What's for lunch 9/20/13

All White Meat

Chicken “Bites”

Freshly-Baked

Whole Wheat Breadsticks

 Sweet Corn

Fresh Fruit

All white chicken bites are another name for chicken nuggets. The chicken is a Tyson "fully cooked chicken breast nugget fritter with rib meat" with 10g of fat and 420mg of sodium.  The ingredients are: Boneless, skinless chicken breast nuggets 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. Believe it or not these chicken bites are better then the ones we bought years ago, they had even more ingredients and they were not white meat. 

The corn is canned and has added salt - 200mg per serving and the cans do contain BPA.  I do not have the ingredients for the whole wheat breadsticks.  Those ladies in the cafeteria are way to busy to be actually making bread but I am sure it comes frozen and they bake it. The fruit is fresh. 

As the weather gets crisp and the crispness of apples signals the sweet, fleeting passage of fall, it's time to get cooking. You may find eight varieties of apples for sale in a good grocery store these days, and a dozen or more in a big farmers' market. There are more than 2,500 kinds of apples grown in the United States alone, with rare, old heirloom varieties on a welcome rebound. All this means you have a bumper crop of fruit to cook with—and apples are a great cooking fruit. We matched some favorite varieties to recipes designed to unlock the unique charm of each fruit.  There are so many recipes to try. I am going to try this one this weekend.

Roasted Apple & Cheddar Salad

INGREDIENTS

DRESSING

• 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons apple juice
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

ROASTED APPLES & SALAD

• 2 apples, preferably Fuji, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 3 cups baby spinach, or torn spinach leaves
• 3 cups torn Boston lettuce
• 3 cups torn curly endive
• 2/3 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. To prepare dressing: Whisk vinegar, apple juice, 1 tablespoon oil, honey, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. To roast apples and prepare salad: Toss apples with 2 teaspoons oil and thyme in a medium bowl; spread evenly on a baking sheet. Roast, turning once or twice, until the apples are soft and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Discard fresh thyme, if using. Let cool.
4. While the apples are roasting, toast walnuts in a small baking pan until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
5. Just before serving, combine spinach, lettuce and endive in a large bowl; toss gently to mix. Divide the greens among 6 plates, drizzle with dressing and top with cheese, roasted apples and walnuts. Serve immediately.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate dressing (Step 2) for up to 1 week.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 191 calories; 14 g fat ( 4 g sat , 5 g mono ); 13 mg cholesterol; 14 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein;4 g fiber; 173 mg sodium; 230 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (40% daily value), Folate (15% dv), Fiber (15% dv)