What's for lunch 10/31/13

From the Ranch to you…
Hamburger or Cheeseburger
w/ all the trimmings
Homemade Cole Slaw
Oven‐Baked “Fries”
Fresh Fruit
GF without the bun 


We are very lucky not to have to take the ground beef from the government.  Our ground beef is antibiotic and hormone free.  It comes from a farm upstate. A farm that our school food reform consultant and the assistant superintendent went to visit.  So enjoy this burger on a whole grain bun. 

The potatoes are from McCains. The ingredients are: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the following: Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Sunflower Oil, Corn Oil), Corn Starch - Modified, Dehydrated Garlic, Spices, Salt, Dehydrated Onion, Rosemary, Dehydrated Red Bell Pepper, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Paprika, Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate Added to Preserve Natural Color.   Note that the autolyzed yeast extract is potentially similar to MSG. They have 3.5g of fat and 160mg of sodium.

Go to the salad bar for sides and extra trimmings. 

Happy Halloween everyone !  Try this delicious plant based recipe after the kids have ate their weight in chocolate ! 

Lentil-Stuffed Jack-O-Lantern Peppers

October 1, 2012 8:00 am
By Heather Crosby

5

Halloween is really all about the treats, I know. But couldn’t we change it up a bit—add some nutrient-rich, creative, fun dinners to the mix this season? Sure, we can. Let’s start with these Lentil-Stuffed Jack-O-Lantern Peppers, and for dessert you can try Almond Crunch Caramel Candy Bar,Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Socca. In the morning, try some Pumpkin Pancakes or any of these other tasty Halloween-inspired goodies…

Tools:
Z-Acto knife or
Sharp paring knife
Skillet
Chef’s knife
Unbleached parchment paper
Large glass baking dish

Ingredients:
Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why.
1 cup dry lentils
7-8 large bell peppers (you can choose any color you like)
1 tsp unrefined coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, diced small
1 cup fresh corn kernels (you can use frozen)
1 medium tomato, seeds removed and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fennel seed, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped fine
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (feel free to add more to taste if you like more heat, or leave it out if the kiddos aren’t a fan)
2 tsp fine ground sea salt, or more to taste
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper, or more to taste
1/4 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

Let’s get started.
Soak dry lentils in a bowl filled with pure water overnight.

Rinse lentils and prepare them according to the instructions in this post. While they cook, wash and dry your peppers. Set aside 1 pepper for dicing/filling—remove seeds and ribs from this pepper.

Using X-Acto blade, slice off the top of the first pepper. Twist and lift off the top.

Using blade, or paring knife, carefully remove the seeds and ribs (bottom left) from top and bottom sections of pepper (bottom, right).

Now you can carve some eyes and a mouth.

Repeat these steps, with all of your peppers and set aside.

Remove corn from cob with Chef’s knife—for extra deliciousness, try to get the “milk” from the cob, too. Dice one pepper, onion, zucchini and tomato. Prepare your herbs and garlic.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place coconut oil in skillet, and sauté onion and pepper for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and cook for another 4 minutes. Add tomato and corn and cook for 3 minutes.

Stir in remaining ingredients, including cooked lentils. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon filling into peppers—to the top.

Place lids back on peppers and place them into a glass baking dish lined with unbleached parchment paper.

Bake for for 25 minutes.

Serve, smile and enjoy!

Store extras in a covered dish in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 300°F until warm—about 10 to 15 minutes.

Happy Halloween, YU!

X-Acto blades are fun for carving pumpkins, too. We used a drill for those perfect beady eyes…

Adaptations & Tips:
1. You could easily sneak some kale into this recipe. Just remove stems and chop about 3 large leaves and fold into veggies and lentils at the very end. Then scoop onto peppers and bake.

2. You can always prepare these for dinner beyond Halloween. Try with green or red peppers, too—may be fun for Christmas with that color scheme.

3. This recipe is delicious with added cooked quinoa or buckwheat—you can also use these ingredients instead of lentils in equal amounts. Experiment!

- – -

What's for lunch 10/30/13

 Homemade

Mac N’ Cheese

Barilla® Pasta &

Wisconsin Cheddar

Sautéed Spinach w/ Garlic 

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. 

What's for lunch 10/28/13

 Better Than A Pizzeria

French Bread “Ziti” Pizza

Sautéed Broccoli

w/ Garlic & Oil

Fresh Fruit 

This is a white-flour pizza (not whole grain). 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 cheese is a USDA commodity part skim mozzarella.  Ingredients are cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes. The sodium is 240mg/oz - I think we use 2 ounces.

The broccoli and fruit are fresh. 

What's for lunch 10/25/13

Southwest Taco Bowl

Corn Tortilla Bowl—GF

Brown Rice, Tomato, Cheese,

Salsa, Romaine Lettuce

Chipotle Vinaigrette

*Add Chicken On Request*

Zesty Black Beans & Sweet Corn

       Salad

Fresh Fruit

  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 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).

The salad bar is available as well. 

Today was Food Day and to celebrate we had a fresh fruit and veggie drive. All donations went to :

Thank you to all families who participated !  As you can see we collected quite a bit of food !! 

What's for lunch 10/24/13

Better Than A Pizzeria

Thin Crust Pizza

“Margherita”

Fresh Tomato Sauce, Basil,

& Local Fresh Mozzarella

Romaine Salad

w/ Chickpeas

Unlike many schools, we do make these pizzas. This is a white-flour pizza (not whole grain). 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).

Go with cheese.  The chicken 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 salad is fresh and the chickpeas are canned. 

What's for lunch 10/23/13

Souvlaki Plate

Marinated Chicken w/

Sweet Peppers & Onions

Warm Whole Wheat Pita

Tzatziki Sauce

Greek Salad

Fresh Fruit

The chicken is a frozen Tyson product. I believe it is supposed to be Tyson's "dark meat strips with grill marks" which have 7g of fat and 340mg of sodium, Ingredients are: Boneless, skinless chicken leg meat, water, seasoning (dextrose, salt, brown sugar, chicken stock, maltodextrin, flavors, yeast extract, molasses, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate), soy protein concentrate, modified food starch, sodium phosphates.BUT we have also gotten diced chicken breast for both Tyson and a company called Pierce before. AND we have also gotten a  USDA commodity chicken from Tyson and described as "fully cooked boneless skinless chicken dark meat chicken fajita strips -smoke flavor added." Here are the ingredients: "Chicken dark meat, water, seasoning [salt, spices, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, sugar, chili powder (chili pepper, cumin, oregano, salt, garlic powder), lemon juice powder (corn syrup solids, lemon juice, lemon oil), modified corn starch, natural mesquite smoke flavor (maltodextrin, natural smoke flavor), natural flavor (from partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil)], modified food starch and sodium phosphates."  The "partially hydrogenated" oil is a source of trans fat.  Chicken has 7g of fat (2 of which are saturated) and 490 mg of sodium.  Read more about farm animals raised by industrial giants like Tyson,  antibiotics and hormones. 

The peppers and onions are fresh and still do not have izatziki sauce recipe.   The salad is fresh and so is the fruit.

We had a chicken discussion today at the district wide meeting.  It looks as though we may be able to purchase chicken elsewhere at this point.  We won't have to get it from Tyson. Good news ! But, it won't happen over night. A lot of research has to be done. So be patient it will happen,  just as the farm fresh ground beef came to our kitchens at the schools. 

What's for lunch 10/20/13

Grilled Cheese 2 Ways!

Whole Wheat Grilled Cheese

‐OR Whole

Wheat Grilled Cheese

w/ Boars Head® Ham

Sweet Potato Crinkles

Fresh Fruit

The grilled cheese sandwich is made with Cabot cheddar on whole wheat bread.  We use Nature's Own Whole Wheat Bread for these. 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.
  
Boar’s Head® Ham Nutrition Facts

Serving  Size 2 oz (56g)
Serving Per Container Varied

Amount Per Serving

Calories 60

Calories fom Fat 10

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 1g

2%

Saturated Fat 0g

0%

Trans Fat 0g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.5g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0g

Cholesterol 25mg

9%

Sodium 590mg

25%

Total Carbohydrate 2g

1%

Dietary Fiber 0g

0%

Sugars 2g

Protein 9g

19%

Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 0%

Iron 4%

The sweet potato fries are from McCains they are fried and then baked in our kitchen.  They contain: Sweet potatoes, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following: canola oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, corn oil), potato starch modified, rice flower, dextrin, sugar, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate), salt malt powder (malted barley, wheat flower, dextrose), natural flavor, dehydrated sweet potatoes, maltodextrin, molasses, spice and coloring, xanthan gum, corn starch-modified, triglycerides, annatto (color), sodium acid pyrophosphate added to preserve natural color. The label indicates they have 6g of fat and 170mg of sodium.  

Ingredients for today's BBQ sauce

So the BBQ sauce ingredients are as follows; distilled vinegar, tomato paste, water, brown sugar, molasses, sugar, salt, modified cornstarch, natural flavor, caramel color, worchestershire sauce, garlic powder, tamarind, spices, xantham gum, onion. 

It does say GLUTEN FREE on the bottle.  2 tablespoons contains 9 grams of sugar and 220 mg of sodium.  You decide if this is something you want your child to eat.  Remember the Tyson chicken is the protein here. 

What's for lunch 10/18/13

 BBQ Chicken

Freshly Baked

Whole Wheat Breadstick

From the Farm …

Smashed Potatoes

Sautéed Carrots

Seasonal Fruit



Not sure what the ingredients are for this menu item. The chicken is definitely Tyson. Whole muscle, but Tyson none the less.  The potatoes and carrots are from the farm. What farm I am not clear on.  In theory this could be a great dish.  I just need to get the source information. 

The salad bar is always available as an option. 

Have a great weekend ! Pumpkin recipes coming soon ! 

What's for lunch 10/17/13

From the Ranch to you…

Hamburger or Cheeseburger

w/ all the trimmings

From the Farm …

Fresh Cole Slaw

Oven‐Baked “Fries”

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. 

 The fries are flash or par-fried and then baked. I think they have only 25mg of sodium and 4g of fat. Ingredients are: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the following oils: Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Corn). Contains 2% or less of Annatto (color), Caramel Color, Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate Added to Preserve Natural Color.  

Still not clear on the ingredients of the cole slaw but it is homemade. 

What's for lunch 10/16/13

 Homemade Baked Ziti

Fresh Garlic Bread

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).

Whole grain garlic bread is made in-house and by all reports yummy. The salad dressing is homemade and the fruit is fresh. 

Here is another recipe to try. It calls for gluten free pasta but you could use whole wheat or whole grain.

Sweet Potato & Kale Fusilli

December 17, 2012 5:09 am
By Heather Crosby

8

Here’s another fun way to make a nutritious, gluten-free, dairy-free version of mac and cheese—with curly fusilli noodles and sweet potatoes (yes, sweet potatoes) as the “cheese” sauce. It’s a new favorite at my house.

Print this recipe: Sweet Potato & Kale Fusilli

Serves 2-4

Tools:Steamer with lid
Chef’s knife
Large pot
Small skillet
Large glass bowl
Strainer 

Ingredients:
Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why.
2 cups gluten-free fusilli (or macaroni, spirals, whatever YU like)
2-3 large leaves of kale, stems removed and chopped
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, unsoaked

Sauce
2 cups diced sweet potato, steamed
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fine ground sea salt
2 tbsp cashews, soaked for 2 hours
2 tbsp sunflower seeds, soaked for 4 hours
1/2 cup pure water
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Let’s get started.
Dice your sweet potato and steam for 20 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork.

While steaming, prepare fusilli according to manufacturer’s instructions.

While everything is cookin’, toast your unsoaked sunflower seeds in a dry skillet heated to medium-high, for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in a pinch of sea salt.

Once browned a bit, remove from heat and give them a rough chop.

Place steamed sweet potato and all sauce ingredients in the blender. Mix until ultra smooth.

Once fusilli is cooked, rinse well and transfer to a large glass bowl. Fold kale and sauce into noodles and mix well.

Serve warm in a bowl (reheat on the stovetop if need be) and top with your toasted sunflower seeds and some fresh cracked pepper.

Enjoy!

What's for lunch 10/15/13

 Burrito

Marinated Southwest Chicken

Brown Rice, Black Beans

Whole Wheat Tortilla

Corn Tortilla Chips n’ Salsa ‐GF

Carrot Sticks w/ Dip

Fresh Fruit

The brown rice is a whole grain but as previously discussed cannot be cooked in a way that minimizes the arsenic content.

The black beans are canned and the ingredients are "BLACK BEANS, WATER, SALT, AND CALCIUM CHLORIDE" with 140mg of sodium.

The chicken is from Tyson. It is described as "1/2" diced chicken meat" and as "boneless, skinless, and fully cooked." It is chicken breast. But sometimes...we get chicken with "grill marks" or "added smaoke flavor" but hopefully everything will go well....

I think we use Tyson's whole wheat tortillas. They have 4.5g of fat and 320mg of soidum. The ingredients are: Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Potato Starch with Monoglyceride, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Contains one or more of the following: Cottonseed Oil, Soybean Oil) with Mono- and Diglycerides and/or Citric Acid, Honey Wheat Seasonong (Dextrose, Wheat Germ, Caramel Color, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sucralose, Tricalcium Phosphate), contains 2% or less of the following: Vital Wheat Gluten, Salt, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Calcium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Dough Conditioners (Wheat Flour, Calcium Sulfate, Sorbic Acid, Fumaric Acid), Preservative (Sodium Propionate (Propionic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide (for pH adjustment), Water and Potassium Sorbate).

The salsa is homemade.  The carrots and fruit are fresh.  The dip is full fat organic.

What's for lunch 10/11/13

 Trattoria Friday

Spaghetti & Meatballs

‐or‐

Spaghetti Marinara

& Cheese Stick

Zucchini & Carrot Sticks w/organic ranch dip

Fresh fruit 

This is a whole grain spaghetti with or without meatballs .  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 meatballs are are processed, cooked and frozen 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.  

Not sure what the cheese stick is but I believe it is low fat.  The organic ranch dip is organic but full fat. The fruit is fresh. 

October 24 is national Food Day. Food Day is a nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy,

affordable, and sustainable food. Go to foodday.org for details.  To celebrate Food Day the NS Middle School we be holding a fresh fruit and veggie food drive.  All donations will go to Island Harvest. islandharvest.org Please have your child bring in pre packaged fresh fruit or veggies. There will be boxes at the front and cafeteria entrance.  This is something small but very much needed to help those in need of fresh food.  

• 
  

 Chicken “Bites”

All White Meat Chicken

w/ Marinara Dipping Sauce

Freshly Baked Whole

Wheat Breadsticks

Fresh Fruit

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.

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).  

Whole grain breadstick- which may be partial vs fully whole grain under the school lunch law.

The fruit is fresh.  But,  where are the veggies in this meal ?? You all know my feelings about Tyson. Yes, what we serve is better then most schools but the ingredients speak for themselves.  Head for the salad bar. 

What's for lunch !0/08/13

 Oven‐ Baked

Breaded Chicken

Rotini w/ Garlic & Oil

Caesar Salad w/ Chick Peas

Although this chicken is better then what we use to serve, it still is a Tyson product.  It is whole muscle which means not beaks or any other undesirable parts of a chicken. You decide for yourself whether you would like your children to eat this for lunch. 

The chicken is a Tyson "fully cooked chicken breast nugget  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.

For the rotini, we use 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 salad is made with canned chick peas.  The salad bar is available. 

What's for lunch 10/7/13

Brunch For Lunch
Cinnamon Challah
French Toast,
Applegate® Sunday Bacon,
Baked Potato “Puffs”
Apple Crisp



Say "No" to meal declared to be "cake" for lunch by our committee's nutritionist - basically white flour bread.  The syrup is basically HFCS.  They are looking for an affordable maple syrup but do not have one yet - but they will be limiting the serving size this year in the meantime.  Actual lunch from our schools above. This meal has a lot of sugar, simple carbohydrates -- no whole grains.


The potatoes are from McCains. The ingredients are: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the following: Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Sunflower Oil, Corn Oil), Corn Starch - Modified, Dehydrated Garlic, Spices, Salt, Dehydrated Onion, Rosemary, Dehydrated Red Bell Pepper, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Paprika, Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate Added to Preserve Natural Color.   Note that the autolyzed yeast extract is potentially similar to MSG. They have 3.5g of fat and 160mg of sodium.

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.  

The apple crisp is home made.  I would run for the salad bar.  Kids love this menu item and why not right ?  It is dessert. 

What's for lunch 10/4/13

Trattoria Friday
Chicken Parmigiana w/
Whole Wheat Penne Marinara
‐ORWhole
Wheat Penne Marinara
& Cheese Stick
Cucumber Sticks w/ Dip

Chicken is a flash-fried product from Tyson with 10g of fat and 620mg of sodium. Ingredients: 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. 

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 cheese is a USDA commodity part skim mozzarella. Ingredients are cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes.  The pasta is whole grain. 

The cucumber sticks are fresh with organic full fat ranch dip.  The fruit is fresh. 

What's for lunch 10/3/13

Applegate Hot Dog on Whole Wheat Bun
Long Island Corn On The Cob
Fresh Fruit. – GF w/o bun. 


The hot dogs are from Applegate Farms - so they are far better than many hot dogs but are hot dogs nonetheless. They have 8g of fat and 330mg of sodium. 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 corn and fruit are fresh.