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.