Catalyst is excited to offer new Mini Training Grants to support youth involvement in nutrition and physical activity incentives.  Since Catalyst is about Minnesota teens in action, we want to give groups of motivated teens up to $1,000 for taking charge in their schools and community.  Catalyst “Activate: U” Mini Training Grants will be awarded to applicants willing to take a stand, make a change in their community and have a lot of fun at...

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  In an effort to tackle national obesity, the FDA's draft guidelines require any businesses with more than 20 locations to post the calorie information in the same size type as the menu item or price. By Andrew Zajac, Tribune Washington Bureau August 25, 2010 Many chain restaurants and vending machines would have to display the number of calories in their food for consumers under draft guidelines released Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration....

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    This is a super interesting web series about our food system, how it works, and how to make it better. From their website. The Perennial Plate is an online weekly documentary series dedicated to socially responsible and adventurous eating.  The episodes follow the culinary, agricultural and hunting explorations of chef and activist, Daniel Klein.  Taking place over a calendar year in Minneapolis, Minnesota as well as the surrounding food source destinations, Daniel takes...

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  By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY On his first day on the job as director of food and nutrition for Baltimore City Schools, chef Tony Geraci brought in 40,000 pounds of tree-ripened, Maryland-grown peaches for students. On that day two years ago, he sat in the cafeteria with several second-graders who were eating fresh peaches for the first time in their lives. "One was rubbing a peach along his face, and I said, 'It's supposed to...

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Hey guys! We need your help! We're planning out our next school year and want to hear what you think! We're getting together at Catalyst headquarters to get your brilliant ideas of how we can make a huge impact next year in YOUR area. Come join us! Save the Date!! July 28th - Catalyst Headquarters - 2942 Pleasant Ave S. Minneapolis, MN, 55408 12:00-8:00pm We'll meet at Catalyst at Noon, eat some lunch, then start...

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We are looking for 5 new students to join the Catalyst youth board, and YOU could be one of them! Youth Board members help plan the Catalyst summit, other fun events, and travel the state with Catalyst staff to help present workshops and trainings. Awesome, right? Bottom line, the Youth Board is a big deal! It's a great opportunity, but ladies and gentlemen it is also a commitment.  Here's an idea of some of the...

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The 2010 Catalyst Summit is in the books, and it was fantastic. Thanks to everyone who came, helped put it on, and made a really fantastic event. The youth board did a fantastic job planning and training at the summit, and went over sessions like Food Marketing, Catalyst Cooking, and Food Myths. Here are some photo's from the event, and the terribly awesome video we made.  All of the photo's are here.  Obesity and inactivity...

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http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_15291194?nclick_check=1 Student group creates life-size bar graph to illustrate deadliness of obesity Students take over a city park and — using a life-size bar graph — show the toll of obesity. By Maricella Miranda  mmiranda@pioneerpress.com Updated: 06/13/2010 11:10:57 PM CDT Denzel Kingsbury knows firsthand the effects of an unhealthy diet. His grandmother, who was an overweight smoker, died five years ago from a heart attack at age 57, Kingsbury said. The 17-year-old now is educating others...

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Miriam Snyder and I got another oppurtunity to promote the summit and talk about some of the work she had done at her Henry Sibley High school. It turned out sweeeet!  

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  Total Time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 10-ounce pack of frozen peas 1 small ripe avocado 1 cup prepared salsa Packaged guacamole spices 3 garlic cloves Squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice Preparation: Cook peas according to package instructions. Empty into a colander, drain and rinse with cold water. Place peas, avocado, spices, and garlic in a blender and blend to desired consistency. Spoon into a bowl with salsa. Add a squeeze of lime juice, stir...

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