March 2023 WaveCrest Cafe Newsletter
March 02nd, 2023
NEW MENU STARTS MARCH 6th
Our new Spring menu launches on March 6th! Click here to see the full menu.
As always, our menu superstars have been working to develop tasty new options to serve all through the spring. And of course, we have returning favorites that will make bellies happy and power our students’ learning.
We’re also thrilled to add some new breakfast entrees to the mix. Your feedback has been integral to adding higher protein meals to our breakfast selection and you can learn about some of those here.
Don’t forget to check out all of the fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables from local, California farms. You can read more about the growing selection in our Farm 2 School section. Here’s a sneak preview of some of the menu highlights.
NEW ENTREES
Here are some brand-new additions to our menu for the Spring:
Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese: Our middle and high school students are in for a tasty, spicy treat! Start with a hearty bowl of scrumptious Mac & Cheese. Take it up a notch by adding tender chicken meat topped with spicy, tangy Buffalo sauce. Add a dinner roll and fresh fruits and veggies and you’ll have a new favorite meal.
Chili Verde Pork Carnitas Burrito: Start with our slow-roasted pork. Shred it to perfection and then add tasty chili verde spices, and wrap it in a locally made tortilla. We’re hungry already!
Chicken Fried Rice Bowl: A classic dish of fried rice packed with fresh, tasty veggies and tender chicken meat. Served in a bowl fit for our superstar scholars to fuel minds and bodies all day long.
Maple Chicken & Waffles: Another treat for our middle and high school students that celebrates the growing chicken and waffle craze. Start with tender, breaded chicken and place them on top of whole-grain waffles. Add the freshest of fruits & veggies on the side and you’ve got a winning meal!
NEW BREAKFAST ENTREES
We’ve been developing a number of new protein-rich breakfast entrees:
Baked Egg Bites: Did you know that eggs are a superfood? It’s true. So we’re serving up these hearty baked egg bites along with a whole-grain roll as a great way to start your day of learning and fun.
Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich: Made from scratch, these tasty treats are a fantastic way to start a day. We mix up our eggs with milk and some select spices, then serve it on a whole-grain muffin along with some tasty cheese.
Bacon, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Calzone: It’s exactly what it sounds like: bacon, eggs, and cheese served inside a baked calzone shell hearty enough for any learner, and tasty enough to bring you back every time.
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.
MARCH IS NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH
This year is the 50th anniversary of National Nutrition Month! Started in 1973 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, this celebration is a great way to bring attention to the vital role of nutrition in our lives.
Not only do nutrition and diet have an impact on our physical health, but they affect our learning as well. So we’ll be posting a variety of resources to help make learning about nutrition fun all month long.
Thanks to our friends at eatright.org, we’ve got fun games and information for you, including:
National Nutrition Month 2023_Crossword_English
National Nutrition Month 2023_Quiz_English
National Nutrition Month 2023_Sudoku_English
National Nutrition Month 2023_Word Scramble_English
National Nutrition Month 2023_Word Search_English
We also have resources to help with 20 Health Tips, Eating Right on a Budget, and Food As Fuel.
Be sure to download these helpful resources and make them part of your family time as we all celebrate National Nutrition Month.
National School Breakfast Week: March 6-10
What better way to start the first full week of the month than with a celebration of the most important meal of the day: breakfast. This year’s theme is DIG IN, and we’d like to invite you to “dig in” to lots of tasty meals and vital nutrition information about breakfast.
For instance, Breakfast fuels learning! Students who eat school breakfast tend to perform higher in reading and math, score higher on tests, and concentrate better in class. You can learn more about breakfast and academic performance here.
Eating breakfast (even two breakfasts) has been shown to have an impact on reducing childhood obesity. Learn more and DIG IN to the study here.
Small Changes, Big Results: Making small changes to your breakfast routine can deliver big results. Switching from foods high in sugar and saturated fats to those rich in protein and nutrients is easy and provides amazing results for health and well-being. Get some ideas to level up your breakfast game here.
FARM 2 SCHOOL FEATURE: 136,000+ LBS. OF LOCAL, CALIFORNIA PRODUCE
A few months ago we shared that so far this school year, WaveCrest Cafe has purchased and served over 85,000 lbs of local, California produce. This effort is a key to our Farm 2 School program, and we’re happy to report that the number has grown to 136,021 pounds of local, California fruits & vegetables.
Some of the farms include:
Food 4 Thought: 21,658 lbs.
Stehly Farms Organics: 10,831 lbs.
Sage Mountain Farm: 6,558 lbs.
Dassi Family Farms: 5,286 lbs.
Farm 2 School also includes Nutrition Education as a core component. We are thrilled to bring those activities to our schools through the Harvest Of The Month program, cooking cart lessons, and bringing a farmers market to each of our elementary schools throughout the school year.
This month our good friends at Food 4 Thought will be bringing farmers’ markets to several more elementary schools. These markets allow our students to learn where food comes from and how it builds their minds and bodies. Students also get a chance to taste these foods as they are able to pick and choose from the fresh foods provided.
Our farmers market visits this month are coming to:
3/21: Bobier
3/22: Mission Meadows; Hannalei
3/23: T.H.E. Leadership Academy; Monte Vista
WANT A JOB WITH PURPOSE? WE’RE HIRING!
If you’re looking for a job that lets you have fun and make a difference in the community, we’ve got one for you! With hours that don’t conflict with kids’ school schedules and a fantastic team of co-workers, WaveCrest Cafe may be just what you’re looking for. Work with a fantastic group of people and amazing students while fulfilling our mission to serve the best school meals.
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/
HARVEST OF THE MONTH
FEATURED FOOD: STRAWBERRIES
Being the home of the annual Strawberry Festival (coming in May), we are fortunate to have access to the world’s best strawberries. So it’s always a pleasure to feature strawberries for Harvest Of The Month! Classrooms across our district will have tasting parties and learn all about the goodness (and deliciousness!) that comes with strawberries.
For example, did you know that strawberries are part of the rose family of plants? Are you aware that there are about 12 species of strawberries? And that they are recorded in history as long as 2,000 years ago when a Roman Senator named Cato wrote about them.
Home Grown: It should be no surprise that strawberries are a popular and plentiful crop in California, and have been since the early 1900s. California is the largest provider of strawberries in the United States, producing almost 90% of all strawberries in the nation. Each year, California farms produce over 1 billion pounds of fresh and frozen strawberries. Yes, that’s billion with a “B”. And if all of the strawberries produced in California were laid berry to berry, they’d stretch around the world 15 times!
In addition to that, they’re delicious and good for you. Just ½ cup of strawberries provides more than 80% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C and is also a great source of fiber and folate.
Strawberries are delicious on their own, in a smoothie, with yogurt and granola, on our Strawberry Spinach Salad, or even infused in water to give you a simple and healthy beverage that helps you limit sugary drinks.
Learn more about blueberries and discover how delicious they are. You can download our Harvest of the Month resources for families here.
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 Scarlett Smith.
No Cost for School Meals This Year!
We are thrilled to announce that there will be no cost for school meals in this 2022-23 school year. What’s more, there is no paperwork required for anyone, making meals not just available at no cost, but accessible for all.
Not only can families save plenty of money on food, but with meals ready at school, you’ll have more time to spend together as a family! As always, we are committed to serving fresh, healthy, delicious meals, and working with as many local and California-based farms as possible.
Join us for breakfast and lunch daily. Good nutrition leads to better learning, and we are here to serve up tasty and nutritious meals to power learning all year long.
*** With meals being offered at no charge, we are anticipating more students will be dining with us. This may affect the availability of some entrees as we learn and adapt to greater numbers and meeting the demand.
MENU SPOTLIGHT:
Marinara Lasagna Rollup
We introduced this entree during our Winter menu, and it was such a hit that we’ve kept it on through the Spring. It’s packed with everything you love about lasagna: tender pasta, zesty marinara sauce, and savory ricotta cheese, rolled up into a tasty and nutritious entree that satisfies the heartiest eaters.
Add fresh, seasonal fruits and veggies to your plate and you’re ready to go!
Be sure to check your school’s menu to see your daily options and enjoy our fresh, healthy, and delicious meals!
*** Menus are subject to change based on ingredient availability and staffing needs.
RESOURCES, GRANTS, AND EVENTS
Request A Master Gardener For Your School
The San Diego County Master Gardener Association provides Master Gardeners to help schools set up and maintain gardens. Master Gardeners act as consultants, mentoring parents and teachers who request help with beginning or improving their school gardens. Request a garden consultant here.
Educational Garden Design Grant – Rolling Dates
The California Native Garden Foundation offers grants for school gardens that feature CA native plants. Types of support include garden design services, in-kind donations of plants and landscape materials, volunteer assistance, and direct financial assistance. Click here to learn more and to apply.
Solana Center Workshops – Rolling Dates
The Solana Center hosts a variety of workshops and lessons across San Diego County, with topics including composting, raising backyard chickens, green living, and water-wise gardening. Check out their events calendar here.
Bonnie’s Plants 3rd Grade Cabbage Program – Rolling Dates
Bonnie’s provides free mega-cabbage plants to 3rd-grade teachers across the US who want to participate. Students grow the cabbages and submit pictures and measurements of their harvest to be considered for a $1,000 scholarship. Find out how to participate here.
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(C) 2023 WaveCrest Cafe / Vista Unified School District
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Esta institución es un proveedor de igualdad de oportunidades.