Travis Co-op

Food Service Parent Advisory Committee Meeting

ccicack — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:02:08 +0000

Food Service Parent Advisory Committee Meeting will be Wednesday, May 9th, 9:30-11:00 a.m. in Room 2C12 at the Hattie Mae White Administration Building, 1400 West 18th Street(Second floor center). This will be the last meeting of the school year and the agenda will include 2012-13 planning goals and meeting scheduling for next year. All are encouraged to attend, especially new members as we look forward to setting our goals for next year. Contact Julie Spreckelmeyer @ JSPRECKE@houstonisd.org to RSVP.

ccicack — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:10:00 +0000

Wanna bring home delicious fruit & veggies each week to your family?!

Join the Travis Co-op with a $48 membership and place your first order by Wednesday and you will be ready to pick-up next week!

This Wednesday, April 25th at 9PM is the deadline to place an order for May 2nd

PLACE YOUR ORDER

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Here’s what you can expect in tomorrow’s shares:

4/25 Fruit Share

All Organic: Cameo & Granny Smith Apples, Lemons, Valencia Oranges, & Strawberries

4/25 Mixed Shares:

All Organic or Sustainable: Avocados, Bananas, Kiwi, Spinach, Zucchini Squash, Beets, Carrots, Celery, Local Kale, Local Portabella Mushrooms, Local Onions…oh my!

(share contents vary depending on size ordered and availability) Don’t forget, we also offer LOCAL Eggs!

Can you lend a co-op hand?
To sign up for helping on Wednesdays, go to Volunteer Spot and let us know when you can be of assistance! Thank you!

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It’s that time again!

Bubbles Car Wash Express

tickets on sale through Travis Co-op &

Central City Co-op for $8!

Half the proceeds go towards Co-op’s annual Spring Fundraiser!

Wellness Awareness Presentation: April 13 after drop-off!

ccicack — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:45:29 +0000

Join us Friday, April 13 at 8:15AM in the Community Room for a Wellness Awareness Presentation! Come for the fresh OJ and stay for the information! We will explore the following topics: what exactly are our kids eating while at school, how to identify problem ingredients in our foods and how we can broaden our children’s food options to include more fresh foods! Presented by Christina Cicack, Travis Co-op Organizer

Travis Co-op delivers next Wednesday!

ccicack — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:36:26 +0000

Travis Co-op Spring Break News

Hope your making the most of your Spring Break, even with the clouds being out as much as they have been! The upside to all the rain is that next week’s share delivery should be wonderful; this is great weather for growing fruits & veggies!

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Today at 9PM is the deadline to order your veggies for March 21st

http://traviscoop.org/place-your-order/

If you have any trouble ordering, email the Travis Co-op at ccicack@gmail.com with your order by Thursday morning and we can handle payment later this week. Thank you!

☼TRAVIS CO-OP: DON’T FORGET TO ORDER YOUR FRUIT & VEGGIES!☼

ccicack — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:08:43 +0000

TRAVIS CO-OP NEWS

Q: Why did the gardener quit?

A: Because his celery wasn’t high enough!

If you ordered last week: pick-up is this Wednesday starting at 2:30PM in the Community Room.

This Wednesday, February 8th at 9PM is the deadline to order your veggies for next week at

http://traviscoop.org/place-your-order/

If you are a new to the Travis Co-op, please add a $48 Annual Membership to your first order.

If you have any trouble ordering, email the Travis Co-op at ccicack@gmail.com with your order by Thursday morning and we can handle payment later this week. Thank you!

Here’s what you can expect in tomorrow’s shares:

2/8 Fruit Shares
Apples, Gala
Bananas
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Oranges, Juicing
Pears, bosc

2/8 Mixed Shares
Apples, Fuji
Avocados
Carrots, Baby
Celery
Lemons
Onions, Yellow
Potatoes, Red
Arugula
Carrots
Dill
Lettuce, Salad Mix
Mushrooms, White Button (med)
Radish
Spinach

*locally grown

Members: Please remember to return our NEW cotton canvas totes and any extra totes you can spare to the Travis Co-op as soon as possible for the Members who will be picking up their shares this week. THANK YOU!!

Helpful Links to preparing and growing fresh food for your family:

Skip the cereal, feed your kids a healthier breakfast

How to make Homemade Bread

Ideas to Get Kids off the Chicken Nugget Track

Classic Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

You can use either cremini or regular button mushrooms. The recipe can easily be scaled up – doubled or tripled. Scrub the mushrooms well first, then just snap out the stems. They’ll come out easily, no need to use a knife. For parties, make the stuffing and have the mushrooms cleaned and stems removed ahead of time. But don’t cook them until you want to serve: Once cooked, stuffed mushrooms do not hold up well for long periods. Bake some, serve and repeat.

Ingredients

18-24 button or cremini mushrooms, scrubbed clean, stems separated from the caps

1 Tbsp butter

2 small shallots, minced, about 2 Tbsp

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp chopped walnuts

Salt

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence or dried thyme

2 Tbsp breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp sherry or chicken stock

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Method

1 Preheat oven to 375°F.

2 Finely chop the mushroom stems. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the chopped mushroom stems and the shallots for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and walnuts and sprinkle with salt. Stir well and sauté 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and add the parsley, herbes de Provence and breadcrumbs. Pour the sherry into a food processor, then the rest of the stuffing. Pulse several times to get a fine mixture, almost a paste.

3 Toss the mushroom caps with olive oil. Fill each mushroom with the stuffing. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over each mushroom and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese browns a little. Allow to cool for 5 minutes or so before serving.

Yield: Serves 4-6 as an appetizer.
Source: Simply Recipes

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you and we’ll see you Wednesday!

Christina Cicack

Travis Co-op Organizer

c 832-922-9755

ccicack@gmail.com

http://traviscoop.org

Start an Organic Habit and Buy Local!

PS Garden Volunteer Day is THIS Saturday,February 11th from 8am to 11am (rain date Feb. 12th), come out with the kids and enjoy your school garden!!

TRAVIS CO-OP NEWS

ccicack — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:30:41 +0000

Q: What vegetable should you not take on a boat?

A: Leeks!

Amazing weather we are having consider this is January!

The Travis Co-op has gotten off to a great start with a total of 14 Memberships thus far!

Share pick-up is this Wednesday from 2:30ish to 6PM in the Community Room.

This Wednesday, January 18th at 9PM is the deadline to order your veggies for next week at

http://traviscoop.org/place-your-order/.

Here’s what you can expect in tomorrow’s shares:

1/18 Fruit Shares
Apples, Granny Smith

Apples, Jonagold

Avocados

Bananas

Oranges, Juicing

Mixed Shares

Local Broccoli/Cauliflower mix

Celery

Local Chopped lettuce mix

Local Herbs

Onions, Yellow

Pears, D’anjou

Local Portabella

Potatoes, Red

Local Spinach: Tatsoi

Local Squash, Butternut

Squash, Zucchini

Members: Please remember to return our NEW cotton canvas totes to the Travis Co-op as soon as possible for the Members who will be picking up their shares this week. THANK YOU!!

Helpful Links to preparing and growing fresh food for your family:

All About Organics

Harvest Eating TV Show

10 Favorite Root Vegetable Recipes

Seriously Easy & Delicious Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

Ingredients:

Broccoli and Cauliflower Mix, garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, salt & pepper and Parmesan cheese, toasted nuts & basil (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Put broccoli, cauliflower and 4 garlic cloves that are peeled and sliced on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove from the oven and add the zest a lemon over the broccoli mix, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil, 3 Tbs toasted nuts, like pine nuts, sliced almonds or walnuts (optional), and 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Feel free to add 1/4 cup chopped basil.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you and we’ll see you Wednesday!

Christina Cicack

Travis Co-op Organizer

c 832-922-9755

ccicack@gmail.com

http://traviscoop.org

Start an Organic Habit and Buy Local!

Feel free to tell other Travis Parents & Staff how easy it is to pick up your tasty fruits & veggies with the Travis Co-op!

TRAVIS CO-OP NEWS: EARLY DISMISSAL THIS WEDNESDAY!!

ccicack — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:43:12 +0000

Travis Co-op News

Q: How did the farmer fix his jeans ?
A: With a cabbage patch!

Our farmers were blessed with at least 4 inches of rain yesterday and we have plenty of local goodies to offer you! For those who ordered for pick-up this week we are available from 12:30PM to 2PM tomorrow. If you need to pick-up your veggies after 2PM please call or email me and make arrangements as I will gladly get your groceries to you.

If you have the time tomorrow before or after early dismissal, check out Central City Co-op and see where your veggies are coming from at 2515 Waugh in the Grace Lutheran Church from 9AM-6PM. They have an excellent selection of affordable local meats, coffee, dry goods, and local fruits and veggies.

This Wednesday, January 11th at 9PM is the deadline to order your veggies for next week at

http://traviscoop.org/place-your-order/.

Here’s what you can expect in tomorrow’s shares:

Fruit Shares

Apples, Cameo

Apples, Fuji

Bananas

Kiwi

Lemons

Oranges, Valencia

Lcoal Pears, D’Anjou

Mixed Shares

Apples, Granny Smith

Local Beets

Carrots, 5# bags

Carrots, Baby

Local Chopped Lettuce Mix

Crimini Mushrooms

Local Greens, Collard

Local Greens, Winter Mix BAG

Local Kale, Varieties

Onions, Red

Potatoes, Russet

Local Satsuma

Spinach

Local Turnips

AWESOME NEWS:

A big thanks goes out to the Garden Program for generously providing the Travis Co-op with stellar cotton canvas bags that all of our Members will have the pleasure of re-using! Members: Please take home the bag with your name tag on it and return it to the Travis Co-op as soon as possible for the Members who will be picking up their shares the following week.
THANK YOU!!

Helpful Links to preparing and growing fresh food for your family:

The Food Matters Cookbook: 500 Revolutionary Recipes for Better Living by Mark Bittman

‘Food Matters’ You are What You Eat the MOVIE

Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future by David Wolfe

Urban Harvest Fruit Tree Sale coming up this SATURDAY January 14, 2012!!

Purée of Turnip Soup Recipe

The turnip can be overlooked and underrated. If you’re not already a fan of this humble root vegetable, this classic purée of turnip soup might surprise you.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb white turnips (about 4 medium turnips)
1 medium Russet (or other starchy) potato
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
½ cup dry white wine
1 qt vegetable broth or stock
Kosher salt, to taste
Ground white pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Cut turnips into (roughly) same-sized pieces, about ½ inch to 1 inch thick, depending on diameter. Don’t worry about precision — the soup is going to be puréed anyway. We just want the pieces to be of uniform size so that they cook evenly.

Peel the potato and cut it into pieces about the same size as the turnips.

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat the butter over a low-to-medium heat.

Add the onion, garlic and turnips and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is slightly translucent, stirring more or less continuously.

Add the wine and cook for another minute or two or until the wine seems to have reduced by about half.

Add the stock and the potato. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the turnips and potatoes are soft enough that they can easily be pierced with a knife. Don’t let them get mushy, though.

Remove from heat and purée in a blender, working in batches if necessary.
Tip: Use care when processing hot items in a blender as the hot steam can sometimes blow the blender lid off. Start on a slow speed with the lid slightly ajar to vent any steam, then seal the lid and increase the blending speed.

Return puréed soup to pot and bring to a simmer again, adding more broth or stock to adjust the thickness if necessary.

Season to taste with Kosher salt and white pepper.

Garnish with a toasted crouton and serve right away.

Makes about 1½ quarts (6 8-oz. servings) of soup.

Optional:

Stir ¼ cup hot cream into the soup just before serving.

Note: The soup can be thickened with rice instead of potato. Just substitute about 1/3 cup of uncooked rice for the potato, and simmer the soup until the rice is soft.

Source: http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/pureeacutedsoups/r/turnippuree.htm

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you and we’ll see you Wednesday!

Christina Cicack

Travis Co-op Organizer

c 832-922-9755

ccicack@gmail.com

http://traviscoop.org

Start an Organic Habit and Buy Local!

TRAVIS CO-OP NEWS & MUSINGS

ccicack — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:05:58 +0000

TRAVIS CO-OP NEWS & MUSINGS
Q: What did the traffic light say to the tomato crossing?
A: “Don’t look now, I’m changing”

Back to our normal schedule of delivering fruits and veggies every Wednesday to our fabulous Travis teachers, staff and parents. This Wednesday, January 4th at 9PM is the deadline to order your veggies for next week. We will be on early dismissal hours next Wednesday from 12:30PM to 2PM. If you need to pick-up your veggies after 2PM please call or email me and make arrangements as I will gladly get your groceries to you. If you have the time, trek the kiddos over to Central City Co-op and check out where your veggies are coming from at 2515 Waugh in the Grace Lutheran Church from 9AM-6PM. They have an excellent selection of affordable local meats, coffee, dry goods, and local fruits and veggies.

Here’s what you can expect in tomorrow’s shares:

Fruit Shares

Apples, Granny Smith

Apples, Honeycrisp

Bananas

Grapefruit

Kiwi

Pears, Bartlett

Local Satsumas

Mixed Shares

Avocados

Beans, green

Local Bok Choy

Local Broccoli/Cauliflower mix

Celery

Local Kale

Lemons

Lettuce, Green Leaf

Local Lettuce, Salad Mix

Onions, Yellow

Local Radishes

Local Sweet Potatoes

Tomatoes, VINE

Friendly reminders:

Place your orders here: http://traviscoop.org/place-your-order/

If you would like to become a Travis Co-op Member you can add a Membership to your order at check out.

Please leave your labeled reusable grocery bags in the basket on the South wall marked Travis Co-op in the Community Room by Wednesday morning. TIP: Your veggies will stay fresher, longer with natural fiber like cotton canvas and brown paper bags versus the synthetic fiber and plastic bags.
If you ordered your share for this week, please don’t forget to pick it up in the Community Room from 2:30-6PM!

Easy Kid-Friendly Green Smoothie Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1 (or 2) fresh organic bananas

2 cups frozen or fresh organic strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, mangoes, kiwi (really whatever berries/fruit you have available – we love to mix and match)

1 – 3 cups (or as much as you can get away with) fresh organic kale, chard, mustard greens, dandelion greens, spinach, or any other greens – make sure you have a strong blender. Vitamix does an awesome job with hearty greens.

1 cup (or more to taste) organic Plain Kefir or yogurt made from any dairy or non-dairy milks (Cow, goat, coconut, rice, soy – all will work) or organic orange juice

1 cup Filtered Water

1/2 cup Apple Cider, preferably organic (during fall and winter you can get some delicious fresh-pressed cider from local Farmer’s Markets)

OPTIONAL 2 – 3 Tbsp Ground Chia, Hemp, or Flax Seeds

OPTIONAL 1- 2 Tbsp RAW honey (full of vital enzymes)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Throw in the bananas, berries/fruit choices, greens, kefir/yogurt, apple cider, water, ground seeds, and raw honey. If you are not using any frozen fruit, you should probably add some crushed ice to make it nice, cold, and refreshing!

2. Blend all together for about a minute, or until really creamy and smooth! You can add more liquid (kefir, organic juice, or water) to whatever your desired consistency is.

Source: Cooking It Allergy Free

Email me to sign-up to receive the Travis Co-op News in your inbox: ccicack @ gmail.com

Thank you and we’ll see you Wednesday!

Christina Cicack

Travis Co-op Organizer

http://traviscoop.org

Start an Organic Habit and Buy Local!

Last December Delivery: Dec 14th!!

ccicack — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:44:43 +0000

If you ordered a share with Travis Co-op PLEASE don’t forget to pick it up this Wednesday, Dec 14 in the Community Room between 2:30PM and 6PM! All orders not pick up will go to a family in need.

Please leave your labeled reusable grocery bags(preferably natural fiber) in the basket marked Travis Co-op in the Community Room by Wednesday morning.

We are taking orders for pick-up Wednesday, January 4th. The deadline to order is Wednesday, December 28th at 9PM. Place your orders here: http://traviscoop.org/place-your-order/

Travis Co-op will not be delivering Wednesday, December 21st or December 28th due to the Winter Holiday. You can place your orders at http://www.centralcityco-op.com/produce.html (Deadline Sunday 6pm before pick-up) or place your order at Central City Co-op located at 2515 Waugh. They are open 9AM-6PM on Wednesdays! Go check them out!

We are also offering Free Range Eggs from a local supplier for only $5. They are very delicious and you can see and taste the difference from our eggs and grocery bought eggs. You must pre-order this item, add them at checkout.

Announcements & Reminders

ccicack — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:57:33 +0000

If you ordered a share with Travis Co-op PLEASE don’t forget to pick it up tomorrow in the Community Room between 2:30PM and 6PM!

Please leave your labeled reusable grocery bags(preferably natural fiber) in the basket marked Travis Co-op in the Community Room by Wednesday morning.

We are taking orders for pick-up next Wednesday, December 7th. The deadline to order is this Wednesday, November 30th at 9PM. Place your orders here: http://traviscoop.org/place-your-order/

We are offering the Travis Garden Bonus which can be added to your weekly share for only $3 and can be paid in cash. Currently, the Travis Garden is abundant in basil, eggplant, and lettuce and we pick it the day you pick up your share! All proceeds go to support the Travis Garden.

We are also offering Free Range Eggs from a local supplier for only $5. They are very delicious and you can see and taste the difference from our eggs and grocery bought eggs. You must pre-order this item.