Spring Rolls
INGREDIENTS: Cucumbers Carrots, prepackaged or cut into small strips Lettuce, cut lengthwise in half Cilantro, with stems Rice Vermicelli Rice Paper Wrappers Water (Optional) Pork, chicken, shrimp, or another protein option INSTRUCTIONS: Prepare your vegetables,...
Healthy Snacks for Kids (to eat at home or school!)
An answer to the neverending brainstorm among parents: what healthy snacks can I make for my kids to eat at home or school? You’ve probably heard of the classics: celery with peanut butter and raisins, apple slices, and carrots with ranch. There’s nothing wrong with...
Teaching with Tamarind Fruit
Did you know that chefs and culinary professionals named tamarind as their 2024 flavor of the year? McCormick, known for selling spices, designates a trending flavor every year. This year, the flavor is tamarind, referring to the tamarind fruit native to eastern...
Hmong Food Traditions are Influential in Minnesota Cuisine
As food educators, we are constantly refreshing our curriculum to improve its cultural relevance to the communities we serve. Through grants from local foundations, we have been learning from and cultivating relationships with leaders in important cultural communities...
Fun and Healthy Recipes for Kids to Make During the Holidays
Today marks the last day of classes for many schools across the country before they start Winter Break. Here in Minnesota, Midwest Food Connection educators are teaching their last food education classes until after the new year. With a couple of weeks to relax, we...
5 Ways to Reduce Food Waste at Home
Did you know: about one-third of food bought among households across the U.S. is wasted. The average American throws away over 200 pounds of food every year. While restaurants and other entities contribute to the food waste crisis, these food waste facts make it clear...
It’s National Co-Op Month: What is a Food Co-Op?
October is National Co-Op Month, and what better time to celebrate the local community food co-ops here in Minnesota? A significant part of our work here at Midwest Food Connection is funded by food co-ops like Seward Co-Op, Eastside Co-Op, and Valley Natural Co-Op. ...
Tips for Continuing Food and Nutrition Education at Home
Happy back-to-school season! It’s September, which means that students all across the country are heading back to school. With students going back into the classroom, it’s the perfect time to think about how to bring food education into your home. There are various...
I Have Seeds! A Story About Food Education
As I sat in the school hallway awaiting a first-grade class to return from lunch for their food education class, I heard the patter of small feet quicken near me and a booming, proud voice announce, “Ms. Missy, Ms. Missy, Ihave seeds!” Plant Food, Educate Kids: A...
What is Composting? How to Start Composting at Home
Have you heard of composting? If you haven’t, now is the time to learn about it! Recent data shows that more people are composting every year, which can make a big impact on environmental sustainability. As of 2021, 38% of food in the U.S. is wasted. That means over...
AAPI Heritage Month: Reflecting on Hmong Food Traditions and Research
On the last day of AAPI Heritage Month, Midwest Food Connection is reviewing what we’ve learned through researching Hmong culture and traditions. Thanks to a grant appropriated to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund,...
Bountiful Bean Recipes
Beans are truly a gift in the garden - one of the three sister plants traditionally grown along corn and squash in many native american tribes. Beans help build healthy soil helping other plants / animals thrive, and they bring great nourishment to our bodies as well....
A year of online food education: What we’ve learned about teaching kids virtually in a pandemic
The last time I taught an in-person class for Midwest Food Connection was March 12, 2020. I taught three first grade classes at a Minneapolis school about wheat and pasta, as the students kneaded, shaped and cooked up their own pasta dough. COVID was on all our minds,...
Reflecting on a year of virtual food lessons
On a dreary winter morning, I log into my email to look for a Google Meets invitation that should be showing up at any minute. On this particular day, when I enter the virtual classroom, I am greeted by the smiling faces of first graders, many of them showing me the...
MFC Reflects and Responds to the Murder of George Floyd
The unjust and senseless death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police laid bare (once again) the pervasive systemic racism that is woven into our social fabric. Midwest Food Connection stands in solidarity with BIPOC (Black ● Indigenous ● People of Color)...
Keeping Food Education Alive Through Online Learning
It’s early May and Spring is in full swing here in Minnesota. The air is filled with birdsongs and the buzzing of pollinators, but things in the human world are undeniably quieter this year. We are now in month three of Governor Walz’s stay-at-home order with further...
Climate Conscious Cuisine
A recent Washington Post headline* shouted: “Kids are terrified, anxious and depressed about climate change.” The article goes on to discuss the deep concerns many youth have about the world’s future, and what they can do about it. I imagine you have seen this...
Welcome Bonnie to the Midwest Food Connection Team!
Hi! My name is Bonnie Lohman and I am delighted to be at Midwest Food Connection as a Program Educator. Since 2012, I have dedicated my professional life to garden-based learning, nutrition education, and using the power of food to connect young people to their...