What's for lunch 9/12/13

BRUNCH FOR LUNCH

Cinnamon Challah French

Toast

Applegate® Sunday Bacon

Baked Potato “Puffs”

Apple Crisp

As I have said many times before on this blog, this is the nutrition committee's least favorite lunch otherwise known as desert or cake. 

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. Read more about nitrates here.

The apple crisp is homemade.  I would head for the salad bar !!

What's for lunch 9/11/13

Oven-Baked Breaded

Chicken

Whole Grain Garlic Bread

Buttered Rotini with Garlic & Oil

LI Sweet Corn on the Cob

Fresh Fruit 

 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 rotini is whole grain from Zarega.

The corn is fresh as is the fruit. 

I am often looking for new vegetables to serve my family.   Today I bought Kohlrabi.

Kohlrabi is a nutrient-rich vegetable of Eastern European origin. In the German language, it means “cabbage turnip.” This aptly describes the family it came from–cabbage. Kohlrabi’s appearance is almost a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. It has a turnip-shaped overgrown stem–the commonly eaten part–with leaves sprouting from it. There are several ways to prepare a kohlrabi. It can be eaten raw, grilled or stir-fried. Regardless of how it is prepared, kohlrabi has numeroushealth benefits. Listed below are ways to cook kohlrabi.  I will let you know how my kids like it. 

1. Sliced thin and eaten raw. When raw, kohlrabi is slightly crunchy and mildly spicy, like radishes. You can toss them in a salad or eat them on their own with a drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt.

2. Made into fritters. This is a great way to get kids to eat their kohlrabi! Shred the vegetable and mix with an egg and a few tablespoons of flour. Heat oil or butter in a flat skillet, drop on small mounds, and flatten slightly with the back of your spatula. Turn after a few minutes, and serve when both sides are crispy.

3. In soup. We particularly like kohlrabi in a creamy, pureed soup with mild spices so that sweet kohlrabi flavor can really shine through. Also, try adding it to recipes for Cream of Potato, Cream of Broccoli, and even Cream of Mushroom soup!

4. Roasted. When roasted in the oven, the outside of the kohlrabi caramelizes, and the flavor sweetens and mellows. You can slice the kohlrabi thin for toasted "chips" or cube it. We like to toss it with other roasted veggies like eggplant and potatoesfor a hearty side dish.

5. Steamed. This is kind of a cheat-suggestion because kohrabi can be used in literally anything once steamed. We throw steamed kohlrabi into frittatas, stir-fries, and pasta dishes. We also like to puree it with a little cream and simple spices. We've also seen recipes for stuffing steamed kohlrabi into empanadas andcalzones!

Kohrabi is found in a lot of Indian cooking, so it naturally does well with traditional Indian spices. Honestly, though, we tend to prefer it seasoned with just a nice sprinkling salt!

What's for lunch 9/10/13

BETTER THAN A PIZZERIA...

Flatbread“Margherita” Pizza

Fresh Tomato Sauce, Basil

and Local, Fresh Mozzarella

Cucumber Sticks w/Dip

Fresh Fruit

The pizza sauce (from Red Pack) ingredients are: Tomato concentrate (water, tomato paste), salt, citric acid, basil.

For the crust, the ingredients are: enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, barley malt, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, soybean oil,, dextrose, salt, calcium propionate, fumaric acid, dough conditioner (wheat flour, salt, soybean oil, l-gyssteine, ascorbic acid, enzyme) potassium sorbate. 

The cucumbers and fruit are fresh. 

Here is an interesting article about chicken that I am sure most of you were not aware of !

Really? USDA Says It’s Fine If China Processes America’s Chickens

• 9/5/13 at 3:00 PM
 
• 5Comments

Vacation!Photo: Steve-L-Johnson/Flickr

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has given the initial approval for four companies in China to begin processing chickens slaughtered in the U.S. and Canada and then export the meat back into the United States. The globe-trotting chicken will be cooked and/or "heat-treated" abroad and still have to pass USDA muster, but no inspections or monitoring will actually take place in China. Critics of the plan argue that, in addition to concerns about food safety, the change in policy signals a broader overture for the United States to open up future imports of birds that were raised, slaughtered, and processed in that country.

The development was first reported when Politico posted the contents of audit reports ahead of their release on Friday — which is to say just before the long weekend started and everyone stopped paying attention to the news. "All outstanding issues have been resolved," wrote an official, green-lighting the four processors as compliant with standards.

The idea of sending chicken carcasses to China only to have the (hopefully) vacuum-packed meat eventually return Stateside and appear on supermarket shelves may seem something of an unnecessary effort, but because the move suggests the U.S. may eventually be able to once again sell a lot more beef to China, Bloomberg argues, it's a good thing.

There are several problems with the possible USDA approval of poultry raised in China, including the potential for contamination and counterfeit meat. The sum of all food-safety nightmares in China recently included the sale ofmaggot-filled sausages and 50-year-old chicken feet. Perhaps worst of all, because no country-of-origin labels are required under the new rules, theTimes reports, consumers will have no way of knowing where their bird has been.

Don't Trust a Chicken Nugget That's Visited China [Bloomberg]
Audit gives China green light to process U.S. chicken [Politico]
Chinese Chicken Processors Are Cleared to Ship to U.S. [NYT]
Related: Prospective Buyers Offer More Money for Smithfield Foods

Easy recipe !

As you all know I love yumuniverse.com - this is a great easy raspberry and chia seed jam.  I have so many chia seeds and never know what to do with them besides sprinkle on salads, put in smoothies and make chia seed pudding. This jam is delicious !

Easy Raspberry & Chia Jam

September 3, 2013 5:00 am
By Heather Crosby

0

Many of YU are familiar with the amazing health benefits of chia seed, and you’ve seen me add it to everything from fresca to chili. So, I have to share yet another easy way to enjoy this powerhouse little seed—as antioxidant-rich jam!

I keep this recipe prepared and on hand in the fridge to enjoy by the spoonful, swirled into Cardamom Chia Pudding, or spread on a plain version of this Chickpea Flatbread. It’s a great way to use up berries before they perish, too. Although you know my trick for extending their shelf life, right?

Try a mixture of berries, add herbs and citrus. Experiment, have fun and share with us what YU come up with.

Click here to share this recipe on Twitter

Tools:
Saucepan

Ingredients:
Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why.
1 1/2 cups raspberries*
1/4 cup pure water
1 tbsp raw, wild harvested honey or sweetener of choice (optional)
2 tsp chia seed

Adaptation idears:
* Try  strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, huckleberries, boysenberries and/or a mixture of all!
* Try adding in fresh herbs like thyme or mint.
* For extra extra fiber, stir in one tsp of psyllium and add 2 tbsp water.
* Delicious with a squeeze of fresh orange juice and 1/4 tsp fresh orange zest, too.
* Give it some kick with red pepper flakes—oh my.

Let’s get started.
1. Bring all ingredients except chia to a rolling boil.

2. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in chia seed.
4. Allow to cool and enjoy.
5. Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Raw food tip: If you want to make a raw version of this jam, blend together 1/4 cup of raspberries, water and honey. Transfer to a bowl, and using a fork, mash up the remaining berries (gives it nice texture) and then stir in chia—allow to plumpen/thicken for about 10 minutes and voilà.

Freezer tip: You absolutely can use frozen berries for this jam, just allow them to thaw and follow instructions above.

What's for lunch 9/09/12

HOMEMADE

MAC N’ CHEESE

Caesar Salad w/Chick Peas

or

Breaded-Chicken Caesar Salad

(Deli Bar Can Make it a Wrap)

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 chicken itself 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.

It is unfortunate that we are still using Tyson products.   I know that food service was looking to change that but there are so many rules about raw chicken in the kitchen. 

The fruit is fresh, as always.

What's for lunch 9/4/23

Chef’s Choice

PLATE OF THE DAY

FULL DELI BAR

Quesadilla

Meatball Hero ~ PB&J

Plus Veggies & Fruit

Welcome back !! 

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 quesadilla has Monterrey Jack cheese and the beans and tortilla described above. 
Fresh carrots with a mild organic salsa.

I am not completely sure what type of peanut butter or jelly we use.  The deli bar has a variety of breads and cold cuts.  All cold cuts are Boar's head.  Boar's head is gluten free but not nitrate free.  All fruits and veggies are fresh.  No salad bar this week. 

What's for lunch 6/11/13 and 6/12/13

CHEF’S CHOICE
Entree of the Day Choice of Fresh Vegetables 
Choice of Milk Fresh Fruit/Juice
NO SALAD BAR 

Only two days left of full day of classes.  So the chef will pretty much be preparing whatever is left in the fridge.  And there will be no salad bar. 

Good luck on your exams and enjoy the summer !! 

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” 
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby