Nourish Nova Scotia presents:
What’s for Lunch?
Nova Scotia Recipes to Cook and Enjoy Together
Hungry for something fun? Get cooking with our cookbook, a joyful collection of most-loved recipes from school food programs.
What’s For Lunch? is a special family cookbook made by Nourish Nova Scotia. It’s filled with favourite recipes, fun stories, and colourful artwork, all inspired by school food programs across the province.
English and French (digital and print) – Available Now!
Please allow 2-4 weeks after the publishing date for delivery of print books.
All proceeds from the sale of this book go directly to supporting school healthy eating programs in Nova Scotia, such as breakfast and snack, cooking clubs, and school gardens.
Whether you’re a new cook, a young chef, or a family learning together in the kitchen, What’s for Lunch? invites you to bake up a Handmade Pizza, create a Picnic Plate, make a big batch of Breakfast Sandwiches, or stir up some Butter Chicken! Each easy-to-follow recipe comes with tasty ideas for toppings, sides, and simple swaps to make it just right for you and your family.
Within its pages, you will meet some of the inspiring folks behind Nova Scotia’s made-from-scratch school lunches, explore where local food ingredients come from, and discover bite-sized fun facts to spark curiosity. Colourful illustrations by students at Oxford School in Halifax and beloved local illustrator Emma FitzGerald bring it all to life!
Now, let’s get cooking! Order your copy of What’s for Lunch?
Support this Fundraiser
Help us get the word out about What’s for Lunch? or sponsor a copy for someone else. We want to get the cookbook into as many hands as possible and raise funds for school food programs in Nova Scotia – here’s how you can support:
- Spread the Word: Distribute our printable flyers or share on social media using our templates.
- Make Cookbook Donation: Help us in making What’s for Lunch?” available to all by sponsoring a cookbook.
- Sign up for our Newsletter: Stay up to date on cookbook promotions and events.
Learn more about how you can support here.
"In my opinion food, and even more so, cooking, is one of life’s greatest pleasures. I am so proud to see this amazing initiative in our province and can’t wait to see more young people cooking at home! Let’s get Nova Scotia cookin’!"
– Andy Hay of Andy’s East Coast Kitchen
As part of our “Stories from the Ground” series on School Food, here’s what students and the school community are saying:
“I wanted to highlight a great example of collaboration and integration between our food service staff and students at Islands. Lawna Sullivan and Cheryl Boushey have been working closely with Grade 5 students on a project that connects classroom learning with the Provincial Lunch Program. The students gathered data on meal preferences and created charts and graphs to showcase their findings. This initiative not only helps students develop important skills like data collection and analysis, but it also strengthens the connection between food services and the school community. It’s fantastic to see our food service staff engaging with students in such a meaningful way, helping them understand the role of nutrition and meal planning in their daily lives.”
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School Food Program Lead
“I’m a grade 5 teacher at a rural school, and the lunch program is going really well here! Students are trying new things and are excited when their favourite meals come around. The salad bar is a huge hit as well. I love that there is no longer a scramble to make sure everyone has a lunch. Every student is welcome to eat, no questions asked. It may seem like a small thing but it really means so much.”
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Teacher
“Beyond access to food, this program has also encouraged students to try new foods and expand their palates. Kids who were once considered picky eaters are finishing their meals and even asking for extra vegetables! I’ve seen students excitedly encouraging their friends to try something new, which is amazing to witness.”
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School Food Program Lead
“Love love love it! It’s made my life so much easier and my kids have loved it! I can not express for very moms how helpful this is! It’s truly worth every penny, there’s been like 2 things my oldest hasn’t liked, so far both my kids (6 and 9) have liked it!”
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Parent
“Overall, this year has been about building the systems, partnerships, and production capacity needed to support large-scale school lunch delivery in HRM, while keeping as much of the program as possible rooted in the local community. This work continues as we learn more and more about each individual school we work with, tailoring to their needs so that this program has as much success as possible.”