Week 3: the Purdue Adventures Continue

Done with week 3 and halfway through week 4 – Whoa! Each week brings so many new projects, and it all just flies by. During week 3 at Purdue, Bianca and I experienced everything from event planning to petting farm animals to filming videos.

During week three, we began brainstorming and developing plans for Purdue’s “No Impact Meal,” to occur this fall. The direction and inspiration for this meal is coming from the University-selected common read book for all incoming freshman, No Impact Man.  This book - focused on sustainability, eating locally and seasonally, and enjoying living in the moment rather than cutting corners – has sent us on our way to planning an urban farmers market-themed meal, complete with repurposed trash sculpture art and a focus on mindful eating. Just beginning this process has already shown us how important interdepartmental collaboration is in a university food setting. Meeting with staff members from Marketing, Dining, Sustainability, and Residential Life has sent us off running with new ideas – now we just need to pull it all together!

Remember this photo? Our artful inspiration

Related to our sustainable meal planning, we visited the Purdue Student Farm, complete with vegetables, herbs, and friendly farm animals. The amount of fresh produce and herbs was very cool to see, and the animals brought a little personality to our visit. The runner ducks squabbled like little old men and the red wobble hogs rolled around by the fence, just waiting to be pet and scratched with stray twigs. We are hoping to partner with the farm in the fall to utilize some of their fresh produce for the No Impact Meal. That means it is time to start developing some tasty recipes with kale and potatoes. We are happy to report that our fuzzy and feathered friends below will not be part of the meal.

                                      

We also switched gears a bit and had opportunities to do some work in nutrition-focused environments. Bianca and I met with Carrie Anderson (a dining court supervisor, nutritionist and food allergy specialist at Purdue) and her nutrition committee to develop nutrition modules that will be presented throughout the fall semester.  For the months of October and November, we have begun planning programs for portion control and coping with stress eating. Who doesn’t love a good comfort snack when school projects are kicking our butts? Carrie also taught us about the safety measures in place for students with food allergies. To differentiate between normal cookware and cookware used for special diet needs, special utensils and pans are colored purple as an easy indicator to show that food are being prepared properly without cross contact.  To bring awareness to proper food handling and preparation in the dining facilities, we helped Carrie create a storyboard and shoot a video that will be available as a training resource for faculty, staff, and students.

One of my favorite days of week 3 was touring the athletic training facilities and athlete dining room. A lot goes into making sure that the athletes are provided with nutrient-dense foods to meet their energy needs. After helping deliver crates on crates on crates of chocolate milk and yogurt to the training facilities, we helped pack snacks that are delivered to the athletes throughout the week. Lots of nuts, peanut butter, apples, granola bars, and bagels for protein and energy for those Purdue athletes!

Mackey Arena - Go Boilermakers!

Indoor practice field at Mollenkopf Athletic Center

With a wonderful 3-day weekend, Bianca and I both had the chance to travel home and spend a little time with our families. My wild and crazy Saturday was spent with none other than my adorable nephew :)

Holly