When it comes to eating fruits and vegetables, elementary school age children are typically not very excited. But what if one school used 250K and science to turn student reactions to
plant-based foods from >> to >> And what if those recipes were healthy, affordable, and something you could try at home, too? Before we get into how this happened,
[Music] [Applause] >> we've got to go back to where this 250K actually came from and what was it actually used for. >> So, the $250,000 came from the state legislature. It was
between Oak Park School District and Kentwood, and that was to roll out a plant-based program, both in our own way. [Music] The goal is to find five new
studentapproved plant-based recipes over 5 days of taste tests. Each day, students will use a scorec card to rate three to five dishes based on look, smell, taste, and whether they actually want to eat it for lunch. A recipe needs
an 80% approval rating from the students to make the cut. The first five recipes to hit that goal will be added to the school lunch menu. Earlier this week, we were testing the recipes cuz we wanted to make sure everything worked well. And Austin had
the great idea to do three-step breading for the cauliflower. I said, "I'll do the same thing for the tofu." After googling, okay, will it even crisp up? The staff actually liked it. They said that was like top two. The cauliflower and the tofu were neck and neck. So, today we're going to see what the kids
say cuz it's what it's up to the kids and what they think, not what the adults think. [Applause] >> Thank you. Okay, so my name is Asha. Today you all are going to get to try three different recipes. These recipes
are plant-based recipes. So, first you're going to get to try a baked potato bowl. This baked potato bowl is going to come with chili inside and cheese on top. It looked I thought it looked really good and actually it, you know, it didn't look like it was just
plant-based. The chili looked like chili. Looked like any chili that you would eat. And it looked good. It smelled good actually. Really, too. And when the students started eating, I could tell that a lot of them really liked it. Yeah, it was good. >> The tofu is imitating chicken. Most kids
like chicken or fish as a protein, and we're just trying to provide the tofu as a plant-based option. So, to not scare them away from trying it or have them yuck our yum, we're just breading it and including it with the sweet sauce that
they potentially will like and appeals to their taste bud. We're going to turn our page over to number three. Guess what that is? >> After seeing the positive responses that came from the baked potato bowl and the mixed reviews that came from the sweet
and sour tofu, we realized that of the three options, there was no clear winner. Some students said, >> "Which one was the best?" Try it. >> What's it called? The bean cheese wet quesadilla. >> The bean cheese quesadilla. It was delicious.
>> And other students said, "My favorite was the baked potato bowl." >> But the results showed that none of the three would be making it onto the school's lunch menu. So, we took all of this information and used it to
strategize our dishes for day number two. The first test I think it went well, but I think we didn't have a time to a chance to go over the game plan once we got in there. So, we kind of winged that one. But this time, we have a plan. We know what we doing. So, I'm more confident today than I am last week
because we got a chance to see what happens when you don't do it right. What's going to happen when we do it right? What I noticed when looking through the scorecard, a lot of the students in the classroom verbally said that they liked the food, but then when they rated it, um that rating didn't translate to them actually liking the
dishes. So, making sure that they understand which number they're selecting and why is kind of my goal for today. These are chickpea smash burgers. And we're testing out one recipe has flour and all the spices. And another
recipe has chickpeas, oat corn that's been broken down. And now we're going to see which one forms the burger, the consistency, and the flavors that we're looking for. >> All right. Did everyone answer number one? >> What did you think?
>> It was horrible. >> Oh, no. It was horrible. >> Yes. Bro, it was the worst thing in my life. >> That >> that one is Did you get the pizza? >> So, today we have mac and cheese that was prepared with a twist. So, it looks
the same as your traditional mac and cheese, but our sauce was made out of vegetables. As you can see, it looks very similar. It's very saucy, >> and the kids have been loving it so far. >> I It look pretty good from right here.
All right, I'm watching you on this one. >> The moment of truth. [Music] [Applause] [Music] >> Oh, come on. That's an exaggeration. >> I'm not lying.
>> She said it's good. >> Yeah, there we go. >> What did you think about the pizza, though? The pizza was okay, but it kind of smells a little off, but it tastes good. >> Go for it. >> It's good. And it tastes so good. >> Well, what was good? The pizza? >> The pizza? >> No. 10 out of 10.
>> 10 out of 10 on the pizza. >> My only problem is [Applause] >> Let me see it. >> My eyes are burning from >> Okay. Okay. >> It's not the right type of bread. Mumb why why you you should use hamburger
bread. This is not hamburger bread. This is like wheat bread. All right. I'll take a bite right now. >> Big bite. Big bite. >> That's not bad. That's not even bad. >> That's what I said. It's decent. [Applause]
>> This is the first good though. >> Well, it was good or whatever. So, I'mma I'm all these are fives like >> and yes. sell this at school. Like this is good. Like but where the bread at? >> Where y'all put the bread? >> But you know, let me try it.
>> I don't have no bread. [Music] >> That's going to school. >> Better than the original school pieces. >> Fueled by the success of our first three testing days, we enthusiastically charged into the final two. We worked on making foods that kids already liked,
like our burrito bowl, even better. We also used their ideas to make some totally new dishes. After all five days of testing were done, it was time to look at the scores and find the final winning recipes. Now, wait. With all that being said, you might still be
thinking, "That's cool for school, but how would I try plant-based meals at home, and why should I?" In order for a family to introduce a healthier food item into their their family um that is also budget friendly um my biggest
suggestion would be to try to incorporate more beans. >> It's a plant-based protein. So, anytime you're eating a meal, you want your protein, you want your carbohydrate, you want your fruit and vegetables, and you may have dairy or a milk alternative. One of the most common misconceptions is that going plant-based is um more
expensive than eating on a normal diet, but it's really not because the price of meat goes up. It always fluctuates. The price of like lentils or the price of beans or the price of those things, they stay the same for the most part. When you make your grocery list, you know exactly how much you spend in every week if let's say if you was on a um
plant-based diet. Implementing a plant-based lifestyle has numerous benefits, but three proven benefits include maintaining a healthy weight, strengthening your heart, and helping to control your blood sugar. And there you
have it. At the end of the day, it was all about taste, appearance of food, and student preferences or their familiarity with samples served. Here are the top five plant-based dishes as raged by the students. Coming in at number five was
the veggie chili and baked potato. Fourth place went to the veggie supreme wrap. In third, the mashed potato bowl. Second place was our plant-based mac and cheese. And the overwhelming favorite
with a massive 97% approval rating was our chicken and waffles. But the taste tests weren't all that we did. For the project finale, we partnered with Tom McCary and Sun to host a school farmers market, testing students plant-based
food knowledge as they shopped for themselves. We weren't sure if students would like beans or chickpeas, but after refining our recipes several times, we were able to produce five plant-based recipes that the students learn to love.
And a special thank you to everyone who made this project possible. Thanks so much for watching.