Another good idea...........

Always find a way to incorporate veggies. Even on pizza ! 

                                           

Happy Holidays !!!

I love this idea ! It's cute and the kids will enjoy making it. All you need is some snow peas. red pepper, sesame seeds, yellow pepper for the star and hummus.  Making this today after school.  Enjoy !

                                           

What's for lunch 12/21/12

Oven Baked Breaded Chicken Tenders
Whole Wheat Dinner Roll
Sweet Potato Wedge
Fresh Fruit

No Salad bar today due to upcoming vacation break.

Ok..... so this is one of my least favorite meals.  I know its the last day before the break but..... this is mostly processed food.  Check out the ingredients. 

Tenders -- in other words, nuggets. The chicken is from Tyson. The ingredients are: Chicken breast tenderloins, water, modified food starch, sodium phosphates, salt. PREDUSTED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), wheat gluten, salt. BATTERED WITH: Water, enriched bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), modified corn starch, salt, dextrose, spices, garlic powder, xanthan gum, oleoresin paprika and annatto. BREADED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt, spices, garlic powder, extractives of paprika, natural flavors (spice extractives). Breading set in vegetable oil.  The serving size of two pieces - which is what elementary students get - has 14g of fat and 580mg of sodium.


The sweet potato wedges are from McCain. The ingredients are: Sweet Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following Oils: Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Corn), Corn Starch - Modified. Contains 2% or less of Annatto (color), Beta Carotene (color), Caramel Color, Corn Starch, Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Natural Flavor (Contains Wheat), Rice Flour, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate Added To Maintain Natural Color, Sugar, Tapioca Dextrin, Xanthan Gum. Enough said. 

The fruit is fresh. If your child has to buy lunch the sandwich bar is the only option I would consider.  If your child is vegetarian the quesadilla is an option.  If you child is gluten free send in lunch.  

I wish everyone a joyous holiday season and a happy HEALTHY new year !!! 

                                                

What's for lunch 12/20/12

Chicken Parmigiana Hero or Plate
Whole Wheat Rotini Marinara
Broccoli with Garlic and Oil
Fresh Fruit 


For the chicken, the sauce is a Red Pack vitamin enhanced tomato sauce. The sodium at 140mg is much lower than we previously used.  Here are the ingredients: Tomato Concentrate (Water, Tomato Paste), Sugar, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Onion Powder, Salt, Citric Acid, Spice, Garlic Powder, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Black Pepper, Vitamin E (DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Natural Flavor, Vitamin A (Retinol Palmitate).

The chicken itself is a pre-cooked breaded Tyson chicken product. The ingredients are: Boneless, skinless chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, modified food starch, sodium phosphates, salt. PREDUSTED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), wheat gluten, salt. BATTERED WITH: Water, enriched bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), modified corn starch, salt, dextrose, spices, garlic powder, xanthan gum, oleoresin paprika and annatto. BREADED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt, spices, garlic powder, extractives of paprika, natural flavors (spice extractives). Breading set in vegetable oil.  Their serving size has 10g of fat (2 of which are saturated) and 620 mg of sodium.  The pasta is whole grain.  The broccoli is fresh and made with garlic and oil. The fruit is fresh as well. 


When your kids are not buying lunch at school what are they bringing in to eat ?? I often send the left overs from the night before or some sort of a whole wheat or brown rice wrap for my GF girl.  I put lots of veggie's in the wrap.  Instead of lettuce I will put baby spinach or baby kale.  No one is the wiser and they eat it !! Give it a try. 

What's for lunch 12/191/12

     Applegate 
The Great Organic Beef
        Hotdog
Long Island Roasted Potatoes
Sauerkraut- Baby Carrots
         Fresh Fruit 


If you are going to have a hot dog , this is the hot dog to have.  It is Applegate and Organic. But remember people, it is still a hot dog.   The ingredients are just: beef, water, sea salt, less than 2% of the following: celery juice, sodium lactate (from beets), lactic acid starter culture (not from milk), onion powder, spices, garlic powder, paprika. They have 6g of fat(2.5g saturated) and 380 mg of sodium. They are dairy-, casein- and gluten-free. They promote it as nitrate-free but this NYT article indicates the nitrate issue is tricky - and cites the company saying their bacon has the same level (naturally) of cancer-causing nitrates as conventional brands.  You may also not want your kids growing up thinking hot dogs are a good lunch given the potential link between processed meats and cancer. The bun is whole wheat.  The potatoes are local and roasted with herbs. 

I am not clear on the ingredients of the sauerkraut. If I were to guess, it is processed either from a can or a refrigerated package. We don't use much in a can anymore so I am guessing that is it not. The baby carrots and fruit are fresh and as always the salad bar is available and a very good choice. 

What's for lunch 12/18/12

SOUVLAKI PLATE
Marinated Chicken with sweet peppers and onions
in a warm pita with Tzatiziki sauce
Corn Cobettes
Fresh Fruit 

The chicken is a USDA commodity food from Tyson.  I am assuming it is the same types of strips they use in the fajita just seasoned with other things.  The pita is whole wheat and the Tzatiziki sauce is homemade with yogurt.  I don't have a lot of details on this meal and need to do some investigating.  

Although this is a popular dish with the Middle Schooler's, I am not a fan of any chicken from the government.  The USDA that is. So, I would opt for the salad bar or even the sandwich bar.  


Looking for an easy meal to make for dinner.  Try Lentil sloppy joes.  They are GF without the roll. Dairy free ? Skip the cheese. 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper (red or green), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dried brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 8 ounces ground beef
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 6 whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted
• 6 slices cheddar cheese
• Sliced pickles and/or pickled jalapeno peppers, for topping (optional)
• Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, bell pepper and 2 tablespoons ketchup and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the lentils, oregano and 4 cups water; bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the lentils are tender and the water is absorbed, 35 to 40 minutes (add up to 1 more cup water if necessary). Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and the remaining 6 tablespoons ketchup and cook, stirring, until combined. Add the lentil mixture and 1 cup water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft and the mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Fill the buns with the cheese and lentil mixture. Top with pickles and/or pickled jalapenos.

What's for lunch 12/14/12

TRATTORIA FRIDAY
Baked Ziti
    or
Chicken Parmagiana Hero
Whole Grain Bun
Caesar Salad
Fresh Fruit

The ziti is a white flour pasta with some protein by Barilla Plus. The ingredients are:  Semolina, Grain and Legume Flour, Blend (Lentils, Chickpeas, Egg Whites, Spelt, Barley, Flaxseed, Oat Fiber, Oats), Durum Flour, Niacin, Iron (Ferrous Sulfate), Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid.

The sauce is a Red Pack vitamin enhanced tomato sauce. The sodium at 140mg is much lower than we previously used.  Here are the ingredients: Tomato Concentrate (Water, Tomato Paste), Sugar, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Onion Powder, Salt, Citric Acid, Spice, Garlic Powder, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Black Pepper, Vitamin E (DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Natural Flavor, Vitamin A (Retinol Palmitate).

The chicken itself is a pre-cooked breaded Tyson chicken product. The ingredients are: Boneless, skinless chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, modified food starch, sodium phosphates, salt. PREDUSTED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), wheat gluten, salt. BATTERED WITH: Water, enriched bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), modified corn starch, salt, dextrose, spices, garlic powder, xanthan gum, oleoresin paprika and annatto. BREADED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt, spices, garlic powder, extractives of paprika, natural flavors (spice extractives). Breading set in vegetable oil.  Their serving size has 10g of fat (2 of which are saturated) and 620 mg of sodium.  

The bread is whole grain.The caesar salad is pretty clear - romaine is a traditional choice for caesar but also more nutritious than iceberg. The Caesar salad dressing is organic by Chelten. Here are the ingredients: filtered water, organic soybean oil, organic white vinegar, organic Parmesan cheese (pasteurized organic cow's milk, salt, cheese cultures, microbial enzymes, organic potato starch), pasteurized organic frozen whole egg yolks, salt, organic sugar, organic ground mustard seed, organic garlic powder organic onion powder, organic black pepper, xanthan gum.  (in 2 tbsp - 8 g fat, 160 mg sodium).  

The salad bar is available and I feel the best choice if you are buying lunch tomorrow. Boar's head cold cuts are available at the sandwich bar.

Do your kids drink Gatorade, Powerade ?? Then you should read this. From the NY Times today. 

Drink Ingredient Gets a Look

James Edward Bates for The New York Times

Sarah Kavanagh, 15, of Hattiesburg, Miss., started an online petition asking PepsiCo to change Gatorade’s formula.

By STEPHANIE STROM

Published: December 12, 2012

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Sarah Kavanagh and her little brother were looking forward to the bottles of Gatorade they had put in the refrigerator after playing outdoors one hot, humid afternoon last month in Hattiesburg, Miss.

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James Edward Bates for The New York Times

A petition on Change.org asks for the removal of brominated vegetable oil from Gatorade.

But before she took a sip, Sarah, a dedicated vegetarian, did what she often does and checked the label to make sure no animal products were in the drink. One ingredient, brominated vegetable oil, caught her eye.

“I knew it probably wasn’t from an animal because it had vegetable in the name, but I still wanted to know what it was, so I Googled it,” Ms. Kavanagh said. “A page popped up with a long list of possible side effects, including neurological disorders and altered thyroid hormones. I didn’t expect that.”

She threw the product away and started a petition on Change.org, a nonprofit Web site, that has almost 200,000 signatures. Ms. Kavanagh, 15, hopes her campaign will persuadePepsiCo, Gatorade’s maker, to consider changing the drink’s formulation.

Jeff Dahncke, a spokesman for PepsiCo, noted that brominated vegetable oil had been deemed safe for consumption by federal regulators. “As standard practice, we constantly evaluate our formulas and ingredients to ensure they comply with federal regulations and meet the high quality standards our consumers and athletes expect — from functionality to great taste,” he said in an e-mail.

In fact, about 10 percent of drinks sold in the United States contain brominated vegetable oil, including Mountain Dew, also made by PepsiCo; Powerade, Fanta Orange and Fresca from Coca-Cola; and Squirt and Sunkist Peach Soda, made by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

The ingredient is added often to citrus drinks to help keep the fruit flavoring evenly distributed; without it, the flavoring would separate.

Use of the substance in the United States has been debated for more than three decades, so Ms. Kavanagh’s campaign most likely is quixotic. But the European Union has long banned the substance from foods, requiring use of other ingredients. Japan recently moved to do the same.

“B.V.O. is banned other places in the world, so these companies already have a replacement for it,” Ms. Kavanagh said. “I don’t see why they don’t just make the switch.” To that, companies say the switch would be too costly.

The renewed debate, which has brought attention to the arcane world of additive regulation, comes as consumers show increasing interest in food ingredients and have new tools to learn about them. Walmart’s app, for instance, allows access to lists of ingredients in foods in its stores.

Brominated vegetable oil contains bromine, the element found in brominated flame retardants, used in things like upholstered furniture and children’s products. Research has found brominate flame retardants building up in the body and breast milk, and animal and some human studies have linked them to neurological impairment, reduced fertility, changes in thyroid hormones and puberty at an earlier age.

Limited studies of the effects of brominated vegetable oil in animals and in humans found buildups of bromine in fatty tissues. Rats that ingested large quantities of the substance in their diets developed heart lesions.

Its use in foods dates to the 1930s, well before Congress amended the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to add regulation of new food additives to the responsibilities of the Food and Drug Administration. But Congress exempted two groups of additives, those already sanctioned by the F.D.A. or the Department of Agriculture, or those experts deemed “generally recognized as safe.”

The second exemption created what Tom Neltner, director of the Pew Charitable Trusts’ food additives project, a three-year investigation into how food additives are regulated, calls “the loophole that swallowed the law.” A company can create a new additive, publish safety data about it on its Web site and pay a law firm or consulting firm to vet it to establish it as “generally recognized as safe” — without ever notifying the F.D.A., Mr. Neltner said.

About 10,000 chemicals are allowed to be added to foods, about 3,000 of which have never been reviewed for safety by the F.D.A., according to Pew’s research. Of those, about 1,000 never come before the F.D.A. unless someone has a problem with them; they are declared safe by a company and its handpicked advisers.

“I worked on the industrial and consumer products side of things in the past, and if you take a new chemical and put it into, say, a tennis racket, you have to notify the E.P.A. before you put it in,” Mr. Neltner said, referring to the Environmental Protection Agency. “But if you put it into food and can document it as recognized as safe by someone expert, you don’t have to tell the F.D.A.”

Michael R. Taylor, deputy commissioner for food and veterinary medicine at the agency, said: “From our standpoint, we do need to look at whether this regime established by Congress almost 60 years ago gives us the information we need. It would be desirable for F.D.A. to have more information on products being added to food.”

The F.D.A. is aware of the controversy surrounding brominated vegetable oil. It took the ingredient off its list of substances “generally recognized as safe” in 1970, after the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association revoked its approval of it. The group’s expert panel is the primary body for evaluating the safety of flavoring substances added to food; if it rules something is “generally recognized as safe,” the F.D.A. goes along.

John Halligan, senior adviser and general counsel to the organization, said that during the late 1960s and early 1970s, the expert panel was reviewing many older additives that had been grandfathered into “generally recognized as safe” status when the federal law was changed.

“They came to B.V.O. and there had been some new studies done which weren’t definitive,” he said. “The panel looked at data and said it doesn’t look like we have an adequate database here to conclude this substance is generally recognized as safe, so they revoked its status.”

Subsequently, Patricia El-Hinnawy, a spokeswoman for the F.D.A, wrote in an e-mail, the agency asked the association to do studies on brominated vegetable oil in mice, rats, dogs and pigs. She said that the organization made “several submissions of safety data” to the F.D.A. while those studies were going on, roughly from 1971 to 1974.

“F.D.A. determined that the totality of evidence supported the safe use of B.V.O. in fruit-flavored beverages up to 15 parts per million,” Ms. El-Hinnawy wrote.

That ruling, made in 1977, was supposed to be interim, pending more studies, but 35 years later it is unchanged. “Any change in the interim status of B.V.O. would require an expenditure of F.D.A.’s limited resources, which is not a public health protection priority for the agency at this time,” Ms. El-Hinnawy wrote.

Meanwhile, no further testing has been done. While most people have limited exposure to brominated vegetable oil, an extensive article about it by Environmental Health News that ran in Scientific American last year found that video gamers and others who binge on sodas and other drinks containing the ingredient experience skin lesions, nerve disorders and memory loss.

Michael F. Jacobson, co-founder and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said some studies show that B.V.O. collects in fatty tissues, raising questions about what its effect might be during weight loss. Dr. Jacobson, who looked into the research on brominated vegetable oil after being asked about it by The New York Times, concluded, “The testing of B.V.O. is abysmal.”

He said the longest studies of the ingredient he could find covered only four months, while most food additives are usually tested for two years, making it impossible to establish a safe level of consumption.

What's for lunch 12/13/12

BETTER THAN A PIZZERIA.....
Whole Wheat "Margherita" 
Pita Pizza
Fresh Tomato Sauce, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella
Caesar Salad
Fresh Fruit 


We make these pizzas in our cafeteria. The pita is actually part whole wheat.  The ingredients are wheat flour [whole wheat flour and enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)], water, soybean oil, less than 2% of yeast, salt, sugar, dough conditioner (distilled monoglycerides, calcium salts, guar gum, wheat starch, sodium metabisulfite, ascorbic acid), preservatives (calcium propionate, potassium sorbate), vinegar.

For our various pizzas, we use  the Red Pack vitamin enhanced tomato sauce. The sodium at 140mg is much lower than we previously used.  Here are the ingredients: Tomato Concentrate (Water, Tomato Paste), Sugar, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Onion Powder, Salt, Citric Acid, Spice, Garlic Powder, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Black Pepper, Vitamin E (DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Natural Flavor, Vitamin A (Retinol Palmitate).

Pizzas will have fresh mozzarella and basil -- but skip the meatballs. They are a USDA commodity food processed by Tyson. Ingredients are: Ground beef (not more than 20% fat), water, bread crumbs (bleached wheat flour, salt, yeast, dextrose, and soybean oil), seasoning (salt, dehydrated onion, dehydrated celery, garlic powder, spices, soybean oil), tomato puree (tomatoes and citric acid), grated parmesan cheese [(cultured part-skim milk, salt and enzymes), cellulose powder, potassium sorbate], grated romano cheese made from cow's milk [(cultured pasteurized part-skim milk, salt and enzymes), cellulose powder, potassium sorbate].   They have 9g of fat (3 are saturated) and 450 mg of sodium. 

What's for lunch 12/12/12

Oven Baked Breaded Chicken
Whole Grain Garlic Bread
Whole Wheat Dinner Roll
LI Grown Cauliflower with garlic and oil
Fresh Fruit 



The chicken is from Tyson. The ingredients are: Chicken breast tenderloins, water, modified food starch, sodium phosphates, salt. PREDUSTED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), wheat gluten, salt. BATTERED WITH: Water, enriched bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), modified corn starch, salt, dextrose, spices, garlic powder, xanthan gum, oleoresin paprika and annatto. BREADED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt, spices, garlic powder, extractives of paprika, natural flavors (spice extractives). Breading set in vegetable oil.  The serving size of two pieces - which is what elementary students get - has 14g of fat and 580mg of sodium.

The bread is whole grain and the cauliflower is local and yummy !  Not a fan of this chicken and just by reading the ingredients you can tell why.  We have been talking within the district wide nutrition committee how to get better, healthier chicken. This is not an easy feat. But, our wonderful school food reform consultant is working on it.  

We all need more fiber in our diets and here is why :

THE MANY HEALTH BENEFITS OF FIBER-RICH FOODS

Fiber is more than just a diet buzzword, it is a crucial nutrient that your body needs to ward off chronic illnesses and achieve optimal health. Aim to consume at least 25 grams of fiber per day, filling your plate with fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as well as reading labels on your everyday food products and choosing food items with the most fiber. Here are just five of the health benefits fiber has to offer.

5 REASONS TO EAT MORE FIBER

Fiber promotes weight loss

Think about that lack of satisfaction when you eat a refined flour product -- it may taste good right when you eat it, but you're starving soon after. Since fiber takes longer than refined carbohydrates to digest, it results in your feeling full longer and ultimately eating less. Additionally, foods rich in fiber, particularly fruits and vegetables, are usually lower in calories than refined foods and provide a bevy of other nutrients, including antioxidants. Fewer calories with more nutrients means healthy weight loss.

Fiber is good for your heart

The American Heart Association recommends foods rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber to boost heart health. Soluble fiber, which is found in oats, beans, peas and citrus, has been associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease because it lowers LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Insoluble fiber, which is found in whole grains, wheat bran, cruciferous vegetables and carrots, has been associated with decreased cardiovascular risk and slower progression of cardiovascular disease in high-risk individuals.

Fiber deters Type 2 diabetes

A high-fiber diet can prevent and manage Type 2 diabetes by promoting healthy blood sugar and insulin levels. Because fiber promotes weight loss, it can help prevent Type 2 diabetes, and, for those with diabetes, fiber helps control blood sugar levels because it slows absorption of glucose. The American Diabetes Association recommends eating nutrient-dense, fiber-rich foods -- such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables -- and talking to a dietician about the healthiest way to incorporate these foods into your diet.

Fiber combats cancer

Filling up on fiber can reduce your risk of many types of cancer, particularly cancers of the colon, small intestine, stomach and esophagus, as well as breast and ovarian cancers. Fiber benefits the digestive system because it acts like a broom, whisking toxins through the body while foods high in fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, are also high in antioxidants and potent in fighting cancer.

Fiber improves your diet

If you replace the nutrient-poor refined flour products and processed junk foods with fiber-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and nuts, you will drastically improve the quality of your diet. A healthier, high-fiber diet means more energy, brain health, beautiful skin and hair and a reduced risk of many chronic ailments, including gallstones, kidney stones, digestive problems, skin conditions, joint pain and other diet-related conditions.

What's for lunch 12/11/12

BREAKFAST BURRITO

Scrambled Eggs with Peppers, Onions, and Jack Cheese

Herb roasted LI Potatoes

Fresh Fruit 

The tortillas are from Tyson and contain:  Bleached Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Contains one or more of the following: Cottonseed Oil, Soybean Oil), Mono- and Diglycerides, Contains 2% or less of the following: Salt, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Corn Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate), Fumaric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, Dough Conditioner (Wheat Flour, Calcium Sulfate, Sorbic Acid), Preservative (Sodium Propionate and Potassium Sorbate).  Sodium is 380mg. 5g of fat (1 of which is saturated).

The eggs are fresh, along with the peppers and onions.  The potatoes are local and cooked with fresh herbs and the fruit is fresh.  This is a great lunch.  Of course the tortilla has a lot of ingredients and no ones that are great but, the rest of the lunch is wonderful.  I often make breakfast burritos for my children. Since one is gluten free, we use the Food for life brown rice wrap.  You can get it at Rising Tide in Glen Cove or Whole Foods. They are in the frozen food section.  They taste best when heated up.  

There has been a lot of talk in my house about what to eat before a sporting event.  This article gives some very helpful hints. 

youthtrainingandcoaching.com 

Healthy Pre Game Snacks You May Not Have Thought Of…

There’s no doubt about it, eating a light snack before a game or workout can be one of the smartest moves an athlete can make. This is often the only difference between winning and succumbing to failure after a nasty energy burnout. Even professional athletes such as Lance Armstrong make it a point to consume some type of snack before any cycling activity, but not any snack will do. Your body needs healthy pre game snacks in order to perform at its best. If you’re at a loss about which snacks you should eat then you’re in luck, because in this article im about to give you some of the healthiest snacks you could ever eat before your game.

These healthy pre game snacks may surprise you…

Perhaps one of the healthiest snacks you can eat before game time is a simple peanut butter sandwich or bagel made out of whole wheat bread. Peanut butter often gets a bad rep because it is high in fat, but what many people do not know is that these fats are unsaturated. These are the healthy kind that we actually need to consume for a healthy and well balanced diet. The fats in peanut butter are easily broken down and processed by the digestive system and give an almost immediate boost of energy.

Whole wheat bread, or grains, also provide an added boost of energy. Yet unlike peanut butter this energy is slowly broken down and released by the digestive system. This means that you’ll be able to maintain your energy levels throughout your game instead of crashing and burning. Added to this is the fact that whole wheat bread comes loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals which your body needs to perform at its best.

Next up on our list of healthy pre game snacks are simple fruit. Unsurprisingly, fruits such as bananas, oranges, and grapes are also easily broken down into glucose and enters the blood stream easily and more readily. This gives a nice boost of energy, but unlike oats and whole wheat this energy is not sustained. Because of these factors fruit can also be a good source of mid-game energy for those of us in need of a quick “pick me up”.

No matter what you do, stay away from sugar!

Perhaps one of the worst things you can do before any pre-game of exercise regimen is to eat a snack high in sugar. Why? Because eating a lot of sugar will cause your energy levels to spike, but for only a short amount of time. After this happens, guess what comes next? You probably guessed it, the unavoidable crash which dramatically decreases your energy levels and performance. This sugar come down can cause your performance to suffer and leave you feeling tired and sluggish the rest of the game. This also includes the excessive drinking of Gatorade or Powerade sports drinks. These also have high amounts of sugar, and although they are not bad, they are no replacement for simple water.

Remember, snacking can be smart, but only if you go about it the right way. It is my hope that these simple healthy pre game snacks will serve you well during your next tournament.

Category: Articles, Pre Game Snacks

Tags: Healthy Pre Game Snacks, pre game snacks

What's for lunch 12/10/12

TACO TUB
Brown rice, Tomato, Cheese
Salsa & Romaine
Chipotle Vinaigrette
Add chicken on request
Zesty Black Beans/ Sweet Corn
Fresh Fruit
GF without the Shell 


The taco tub  is a new item this year.   The brown rice is a great whole grain. The black beans are canned. The southwest-style chicken is from Tyson and described as diced, cooked "chicken meat." Read more about farm animals raised by industrial giants like Tyson, antibiotics and hormones.  The bowl comes from Smokewood Foods. The ingredients are described just as "enriched masa flour" and they look like a big rectangular corn chip. They have 5g of fat and no sodium.  


The cheese is Monterrey Jack cheese and the beans are canned.   The corn is frozen and as always fresh fruit is available.  

I have been trying to come up with new breakfast items that gives my kids enough protein to start their busy days.  I had some left over quinoa and made this hot breakfast item for them. It was a hit.  Try it , your kids might like and even if they don't they have tried something new. 

Martha Stewart Living, February 2010

• YieldMakes 2 cups

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Ingredients

• 2 cups whole or low-fat milk, plus more for serving
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar, plus more for serving
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for serving
• 1 cup (1/2 pint) fresh blueberries, plus more for serving

Directions

1. Bring milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, until three-quarters of the milk has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.
2. Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Cook, covered, until almost all the milk has been absorbed, about 8 minutes. Stir in blueberries, and cook for 30 seconds. Serve with additional milk, sugar, cinnamon, and blueberries.

What's for lunch 12/7/12

Meatball Parmigiana
Hero or Plate
Whole grain Dinner roll
Long Island Grown Broccoli with garlic and oil
Caesar Salad
Fresh Fruit

For the hero, unlike our hamburgers, this "beef" is from Tyson and  is a USDA commodity product (although we were allowed to opt-out of the "pink slime" meat the USDA used to ship.)  The meatballs are processed, cooked and frozen by Tyson from commodity beef.  Ingredients are: Ground beef (not more than 20% fat), water, bread crumbs (bleached wheat flour, salt, yeast, dextrose, and soybean oil), seasoning (salt, dehydrated onion, dehydrated celery, garlic powder, spices, soybean oil), tomato puree (tomatoes and citric acid), grated parmesan cheese [(cultured part-skim milk, salt and enzymes), cellulose powder, potassium sorbate], grated romano cheese made from cow's milk [(cultured pasteurized part-skim milk, salt and enzymes), cellulose powder, potassium sorbate].   They have 9g of fat (3 are saturated) and 450 mg of sodium.

The sauce is a Red Pack vitamin enhanced tomato sauce.  Here are the ingredients: Tomato Concentrate (Water, Tomato Paste), Sugar, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Onion Powder, Salt, Citric Acid, Spice, Garlic Powder, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Black Pepper, Vitamin E (DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Natural Flavor, Vitamin A (Retinol Palmitate).  The cheese is a USDA commodity part skim mozzarella.  Ingredients are cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes. The sodium is 240mg/oz.

I would go for the salad bar or extra broccoli. This is not my kind of lunch. However, it is better then what we served years ago. 

On another note...... I made these delicious Carrot and sweet potato latkes the other night. My kids loved them !! And my middle child is very, very, picky !! It was so easy and delicious. 

Makes: 4 latkes

Tools
Cheese grater or
Food processor with shredder blade
Steamer or a metal strainer/colander over a large pot (with lid) of boiling water
Fork
Spatula
Skillet

Ingredients:
Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why.
1 1/4 cups sweet potato, shredded
1 1/2 cups sweet potato, diced
1/2 cup steamed carrot, diced
1/2 yellow onion diced (here’s a tip)
1 small clove garlic, minced (here’s a tip)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice (here’s a tip)
1/2 tsp fine ground sea salt
Pinch fresh ground pepper
Unrefined coconut oil

Let’s get started.
Shred your onion and 1 1/4 cup of sweet potato.

Dice carrot and 1 1/2 cups sweet potato and steam, covered, for about 20 minutes, until soft.

With a fork, mash together steamed carrots and sweet potato with shredded onion and sweet potato. Mash in salt and pepper.

In a skillet, warm 1 tsp coconut oil over medium heat. Form potato mixture into patties and place into skillet. Press flat with spatula and brown on each side 10 minutes.

Serve warm and enjoy!

This recipe is from yumuniverse.com.  It is a great website for plant based recipes. Even if you are not a vegan or vegetarian you will love these recipes.  Give it a try ! 

What's for lunch 12/6/12

Chicken Fajita

Seasoned Chicken strips with

Peppers and Onions on a 

Warm flour tortilla

White rice/Black bean salsa

Fiesta Corn Salad 

Fresh Fruit

Gluten free if taken without Tortilla 

The chicken is from Tyson and is dark meat that has been poached and frozen - thus relatively unprocessed.

The rice is whole grain but a source of arsenic according to Consumer Reports. Rice should now be cooked like pasta in excess water and rinsed repeatedly before cooking to eliminate as much arsenic as possible - but these extra steps are not ones that can be accomplished in our cafeteria.

Beans are canned. Salsa is actually organic - although the fruit and vegetables are not.
The tortillas are from Tyson and contain:  Bleached Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Contains one or more of the following: Cottonseed Oil, Soybean Oil), Mono- and Diglycerides, Contains 2% or less of the following: Salt, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Corn Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate), Fumaric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, Dough Conditioner (Wheat Flour, Calcium Sulfate, Sorbic Acid), Preservative (Sodium Propionate and Potassium Sorbate).  Sodium is 380mg. 5g of fat (1 of which is saturated).  The corn is frozen.  This is a gluten free option if taken with tortilla. 

What's for lunch 12/5/12

Barilla Plus
Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Fresh spinach with garlic and oil
Fresh fruit 


The noodles we're using for the Mac n cheese are Barilla Plus. The ingredients are: Semolina, Grain and Legume Flour, Blend (Lentils, Chickpeas, Egg Whites, Spelt, Barley, Flaxseed, Oat Fiber, Oats), Durum Flour, Niacin, Iron (Ferrous Sulfate), Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid. The sauce is made from Wisconsin Cheddar.

The spinach and fruit are fresh. Salad bar is always a healthy option. 

Check out this article regarding obesity in high school students. Interesting. 

http://themississippilink.com/2012/12/04/high-school-obesity-rate-drops-in-miss-students/

What's for lunch 12/3/12

Applegate®
The Great Organic Beef Hotdog
Baked Potato Puffs 

Sauerkraut ~ Baby Carrots

 Fresh Fruit 

GF when taken without the bun 

The hot dogs are from Applegate Farms - so they are far better than many hot dogs but are hot dogs nonetheless. The ingredients are just: beef, water, sea salt, less than 2% of the following: celery juice, sodium lactate (from beets), lactic acid starter culture (not from milk), onion powder, spices, garlic powder, paprika. They have 6g of fat(2.5g saturated) and 380 mg of sodium. They are dairy-, casein- and gluten-free. They promote it as nitrate-free but this NYT article indicates the nitrate issue is tricky - and cites the company saying their bacon has the same level (naturally) of cancer-causing nitrates as conventional brands.  You may also not want your kids growing up thinking hot dogs are a good lunch given the potential link between processed meats and cancer. The bun is whole wheat. 


The Return of the Tater Tot - a product we thought we had sent packing years ago.   This processed potato product comes from McCain's - a product called Harvest Splendor Bites.  The ingredients would then be: Sweet Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following Oils: Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Corn). Contains 2% or less of Corn Starch - Modified, Dehydrated Potatoes, Dextrin, Maltodextrin, Molasses, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate Added To Maintain Natural Color, Sugar, Tapioca Starch - Modified, Xanthan Gum.  We do bake them but I don't know yet if they are pre-cooked (fried?) before being frozen and shipped to us.  I am not sure about the sauerkraut. Need to get ingredients for that product.  The carrots and fruit are fresh. 

Alternative entrees remain the same.  Pepper Jack quesadilla , peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat and meatballs on a whole wheat roll. All ingredients are in previous blog entries.  Salad bar is available and homemade soup each day.  

Do you have questions regarding the food we serve in the cafeteria ?? Send me a message, make a comment.