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.
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)
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 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)
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)
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
- 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)