Roadmap to Building Quality School Meals Resources

This is a dedicated resource page for the Roadmap to Building High Quality School Meals. Click on each category title to navigate directly to that section of resources: 

• Food Procurement Resources
• Food Production Resources
• Meal Service Resources
• Culture Resources
• Support and Infrastructure Resources
• Goal Setting Resources

Please contact Molly Stenberg at [email protected] if you would like more resources for meeting your roadmap goals.  

Food Procurement

Procurement includes menu planning and purchasing practices that determine the type, quality and source of foods served in a school nutrition program. 

Menu Planning Resources

• USDA Transitional Meal Standards FAQs (USDA FNS)
• Offering meats and meat alternates at breakfast (USDA FNS)
• Meat/meat alternate component handout (Washington Office of Public Instruction) 
• Plant forward recipes and resources (The Lunch Box, Chef Ann Foundation) 
• Recipes, production records, and purchasing guides for 8 week menu cycles (Healthier Kansas Menus)
• Menu development resources (The Lunch Box, Chef Ann Foundation)
• Serving Up Tradition: A Guide for School Food in Culturally Diverse Communities (Massachusetts Farm to School)
• Culturally-relevant recipes (John C Stalker Institute)
• Montana’s Healthy School Recipe Round-Up (MT OPI and Montana Team Nutrition)
• Getting started serving local foods in school meals (Montana Farm to School) 
• Conducting a Taste Test Lesson Plan (Let's Eat! Smarter Lunchrooms Guide, Montana Team Nutrition) 
• Taste Test Guide (Montana Farm to School)
• Guidance on Accommodating Children with Special Dietary Needs in School Nutrition Programs (USDA FNS)
• Cooking Meals on a Budget (Grillio- shared by Mikayla. Thank you, Mikayla!) 

Food Purchasing Resources

• Procurement guidelines and resources (Montana OPI School Nutrition Programs)
• Montana Seasonal Food Chart (Montana OPI)

• Resources on USDA Foods and DoD Fresh in Montana (Montana OPI School Nutrition Programs)

• Annual procurement checklist (Montana OPI School Nutrition Programs)
• Webinar: Leveraging USDA Foods to Alleviate Food Supply Shortages (Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition) 

• Webinar: Procurement Best Practices for Scratch Cooked Production (Chef Ann Foundation)  
• Native Farm to School Guide: Connecting Traditional Foods, Stories, Language, and Community (First Nations Development Institute) 

Food Production

Food production is the method and techniques used to prepare school meals, and includes strategies for maximizing nutrition and culinary skills to cook from scratch.  

Maximizing Nutrition Resources

• USDA Team Nutrition Training Webinars (USDA Team Nutrition)
• Best Practices for Reducing Added Sugars at School Breakfast (USDA FNS)
• Tools for Schools: Serving Whole Grain Rich Toolkit (USDA FNS)
• Tips for Lowering Sodium in School Lunches (American Heart Association)
• Shaking it Up: Small Changes Lead to Big Flavors resources (Institute of Child Nutrition) 
• Webinar: Culinary Techniques for Flavor Enhancement and Sodium Reduction (Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition)
  

Culinary Skills Resources

• Training resources on knife skills (Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition) 
• Training video on roasted root vegetables (Chop! Chop! Culinary Skills for Wisconsin-Grown Produce in School Meals)
• Training resoures on blanching vegetables in school nutrition programs (Healthy School Recipes)
• Training videos on whole grain baking (Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Webinar: Batch Cooking Success Stories for Quality and Efficiency (Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Webinar: Speed-Scratch: Quick Preparations for High Impact Menu Items (Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition) 
• Training videos on mise en place (Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Flavor enhancement and spices training videos (Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition) 
• Checking food temperature training video (Penn State Extension Youtube)
• S.T.A.R. Webinar: Completing Food Production Records the Best Way featuring Shelli Boggess of Deer Lodge School District (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Comparison table of approved food safety trainings in Montana (Montana Department of Health and Human Services)
• Template for developing a school food safety program (USDA FNS and Institute of Child Nutrition)

Meal Service

Meal service is how foods are presented and served. 

Meal Service Atmosphere Resources

• Offer Versus Serve tip sheets and signage (USDA FNS)
• Offer Versus Serve Webinar (Montana Team Nutrition)
• How Mealtimes Can Set the Stage for Better Learning, Behavior and Health in Children (Montana Team Nutrition and Montana OPI School Nutrition Programs)
• Recess Before Lunch resources (Montana Team Nutrition)
• Recess Before Lunch Webinar (Montana Team Nutrition)
• Guide to Conducting Student Food Waste Audits (USDA, EPA, University of Arkansas)
• Making Time for School Lunch (CDC Healthy Schools)

Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice

• Eat the Rainbow Salad Bar Checklist (Montana Team Nutrition) 
• Designing Healthier Lunchrooms Checklist (Montana Team Nutrition) 
• Breakfasts Boost Brainpower Checklist (Montana Team Nutrition) 

Culture

Beyond the food itself, the professional development of school nutrition staff and their connection to the wider school community can impact a program's ability to serve quality school meals. 

Connection with School Community Resources

• School Wellness Policy resources (Montana Team Nutrition)
• Local School Wellness Policy Outreach Toolkit (USDA FNS)
• School Nutrition Outreach Toolkit (Wisconsin School Meals Rock!)
• Getting Started with Farm to School (Montana Farm to School)
• School Nutrition School Board Presentation Template (Iowa Department of Education)
• Fiscal management resources (The Lunch Box, Chef Ann Foundation)

Professional Development Resources

• Child Nutrition Programs: Transitional Standards for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium Final Rule (USDA FNS)
• NSLP Meal Pattern – 5 Day Handout (Montana OPI School Nutrition Programs)
• SBP Meal Pattern – 5 Day Handout (Montana OPI School Nutrition Programs)
• School Meal Pattern on Demand Training (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Montana OPI Regional Specialist Map (Montana OPI School Nutrition Programs)
• Montana School Nutrition Programs Professional Development Handbook (Montana Team Nutrition)
• Professional development resources for school nutrition professionals (Montana Team Nutrition)
• Essentials for School Nutrition Online Trainings (Minnesota Department of Education)

Support and Infrastructure

Support and infastructure refers to the basic physical and organizational structures needed for program operation.

Program Operation Resources

• Determining Meals Per Labor Hour  Worksheet (Kansas State Department of Education)
• Teamwork Makes the Dream Work Article (School Nutrition Association Magazine)
• Budget Like a Pro (Lunch Assist)
• Managing Revenue in School Nutrition Programs (ICN/California Department of Education)
• Montana School Nutrition Programs Equipment Grant (Montana OPI School Nutrition Programs)
• Montana No Kid Hungry Grants (Montana No Kid Hungry) 

Goal Setting Resources

Setting effective and realistic goals is key to setting yourself up for success when creating change in your school nutrition program. 

Goal Setting Resources

• Blank goal setting and action planning worksheets (Montana Team Nutrition)
• Setting goals and developing Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound Objectives (SAMHSA Native Connections)
• To Reach Your Goals, Embrace Self Compassion (Harvard Business Review)