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Welcome Back!
Let’s Start the School Year Well Nourished
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A new school year brings new routines, busy mornings, and plenty of opportunities to help kids feel their best.
August is also Kids Eat Right Month, making it the perfect time to celebrate the everyday choices that support children's health, growth, and learning. One of those choices can happen right here at school: school lunch.
School meals are designed to provide students with balanced nutrition to help fuel busy school days, while giving families one less thing to plan, pack, and prepare.
This month, we're sharing some of the benefits of choosing school lunch and how it can help make the back-to-school transition a little easier for the whole family.
Here’s to strong bodies, growing minds, and a great school year ahead!
In gratitude,
Celeste Finney, MS, RDN, LDN
Director, Food & Nutrition Services
Diocese of Lafayette
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Food and Nutrition News!
FNS partners with local lettuce farm - H2Greaux Farms!
| Last May, FNS tested a hydroponic lettuce, grown by H2Greaux Farms in Monroe, Louisiana, with students at St. Genevieve Middle and Teurlings Catholic High. The student feedback was so positive due to the look, taste, and freshness of the new lettuce that FNS decided to make the switch to use H2Greaux's lettuce on the menu, system wide! We hope our students love the taste and quality as much as we do! | |
School meals do more than fill hungry bellies. They are thoughtfully planned to give students a variety of foods and nutrients they need to learn, grow, play, and take on the school day. And for busy families, choosing school lunch can mean less planning, shopping, packing, and morning stress.
Here are a few reasons to make school lunch part of your family’s back-to-school routine:
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Balanced nutrition is built in. School meals follow nutrition standards and are designed to provide foods from key food groups, helping children get the nourishment they need throughout the day.
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Kids are introduced to variety. The cafeteria offers students opportunities to see and try a variety of foods, flavors, fruits, vegetables, and meal combinations. Seeing friends enjoy foods can encourage kids to explore something new, too.
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Good nutrition supports learning. Children need consistent nourishment to support energy, concentration, and their growing bodies and brains. Lunch provides an important opportunity to refuel during the school day.
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It makes busy mornings easier. No packing. No wondering what to put in the lunchbox. No realizing at 7:15 a.m. that it’s time for a grocery store run! School lunch can take one more task off the family to-do list.
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Lunchtime builds connection. The cafeteria is more than a place to eat; it’s also a place for students to sit with friends, talk, recharge, and enjoy a break in their school day.
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Your school nutrition team does the planning for you. Behind every school meal is a team working to plan menus, purchase food, prepare meals, follow food-safety practices, and serve students each day.
One Simple Back-to-School Habit
Take a few minutes each week to look at the school menu with your child. Ask which meals they’re excited about, point out familiar favorites, and encourage them to choose something new to try.
Building healthy eaters doesn't require perfect meals or complicated rules. It starts with giving kids regular opportunities to enjoy a variety of foods—and school lunch can be an important part of that foundation.
This school year, let us help with lunch. We're ready to nourish your child for the day ahead!
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Sweet, juicy, and refreshing, watermelon is a summertime favorite, and August is a great time to enjoy locally grown watermelon!
More Than Just a Refreshing Treat
- Helps with hydration: Watermelon's high water content helps the body stay hydrated and supports normal body functions.
- Provides lycopene: Its bright red color comes from lycopene, an antioxidant that helps protect cells and supports heart health.
- Contains vitamin C: Vitamin C helps support a healthy immune system and helps the body heal and repair itself.
- Provides vitamin A: Watermelon contains nutrients the body can use to make vitamin A, which supports healthy eyes, skin, and immune function.
- A naturally sweet source of energy: Watermelon provides carbohydrates, the body’s preferred source of energy for learning, playing, and staying active.
Easy Ways to Enjoy Watermelon
- Chill slices for a refreshing after-school snack
- Add cubes to fruit salad or fruit skewers
- Pair with cheese or yogurt for a more filling snack
- Blend frozen watermelon into a cool smoothie
Did You Know? Watermelon rind is also edible and can be pickled, stir-fried, or added to recipes.
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Ingredients:
- 4 white fish fillets, about 6 oz each
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups seedless watermelon, diced
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges for serving
Instructions:
Fish:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Pat 4 white fish fillets, about 6 oz each, dry and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and ¼ tsp salt.
- Bake: Bake 12 to 13 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Watermelon Salad:
- Toss 2 cups seedless watermelon with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place in a colander and let excess juice drain.
- Discard the drained liquid. Combine the watermelon with red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and lime juice. Toss gently.
Serve: Spoon the salsa over the fish and serve with 1 lemon, cut into wedges.
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For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12
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Diocese of Lafayette Food and Nutrition Services
Food & Nutrition Services of the Diocese of Lafayette is dedicated to nourishing America's future. We will provide top-quality, nutritious meals to children in a Christian environment. The cafeteria environment should provide a pleasant learning experience that improves children's eating habits.
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210 Old Farm Lane, Broussard, LA 70518
(337) 837-5921
www.fns-dol.org
This institution is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
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