Healthy Rice Bowls 2010

Healthy Rice Bowls Right for Schools

Rice Bowls are a smart, nutritious choice for your school lunch program. Students and teachers give them high grades for taste, appeal and meal variety.

Adding Rice Bowls to your menu:

• Helps promote healthful eating habits for your students
• Is easy to plan, prepare and serve
• Stretches ever-tightening budgets to better balance lower-cost/commodity ingredients like rice with higher-cost proteins
• Let school menus reflect the hottest trends in foodservice today and allows students to "customize" their food options
• Fits the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid recommendations to eat more grains, including whole grain
  brown rice

But don’t just take our word for it:

The USA Rice Federation sponsors an annual "Healthy Rice Bowls Contest" so that school foodservice directors across the country can share their ideas and success stories for serving healthy meals for school lunch. This year’s contest entries were creative, inspiring and demonstrated ingenuity in menu planning. Our 2010 winner will receive $500 towards her school’s education fund and two Aroma rice cookers – one for her school’s kitchen and one for her home kitchen.
Cynthia Ruffin, Child Nutrition Director for St. Charles Parish Public Schools for their creative "Build-A-Bowl" rice bar featuring three options: Sweet and Spicy Chicken Rice Bowl, Thai Curry Rice Bowl and California Sushi Rice Bowl. "Introducing new flavors was such a success that we are planning to feature the rice bowl bar regularly." The "Build-A-Bowl" concept was developed by Tulane University dietetic interns working at Destrehan High School in Louisiana. St. Charles Parish Public Schools provides meals for nearly 10,000 students in 20 schools daily. Participation increased nearly 24%!
Runners up: Ms. Cathy Getz, Food Service Director and Mr. Michael Williams, Café Worker for the Kayenta Unified School District in Arizona for their Calabaza con Pollo con Arroz and K-Town Rice Bowls. Calabaza con Pollo con Arroz K-Town Rice Bowl "Kids love rice in our district, rice bowls are the perfect way to introduce nutritious foods because we always have high participation when they are offered."
Ms. Donna Miller, Cook Manager for Chicopee High School in Massachusetts for her custom rice bowl bar featuring Asian and Caribbean flavors. "Rice bowls are perfect; they are a nutritious low cost meal solution that students find delicious!"

Previous notable K-12 chefs and foodservice directors who rave about the benefits of offering Rice Bowls:

• 2009 Healthy Rice Bowls Contest winner Sylvia Kravitz, Product Development Technician for San Diego Unified School District's (SDUSD) Middle & Secondary Schools. "Students told us they wanted something appealing, filling, fast, easy to hold and most important - great tasting food. Rice bowls fit the bill," said Kravitz.

Her her Sweet & Sour Shrimp, Teriyaki Chicken with Asian Vegetables, Beef with Broccoli and Fajita Chicken rice bowls introduced a fun and creative way to deliver a complete meal that's full of flavor and packed with nutrients.

Also, read our Chef's Corner feature about Chef Jeff Denton, Director of child Nutrition for Ponca City School District in Oklahoma to see why he's become a larger-than-life character and how his passion for food is being passed on to future generations.

Need help getting started? Download our "Kids Love...Rice Bowls" brochure:

The brochure offers tips on planning a Rice Bowl station, planogram showing how bowls can be assembled, and menu suggestions for implementing ethnic, regional american, contemporary and breakfast concepts. Try a Sweet-and-Sour Bowl, Chili Bowl, Pizza Bowl, or Huevos Breakfast Bowl!