PLANT-POWERED SCHOOL MEALS COHORT
CHANGEMANAGEMENT, MENUDESIGN,ANDPLANT-POWEREDPROCUREMENT
AGENDA
LetʼsTalkGoals!
Plant-PoweredChange Management
Plant-PoweredMenuDesign
PlantProteins&Procurement
NextSteps
LET’S TALK GOALS!
Weʼregoingtotakeafew momentstoinspireand supportoneanother.
Onyourturn,comeoffofmute andsharethefollowing:
1. Yourname.
2. School/district&state.
3. Yourprimarygoalforthecohort.
4. Anysecondaryorsupportinggoals.
5. Anybarriersyouanticipatetoreachingyourgoal(s).
PLANT-POWERED CHANGE MANAGEMENT: STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE CHANGE
IN SCHOOL MEAL PROGRAMS
START WHERE YOU ARE
Youdon'thavetooverhaulyourmenuovernight.Thebestplacetostartis withwhat'salreadyfamiliartoyourstudents.
Swapfamiliarfavoritesfirst.Plant-basednuggets,blackbeanburgers,plant-basedsausageat breakfast.Theseworkbecausestudentsalreadyknowtheformat.
Useblendeddishesasabridge.Tryachilithat's50%groundbeef,50%beans,thengraduallyshift theratioovertime.Smallstepsaddup.
Letlegumestakethelead.Beans,lentils,andchickpeascanabsolutelybethestar.Thinkfalafel, chickpeacurry,seasonedlentiltacos;disheswhereplantproteinisthewholepoint,notastand-in.
Useexistingrecipes.Takespaghetti,tacos,orburritosandswapouttheproteinforplant-based crumbles,lentils,orbeans.
CONSIDER THE WHOLE PICTURE
Asmoothtransitionstartswithanhonestlookatwhatyouroperationcan t
Understandyourkitchencapacity.Thinkthroughyourequipment,storagespace,cooking capabilities(heat&servevs.scratch),laboravailability,andwhatseasoningsandspicesyou
l d h h d
Understandyourcommunity.Culturalrelevancymatters.Curries,tacos,stews,andbolognesestyledishescanallgoplant-poweredinwaysthatfeelfamiliarandwelcome.Factorinreligious dietaryneeds,studentpreferences,andhealthconsiderations.
Understandyoursourcingoptions.Considercurrentsupplier/distributorproductavailability, accesstostapleitemsvs.readymademeals,andeaseofsourcingvs.preparationcomplexity.
BEST PRACTICES FOR THE LONG GAME
Plant-poweredmenusareaprocess,notaone-timemenuadjustment.A fewprinciplestokeepinmind:
Bringyourwholecommunityin.Staff, students,teachers,parents.Shared ownershipleadstolastingsuccess. Runtastetests.Low-pressuresampling buildsexcitementandgivesyoureal studentfeedback. Bepersistent.Kidsoftenneedmultiple exposuresbeforewarmingupto somethingnew.Don'tgiveupafterone try. Tryanewanglebeforegivingup. Ifadishisn'tlanding,experiment withadifferentformatoramore enticingdescription.
Stayflexibleandcelebrateprogress. Smallwinsaddup.Yourattitudesets thetoneforeveryonearoundyou. Actonfeedback.Whenpeoplesee theirinputreflectedinthemenu,it buildstrust.
PLANT-POWERED MENU DESIGN:
SMALL SHIFTS, BIG IMPACT
DESIGN FOR OPTIMAL APPEAL
Makingplant-poweredmealsappealingstartsbeforethefirstbite.Afew simpledesignchoicescangoalongway.
Makeiteasytoeat.Bite-sized,fork-orfinger-friendlyfoodsremovefriction,especiallywhenlunch periodsareshort.
Cutyourproduce.Researchshowsstudentsaremorelikelytoselectandeatslicedorcutfruitand veggiesoverwholeones.
Leadwithcolor.Weeatwithoureyesfirst.Contrastingcolorscreatevisualexcitementand curiosity.
Mixupyourtextures.Variedpreparationtechniqueskeepmealsinterestingandsatisfying. Showoffthegoodstuff.Gotacreamysauceorcrispytopping?Positionitprominentlyontheplate, nothiddenunderotheringredients.
PRESENTATION MATTERS
Smallshiftsinhowyoupositionandpromoteplant-poweredmealscan makeabigdifferenceinwhetherstudentschoosethem.
Skiptheside-by-side.Don'tplaceplant-poweredoptionsnexttofamiliarfavorites.Letthem standontheirownandshineasexcitingchoicesintheirownright.
Nameittosellit."Zestytacobowl.""CrispyBBQwrap.""Heartyveggiechili."Descriptive languagesellstheexperience.Avoidtermslike"meatless"or"vegan,"whichcannarrow youraudiencebeforestudentseventastethefood.
Putitfirstonthemenu.Simpleplacementnudgesmatter.Usecleariconsorsymbolsto makeplant-poweredoptionseasytospot,andleadwithinviting,descriptivelanguage.
Bringtheenthusiasm.Yourteam'senergyshapesstudentperception.Spotlightplantpoweredmealsfortheirvibrantcolors,boldflavors,andrealbenefitslikeenergyandfocus.
PLANT PROTEINS
& PROCUREMENT:
PROCUREMENT DECISIONS THAT DRIVE REAL CHANGE
Beans
SWAPPING IN WHOLE PLANT PROTEINS
Peas
Lentils
Tofu
Tempeh
Swapinforgroundbeefintacos,burritos,chili,andsloppyjoes,andforchickenin soups,stews,andgrainbowls.
Peasaregreatasaprotein-packedside,andworkalongsideotherproteinsinpot pies,soups,andfriedricedishes.
Nuts & Seeds
Lentilsstandinforgroundbeefinbolognese,meatloaf,sloppyjoes,andtaco filling.Theyalsoworkingrainbowlsandasasaladtopper!
Substitutesforchickeninstir-fries,curries,andwraps,eggsinscrambles,friedrice, andandeggsalad,andgroundbeefintacocrumbles.
Swapsinforbaconinbreakfastdishesandsandwiches,andforchickenin kebabs,wraps,andgrainbowls.
Useasasavorytoppingonsalads,grainbowls,androastedvegetable dishes.Nutbuttersaregreatproteinadditionstooatmealatbreakfast!
SOURCING PLANT-BASED PRODUCTS
Sometimes apre-madeproductisexactlytherighttoolforthejob.Afew simp cansaveyourteamtimeandsetyourmenuupforsuccess whe fornewplant-basedproducts.
Startwithfamiliarformatstoeasethe transitionandincreasestudent acceptance. Connectdirectlywithvendorstoget K–12-specificpricinganddistribution options.
Requestsamplesbeforeyoucommit. Tastetestbeforeaddingsomethingto themenu.
Askvendorsforschool-friendlyrecipes thatmeetUSDAguidelines.Manywill havethemavailable!
BalancedʼsPlant-BasedVendorDirectoryallows youtosearchbyproteintype,brand,andK-12 creditableandconnectdirectlywithvendors. Getstartedatplantbasedvendors.com!
REQUEST SAMPLES
BalancedishappytoconnectyouwithournetworkofK-12-approvedplantbasedvendorstorequestsamplesofproductsthatfityourprogram.Wewill putyouintouchviaemailtogettheprocessrolling.
CompletetheforminCirclebyJuly30 toindicate whichproducts(ifany)youareinterestedinsampling. th
NEXT STEPS
Inthe“ActionItemsˮsectiononCircle: Submityourgoals(ifyouhavenʼt already).
ReviewthePhase2Resour Guide.
ReviewtheRecipeGuide (optional).
Completeandsubmityour samplesrequestformbyJu 30 . th
