What's for lunch 10/2/13

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.  Salad bar is available. 

Don't forget Food Day is October 24th.  We are trying to coordinate a fresh food drive for those in need.  Details to follow.   Check out www.foodday.org to see what is happening around the country on the 24th. 

What's for lunch 10/1/13

From the Ranch to you…

Beef Taco Tuesday!

Hard Corn Tortilla— GF

or Soft Flour Tortilla

Romaine Le􀆩uce, Cheese,

Salsa, Sour Cream,

Brown Rice & Black Beans

Veggie Sticks

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. 

The hard taco shells from Mission foodservice contain: whole grain corn, water, vegetable oil (one or more of the following: cottonseed oil, corn oil or palm oil), contains 2% or less of niacin, reduced iron, thiamine, mononitrate, riboflavin lime. No sodium - 6g of fat (2 of which are saturated) 

 The soft shells 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 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 salsa is homemade and the fruit is fresh.  

What's for lunch 9/30/13

French Bread “Ziti” Pizza

or

French Bread Plain Pizza

Sauteed Broccoli w/Garlic & Oil

Fresh Fruit

Whole grain bread. The pizza sauce is from Red Pack and the ingredients are: Tomato concentrate (water, tomato paste), salt, citric acid, basil. Fresh broccoli -- we are making these pizzas - not frozen!

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 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 broccoli and the fruit are fresh. 

Not a fan of this menu choice way too many refined carbs and the President of Barilla discriminates.  Read for yourself   http://abcnews.go.com/Business/barilla-president-apologizes-gays-pasta-ads/story?id=20383754.  

What's for lunch 9/26/13

Better than a Pizzeria...

Thin Crust Pizza “Margherita”

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Basil and Fresh Mozzarella

Romaine Salad

with Chickpeas

Fresh Fruit 

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). The tomato, basil and mozzarella are fresh. 

The salad is romaine lettuce with chickpeas.  Which are canned but do pack quite a bit of protein. The fruit is fresh.  

My kids coming home starving after school.  Today I am making this fall inspired soup.  I think they will love it ! 

From Bon Appétit via Epicurious

Pumpkin-Coconut Bisque

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups solid-pack pumpkin, canned
2 cups low-salt vegetable broth
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk, divided
Salt and pepper
Pepitas, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté until golden, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the pumpkin, broth, sugar, allspice, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat. Cover and simmer until flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
3. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot. Bring the soup to a simmer, thinning with coconut milk to the desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the pepita seeds, drizzle with a teaspoon of coconut milk, and serve.

What's for lunch 9/25/13

GRILLED CHEESE 2 WAYS!

Whole Wheat Grilled Cheese

With Ham or Plain

Sweet Potato Wedges

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

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

Amount Per Serving

Calories 60

Calories fom Fat10 % Daily Value

Total Fat 1g

2%

Saturated Fat 0g

0%

Trans Fat 0g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.5g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0%

Cholesterol 25mg

9%

Sodium 590mg

25%

Total Carbohydrate 2g

1%

Dietary Fiber 0g

0%

Sugars 2g Protein 9g 19%

Vitamin A 0%

Vitamin C0%Calcium 0%

Iron 4%

Sweet potato wedges are flash-fried and frozen with 4.5g of fat and 140mg of sodium. Ingredients are Sweet Potatoes, Potato Starch - Modified, Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following Oils: Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Corn). Contains 2% or less of Annatto (color), Baking Soda, Beta Carotene (color), Caramel(Color), Natural Flavors, Rice Flour, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate(Maintains Natural Color & Leavening), Sugar, Tapioca Dextrin,Xanthan Gum.  The fruit is fresh. 

If your child is purchasing this lunch you need to encourage them to load up on the salad bar.  This entire meal besides the fresh fruit is processed and contains quite a bit of carbs.  

What's for lunch 9/24/13

SOUVLAKI PLATE

Marinated Chicken with

Sweet Peppers & Onions on a

Warm Whole Wheat Pita

Tzatziki Sauce

Greek Salad

Fresh Fruit

Gluten Free if taken without the pita

The  chicken is a processed USDA commodity food 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.

The pita is actually part whole wheat.  The ingredients are wheat flour [whole wheat flour and enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)], water, soybean oil, less than 2% of yeast, salt, sugar, dough conditioner (distilled monoglycerides, calcium salts, guar gum, wheat starch, sodium metabisulfite, ascorbic acid), preservatives (calcium propionate, potassium sorbate), vinegar.

The peppers, onions, and fruit are fresh.  The Tzatziki sauce is home make.  Still working on getting those ingredients.  The salad is all fresh ingredients.  My daughter loves this lunch.  Although the chicken is Tyson is does have  a lot of flavor.   The salad bar is always an option. 

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)