Sunday, October 28, 2012

What's for lunch 10/29/12

From the Ranch to you beef tacos
Season Local Beef, Brown Rice, Black Beans Romaine , Cheese & Salsa Sweet Corn
Caesar salad
Fresh Fruit 



Our district has contracted with a New York State farm to provide beef raised without antibiotics and hormones. It is more expensive and there is less beef on the menu as a result but it is a huge improvement in the quality of our lunches. We season and prepare this dish. Brown rice is a whole grain .-- We do rinse the rice and boil it using a 1:3 ratio.  We are doing this due to the recent reports of arsenic in rice. Read more about this in 
Consumer Reports.   We use romaine lettuce which counts as a dark leafy green and has a higher nutritional value than some other lettuces. Cheese is Monterrey Jack and the Green Mountain salsa is organic. The taco shells  come 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 corn is frozen.

 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 and sandwich bar are always available. The alternative entrees are quesadilla and meatball hero.  See previous posts for ingredients.  

Is your child getting enough to eat at school ?? Plenty is offered. Make sure they eat their fruits and veggies and do not just take the main portion of the meal.  And what are they eating for breakfast ? Here is a very simple idea to serve. 

                                                              

Fruit and Cheese

A balanced, easy-to-assemble make-ahead morning meal: Grab an apple, wrap 1 to 2 ounces of Cheddar in plastic, and toss ¼ cup of fiber- and protein-rich walnuts into a resealable plastic bag.







Thursday, October 25, 2012

I take it back!!

So, I was playing around with my new app Fooducate and have decided it is not for me. They give different ratings on food items based on a formula they have come up with. They give food a grade A-F. All types of Dorito's received an D but all Tyson products received an A- ?!?!?!  Am I not sure if all of you know how Tyson raises their chickens but you can a real education by watching the movie Food Inc.  Not sure if I will delete the app just yet. It does give some good information on snack items.  It is always nice when you we know what we are feeding our families.


                                               

What's for lunch 10/26/12


Whole Wheat French Toast with Orange Rounds
Applegate Breakfast Bacon 
Sweet Potato Puffs 
Fresh Fruit


The question this menu leaves unanswered is: Will the kids still be served a syrup whose first and main ingredient is high fructose corn syrup?  I know the food service consultant has been trying to find an affordable maple syrup instead.

Ingredients for the bread in the french toast: We use Nature's Own Whole Wheat Bread for the french toast . The ingredients are: STONE GROUND WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, BROWN SUGAR, YEAST, WHEAT GLUTEN, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: SALT, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN OIL OR CANOLA OIL), DOUGH, CONDITIONERS (SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, CALCIUM, STEAROYL-2-LACTYLATE, MONOGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM IODATE, ETHOXYLATED MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM PEROXIDE, DATEM), CULTURED WHEAT FLOUR, VINEGAR, CALCIUM SULFATE, MONOCALCIUM, PHOSPHATE, YEAST FOOD (AMMONIUM SULFATE), SOY LECITHIN. Eggs and milk are used as well but they are not organic.  

And then we have 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.  
The turkey bacon is by Applegate.  Here are the ingredients: Turkey (Turkey Used Never Administered Antibiotics, Growth Promotants or Animal By-products), Water, Sea Salt, Maple Sugar, Celery Juice, Onion Powder, Spices, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (not From Milk.)  They promote it as nitrate-free but this NYT article indicates otherwise - and cites the company saying their products have the same level (naturally) of cancer-causing nitrates as conventional brands. Read more about nitrates at www.ehso.com/hotdogsandcancer.php.


This is not one of my favorite lunches. The kids like it because it is sweet and many of them love bacon. The salad bar would be a better choice or one of the other meals that are offered.  

Are you often shopping and not sure what foods are better then others ??  I am of course referring to items other then fruits, veggie and certain meats. Then you should try the Fooducate app.  Fooducate's scientific algorithms grade each product and provide simple, concise explantions. Grading system  developed by scientists, dietitians and concerned parents. It is a simple and easy way to get the information you need to make the best food choices for your family. Check it out it's free. Another website that I love because it has a lot of gluten free, dairy free plant based recipes is Yum Universe. www.yumuniverse.com.
I made delicious Almond and oat pancakes the other day. The kids loved them ! Tasted even better the next day with a pile on apple sauce on them.  Since their is not dairy they don't need to be refrigerated. You can take them on the go for an easy snack.  Go here for the recipe http: www.yumuniverse.com/?s=almond+oat+pancakes.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

What's for lunch10/24/12


Freshly-Roasted Turkey Breast with Pan Sauce
Whole Grain Dinner Roll 
Bliss Potatoes Roasted with Garlic and Herbs 
Fresh fruit 


The turkey breast is Jennie-O. Still working on the ingredients. I am sure there is modified food starch in this product. It keeps the breast meat "tight "according to the website. The website did not give full ingredients for this products. But, other Jennie-O products contain things like potassium chloride, sodium chloride, sugar, sodium phosphate, salt and flavoring. So, basically lots of salt.  This is a government commodity food. 

The  potato wedges are government commodity potatoes (a cost savings - the staff has been trying to use our free commodity foods very carefully to avoid the worst products like chicken nuggets.). They arrive frozen. I was told they are completely plain potatoes that are only baked with our seasonings. I've asked for the label to confirm they are plain and not fried at any point int he process.

The fruit is fresh. And as always the salad bar is always your best bet.  


Friday, October 19, 2012

What's for lunch 10/22/12


 From the ranch to you beef tacos 
Season Local Beef, Brown Rice, Black Beans Romaine , Cheese & Salsa Sweet Corn
GF without Shell
Fresh Fruit

The tacos are 100% ground chuck with lettuce and a low-far govt cheddar cheese.  I other words, the ground beef does not have other additives like soy but is still subject to various quality issues ground beef typically faces.  The salsa is actually organic by Green Mountain and the ingredients are: tomatoes, fire-roasted chiles, onions, tomatillos, jalapeno peppers, pasilla peppers, apple cider vinegar, cilantro, parsley, garlic, sea salt, spices.

The black beans are flash-frozen Pride of New York beans with nothing added. The corn is canned - a USDA commodity. 


What's for lunch 10/19/12


Oven Baked Breaded Chicken 
Whole Grain Roll
Herb-Roasted Potato Wedge
 Mesclun Salad 
Fresh Fruit


The oven baked fried chicken is made here with a breading of corn meal, panko bread crumbs, flour, buttermilk and some salt and pepper. It is oven-baked and not fried - hence the quotation marks. (The new menus are a lot of work for the food services staff - thank you!)

The  potato wedges are government commodity potatoes (a cost savings - the staff has been trying to use our free commodity foods very carefully to avoid the worst products like chicken nuggets.). They arrive frozen. I was told they are completely plain potatoes that are only baked with our seasonings.  I actually tried htem last month and they were very good. I've asked for the label to confirm they are plain and not fried at any point int he process.

I am not sure what the meslcun salad ingredients are, but I am assuming they are fresh. These menu items minus the salad are not my favorites. Mainly because the chicken is not organic and the potato wedges are frozen. Luckily there is always the salad bar.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

What's for lunch 10/18/12


Whole Wheat French Toast with Orange Rounds
Applegate Breakfast Bacon 
Sweet Potato Puffs
 Fresh Fruit


This is my fat my least favorite meal. It is a better option then the challah french toast from last year. But, still in my opinion french toast is dessert. 
An interesting development! Thanks in part to the new nutritional requirements for school lunch involving whole grains our challah french toast is now whole wheat french toast - a terrific improvement and one the nutrition committee has been advocating for. The question this menu leaves unanswered is: Will the kids still be served a syrup whose first and main ingredient is high fructose corn syrup?  I know the food service consultant has been trying to find an affordable maple syrup instead.


Ingredients for the bread in the french toast: We use Nature's Own Whole Wheat Bread for the french toast . The ingredients are: STONE GROUND WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, BROWN SUGAR, YEAST, WHEAT GLUTEN, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: SALT, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN OIL OR CANOLA OIL), DOUGH, CONDITIONERS (SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, CALCIUM, STEAROYL-2-LACTYLATE, MONOGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM IODATE, ETHOXYLATED MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM PEROXIDE, DATEM), CULTURED WHEAT FLOUR, VINEGAR, CALCIUM SULFATE, MONOCALCIUM, PHOSPHATE, YEAST FOOD (AMMONIUM SULFATE), SOY LECITHIN. Eggs and milk are used as well but they are not organic

The turkey bacon is by Applegate.  Here are the ingredients: Turkey (Turkey Used Never Administered Antibiotics, Growth Promotants or Animal By-products), Water, Sea Salt, Maple Sugar, Celery Juice, Onion Powder, Spices, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (not From Milk.)  They promote it as nitrate-free but this NYT article indicates otherwise - and cites the company saying their products have the same level (naturally) of cancer-causing nitrates as conventional brands. Readmore about nitrates here.

And then we have 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. 

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

What's for lunch 10/17/12


Meatball Parmigiana Hero
or Meatball Parmigiana Plate (Whole Grain Dinner Roll) 
Broccoli with Oil & Garlic 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.
The broccoli is fresh and the caesar dressing is homemade. The fruit is fresh as well. 

Monday, October 15, 2012

What's for lunch 10/16/12


ARROZ CON POLLO Tender Strips of Chicken
Cooked with Brown Rice
Red Peppers and Onions 
Black Bean Salad
GF Fresh Fruit



I don't have the details on this chicken. It should be whole muscle white meat. Our other chicken products come from Tyson so they are likely the source.  The rice is brown not white.  The peppers and onions are fresh and the black bean salad is homemade. I believe the beans are from a can. This is a great Gluten free lunch. 

The salad and sandwich bar are available. Fresh fruit is always there as well. 


Sunday, October 14, 2012

What's for lunch 10/15/12


Barilla Plus Rotini Pomodoro or Pesto Mozzarella
Freshly Toasted Garlic Bread 
Sauteed Zucchini w/Garlic 
Fresh Fruit


This is a good meal - but go with the plan pomodoro version. The sauce is a fresh tomoato and basil. The pesto is homemade and the mozzarella is fresh.  The pasta is 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 garlic  bread is homemade but not whole grain.  The zucchini is fresh but not organic along with the fruit. The salad bar and sandwich bar are available.  The side entrees are still quesadilla meatball hero. 

Thursday, October 11, 2012

What's for lunch 10/12/12


Taco Tub Shredded Romaine-
Brown Rice Tomato, Cheese & Salsa Chipotle Vinaigrette
Add Chicken on Request
Zesty Black Beans/Sweet Corn 
Fresh Fruit
Gluten Free without the shell 


 The  "taco tubs" come 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 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 salsa is homemade.  

Salad bar and sandwich bar are available.  Along with meatball hero and quesadilla. 

The quesadilla has Monterrey Jack cheese and canned black beans served in a flour tortilla - no whole grains. 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).

Why are kids still hungry at lunch ??

This is an interesting article. You might learn something about why your child still maybe hungry after eating lunch in the school cafeteria.



Dear Lunch Ladies, Thank You. Sincerely, The Parents.

Posted: 10/09/2012 5:20 pm

When I was a child, we loved to complain about the school lunch. We said it was too greasy, too salty, didn't have any fresh ingredients and didn't offer any healthy options. As it turned out, lots of people were complaining about school lunch and recently, the federal government had the support it needed to make some changes. This year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released significant improvements in the regulations for the National School Lunch Program. As a mother and obesity researcher, I was thrilled.
Then I started to look into what it would take to implement these changes and the more I learned, the more complicated it seemed. There were so many people to please, and their priorities were sometimes in conflict. The kids care mostly about taste. The parents care mostly about nutrition. The administration cares mostly about cost -- including the cost of more workers to prepare and serve the fresh food. Food service directors in our country have one of the hardest jobs around. They have been working for months now to incorporate these new regulations, while at the same time keeping all of their stakeholders happy. It's a nearly impossible job.
So, along come some students and they have a number of complaints. First, we hear that students are still hungry because there aren't enough calories being provided at lunch, so they want bigger portions. Then we hear that students are throwing away school lunch items because they don't like having to take so much food. Wait a minute -- how can both of these things be true? It's like Goldilocks and the school lunch. If students are really so hungry, why don't they eat the food on their plates?
I have a hypothesis -- these students aren't actually hungry; they miss the salt, sugar and fat.
I'd like to offer a historical perspective. Throughout most of human history the main food-related problem has been famine. During much of the past century, most families had meals made by one person, and you ate what you were served. If you didn't like it, you didn't have to eat it, but no one was jumping up to make you something else. End of story. Never before in history could so many people afford to be so picky about what they ate. The luxury of abundant palatable (read: high in fat, sugar and salt), cheap food has turned our children into a pack of picky eaters.
The new school lunch is one part of turning this around, and our food service directors are leading the charge. Parents, we need to get out there and support them. This is what we've been asking for. Go into your child's school and thank your food service director for his or her service. Ask how you can help. Perhaps you can work with students to do taste tests and get ideas for new options. Perhaps you can help by telling other parents about the positive improvements to school lunch that have occurred. The people making the new school lunches need to know that they have support because all they are hearing are complaints.
Change is hard, but if all of us who care about student nutrition in school work together, we'll get there.
 
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