December 2025 Nutrition Newsletter
December 01st, 2025
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In this issue:
• Harvest of the Month Available for All Grades, PreK-12
• Farm to School Spotlight: Harvest of the Month – Golden Beets
• WaveCrest Cafe Menu Items By Request: Finding Our Food For Your Home
• Menu Spotlight: California Burrito
• Special Food Days + Spring Menu Sneak Previews
• Food Resources in North County
• Bring our Charlie Cart (Mobile Kitchen) to Your School
• Job & career opportunities
Harvest of the Month Available for All Grades, PreK-12
When a PreK class at Casita Center began using our Harvest of the Month resources, it became the first PreK class in Vista Unified to use the delicious learning resource.
Harvest of the Month (HOTM) is a fantastic, free program providing nutrition education in the classroom in an engaging, interactive, and tasty way. Each month, a new food is delivered to participating classes along with lesson plans and activities to learn about the foods.
The class at Casita enjoyed tasting and learning about persimmons, joining dozens of other classes across the district in this engaging, interactive learning experience.
While the majority of our HOTM classes are in elementary schools, the program is available at no charge to classes in all grade levels, PreK-12. We’ve seen several more middle school classes participate and would love to see the program expand across every grade level.
If a teacher wants to sign up for the program, it’s easy. For more information about the program, classroom tasting parties, and more, email Aleeza Hendershot.
Farm to School Spotlight
December’s Harvest of the Month is Golden Beets
December is a great time to showcase root vegetables, and we’re doing that by bringing Golden Beets to classrooms through our Harvest of the Month program. Golden Beets are also known as Yellow Beets. They tend to have a sweeter and milder taste than the red beets most people know, while still providing many of the same health benefits.
Golden Beet Nutrition Facts
• Golden Beets contain a variety of vitamins and minerals and are particularly rich in vitamin C and potassium.
• Golden Beets are packed with antioxidants such as beta-carotene and flavonoids.
• Golden beets are high in fiber, which helps with digestion.
How to Serve Golden Beets
Golden Beets are delicious on their own and a great addition to any meal. Some ways Golden Beets can be used include:
• On a salad: The mild flavor pairs well with goat and feta cheese, walnuts, arugula, and vinaigrette and balsamic dressings. They also add a burst of color.
• Roasted: Roasting beets brings out their natural sweetness and makes them more tender. Here is a quick and easy recipe for roasted beets.
• Juiced or in a Smoothie: Beets are a great ingredient in smoothies, adding great flavor and lots of nutrients. Here is an easy, 3-ingredient recipe for a berry and beet smoothie.
Harvest of the Month Resources
Learn more about Golden Beets with your class during a Harvest of the Month activity. Harvest of the Month is available for any classroom that wants to participate. If your child’s teacher wants to sign up for the program, it’s easy. For more information about the program, classroom tasting parties, and more, email Aleeza Hendershot.
WaveCrest Cafe Menu Items By Request:
Finding Our Food For Your Home
Birria Pupusas from Del Real Foods
“Can you tell me what yogurt you’re using in your parfaits? My child loves them and wants to have them at home.”
“Where can I get the Birria Pupusas you’re serving at school?”
“Where do you get your gluten-free chicken nuggets?”
“Can you tell me about the Pumpkin Bread at school? I’ve tried to make something like it at home, but it’s not quite there yet.”
These are a few of the recent messages we’ve gotten from parents and students about our food. It feels great to know that people are enjoying our food so much that they’d like to have it at home.
Many of the items we serve are available for purchase at fine grocery stores across the state. Based on some recent questions, here is some information about some of those items:
Yogurt: Our Yogurt Parfait is made with Yoplait Pro Vanilla Yogurt. It’s formulated with less sugar to meet USDA guidelines, and you can find it online at many stores.
Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets: These nuggets are made by Wald Family Farms as part of their Taste Traditions line and deliver all the flavor of your favorite chicken nuggets with no gluten.
Birria and Bean & Cheese Pupusas: Our pupusas come from Del Real Foods, which can be found at Costco and other grocery stores. We have also served Chicken Tamales from Del Real, which, like the pupusas, were favorites of our diners.
Pumpkin Bread: Our delicious Pumpkin Bread comes from Fat Cat Bakery in Sacramento, and is formulated to meet all USDA guidelines, meaning less sugar, sodium, and fat than most pumpkin breads.
We love hearing about your favorite items and sharing where they come from and how we make our meals fresh, healthy, and delicious. Let us know your favorites!
Menu Spotlight: California Burrito
Our team worked tirelessly to develop a recipe that packs all the flavor of this San Diego classic into a meal that meets our strict guidelines – meaning less fat and sodium than you’d find at a restaurant, with all of the protein and other nutrients needed to power through a day of learning.
Served with our homemade salsa and a wide selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, this burrito is a powerhouse of flavor and nutrition.
Be sure to check your school’s menu for the full selection of items and your daily favorites.
*** Menus are subject to change based on ingredient availability and staffing needs.
December National Food Days + Spring Menu Previews
Returning to our Spring menu starting January 6th!
We had a great time celebrating national food days in November, so we thought we’d continue this month as well. Not only is it fun to see which foods pop up, but these dates give us a chance to highlight current and upcoming menu items.
December National Food Days
12/1 – National Pie Day + National Eat a Red Apple Day
12/5 – National Cookie Day
12/9 – National Pastry Day. This is a great day to recognize the wonderful bakers we work with, including:
• Croissants and Apple Cinnamon Muffins from Buena Vista Foods
• Pumpkin Bread from Fat Cat Bakery
• Pizza Dough from Sadie Rose Bakery
12/13 – National Cocoa Day
12/14 – Biscuits & Gravy Day: We will have Biscuits & Gravy on our Spring menu!
12/15 – National Cupcake Day
12/19 – National Oatmeal Muffin Day
12/30 – National Bacon Day: We will be bringing back the popular Bacon and Cheese Egg Bites on our Spring breakfast menu!
Food Resources for North County
We recognize that people sometimes need extra help to be food secure. Our district has compiled a list of the organizations providing assistance in North County.
If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, we have a section on our Resources page that lists the organizations we know of that are providing these services.
Bring The Charlie Cart to Your School
We have Charlie Cart cooking carts ready to be booked for our classrooms! These mobile kitchens are designed by The Charlie Cart Project, whose mission is to equip “the next generation with the knowledge and confidence to make healthy food choices through hands-on cooking.”
While we’ve had mobile cooking carts before, The Charlie Cart takes it to a whole new level. Each cart is compact and mobile, and brings all the tools, lessons, recipes, and support needed to build a comprehensive food education program.
From cutting boards and utensils to a skillet top, the Charlie Cart even includes its own built-in water tank to handle cleanup.
“The carts come with everything needed for an engaging and delicious nutrition lesson,” says Aleeza Hendershot, Nutrition Education and Training Supervisor for Vistas USD.”They even come with standards-aligned grade-level recipes and activities for K-5 classes. These carts will make it much easier for any teacher to host a cooking and nutrition lesson.”
The Charlie Cart is available for signups now. Interested teachers should contact Aleeza Hendershot.
Build Your Perfect Plate: With all of this amazing food offered, we encourage our students (and staff) to build the plate that they want. Whether it’s adding your favorite toppings to a burger, decorating tamales and tacos with just the right mix of salsa and veggies, or adding fresh fruit to a salad, these options are offered every day.
We encourage you to make the most of everything that’s offered and build your own perfect plate.
Student Meals Aren’t Just Free, They’re Saving Families Money
Student meals continue to be offered at no cost. School meals deliver benefits, including a connection to better academic performance, reduced absences, reducing food insecurity, eliminating the stigma for school meals, and equitable access to fresh foods.
On top of that, families are saving money. A conservative estimate shows that having students choose school meals can save a family over $1,300 per year, per child. Factoring in an average cost of $4.50 per lunch and $3.00 per breakfast, and multiplying that by the 180 instructional days of a school year, the savings add up.
A recent study by the consulting firm Deloitte found that a Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich costs more to make at home than the cost of a school meal. California’s commitment to universal school meals expands the savings even more.
Not only is there a significant financial benefit to families, but our Farm to School program means that students are offered a wide variety of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables, including organic products, from partners like Dickinson Family Farms and Dassi Family Farms.
Join us for breakfast and lunch, and enjoy fresh, healthy, delicious meals and the peace of mind of no-cost meals for all of our students.
MenuLogic K12 Makes Detailed Nutrition Information Easy To Find!
We are thrilled to work with MenuLogic K12 to provide an easy-to-access guide to our menus, nutrition information, and a list of allergens in any item.
Simply visit our menu page and scroll to the listing at each grade level that says, “Click here for all menu nutrition and allergen information.” The Menu Logic page lets you choose your school, and then see a detailed listing of all the nutrition and allergen information for every entree, side dish, and condiment.
Enjoy this quick, user-friendly resource!
We’re Hiring!
Join Our Amazing Team.
School nutrition is an extremely rewarding job. You can be part of the nation’s largest restaurant group, serving tasty and nutritious meals to our children each and every day. What’s more, you’ll meet amazing people who are skilled, dedicated, and passionate about their roles.
Our team has the unique opportunity to interact with almost every student, every day. Those interactions make a big difference in our kids’ lives and lead to long-lasting and meaningful friendships.
See all of our available positions here: https://wavecrestcafe.com/employment-opportunities/
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(C) 2025 WaveCrest Cafe / Vista Unified School District
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Esta institución es un proveedor de igualdad de oportunidades.
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the state or local agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (AD-3027), found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of
the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call 866-632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
(2) Fax: 202-690-7442
(3) E-mail: [email protected]
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Declaración de no discriminación de USDA De conformidad con la ley federal de derechos civiles, y las regulaciones y políticas de derechos civiles del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos (USDA, por sus siglas en inglés), el USDA, sus agencias, oficinas y empleados, y las instituciones que participan en los programas del USDA o los administran, tienen prohibido discriminar basándose en la raza, color, origen nacional, religión, sexo, identidad de género (incluida la expresión de género), orientación sexual, discapacidad, edad, estado civil, estado familiar/parental, ingresos derivados de un programa de asistencia pública o ideología política, y tomar represalias por actividad previa sobre derechos civiles, en cualquier programa o actividad dirigida o financiada por el USDA (no todas las bases aplican a todos los programas). Las fechas límite de la presentación de quejas y recursos legales varían según el programa o incidente.
Las personas con discapacidades que requieren medios de comunicación alternativos para recibir información sobre el programa (por ejemplo, Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lengua de señas estadounidense, etcétera) deben contactar la agencia responsable o al TARGET Center del USDA al (202) 720-2600 (voz y TTY), o contactar al USDA a través del Servicio Federal de Retransmisión llamando al (800) 877-8339. Además, la información del programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas distintos al inglés.
Para presentar una queja sobre discriminación en el programa, complete el Formulario de quejas sobre discriminación en el programa, AD-3027, que se encuentra en http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html y en cualquier oficina del USDA, o escriba una carta dirigida al USDA y proporcione en ella toda la información solicitada en el formulario. Para solicitar una copia del formulario de quejas, llame al (866) 632-9992. Envíe su formulario completo o carta al USDA por los siguientes medios:
(1) (2) (3) correo postal: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; o
(3) correo electrónico: [email protected].
USDA es un proveedor, empleador y entidad crediticia que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.