March is National Nutrition Month, and HISD’s Food Services Department has been celebrating with new promotions, expanded programming, and even an appearance on the national stage.

Here are just a few of the highlights so far:

• Expansion of the Dinner Meals Program—This partnership with the district’s Twenty-First Century Community Learning Center program enables students at more than 30 schools to receive a free, hot and well-balanced meal at the end of the day.
• Campus visits—During nutrition education programs and assemblies across the district, students learn the importance of eating fruits, vegetables and whole-grain items, such as those served daily throughout HISD.
• Marketplace Café promotions—Certified dieticians were on hand at the cafeteria in the district’s headquarters this week to provide nutritional information and answer visitors’ questions. Patrons who purchased “Dietician’s Picks” off the menu were entered into a random drawing for prizes.
• Great American School Lunch Challenge—HISD was one of only two school districts selected to compete in this “Iron Chef”-style competition in Washington, D.C. Using suggestions from students at the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center, Team HISD whipped up a healthy roasted chicken and vegetable burrito, with a side of peach cornbread topped with whipped vanilla yogurt.