William S. helps prepare a stir fry noodle bowl with whole grain noodles and vegetables for the entire fourth grade class.

By Elean Gersack

Some lucky students from Buffalo Ridge Elementary School (BRE) were asked to take part in a Douglas County School District (DCSD) initiative to test healthier and, hopefully, better tasting menu options. Mrs. Herzog’s fourth grade class participated in the testing on both November 22 and November 29.

The initiative began as Nestle approached Red Robin Restaurants and DCSD to create healthier macaroni and cheese.  Jeanie Boymel, from DCSD, heads-up Community Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) and is in charge of this recent effort. Alongside Boymel was Stephanie Beaudette, a registered dietician. “We’re trying to increase nutritious options so it’s ideal having our students taste test what could be a new menu item,” said Boymel. 

In addition to BRE, two other district elementary schools took part in the taste test – Northridge in Highlands Ranch and Northeast in Parker.

“We selected Buffalo Ridge as a test site because of their amazing wellness program and because the staff is so easy to approach,” said Boymel.

On the first day of testing, Boymel and Beaudette met with students to discuss nutrition and the importance of reading food labels. Students then headed to the cafeteria to taste one version of a reduced fat, reduced sodium macaroni and cheese. Students were asked to rate the taste, texture, and give an overall impression compared to the current macaroni and cheese served at school.

The following week, more classroom nutrition talk ensued, including an in-depth look at the three parts of whole grains – bran (outer); endosperm (inner) and germ (inside). Beaudette explained that whole grains are full of fiber that is needed to help digestive systems keep moving, and they also provide bulk to help people feel full.

Afterwards, the fourth graders got the chance to try a second version of macaroni and cheese. “I like this one a little better than last week’s, but they kind of taste the same. I’m happy they are doing this because I didn’t really like the old mac-n-cheese and I hope they start using this one,” said student taste-tester, Josh H.

As an added bonus, four best-behavior students were asked to cook up another fun and healthy dish to share with the entire fourth grade class – stir fry and noodle bowl with plum sauce. Several chefs were on hand to help the students create this dish, including a ThunderRidge High School chef-in-training student. The Asian inspired noodle dish had lots of veggies, whole grain pasta and a bit of a “kick.”

According to Boymel, DCSD has partnered with the Chef Association of Colorado and will put chefs in schools to offer kitchen staff and kids the opportunity to learn more about healthy cooking and eating. For elementary schools, the hope is to do this at least once a year.

The key is to move in the right direction towards overall wellness when it comes to eating. “If it doesn’t taste good, they are not going to eat it.  Finding something healthy that kids like is a win-win,” said Beaudette.