What's for lunch 2/13/14

Cup of Soup

&

Pizza Slice

w. Fresh Tomato Sauce

& Mozzarella

Sautéed Broccoli

w. Garlic & Oil

Fresh Fruit

I have to apologize for the lack of blogging.  A lot of this menu is repetitious.  And I am not often inspired unless there is something new.  Lunch for tomorrow is not new. But I wanted to make sure the blog did not completely fall off your radar. 

The soup is from Panera and I do not have the details on the ingredients. 

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 broccoli is fresh as well as the fruit.  Load up on sides from the salad bar. 

It is darn cold out there ! Nothing like a warm chocolate chip cookie with only 4 ingredients ! 

4 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 Cup of Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1 Cup of Granulated Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs
• 2 Cups of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine peanut butter, sugar and eggs until fully blended. Gently mix in the chocolate chips.
3. Drop heaping tablespoons of cookie dough onto a non stick baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
5. Makes about 16 cookies.

What's for lunch 1/31/14

 Cup of Soup

&

Whole Wheat

French Bread Pizza

Sautéed Zucchini

w/ Garlic & Oil

Fresh Fruit

We make these ourselves - we do not serve highly processed frozen pizzas. 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).  The cheese is a USDA commodity part skim mozzarella.  Ingredients are cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes. The sodium is 240mg/oz -  we use 2 ounces.  

The zucchini and fruit are fresh.  The soup comes from Panera but I don't have the ingredients for that just yet. 

What's for lunch 1/30/14

 Brunch For Lunch

Cinnamon Challah

French Toast,

Applegate® Bacon,

Oven‐Baked

Sweet Potato “Puffs”

Apple Crisp

We all know how the nutrition committee feels about this lunch.  It is basically cake and that is exactly why some kids love it. 

The liberal allocation of syrup is basically HFCS.  (News Flash! Next year we will replace the high fructose corn syrup with actual maple syrup! But it won't make up for the lack of any whole grains in this meal.)

The turkey bacon is by Applegate. It is nitrate-free. 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.)


Then there are the commodity potatoes processed by McCain's into tater tots -- although they are labeled "frozen pre-formed potato rounds."  They have 7g of fat (one of which is saturated) and 190mg of sodium. Ingredients are: potatoes, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following oils: canola, soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, corn). Contains 2% or less of dextrose, salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate added to maintain natural color.

What's for lunch 1/28/14

 Cup of Soup

& Chicken “Bites”

Oven‐Baked All White Meat

Chicken w/

Marinara Dipping Sauce

Carrot Sticks

Baked Potato “Puffs”

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 cafeteria makes its own red sauce.  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).  

"Puffs" are commodity potatoes processed by McCain's into tater tots -- although they are labeled "frozen pre-formed potato rounds."  They are flash-fried before they get to the frozen part.  They have 7g of fat (one of which is saturated) and 190mg of sodium. Ingredients are: potatoes, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following oils: canola, soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, corn). Contains 2% or less of dextrose, salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate added to maintain natural color.

The school food  consultant along with assistant superintendent are looking for ways to get healthier chicken options into the cafeteria.  There are an enormous amounts of rules the school needs to follow so I know this will be a difficult task.  I am confident by next school year our chicken will be better. 

What's for lunch 1/27/14

 Whole Grain Baked Ziti

From the Farm..

Sautéed Broccoli

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 fruit and the broccoli are fresh. 

I have to apologize for not updating recently.  I have had a touch of the horrible flu for almost a week now and just coming out of it.  More recipes and updates to come !!

What's for lunch 1/22/14

 CBLT

Breaded Chicken Cutlet

Applegate® Sunday Bacon,

Lettuce, Tomato

on Whole Wheat Bun

Cucumber Tomato Salad

Fresh Fruit

Oh this lunch is not one of my favorites.  I know we use the whole muscle from Tyson and the Applegate bacon is nitrate free but, it is not the most nutritious meal. 

Chicken, water, salt and natural flavor. BREADED WITH: Wheat flour, water, wheat starch, white whole wheat flour, salt, yellow corn flour, corn starch, dried onion, dried garlic, dried yeast, brown sugar, extractives of paprika, and spices. Breading set in vegetable oil. The Applegate Bacon has pork, water, sea salt, evaporated cane syrup and celery powder. The bun is whole wheat. 

The cucumber tomato salad is fresh along with the fruit. Encourage your kids to load up at the salad bar. 

What's for lunch 1/14/14

Cup of Soup &

Flatbread “Margherita” Pizza

Fresh Tomato Sauce, Basil,

& Local Fresh Mozzarella

Sautéed Zucchini

w/ Garlic & Oil

Fresh Fruit

We make the pizza ourselves - we do not serve highly processed frozen pizzas. 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). The cheese is a USDA commodity part skim mozzarella. Ingredients are cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes. The sodium is 240mg/oz - we use 2 ounces. The zucchini is fresh. 

The soups are from Panera Bread. Not clear on the ingredients. The fruit is fresh as always.