Nutrition Lesson Kickoff!

Our efforts to educate youth about nutritional health were prospectively successful, last week, at our first Campus Kitchen Nutrition Lesson of 2007. Volunteers from Campus Kitchen at GCHS joined Brian Larkin in an Introduction Class about the Importance of Eating Healthy at Meadow Green Courts summer program. Our team presented both old and new food pyramids while also revealing the important differences between the two. The lesson included information about the five food groups: starches, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and protein, and how much of each is appropriate to eat.

To increase awareness about the rising obesity problem in America, our team discussed the possible risks and dangers of obesity. At the conclusion of the lesson everyone enjoyed a tasty, but healthy snack made personally by our CKGCHS volunteers. Did someone say Trail Mix!?



The snack is very easy to make and was a big hit for all the students and volunteers. Everything included in the trail mix can be purchased at a super market for around $20.00.

Ingredients:
Cinnamon Life
Unsalted Roasted Peanuts
Sunflower Kernels
Dried Bananas
Milk Chocolate Chips
Raisins

The different groups represented in our trail mix were then identified by the students from Meadow Green Courts. CKGCHS will continue to present lessons throughout the summer addressing important topics about food, exercise and nutritional health. Teach, Reach, Feed Lead!

Submitted by: Melissa Flores TFAS :IPVS Intern.

Pasta with Bacon & Peas Recipe

This past Monday we had a dilemma in the kitchen. We needed to make 50 meals and the only available protein was a full pan of bacon. Since the only ideas we could come up with involved a breakfast-y sort of meal, we turned to allrecipes.com for advice, and the site gave us the solution to our problem: Pasta with Bacon and Peas.

One of our gracious donors provided us with a slew of already-cooked bow-tie pasta, so we used that instead of the recommended spaghetti. The McKenna Center staff let us use three of their onions and we used canned products for just about everything else.

Ingredients:
2 Full pans of pre-cooked bow-tie pasta
1 Full pan of pre-cooked bacon
3 Large onions, chopped
5 Cans tomato sauce
5 Cans whole tomatoes, drained
12 Cans of peas, drained
Garlic powder
Pepper

(The recipe called for grated Romano cheese, but we didn't have any or a suitable replacement.)

Although we didn't really cook anything, there was a ton of preparing to do. We had to chop the onions, open and drain the cans of peas and tomatoes, as well as cut up the bacon into smaller bite-sized bits.

We added all of the ingredients to the bowl and stirred until there was a nice mixture. We then put the sauce over bow-tie pasta in the meals.

For the other components of the meal, we used donated salad and muffins. The small dressing cups we had leftover from spring break came in handy again because we added a cup of Ranch dressing for our clients. This really helped put the finishing touches on a delicious meal.

Senior Steve Aro shows off the final product.

Bread Pudding with Apple Recipe

Bread pudding is one of our regular desserts at the Campus Kitchen. We receive a lot of bread from our donors, so we try to put it all to good use. Since we serve it frequently (about once a month), it can get repetitive for both volunteers and our clients. Therefore, we try to spice it up with cinnamon, raisins and/or apples.

During this particular meal preparation shift we had extra apples so we searched for and found an on-line recipe for Apple Bread Pudding. This particular website is a great place to find recipes on the quick. They even have an ingredient search which is very helpful!

Ingredients:
8 cups of bread cubes
3 apples
1 cup of white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 cup of half-and-half cream

(We made two pans, so we doubled everything.)

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Makes about 20 servings

After preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, I had volunteers cut up the bread into small cubes. They then peeled, cored, and cut the apples into small bits. After everything had been properly cut, the pieces were spread about the previously greased baking pan.

Volunteers then added the rest of the ingredients (sugar, eggs, milk, cinnamon, and cream) to a large mixing bowl and stirred thoroughly. We don't have a blender in the kitchen, so this can take quite a while. After it was well mixed, the mixture was poured over the bread cubes and apples.

Finally, we baked the desserts at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

The bread pudding turned out very well! I would only make two changes when we make it again. First, I would have cut the apples into smaller pieces so they would turn out a tad bit softer. Second, I would have included the crust of the bread. This would have given the dessert more texture. Other than that, everything turned out well. We added the bread pudding dessert to our meals, which consisted of spaghetti with sausage, and mixed vegetables.

This recipe for bread pudding is fantastic for three reasons. First, it keeps volunteers interested in the meal preparation shift. Also, it helps use all of our bread surplus. Finally, after all is said and done it looks, smells, and tastes delicious.

Tuna Casserole Recipe

One of the meal staples at the Campus Kitchen at Gonzaga College High School is tuna casserole. This is one of the first recipes we turn to when we have a shortage of protein. It is very easy to follow, requires only items we regularly have, and doesn't need to be baked at the kitchen.

Ingredients:
2 cans of sweet peas, drained
6 cans of tuna, drained
6 cans of cream of mushroom soup
Elbow pasta (or egg noodles)
One bag of potato chips
Makes about 40 servings

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain. Since we aren't going to bake the casserole (the clients will do that themselves!), we need to run cold water over the pasta after it is finished (1).

The next step is to add the remaining ingredients to the mix. Return the cold pasta to a bowl. Add all of the cans of tuna, sweet peas, and cream of mushroom soup to the bowl and mix it up.

The secret ingredient for this recipe is a small bag of potato chips (2). Have a volunteer crush them in the bag and lightly spread them over the casserole. Once this is done, scoop a healthy serving into each clam shell container. Add a serving of vegetable and dessert and the meal is ready to go(3).


This recipe is a lot of fun for volunteers to follow. It keeps them entertained and busy, and the resulting meal is really delicious.