Nutrition
Dairy in the First 1,000 Days
By Darcy MacLean: UMaine Dietetic Intern with the Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council As a society, we cherish the early stages of a child’s life. An important part of this time is the nutrition that we provide our children to set them up for long, healthy lives. Specifically, these first 1,000 days, between pregnancy and … Continued
Fueling Your Body with Three Servings of Dairy Daily
At the start of 2025, I took time to look at my habits over the last year (like most people do) and analyze what had a positive impact. One simple but effective habit that I paid attention to last year was eating three servings of dairy a day. Dairy foods are loaded with nutrients that … Continued
Protein Cottage Cheese Buffalo Chicken Dip
Cottage Cheese Buffalo Chicken Dip This recipe is inspired by Miranda Galati, real life nutritionist. You can find her original recipe here. It takes a classic recipe that everyone loves and changes out some ingredients for more protein in every serving. Ingredients 2 cups shredded chicken breast 1 cup cottage cheese, blended if desired 1 cup plain Greek yogurt ½ cup Buffalo wing sauce … Continued
Making the Most of the Fall Harvest
By Kayla Raymond, UMaine Dietetic Intern with the Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council You may not want to hear this, but summer is winding down and fall is right around the corner! As sad as it is to say farewell to summer, there is so much to look forward to in this coming season. The … Continued
Cottage Cheese Queso
Cottage Cheese Queso Ingredients 16 oz cottage cheese 4 oz diced green chiles 1 ½ cup shredded cheese 1-2 cloves garlic ½ lime 1 tbsp taco seasoning For garnish – cilantro and lime zest Instructions Step 1 Add cottage cheese, diced green chiles, shredded cheese, garlic cloves, taco seasoning and the juice of half … Continued
RESOURCES
Dairy Through the Lifespan Dairy for Older Adults (60+) Dairy for Adults (19-59) Dairy for Teens (13-18) Dairy for Grade School (6-12) Dairy for Preschoolers (2-5) Dairy for Toddlers (12-23 months) Dairy for Infants (6-11 months) Dairy for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Snacking with Dairy Fun ways to incorporate dairy daily into your snacks and meals. … Continued
What People Have to Say
Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council works with schools across the state, offering grants each year for needed school nutrition equipment.
Tina Fabian, RSU 3
The milk barrels were a fun and engaging marketing tool to showcase milk. Displaying them at the end of our serving line had a noticeable impact, encouraging more students to choose milk with their meals. We sincerely appreciate the support of the Maine Dairy Council in helping make this possible!
Denise Tapley, RSU 89
The coolers were extremely useful to our program, besides use in the regular summer program. The kids thought they were super cool and awesome looking! We appreciate your organization so much and love our coolers.
Wendy McDonald, Orrington and Dedham
The students love seeing the milk in the milk barrels and picking it up themselves. They like that the milk is so cold- that has really surprised them how cold the barrels keep the milk.
Ellen Dore, RSU 16
As always, the Maine Dairy Council goes above and beyond to help Maine children receive the nutrition they need. RSU 16 has benefited from their help and guidance for many years. From smoothie blenders to milk barrels and of course my personal favorite the red summer feeding cooler bags!! Our kiddos always recognize the round cow barrels mean grab a milk to start your meal!
Cyndi Kimball, Easton
This piece of equipment is the coolest—both figuratively and literally. The students truly enjoy having access to the yogurt bar, especially with the fresh fruit mix-ins. Honestly, we didn’t realize just how much yogurt we were going through until we saw the distributor’s numbers. It's clearly a big hit!
Tammy Conners, RSU 74
We have been fortunate to be able to receive coolers when needed for many years. The coolers are a must to serve meals off site and away from our cafeterias (summer meals, field trips or simply spring picnics outside.) The size is much safer for staff to carry than a large chest cooler and we do pack reasonably even though the coolers can hold a full crate of milk. Your support is very much appreciated!
