates.

Cardullo’s Gourmet Shoppe	Harvest	Russell House Tavern
Clover	Hong Kong	Sandrines
Grafton Street	the red house	UpStairs on the Square
Grendel’s Den	Rialto

Not sure which of these eateries to visit on Food Day?  We have the solution!  That evening, from 5:30 – 6:30 (or until food lasts), please join us on Brattle Plaza (in front of Crema Café – 27 Brattle Street) for A Free Tasting Event!  Representatives from the restaurants listed below will be on hand distributing tasty tidbits from their sustainable and creative Food Day menus.  Be sure to get there early – with restaurants like these, food will go quickly!  Fresh off his rousing set at this year’s Harvard Square Oktoberfest, local singer/songwriter, Patrick Mulroy will be serenading attendees.

Cardullo’s Gourmet Shoppe	Rialto
Grafton Street	Russell House Tavern
Grendel’s Den	Sandrines
the red house	UpStairs on the Square

The Harvard Square Business Association is proud to participate in Food Day, a celebration of and moving toward more healthy, affordable and sustainable food.  The HSBA wishes to thank Yelp Boston for conceiving the 20 Mile Food Challenge Event.

Participating restaurants in Harvard Square are being added often.  Please check harvardsquare.com for more information about this event and other events in Harvard Square.

Seed-to-Table for Preschoolers

On Wednesday October 24^th, the students at Learning Circle Preschool in Canton, MA will celebrate Food Day by hosting a Fall festival on the school grounds.

Harvesting

The festival will demonstrate what our children practice throughout the year as a part of Learning Circle’s curriculum and wider dedication to exposing students to sustainable living, nutrition, and the sciences.

My daughter, Austin, and her classmates learn how to cut and glue, how to write their letters and numbers, and how to sit in a circle for songs and books. They share their feelings and build relationships through play. The 3-6 year olds investigate shells and document starfish at their science tables all the while following the procedures and routines of a well run preschool program.

And they also practice seed-to-table healthy eating.

All that potential!

Chopping tomatoes with a magnifying glass nearby

Learning Circle Preschool was inspired to bring the seed-to-table approach to their program by The Early Sprouts curriculum, created at Keene State University in New Hampshire. Early Sprouts is a gardening and nutrition curriculum working to increase children’s willingness to add healthy foods (especially fruits and vegetables) to their diets, to encourage school and family dietary improvements, and to address a national need to reduce the incidence of childhood obesity.

A teacher and student investigate in the school’s garden.

A healthy harvest!

Preschool students participating in Early Sprouts become connected to their food by learning how to grow, garden, harvest, and prepare healthy food on their school’s campus.  They learn how our natural world can provide for us, they develop respect for the environment, and they discover the importance of making healthy food choices from a young age.  Keene State’s curriculum addresses apprehension towards new foods by encouraging kids to get their hands dirty in the garden, kitchen, and around the table. Students explore new foods with as many senses as possible (Even if that taste sense is left out for awhile.), making new foods less intimidating and more fun.

Thursdays are cooking days in my daughter’s “Nuthatch” Pre-K classroom.  After gathering as many ingredients as they can from their school garden (Swiss chard was popular this year!) children follow recipes to cre

ate simple and healthy snacks to share with their friends. Once prepared, children are encouraged to take a sample of the food they’ve prepared even if they don’t think they’ll like it. Even if they only look at (magnifying glasses are always handy), touch, or smell a new food they’ve made progress towards healthy eating.

Friends Watering

Following a recipe

And while I love that Austin has had this experience with her classmates, I’m even more excited about what she’s brought home.

Thursday afternoons, when I look through my nuthatch’s backpack, I find the recipe of the week along with a taste-test survey for our family to fill out. I work with my daughter (taking a great many directions from her since she’s done the recipe already) to chop, mix, stir and simmer until we have a snack or side dish to share with our family. Before everyone’s had a chance to swallow their first bite, she is walking around the table with a clipboard and survey to collect feedback from her dinner guests. On the survey, ou can like something a lot, like something a little, or not like something yet. Austin loves yet. And while it might seem like a small thing, she has started to talk about the foods she does and doesn’t eat as liking them or not liking them yet. This gives the parents of a picky eater hope that her tastes will eventually develop.

Among our family favorites are Swiss chard and cheddar quesadillas, Japanese green beans, honey mustard dip with veggies, and cherry tomato English muffin pizzas. But the green pepper couscous castles were Austin’s favorite. Maybe it was the way she got to sculpt small towers of couscous on each plate, but who cares? My daughter ate green peppers!

Austin’s home harvest

This year on Food Day, Learning Circle Preschool will reach out to the community to celebrate healthy, sustainable eating by inviting families to join for a Food Day Festival. Children will pick carrots from the garden, plant garlic for the spring, walk to a local farm, make scientific documentation of different fruits and vegetables, and use this fall’s harvest as a medium in an art project. We can hope that through this celebration, students and families will discover another new food or snack idea, and that they’ll give healthy, sustainable eating a try. Even if they don’t all like it yet.

Some of our family’s favorite food books:

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons

Farm by Elisha Cooper

Water, Weed, and Wait by Edit Hope Fine

I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato (Charlie and Lola) by Lauren Child

Other resources:

For more information about Learning Circle Preschool or to plan a visit, please contact Katrina Selawsky at info@learningcirclepreschool.org

Learning Circle Preschool

Early Sprouts (With even more resources and ideas)

Kids Gardening Great site with recommendations for students, parents, and teachers

Eat Healthy & Local Year-Round by Canning & Preserving

 

It’s easy to eat healthier in the summer. The variety and volume of fresh produce is everywhere, from your backyard or the farmer’s market to the sale display at the grocery store. But when you’re in a seasonal climate like Massachusetts, winter arrives with months of root veggies, hearty greens, and not much else. If you ever find yourself eyeing those $7 pints of berries from far away in February, just a little planning goes a long way. Canning and preserving is easy, and here are some tips that will have you eating tasty, healthy, and locally year round.

Learn from the experts. Get some info from a knowledgeable source. Canning is easy, but there’s basic safety you’ll need to pick up. Canning and preserving are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, and there’s a good chance you already know someone who dabbles in dilly beans. If not, the pros at Ball Canning have tons of recipes and safety guidelines.

Start small. Your first project shouldn’t take up your entire kitchen and use bushels and bushels of produce, or you’ll be overwhelmed. Start with small-batch canning recipes that only yield a few half-pint jars, like those in the Food in Jars cookbook. That way you can get the hang of processing before moving on to bigger things.

Attend a food swap. Once you start canning, you’ll be amassing lots of jars of delectable goodies, probably more than you want (or have room) to keep. The Boston Food Swap is a monthly event where people bring their extra homemade foods and swap with each other. So your 6 jars of extra jam can get you a loaf of bread, mustard, granola, pickles, or anything else people have brought to swap. Plus, many swappers are into canning and preserving, and are a wealth of tips and tricks on the subject. It’s a fun, informative, and delicious way to spend an afternoon.

Have you tried home canning? What’s your favorite thing to make?