With back-to-school season in full swing, you may find yourself and your kids tiring of your usual lunch rotation. That’s why grade 12 student and eco-advocate, Lacia Paige Cummings has created a sustainable back-to-school menu that will elevate lunch hour with a healthy and sustainable twist!
Lacia was a winner of Tre Stelle’s Cheese4Change sustainable food youth program which encourages Canadian teachers and students to submit their sustainable recipes. With hundreds of entries from coast-to-coast, winning students received $500 and winning schools received $5,000!
Canadian students got creative with recipes like ‘Canadiana’ Poutine made with organic potatoes and Canadian Mozzarella, and Paneer Bhurji with Tre Stelle Paneer and seasonal vegetables. Many students integrated fresh produce grown in their school or home gardens!
Inspired by the recipes of her fellow Cheese4Change winners, Lacia created a kid-friendly menu featuring her winning pizza along with Caprese Skewers and a Ricotta Raspberry Smoothie to highlight kids’ commitment to the planet and the importance of sustainability for her generation and those to come.
Summer’s Caprese Skewers
Lacia chose Cheese4Change winner, Summer McPhee’s caprese skewers for her menu because she knows everyone loves a fresh Caprese Salad. She loved Summer’s decision to make everything bite sized on a skewer as that made it irresistible to kids and adults alike. Shake some olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a cup and let everyone dip at their leisure.
Makes 18 Mini Skewers
Ingredients:
- 18 Cherry tomatoes
- 18 Tre Stelle Mini Bocconcini
- 18 Basil leaves
- 18 Mini skewers
- 2 Tbs Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 2 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Thread the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil onto mini skewers.
- Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar to a container for dipping, shake and and sprinkle with pepper.
Lacia’s Salmon & Sausage Pizza with Feta
Everyone loves homemade pizza, but Lacia cleverly incorporated dinner leftovers into hers to ensure nothing went to waste, and the result was mouthwatering, featuring salmon, sausage and feta.
Ingredients:
- 1 mL Homemade pizza / tomato sauce
- 2 mL Chopped spinach
- 2 mL Small tomatoes
- 2 mL Shredded salmon
- 2 mL Sliced sausage
- 2 mL Tre Stelle Feta
- Pita / Tortilla / Flatbread
Instructions:
- Use your flatbread or tortillas currently in your cupboard, and spread with your homemade pizza sauce
- Add the feta cheese and locally grown vegetables: diced tomatoes and chopped spinach
- Add shredded salmon and sliced sausage from dinner leftovers
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Let cool, ENJOY YOUR MEAL!!
Maya’s Raspberry Smoothie
Healthy and packed with flavour, eight year old Maya Fishbain’s raspberry smoothie is the perfect complement to Lacias’ sustainable lunch menu. It has a fun bright colour, it’s creamy and sweet and embraces the popular ricotta smoothie trend, which is worth the hype!
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup of Raspberries
- 1/2 Cup Tre Stelle Ricotta
- 1/4 cup Milk
Instructions:
- Gather ingredients.
- Measure out the ingredients.
- Put raspberries, ricotta and milk in a blender until all mixed into a nice smoothie consistency.
For more information or to enter, visit www.trestelle.ca/cheese4change
