Back to Basics: Milk and Eggs
SAGE Standards
SAGE Standard: “We use antibiotic- and hormone-free milk and cage-free, Certified Humane® eggs.” What We Do We exclusively purchase milk from farms that treat individual cows with antibiotics only in response to a diagnosed illness, rather than prophylactically treating the entire population, and never give them artificial hormones. During processing, the milk of antibiotic-treated cows is tested for the presence of residual antibiotics, and the milk only comes to us if it’s entirely free of antibiotic residue and artificial...
From our Kitchen: Red Quinoa Tabbouleh
From Our Kitchen
This light, easy Middle Eastern salad packs a lot of superfoods into one fresh, healthy dish! Ingredients: 1 cup red quinoa, prepared and cooled ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from approximately 2 lemons) ¼ cup olive oil 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 bunch scallions, minced (both white and green parts) 1 cup chopped parsley 1 cup chopped mint 1 cucumber, seeded and diced 1 red bell pepper, diced Preparation: Step 1. In a medium bowl...
Help Your Kids Put Their Best Selves Forward!
Nutrition
The theme of this year’s National Nutrition Month® is “Put Your Best Fork Forward”—focusing on how the little choices and changes you make every day add up in big ways for your health! In keeping with that theme, we’re sharing our Registered Dietitians’ top tips on small changes kids can make for a big impact on their whole-person health. Eat Ask yourself: “Where did it grow/grow up?” A field? A farm? In the water? If you can’t tell, enjoy...
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
Nutrition, Eating Disorders
Next week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. This year's theme is It’s Time to Talk About It; to shine the spotlight on eating disorders and put life-saving resources into the hands of those in need. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, over 30 million Americans will struggle with an eating disorder—and many begin that struggle young. Children as young as seven have been diagnosed with eating disorders. While genetic predisposition is a factor in the development of eating disorders...
Locally Sourced: The Farmer’s Cow
Locally Sourced
Many of us remember drinking milk from those little paper cartons at school. The benefits are undeniable: bone-building calcium, muscle-building protein, energy-giving carbohydrates, and satiating fat, all in one delicious package. That’s why milk—both hormone- and antibiotic-free—is a beverage staple at many of our SAGE venues. One of SAGE’s vendors providing this healthy drink is The Farmer’s Cow, a six-farm dairy cooperative in Connecticut that provides milk and other dairy products to six of our schools in CT. Here’s what...
From Our Kitchen: Chocolate Pots de Creme
From Our Kitchen
If your Valentine is a chocolate-lover, this may be the perfect ending to your Valentine's Day meal. A Pot de Creme is a light French dessert custard, usually looser than other custards, flans, or cremes caramel. The recipe dates back to the 17th century, and the name means "pot of custard" or "pot of cream," which refers to the porcelain cups in which the dessert is served. Yields: 8 Servings Ingredients: 5 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped 2 cups whipping cream 1/2 cup...
The Problem with Processed Food
Nutrition
“Clean eating,” or opting for natural and unprocessed foods in lieu of factory-packed and processed alternatives, has been a hot topic for years. At SAGE, we prefer to emphasize scratch cooking—using whole, fresh, local ingredients as often as your time and budget allow. When you read about all of the benefits of using real foods, and just how delicious they really are, you'll understand why it's our SAGE Standard, and perhaps make it yours too. When we talk about...
One-on-One with a SAGE FSD: Rylan Jeffries
SAGE Community, One-on-One
Meet Rylan Jeffries, a former junior softball Olympian and the beloved Food Service Director of River Oaks Baptist School in Houston. How did you get into cooking? My husband—who’s also a SAGE Food Service Director, incidentally—is the reason I got into cooking. I was 21 at the time, and when he came over to my apartment, there was really no food in the house. Somehow he managed to put together this crazy casserole with chicken, cheese, olives, and cornichons. If...