Aaron and Jeff chat with Tiffany Zook, a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Penn Manor High School, who shares how she turned military-style MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) into a hands-on cooking competition for her students. With help from an Army staff sergeant, the project gave students a taste of field rations and a big serving of creativity, collaboration, and practical skills.
Aaron and Jeff chat with Tiffany Zook, a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Penn Manor High School, who shares how she turned military-style MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) into a hands-on cooking competition for her students. With help from an Army staff sergeant, the project gave students a taste of field rations and a big serving of creativity, collaboration, and practical skills.
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Voiceover:
Welcome to Duty Free Lunch, the official podcast of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Join us as we unpack the issues that matter most to you. From cutting-edge classroom strategies to thought-provoking policy discussions, if it impacts PSEA members, it's on the menu.
Aaron Chapin:
Hello, and welcome to Duty Free Lunch. I'm PSEA President, Aaron Chapin. Sitting with me today, it's PSEA Vice President Jeff Ney. Jeff, welcome.
Jeff Ney:
Oh, gee, thank you for that welcome, Aaron. How are you doing?
Aaron Chapin:
I'm doing very well. It's the new year.
Jeff Ney:
It is a new year.
Aaron Chapin:
It's a new year. It's a new me.
Jeff Ney:
Is it going to be a new you?
Aaron Chapin:
No, not really.
Jeff Ney:
No, I didn't think so.
Aaron Chapin:
Do you have any resolutions for 2025? What are you going to do better in 2025?
Jeff Ney:
Actually, I do have a couple resolutions. I need to do a little bit better job of taking care of myself. I did a good job a little while ago, especially during the COVID, years when there was nothing else to do, and then I slipped. So I need to get back into it.
Aaron Chapin:
I look at you, you are just a chiseled...
Jeff Ney:
Go ahead. You want to finish that?
Aaron Chapin:
No, I don't want to.
Jeff Ney:
No, I don't think you want to.
Aaron Chapin:
No.
Jeff Ney:
Good thing this is only a podcast and not on video.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, that'll be coming down the road, listeners, because we're going to start recording in 2025, I think.
Jeff Ney:
Wow.
Aaron Chapin:
The guys sitting here, I'm not sure-
Jeff Ney:
They just perked up when you said 2025. You know it is 2025, right?
Aaron Chapin:
Well, we can do it in December, so-
Jeff Ney:
Oh, okay. All right.
Aaron Chapin:
I thought about trying to do some resolutions. I've got way too many things that are wrong with me.
Jeff Ney:
Well, I think one of everybody's resolutions is actually to eat a little bit better.
Aaron Chapin:
Maybe follow PSEA on Facebook?
Jeff Ney:
Maybe follow PSEA on Facebook.
Aaron Chapin:
That's right.
Jeff Ney:
Listening to our Duty Free Lunches?
Aaron Chapin:
Well, if they're listening right now, then they've already completed that resolution.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah.
Aaron Chapin:
Speaking of that resolution...
Jeff Ney:
Yeah.
Aaron Chapin:
... let's talk about today's guest.
Jeff Ney:
And eating better.
Aaron Chapin:
Okay.
Jeff Ney:
Well...
Aaron Chapin:
Maybe.
Jeff Ney:
Okay.
Aaron Chapin:
It depends.
Jeff Ney:
Okay.
Aaron Chapin:
I got nothing to say.
Jeff Ney:
We have a great guest though today.
Aaron Chapin:
We do have a great guest.
Jeff Ney:
Speaking of eating.
Aaron Chapin:
And she doesn't follow us on Facebook, but she's going to.
Jeff Ney:
She is.
Aaron Chapin:
She is promised. We're speaking today with Tiffany Zook. She's a Family & Consumer Sciences teacher at Penn Manor High School, which is not Penn's Manor.
Jeff Ney:
It's not.
Aaron Chapin:
Penn Manor High School. It's in the southern region, everybody. She teaches students in grades 9-12. And the last year, Tiffany did something amazing, really amazing. Fun, unique, and those are things we should be looking to do with our students at every opportunity. What she did, Jeff, she introduced an MRE cooking competition into her curriculum.
Jeff Ney:
Wow.
Aaron Chapin:
I know, it's pretty cool. Now, for those of you who don't know what MRE stands for, Jeff, did you know what MRE stands for before we were researching all this to get ready?
Jeff Ney:
I did. The outdoorsmen in me, I've had several MREs in my past.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, I was a Boy Scout back in the day. We had MREs too.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah.
Aaron Chapin:
That's right. For those of you out there like, "What are they talking about?" Meals ready to eat. And it's a staple in the military, maybe in the Boy Scouts every once in a while. But we can't give any more away, Jeff, because we got to talk to Tiffany. We got to say hello to her, and let her describe how this competition went. Sound good to you?
Jeff Ney:
Sounds great to me.
Aaron Chapin:
So let's welcome... You know what we need? Theme music to introduce the guests.
Jeff Ney:
Really? Maybe some applause?
Aaron Chapin:
Yeah. Once again, the communication guys are unimpressed. Let's welcome to the podcast, Tiffany Zook. How are you doing, Tiffany?
Tiffany Zook:
I'm doing great. How are you?
Aaron Chapin:
Well, I'm doing well. It's great to see you. For all you at home, we just started getting Zoom hooked up to our recording. So now we can actually look at our guests and have a conversation, which is a great addition. So we keep getting better with this podcast.
Jeff Ney:
I'm telling you, it's been fantastic. I can't wait for the next award we win.
Aaron Chapin:
I know. We might actually have to quit these jobs and go professional.
Jeff Ney:
That would be a great-
Aaron Chapin:
I know. I know. But welcome, Tiffany. Enough of this ridiculousness, we need to get right to it, because this is a really great idea. When I heard about this a few months ago, our communications team was talking about this, I was like, "Wow, this is amazing. We got to get her in." So again, for those who don't know, could you explain what an MRE, meal ready to eat, really is, and the significance to the military?
Tiffany Zook:
Yeah, so a meal ready to eat, it basically is a plastic pouch, and it is lightweight, and it's portable. It even has a heating element in it to... It's smokeless and flameless, so you're able to heat up your entree, we will call it, with just water.
And in your MRE, you're going to have a little accessory kit that might have some salt and pepper, and some forks and spoons. It also has, your main meal, it's going to have a sweet treat in it. A lot of times they'll even have some little condiments in it. There's a very coveted Tabasco sauce in the MREs that the students try to fight over.
Aaron Chapin:
Is it those little bottles? The little bottles?
Tiffany Zook:
They're tiny. They're about the size of your pinky.
Jeff Ney:
Oh.
Aaron Chapin:
Oh, yeah.
Tiffany Zook:
They're the cutest things ever. We actually use them as prizes at the end of our MRE challenge. So they win the coveted mini Tabasco sauce. But yeah, they'll have different flavor, different menus, like a chicken and gravy, spaghetti and meatballs. They might have a beef stew. They also will, each MRE contains... They're high in carbohydrates, and so most of our soldiers are going to eat probably two a day. Depending on their activity level, they may even have three a day. They have approximately about 1500 calories in them. Again, they're high in protein, like about 13% protein.
Aaron Chapin:
Wow.
Tiffany Zook:
And they're high in fat, so almost 40% fat in each MRE.
Aaron Chapin:
And so why are they important to the military?
Tiffany Zook:
To keep their energy up. This is going to be their meals. This isn't when they're going to a chow hall, this is when they're going to be deployed. And so they usually will carry about two weeks worth of MREs on them.
Aaron Chapin:
Oh, wow. Cool.
Tiffany Zook:
They'll be packing in with them.
Aaron Chapin:
Did not know that.
Jeff Ney:
And the portability of an MRE also comes into play, because as she says, Tiffany said, they come in these little plastic packets so you can carry them around with you. So I mean, we talk a lot about our family consumer science group, and how they are just starting to really blossom in a lot of our school districts. So why did you feel like incorporating MREs into this cooking challenge, into your curriculum, would be such a great idea? What came up? What was the brainchild behind all of that?
Tiffany Zook:
Yeah, so we were living in Florida for a while, and I saw an article that came out where some of the career and technical centers were hosting these big MRE challenges with local military coming in. And they were facing off against each other, the different TTCs. And I just thought, well, we could do this on a smaller scale. We're an FCS classroom. I have six kitchens, with about four students per kitchen.
Aaron Chapin:
Wow.
Tiffany Zook:
And so that was one of the, when I knew I was getting into the classroom, I said, "Oh, without a doubt, this is something I've got to bring back into the classroom." It was a great way to teach meal planning. It was a great way to incorporate how to bring in fresh fruits and vegetables into something that's highly processed. And just working with students having to do high levels of teamwork, especially in a crowded kitchen setting.
And I think the goal was too, to turn it into somewhat of a cooking show. Like when they're, "Running out of time," you see that all the time. And it's actually something that happens in this classroom very often, if not daily.
So the MRE challenge is basically taking that MRE and turning it into something elevated, something that has fresh components to it, turning it into something... So when the military that come into, we would work with the Marines, the Marine Corps, when they come back into judge, they actually say, "What MRE did you use? Because we see small elements of it, but we're not sure what you actually did with the highly packaged and highly processed MRE." So it looks like a gourmet dish.
Aaron Chapin:
What a brilliant idea. So you partnered with Staff Sergeant Dustin Giardo.
Tiffany Zook:
Giardo, yep.
Aaron Chapin:
How did his role enhance this project?
Tiffany Zook:
So we turned it into... I met him in the guidance office. That's where most of our recruiters go. And so I said, "Hey, I have this idea. I want to turn it into something at the high school. So let's just do it and let's see how it goes." And I have a very supportive administration. They're always talking about trying new things and unlocking new opportunities. So this was a perfect way to just do something unexpected in our classroom.
So he came in on that first day, and he did a presentation with some slides. He talked to the students about the history of MREs, and old C-rations, and how the MREs first came about in the '70s. And he talked about leaving no trace. Everything that they pack in with their MRE, they have to bring back with them. So we're not throwing trash around.
He talked about how it was a smokeless heating system. He talked about how there's a lot of trading. So if you get an MRE you don't like, then you're going to trade it with somebody else, and which things were the most coveted in the trading world? And I couldn't believe it, it was a powdered coffee that is in a little packet.
Jeff Ney:
Oh, yeah.
Tiffany Zook:
Is one of the most sought after elements in the MRE that is traded for.
Aaron Chapin:
How about that?
Jeff Ney:
Yeah.
Tiffany Zook:
Also, maybe a bag of Skittles. If you get that, that's kind of like the Holy Grail too. Yeah, so-
Jeff Ney:
Candy is always a big winner no matter how old you get.
Tiffany Zook:
Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think, because there was trading, we actually said, "That should be something we should do in the classroom." So we did the unboxing of an MRE. He taught us all the different components in them. And then we did some taste testing. And mixed reviews, we'll just say, on the taste testing of the MREs.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah, I could imagine that. Because not all of the MREs that I've experienced are absolutely wonderful. But go through a little bit more with us the structure of the MRE challenge that you're giving to these kids. I mean, from start to finish, is it one class period? Is it a semester? Give us that rundown of exactly what it is, start to finish.
Tiffany Zook:
Right. Yeah, sure. So it's a week long process. We start with Sergeant Giardo coming in. And some of the other recruiters, they'll come in and they'll basically do an unboxing presentation. And they'll talk to us about the MREs, the history. And then they'll talk a lot about too, some of the MREs that they tried in other countries, and how other countries actually trade MREs, which the students thought that was really interesting too. They would constantly ask, "What was your favorite MRE? Which MRE, which country did you like the most?"
And then we go through what's called the FTCLA Planning Process, and it's basically identifying concerns. They have to set goals together as a group. They have to form a plan. And that plan needs to be very seamless. Because, when you only have an hour to cook, then everyone has to do their part, and everybody needs to know exactly what they're going to do. So they basically spend a couple of days just planning out what they're doing. And then they also get $10 to add to their grocery budget.
So each kitchen secretively talks about what they're going to buy to add to their MRE. So they get about four MREs to unbox and whatever they get, you get. You get what you get and you don't get upset. And then the fun happens with the trading. They start trading off. They start thinking about flavor profiles, like, "Hey, we have a lot of rice and beans, and we have some of this stew, maybe we can mix this together. But we need more of it." So they start going into other kitchens and trying to finagle their way as to what they need.
One of my favorite trades was, one of the students traded for a cookie. And I said, "But you have a cookie in your MRE, why would you get another cookie?" They're like, "Because we're going to make a whoopie pie."
Aaron Chapin:
That's awesome. So it sounds like they have a lot of fun.
Tiffany Zook:
Yeah.
Aaron Chapin:
It sounds like a lot of great teamwork involved there, which is something really important to work on. So can you tell me some of the most creative standout dishes that the students prepared during this challenge?
Tiffany Zook:
Yeah, so one of them that actually ended up winning, so we usually see some of the basic, like tacos, they'll bring in a lot of fresh produce. So we look a lot at myplate.gov and how we need to really look at making our plate half fruits and vegetables. And I heard you talking about your resolutions. That would be a great one. Half your plate fruits and vegetables.
Jeff Ney:
Yep.
Tiffany Zook:
And so, if they're listening closely to when the Marines present in the beginning on that first day, they start to learn that they miss that. They miss fresh strawberries, or they might miss a salad. So if they're really tuning in, they will start to incorporate those fresh fruits and vegetables into the MRE challenge.
But one of them, one group got a packet of M&Ms. And they ordered some ice cream from their budget, and they ended up making an M&M chocolate protein, because they have protein powder in their MRE, and they made a milkshake. And when it was time for them to stop presenting and take the food away for the next group to present, the soldiers would not give up their milkshakes. So that was one of the ones, and they ended up winning-
Aaron Chapin:
Awesome.
Tiffany Zook:
... the whole challenge due to that creativity.
Jeff Ney:
It's like when I take Aaron to the farm show, he won't give up that milkshake at the farm show either.
Aaron Chapin:
It's too good.
Jeff Ney:
Well, so along with being able to help your students figure out what to put into the MRE, the actual meals themselves, there must be some other culinary skills that go along with preparing some of those foods. Are there any of those skills that your students gained through this process that might help them down the line?
Tiffany Zook:
Absolutely. I think, other than the culinary skills, we are looking at your knife skills, and your prep skills, and making sure everything is very food safety, looking at all our food safety regulations and working together, teamwork, huge. Time management. They have to keep their hot foods hot, they have to keep their cold foods cold, and they have to be ready to present as soon as one group is done. So the time management piece.
And making sure, it's just like a cooking show, time's up, knives down. They have to get right into being able to present. So public speaking-
Aaron Chapin:
Oh, okay.
Tiffany Zook:
... something that most of them have not done. They go up, they're literally presenting in front of guidance counselors, admins, soldiers. And they're like, it's on, we need to talk about how we incorporated... What's the nutritional value of what I added to this MRE? How did I recreate this MRE into something that's more unique? So yeah, I think all those skills are something that's going to transfer into their going right into the workforce.
Jeff Ney:
So I love the whoopie pie conversation. Were there any other moments, memorable moments, where the students surprised you with either their creativity, or maybe their problem solving abilities, that you were like, "Oh my goodness, yeah, these guys have moved it to the next level"?
Tiffany Zook:
Yeah, absolutely. One of them that stands out would be, they took a meatball and marinara MRE, and they ended up taking it, and they put it in the blender. And they blended it, and they added some other spices, and they turned it into a dipping sauce. And they made fresh breadsticks.
Jeff Ney:
Oh.
Tiffany Zook:
And that's when even the Marines were like, "What did you even use? We didn't even know what you used," because it looks so different when they blended it. And also, just the way that they plate things, it's almost like the charcuterie board of MREs.
Aaron Chapin:
Wow.
Tiffany Zook:
They'll bring things up all presented just beautifully. And they'll add some different garnish. And they'll even take, "Mrs. Zook, can you get a platter for us because we want to do this?" or, "We want to put the breadsticks in a basket."
Jeff Ney:
The presentation.
Tiffany Zook:
And the presentation, as soon as those MREs come up, and they're all plated differently, it's like one after another. They surprise me every time. I just kind of give them the idea, but they take it to a whole other level.
Jeff Ney:
I can imagine, because the military, they're opening up these MREs, and they're probably sitting in the dirtiest locations. Now these kids are putting it out on a presentation? That's awesome.
Aaron Chapin:
Oh, my God. Oh, my gosh. So what kind of feedback are you getting from the students? It sounds like they love it, but what kind of feedback are you getting from the students? Maybe some of the staff, the judges, what do they think about what you're doing here?
Tiffany Zook:
Overall, it's been really well received. And I think with the students, I think they just have an overwhelming sense of pride. Like, I did this, I did this with these people, in their kitchen groups. They get real competitive too. It's just playing Monopoly, they're cutthroat. They don't want other groups to know what they're doing. They make sure that nobody touches their stuff. They just get...
So when it's all said and done, and there's other materials that we do as well while they're doing this, and they turn in their materials, and they look at their action plan, and they kind of reevaluate. And I think the feedback is just, you just see the pride in their face. They're so excited that they did this.
But as a teacher, I do this probably halfway through our course. It's kind of hard to top it after that. You know, like, "Oh, great. What's next? How can I beat that?" And I know the staff has been real supportive. I think I'm just, yeah, I would love to see it turn into maybe where we can compete against some other high school [inaudible 00:19:20]-
Aaron Chapin:
I was just thinking, this would be a great state competition.
Jeff Ney:
It would be.
Aaron Chapin:
This would be great. Look, even within your area of the southern region of Pennsylvania, I think this would be great, where every school, they have their own competition. Then you got to go on and have a bigger one. I think it'd be great.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah.
Aaron Chapin:
Maybe PSCA can sponsor that.
Jeff Ney:
Well, that'd be wonderful.
Tiffany Zook:
[inaudible 00:19:39].
Jeff Ney:
I think we could do that. So how many years have you been doing this actual MRE challenge program?
Tiffany Zook:
So this is my second year. And so we've run it each semester. And I plan to do it each semester. And as long as we have our military backing, they usually bring in probably two cases of MREs.
Jeff Ney:
Oh, okay.
Tiffany Zook:
So we have a lot to choose from.
Aaron Chapin:
Wow.
Tiffany Zook:
And it's kind of a blind, I just put them in each kitchen. I put about four or five different MREs in each kitchen, and then the unboxing begins. So I'd love to capture more on some video so we can share that with you down the road.
Aaron Chapin:
That'd be awesome.
Jeff Ney:
It would be awesome. It would be awesome.
Aaron Chapin:
So guess what, Jeff?
Jeff Ney:
Is it that time?
Aaron Chapin:
It's pop quiz time.
Jeff Ney:
It's pop quiz time. So you're not going to get graded, so don't worry about it.
Tiffany Zook:
Okay.
Jeff Ney:
But I'm going to put you in the realm of the military, and you are stuck eating an MRE, the same MRE for two weeks. Now I know which one that I would pick, the one that I did the trading with all of my buddies when I went camping and stuff like that, I know the one that I would always go to. Which MRE would you choose to eat for two weeks?
Tiffany Zook:
Okay, so my favorite, I'm going to go with, and this is, I think, one of the military favorites from when the students asked, I'm going with chicken chunks.
Jeff Ney:
Oh, the chicken chunks.
Tiffany Zook:
Chicken chunk. It comes with an apple cinnamon protein bar. It comes with some little beef jerky, some cheese spread that's kind like a Velveeta, little fake cheese. And some tortillas, some little dried kernels, like corn kernels to snack on. It has the coffee. It's got some gum. And it has, probably, the little mini Tabasco. So chicken chunk all day long.
Jeff Ney:
I was a big fan of the beef stew. I very much enjoyed the beef stew. It did come with the coffee packet. So if you mix the coffee with the beef stew, it enhanced the gravy.
Aaron Chapin:
All right. Well, I have an important question. Are these gluten-free? Are there gluten-free options?
Tiffany Zook:
I'm not sure, but you can trade all your gluten crackers and things for something more desirable.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah, because it's high carb intake that you're doing it, it might be a little bit difficult to find.
Aaron Chapin:
So I'm out of luck?
Jeff Ney:
You might be out of luck. That's probably why you didn't go into the military.
Aaron Chapin:
That's one of the reasons why.
Jeff Ney:
That's one of the reasons.
Aaron Chapin:
One of the reasons. I don't know, look, this is one of the reasons why doing this podcast is a lot of fun, because we get to hear about these cool stories happening in our school districts all around the state. I never heard anything like this before.
Jeff Ney:
It's always a surprise. Every corner of the state that we turn, we find somebody just like Tiffany who's doing something outstanding, and probably she never thought twice about it, goes, "Oh, this sounds like a great idea." But this is absolutely fun, and I hope to all the members get inspired by the stuff that you're doing.
Aaron Chapin:
And look, it's a great example, learning, look, it's tough sometimes, but it can be fun. We all know this out there. And I love hearing these fun examples of real life being put into the classroom. And Tiffany, you should be commended on this. This is just one of the best things I've heard in a long time. I was going to say this year, but it's-
Jeff Ney:
Yeah, it's very early this year.
Aaron Chapin:
... a very early year. But it's an amazing thing. So hats off to you, and I hope you keep doing this for a while. And I'm thinking about doing this for my wife. I'm going to give her an MRE for lunch.
Jeff Ney:
Oh.
Aaron Chapin:
I pack your lunch when I'm home.
Jeff Ney:
You know what? Let me know how that turns out.
Aaron Chapin:
I'm going to pack her an MRE.
Jeff Ney:
You know what, could you pack one for Molly too and see how that goes with you as well?
Aaron Chapin:
That'd be great. Well, get ready, ladies. Well, unfortunately, that is it. We are over time on this one, as always it seems lately. Our guest today is Tiffany Zook of Penn Manor. Thank you again. It's been great talking to you about these MREs. Thanks for what you're doing for your kids. Thanks for joining us.
Tiffany Zook:
Thank you for hosting me.
Aaron Chapin:
You got it. And check this out. Check out doing maybe this in your own classroom.
Jeff Ney:
Right?
Aaron Chapin:
I love FCS teachers. Oh man, I had a good time when I was back in middle school. O&J Roberts, we had a FCS classroom. It was one of the best times. I love that. Loved that class. Did you ever do one of those?
Jeff Ney:
I did. I did a sewing class.
Aaron Chapin:
Yep.
Jeff Ney:
And made a wonderful little stuffed animal.
Aaron Chapin:
I still have one down in the basement.
Jeff Ney:
I do as well.
Aaron Chapin:
But we did great fun cooking. I loved that class. One of my favorite memories of middle school.
Jeff Ney:
Yes, absolutely.
Aaron Chapin:
All right. Anyway, that's it. Thanks to all of our listeners for tuning in. You got some feedback for us, maybe you don't want us to talk so much, send us an email by, you got to write it to podcast@psea.org. I'm Aaron Chapin.
Jeff Ney:
And I'm Jeff Ney.
Aaron Chapin:
And you have been listening to Duty Free Lunch. Bye for now.
Voiceover:
You've been listening to Duty Free Lunch with the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Visit psea.org/podcast to learn more. And don't forget to subscribe and share. Paid for by the Pennsylvania State Education Association.