What's for Lunch - Mon. 11/1

We're kicking off November with our new stand-by:

Pita Pizza (Meatball or Plain)
Celery and Cucumber Sticks
Orange Wedge


The pita pizza is made with  a HFCS-free, minimal ingredient pita from Kronos or Athena. It is 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.

Other than that, we have fresh vegetables and fruit.  Think of it as post-Halloween detox.

Happy Halloween,
Sara

Weekend Reading and Fun

Reading

WSJ had a great article on the resurgence of heirloom apples.  Give me spots on my apples but leave me the birds and the bees please.

The blog Nutrition for the future has a post about "right-sizing" kids meals where ever you are.

In honor of Halloween, read this post at Grist called "In Defense of Candy" - I think they are on to something.

Those tricky tricksters. Turns out HFCS has a lot more fructose than we were led to believe. Guess we should have tested that awhile ago instead of reading those PR pieces.....

And not to go on and on but Grist also had a great piece about the challenge of salad bars in schools. I wish we had ours every day - and yes, we, too, applied for the salad bar grants they mention.

Watching

CNN did a piece fairly recently on school food if you prefer to watch your news.

Giving

Been driving around listening to NPR? Then it's time to pony up and give to WNYC's pledge drive. Give a lot and get Mark Bittman's new cookbook Food Matters for free.  Maybe you even heard Bittman's interview on the Leonard Lopate show. Now you should really give.

Feeding America is raising money now for thanksgiving meals at food banks.  Give here.

Local Fun

Cider Social - Central Park 3pm  - Kids, costumes, crafts.

Celebrate Halloween 1880s-style at the Old Bethpage Restoration Village. No link - you can google as well as I can

On Nov. 5 6 and 12, the Queens County Farm Museum is hosting an authentic 18th century tavern-style dinner cooked on an open hearth.  Reservations required.

Happy Halloween!

Sara

Call Congress - Reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act

From the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

President Obama has asked the U.S. House of Representatives to make passing child nutrition legislation a top priority after the midterm elections.

So much progress has been made during the last two years in developing a strong child nutrition bill, which is due, in large part, to the groundswell of support from concerned citizens like you.

Please reach out to your Congressional Representative today to urge Congress to pass the child nutrition bill and improve school foods as soon as they get back to Washington.

I feel like I've gone on and on about this topic so follow the link for instructions and then call. If you need background, you can use the search box for "child nutrition act" or there's a section where you can choose to see "action alerts" in the list of labels we tag these posts with.  You can also use this handy feature to see, say, just lunch menus if you choose.

Sara

What's for Lunch - Fri., 10/29

We'll be having:

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese (Vermont Cheddar Sauce)
Sauteed fresh Zucchini sticks
Crisp Apple

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 Cabot Vermont Cheddar.

Accompanied by fresh zucchini and an apple.

Sara

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 10/28

Our tasty menu today includes:

Oven-roasted Chicken Breast
Zesty Brown Rice
Broccoli

OR

Salad Bar
Fresh Fruit

This is frozen chicken on the bone that we roast in olive oil, salt and pepper.  The rice has sauteed onions, salt, pepper and cumin.  The broccoli will be sauteed with olive oil and garlic - unless they run out of skillets (seriously.)  in which case it will be roasted.  Three cheers for the cooks who will pull this great lunch off one way or another. This is all just real, whole food cooked and served to our children.

But that's not all! We also get a salad bar today.  The bar will have two kinds of cheese, chic peas, romaine lettuce, and raw vegetables among other things - including croutons. At Sea Cliff at least, the salad is put together by the cafeteria workers to order for the kids.  The dressings are Balsamic Vinegar, Ranch and Caesar. Click each one to be linked back to ingredient lists. Read about Balsamic Vinegar here: filtered water, organic soybean oil, organic balsamic vinegar, organic sugar, salt, organic white vinegar, organic minced garlic, organic garlic powder, organic onion powder, organic black pepper, organic red bell pepper granules, xantham gum.

Let's talk about those salad dressings.  At the high school they've been practicing making all their dressings from scratch. Yes - fresh, homemade salad dressing.  Come November, our food services dept will begin rolling out these fresh dressings to all our schools. Enjoy.

Fresh Fruit.

Sara

Open Thread: Collecting Comments for Next District Nutrition Committee Meeting Here!

The district-wide nutrition committee has been re-formed and is meeting monthly with appointed parent representatives from each school, administrators and our food services consultant.  This is an advisory group to the food services department. Like Sea Cliff, the other schools in our district are also forming their own nutrition committees to organize events in their own buildings.

This post is an "open thread" where you can post comments from now until our next meeting on Dec. 1st.  Any feedback you wish to leave on the lunch program, the menus, the a la carte snack items, the cafeteria or nutrition education will be passed on to the committee.

To leave a comment, click the word "comments" under this post and follow the instructions.

What's for Lunch - Wed., 10/27

The kids will be enjoying:

Whole Wheat Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Make Your Own Caesar Salad
Cinnamon Applesauce


The sandwich is made from a mix of American and lowfat commodity cheddar cheese from the USDA.  In November, we will transition to a cheddar-only sandwich.

And - I have the bread ingredients!!!!  We use Nature's Own Whole Wheat Bread. 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.

Sorry about the CAPS but that's too much to re-type.

The caesar salad is pretty clear - romaine is a traditional choice for caesar but also more nutritious than iceberg. The Caesar salad dressing is organic by Chelten. Here are the ingredients: filtered water, organic soybean oil, organic white vinegar, organic Parmesan cheese (pasteurized organic cow's milk, salt, cheese cultures, microbial enzymes, organic potato starch), pasteurized organic frozen whole egg yolks, salt, organic sugar, organic ground mustard seed, organic garlic powder organic onion powder, organic black pepper, xanthan gum.  (in 2 tbsp - 8 g fat, 160 mg sodium).

Cinnamon applesauce - government (hopefully unsweetened but haven't seen the label) applesauce.

Sara

What's for Lunch - Tues., 10/26

The kids will be served:

White Meat Chicken Nuggets
Mini Corn Cobs
Seasonal Fruit

The menu emphasizes that these are whole muscle white meat nuggets - but they are nuggets. Processed by Tyson and shipped frozen.  I have been assured they contain fewer fillers than last year's but I have not seen the label.


Fresh corn is a huge improvement over last year's canned variety which contained both added salt and sugar.  Fresh fruit will also be served based on what is available.

Sara

What's for Lunch - Mon., 10/25

Pita Pizza w/ Meatballs or Plain
Carrot Crunchers
Orange Wedges

The pita pizza is made with  a HFCS-free, minimal ingredient pita from Kronos or Athena. It is 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. I have emailed to check on the cheese.

Plus you get fresh, raw carrots and oranges slices!

Sara

Weekend Reading and Fun

Reading

Personally, I thought this was ridiculously interesting. The NYT's Economix blog reported on research saying you're more likely to buy unhealthy foods when you're paying with plastic.

San Francisco has fired another salvo in the war to stop marketing junk to kids by banning toys in unhealthy meals.

Education Week did a great synopsis on where we are with (still) trying to get the Child Nutrition Act reauthorized.  The links in the article give a very comprehensive look at the school lunch program and where advocates think it should be headed.

The USDA just published a report entitled, "How Food Away From Home Affects Children's Diet Quality" with some very important findings. You'll be stunned to find out that fast food restaurants are bad for you - but school food doesn't escape unscathed either. Here is the abstract:

Based on 2 days of dietary data and panel data methods, this study includes estimates of how each child’s consumption of food away from home, food from school (which includes all foods available for purchase at schools, not only those offered as part of USDA reimbursable meals), and caloric sweetened beverages affects that child’s diet quality and calorie consumption. Compared with meals and snacks prepared at home, food prepared away from home increases caloric intake of children, especially older children. Each food-away-from-home meal adds 108 more calories to daily total intake among children ages 13-18 than a snack or meal from home; all food from school is estimated to add 145 more calories. Both food away from home and all food from school also lower the daily diet quality of older children (as measured by the 2005 Healthy Eating Index). Among younger children, who are more likely than older children to eat a USDA school meal and face a more healthful school food environment, the effect of food from school on caloric intake and diet quality does not differ significantly from that of food from home.

And if you read all that, you might be interested in Slow Food Huntington's new book club:

If you’re interested in joining a book club that focuses on books about food this is the one for you! We now have a Facebook page called "Slow Food Huntington Book Club".  Meeting are tentatively scheduled for Thursday evenings and the group will meet monthly. Questions? please email Veronique Stravato or via the Facebook page.

Fun

This weekend is Sea Cliff's annual costume sale to benefit the Brooke Jackman Foundation, an organization which promotes literacy.  Costumes are just $5 each. Sat. and Sun. 11- 5, Sheridan Lane, Sea Cliff (off Prospect.)

The really lovely Bailey Arboretum is having a pumpkin festival Sunday with guided nature walks.

Also on Sunday, the Boys and Girls Club in Glen Head holds their annual carnival.

And - this is National Friends of Libraries week - please drop by one of our two terrific village libraries and consider making an annual donation.

Looking Ahead

The Films on Food series in Huntington has been terrific - and includes a reception!

Thursday, October 28th 7:30pm
Lets Eat! Films on Food
Know Your Mushrooms
Film and discussion with special guest David Falkowski aka the Mushroom Man

From award-winning director Ron Mann comes this investigation of the miraculous, near-secret world of fungi. Inspired by a chance conversation with fellow filmmaker and mushroom buff Jim Jarmusch, Mann set off to the annual Telluride Mushroom Festival in Colorado where he encountered the unique sub-sub-subculture surrounding fungi that includes an unlikely assortment of nerds, nuts, hipsters, tripsters, artists, chefs, musicians, foodies, foragers, and seekers all paying homage to the mighty mushroom. Combining material filmed at the Telluride Mushroom Fest with animation and archival footage along with an original neo-psychedelic soundtrack by the Flaming Lips, Know Your Mushrooms opens the doors to perception, takes the audience on a longer, stranger trip and delivers them to a brave new world where the fungi might well guide humanity to a saner, safer place... With extra cheese...

David Falkowski is a third generation East End farmer who is know locally as the Mushroom Man. His farm, Open Minded Organics, produces beautiful mushroom, including organic shiitakes, blue and king oyster, yellow oyster, and white oyster mushrooms. David  grows his own mushroom spawn- which means that he is able to grow genetically strong, healthy, and nutritious mushrooms- not your ordinary supermarket fungi. His passion for fungi includes the wild ones, which he forages, including Chanterelles, Chicken of the Woods and Maitake (Hen of the Woods). www.openmindedorganics.com

Cinema Arts Centre
423  Park Avenue
Huntington, NY 11743
$9 Cinema Members / $12 Public / includes reception

Sara

Action Alert - Stop Marketing to Junk to Kids

From the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has filed a petition urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to curb marketing to kids.

The petition asks the FCC to conclude that the upcoming Nicktoon’s program, Zevo-3, violates the Children’s Television Act. This show is a commercial disguised as a program.  It features three spokescharacters representing Sketchers’ shoes and violates commercial time limits in children's programming and the FCC’s policies on host-selling.
If this show is allowed to air, we expect junk-food marketing via program-length commercials won't be far behind.  One in three children is overweight/obese, and the marketing of junk food to children has contributed to this staggering statistic.

We urge you to contact the FCC and ask them to stop Nicktoon’s show Zevo-3 from airing on children’s programming.

Please follow the instructions below to file your comment:
1. Click Here to go to the FCC comment site.
2. Enter the proceeding number: 10-190
3. Next, enter your name, address (required), and email (optional)
4. In the “Type in or paste your brief comments” box, please either copy and paste the model message below or type your own personal message.

Thank you!
Margo G. Wootan, D.Sc.
Director, Nutrition Policy
Center for Science in the Public Interest

Model Comment:
Subject: Sketchers’ Zevo-3 Violates the Children’s Television Act

Dear Chairman Genachowski:

I urge the FCC to rule that the Nicktoon’s program, Zevo-3, violates the Children’s Television Act. This upcoming programming is a commercial for Sketchers’ shoes. Featuring three spokescharacters that represent shoes made by the Sketchers brand, the show violates both commercial time limits and the FCC’s policies on host-selling.

I urge you to stop Nicktoon’s Zevo-3 from airing.

Sincerely,

Sara

What's for Lunch - Fri., 10/22

All Beef Burger, Cheeseburger or Veggie Burger
Sweet Potato Fries
Fresh Pear

As we've discussed, the burger is all beef and the buns are whole wheat and HFCS-free.

Here are the ingredients on the veggie burger (Dr. Praeger's): carrots, onions, string beans, zucchini, oat bran, peas, spinach, expeller pressed canola oil, broccoli, textured soy flour, corn, oat fiber, red pepper, arrowroot corn meal, corn starch, garlic, salt, black pepper, all natural vegetable gum.

No details on the sweet potato fries. Best guess: frozen government sweet potatoes arrive here and we probably bake them.  Wish I could tell you more.

Pear.

Sara

Save the Date! Exciting Speaker Announced

You do not want to miss the next PCA meeting - so mark your calendars now for Nov. 17th at 7pm.

Our speaker will be Felicia Desrosiers founder of Butter Beans which provides fresh, nutritious lunches to independent schools.  She will be talking about preparing healthy snacks and meals for your family - and how to shop so that you'll have what you need on hand, making healthy snacks all the easier.

For some great resources on nutrition, cooking and eating, check out her websites:
www.ButterBeansKitchen.com

www.ButterBeansKitchen.wordpress.com

www.HolisticCounsel.org

Felicia's Bio:
Felicia has been an avid student of nutrition and health earning degrees and certifications from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She also holds a BA in Education from The New School. In addition to founding Butter Beans, Felicia manages a Holistic Health & Nutrition Counseling practice that she started over 6 years ago.

What's for Lunch - Thurs. 10/21

Thursday features one of our new and improved menu items:

Oven-Baked "Fried" Chicken
Cucumber Sticks
Garlic Potato Wedges
Cinnamon Applesauce

The oven baked fried chicken is made here with a breading of corn meal, panko bread crumbs, flour, buttermilk and some salt and pepper. It is oven-baked and not fried - hence the quotation marks. (The new menus are a lot of work for the food services staff - thank you!)

The cucumber sticks don't require further description.  There's not question that the number of ingredients is way down this year over least - a terrific improvement.

The  potato wedges are government commodity potatoes (a cost savings - the staff has been trying to use our free commodity foods very carefully to avoid the worst products like chicken nuggets.). They arrive frozen. I was told they are completely plain potatoes that are only baked with our seasonings.  I actually tried htem last month and they were very good. I've asked for the label to confirm they are plain and not fried at any point int he process.

Plus, cinnamon applesauce that should be unsweetened - also a commodity food.

Sara

What's for Lunch - Wed., 10/20

I'm running a little behind schedule, but here's what we've got:

Pizza Bagel
Make Your Own Caesar Salad (Romaine, Parmesan & Croutons)
Orange Wedge

What I would do for the details on the bagel - is it whole grain? Not sure.  If anyone knows, please post a comment. The sauce is definitely (?)  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 (which saves us money and makes lunch more affordable) part skim mozzarella.  Ingredients are cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes. The sodium is 240mg/oz - I think we use 2 ounces. I have emailed to check on the cheese.

 The caesar salad is pretty clear - romaine is a traditional choice for caesar but also more nutritious than iceberg. The Caesar salad dressing is organic by Chelten. Here are the ingredients: filtered water, organic soybean oil, organic white vinegar, organic Parmesan cheese (pasteurized organic cow's milk, salt, cheese cultures, microbial enzymes, organic potato starch), pasteurized organic frozen whole egg yolks, salt, organic sugar, organic ground mustard seed, organic garlic powder organic onion powder, organic black pepper, xanthan gum.  (in 2 tbsp - 8 g fat, 160 mg sodium).

Orange wedges - what can I say? Enjoy them.

Sara

What's for Lunch - Tues., 10/19

It's our monthly:

Oswald Family Turkey Chili
Brown Rice
Tortilla Chips

Salsa
Seasonal Fruit

You may remember the chili cook-off we held last year. The winning recipe is now served once a month and named after the winning family.  Stay tuned - we are planning another cook off for this year.  You, too, could be the star of the Sea Cliff Lunch Menu.

Meanwhile, here's the recipe:

The Oswald Chili

3lbs ground turkey

1 large onion

4 cloves of garlic

1 bell pepper (not green)

1 Diced Jalapeno pepper

1 small can paste

2 28oz puree tomato

1 28oz diced tomato

2 2lbs kidney beans

2 T cumin

2 T chili powder

Brown turkey and set aside

Saute onion and garlic and bell pepper until soft

Add Paste and cook for 5 min.

Add all canned tomato, Jalapeno pepper, spices and turkey

Cook together

Add beans cook till tender

I think the brown rice is fairly self-explanatory.  I do not have the ingredients on the tortilla chips. We know that they are Snyder's but not which variety.  Not for lack of asking.  The salsa is Green Mountain and the ingredients are: Tomatoes, fire-roasted chiles, onions, tomatillos, jalapeno peppers, pasilla peppers, apple cider vinegar, cilantro, parsley, garlic, sea salt, spices.  

Finally, the seasonal fruit is unspecified so that the vendor can provide whatever is freshest. And the freshness of our fruit overall has increased thanks to a new negotiate relationship which delivers produce twice a week and not just once.  Thank you!

Sara

Ingredients for Snacks

At last! The snack list has been posted.  The list of elementary school snacks and their ingredients is on the district website at: http://www.northshore.k12.ny.us/Foodserviceinfo/2010SnackList/Oct-10-Approvedsnacklist.pdf.

 The "snacks" as we call them - a la carte dessert items sold at lunch -  include:

All Natural Baked Multigrain Sun Chips
Chocolate Chip Organic Z-bars
Stonyfield Farms Organic Strawberry Yogurt Push-up
Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla
Back to Nature Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Back to Nature Honey Graham Sticks
Snyders of Hanover: Nubblers (aka Pretzels)
Fresh Fruit

On the survey of parents last year regarding snacks, only 27% of parents supported selling the cookies we had at the time. These cookies may be better but it does not appear that parents want them and last year's district nutrition committee voted to get rid of them.  I'd argue the graham sticks are cookies, too.  Plus, do we want to teach small children that they should have dessert after lunch?

After the survey, the district nutrition committee's subcommittee on snacks developed the following guidelines:

"New Choose Sensibly Guidelines as of 3/10 for North Shore Schools"

Fat - 7 grams or less

Saturated Fat - 2 grams or less

Sodium - 200 mg or less

Sugar - 8 grams (added) or less

On the current list, the following violate the sugar standard:
 
Zbar (11g)
Honey Graham Sticks (9g)

The vanilla milk we sell a la carte also violates the sugar standard  by a wide margin.

I believe the snacks are ok with regard to saturated fat. Two snacks come close to the sodium guidelines but still pass:

Those Honey Graham sticks again (190mg)
Pretzels ("nibblers")  (200mg)

On the upside, there are some whole grains available (not the cookies or the pretzels). The snacks have  reasonable number of ingredients - not a laundry list of thins you don't want to eat - and are HFCS-free.  Please follow the link to the district's website, read hte ingredient and nutritional information and i fyou allow your kids to buy snacks, discuss with them what you're ok with.

Fruit is always nice.

Sara

What's for Lunch Mon., 10/18

On Monday, we'll be peddling:

Whole Wheat Grilled Cheese
Baby Carrots with Organic Ranch Dressing
New York State Apple

Here in mid-Oct., we're still unable to get the ingredient list for the whole wheat bread confirmed but have been assured that it is 1) in fact, whole wheat and 2) HFCS-free. The cheese is likely an American-cheddar mix that will transition to fully-cheddar but we're not sure of the timeline.

Baby carrots are certainly popular. I'd like to see a little more variety in the vegetables but these are at least fresh, raw and generally popular with children.  They are served with a organic ranch dressing by Chelten. (Although not low fat like last year because it would raise the sodium levels.) Here are the ingredients for the dressing: filtered water, organic soybean oil, organic sour cream (cultured pasteurized organic cream), organic white vinegar, organic buttermilk powder (organic buttermilk, organic skim milk), organic sugar, pasteurized organic frozen whole egg yolks, salt, organic rice oligodextrin, organic ground mustard seed, organic lemon juice concentrate, organic onion powder, organic garlic powder, organic parsley, organic black pepper, xanthan gum.  A little variety in the dip would be nice also - maybe a yogurt dip?

Finally - a New York State apple - fairly local, definitely fresh.


Tuesday is our own Oswald Chili!

Sara

Weekend Reading and Fun

Reading

Small Bites is a blog that talks about nutrition in, er, small bites. For those of you looking for some very specific advise about how to parse out the ingredients in "wheat" bread, check this out.  If for some reason, you can't bring yourself to leave this blog to go read that one, here's a hint: you need the first ingredient to be "whole wheat".

Junk food may be addictive. For the evidence and a slightly creepy video PSA that makes this argument, see this post on the Spoon Fed blog.  All the more reason not to train kids at lunch in school that they ought to be eating nuggets and things that look like french fries.

I just heard that October is non-GMO month and the folks behind it have produced a handy shopping guide - admittedly a pdf (sorry, no app this time) but still useful for those who prefer not to eat genetically-modified things.

Watching

This is a video of a McDonald's Happy Meal as it sits out on a coffee table for six months. Guess what happens? Nothin'.

Michael Bloomberg does not like soda. He wants to tax it. He does not want you to use food stamps to buy it. And now he has unleashed the power of Madison Avenue.  New video of NYC's Dept of Health's anti-soda video posted on Grist.  This video is safe to show to kids (but not that other one about junk food addiction).

Fun

On Sunday, the Huntington Historical Society is hosting an apple festival at the Kissam Barn.

The Queens County Farm Museum has pick your own pumpkins this month. If you haven't been, this working farm in Queens is worth a trip.

And of course, it's Oyster Fest out in Oyster Bay. Take the train.

Sara

What's for Lunch - Fri., 10/15

Another (new) stand-by:

Pita Pizza
Make your own Caesar salad (Romaine, Parmesan & Croutons)
Orange Wedge

The pita pizza is made with  a HFCS-free, minimal ingredient pita from Kronos or Athena. It is 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 Caesar salad dressing is organic by Chelten. Here are the ingredients: filtered water, organic soybean oil, organic white vinegar, organic Parmesan cheese (pasteurized organic cow's milk, salt, cheese cultures, microbial enzymes, organic potato starch), pasteurized organic frozen whole egg yolks, salt, organic sugar, organic ground mustard seed, organic garlic powder organic onion powder, organic black pepper, xanthan gum.  (in 2 tbsp - 8 g fat, 160 mg sodium).

Plus, sliced oranges.

Sara

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 10/14

We've got:

Whole wheat rotini marinara
Garlic bread
Sauteed zucchini with garlic
Apple slices

I have not been able to get additional details on the rotini.  I believe the sauce is probably 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). I do not know where the protein is coming from - there may be cheese with the pasta. I have requested more details but have not been able to get them.

The zucchini is fresh as is the apple.

OR

Salad Bar

I spoke with our food services consultant Julia van Loon who described the plan for the salad bar:

- red leaf and romaine lettuce - basically, kids don't like mesclun and iceberg doesn't have much by way of nutrition so she felt these were our best lettuce options.
- 4 or 5 vegetables such as broccoli, cucumbers, carrots, grape tomatoes and red onion
- a protein such as chic peas, black bean salad, hard boiled egg, Boars Head turkey cut into small pieces or tuna
- a choice of dressings
- croutons which Julia has stated will be "good ones" with minimal ingredients. The croutons meet the grain requirement of the lunch and increase participation. Her ultimate plan is to be able to make homemade croutons.

Sara

What's for Lunch - Wed., 10/13

It's a weekly standard:

All beef burger, cheeseburger or veggie burger with fixings
Cucumber Sticks
Petite Banana

As we've discussed, the burger is all beef and the buns are whole wheat.

Here are the ingredients on the veggie burger (Dr. Praeger's): carrots, onions, string beans, zucchini, oat bran, peas, spinach, expeller pressed canola oil, broccoli, textured soy flour, corn, oat fiber, red pepper, arrowroot corn meal, corn starch, garlic, salt, black pepper, all natural vegetable gum.

Cucumber sticks and a small banana round out the meal with fresh vegetable and fruit.

What's for Lunch - Tues., 10/12

For Tuesday:

Whole Wheat White Meat Chicken Patty
Whole Wheat Bun
Side Fixings: Lettuce and Tomato
Baked Shoestring Potatoes
Fresh Fruit

I have requested details on tomorrow's menu but have not been able to get any. I do not know if they are making the chicken or if this is a frozen product from Tyson like the chicken nuggets, so I can't recommend it. I have also requested the information on the "baked shoestring potatoes" which sound a lot like "fries" but I could be wrong. And I hope I am - even last year, we did not serve fries to elementary children.

As soon as I get any details, I will update,

Sara

Tips for a Greener, Safer Halloween from the Environmental Working Group

This email is from the Environmental Working Group with some great tips for Halloween:

Black and orange may be what comes to mind when you think Halloween, but we're not afraid to toss in a little green this year.

Halloween is spooky enough without having to worry about the toxins in your decorations and costumes. That's why we've created a simple tip sheet to help you have a greener, safer holiday this year.

Click here to read our easy tips for a greener, less toxic Halloween.

You and your family should have your haunted fun -- without being exposed to an abundance of toxic chemicals. To help you trick-or-treat a little greener this year, we researched some of the most common Halloween products. Go ahead, get into the holiday spirit -- and use our Healthy Halloween Tips to help!

Click here to learn more about choosing safer makeup, costume pieces, decorations and treats.
 

Thanks for reading,

EWG

 Sara

Weekend Reading - and Fun

Reading

Great story on NPR about Brazil's lunch program - and we could really learn something from it.

The NYT covered how to get those pesky pesticides off your fruits and vegetables in their Really? column this week.

Interesting piece on La Vida Locavore that I would title - Candy Companies Join Monsanto in Running USDA.  Read for yourself.

So much talk this week about Bloomberg's efforts to ban the use of food stamps for the purchase of soda. For one of many articles, click here.

Fun

This is kind of hilarious. The restaurant Chipotle is sponsoring a costume contest to raise money for Jamie Oliver's group. You are to dress up as a "Horrifying Processed Food Product." I read about it on The Lunch Tray blog. I'm not sure how to dress up as last year's MSG laden psuedo-chicken nuggets, BPA green beans with a side of salt and HFCS canned fruit lunch.  Fortunately this year, your inspiration will not come from our kids' school lunch.  But you might swing by at snack time....

It's Family Harvest Weekend at the New York Botanical Gardens.  Here's the description from their website:

October 9-11

See Complete Schedule

It’s all about pumpkins and cooking with kids at this harvest celebration for the whole family.
Stop by the Conservatory Kitchen to learn about nutritious, fun, and delicious recipes that you can try together in your own kitchen. The weekend lineup at the Conservatory Kitchen includes Chef Lidia Bastianich, television chef, acclaimed cookbook author, and restaurateur; Chef Bill Telepan, owner of his eponymous restaurant and an advocate for school lunch reform; and Chef Michel Nischan of the Dressing Room. All of the chefs will be cooking with pumpkins, squash, or gourds, with their children or grandchildren joining them on stage. Enjoy delicious samples of sustainably produced food on the Tasting Terrace, booksignings by chefs and gardeners at the Cookbook Collective, and guided tours of the four spectacular kitchen gardens. Musical performances round out the fun.

In the Everett Children's Adventure Garden, Halloween Hoorah treats visitors to a frightfully fun journey with creepy crawlies, pumpkin patches, spooky scarecrows, hands-on activities, parades, and more. Harvest crafts and other hands-on fun continue in Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.

Finally, The Pumpkin Patch has arrived.

Sara

What's for Lunch - Fri., 10/8

It's the return of the Twin Tacos:

Twin Taco Bar
Seasoned beef with lettuce, low-fat cheddar cheese and all natural salsa
Carrot crunchers
Grape clusters

Tacos are back - new and improved with 100% ground chuck.  I will update in the comments when I get the ingredients for the shell.  The salsa is Green Mountain organic salsa and the ingredients are: tomatoes, fire-roasted chiles, onions, tomatillos, jalapeno peppers, pasilla peppers, apple cider vinegar, cilantro, parsley, garlic, sea salt, spices.  The previous iteration of twin tacos used turkey - kind of - turkey plus a lot of other fillers.

Fresh, raw carrots and grapes.  Healthy and kid-friendly.

Sara

PS - Tacos shells are hard, yellow corn shells but I have not gotten the ingredients yet.

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 10/7

On Thursday, we'll be having:

Pita Pizza
Make Your Own Caesar Salad
Fresh Pear

The pita pizza is made with  a HFCS-free, minimal ingredient pita from Kronos or Athena. It is not whole wheat, however.  The food service felt they could not find a whole wheat pita that the students would enjoy.  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. I have emailed to check on the cheese.

The salad includes romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese and croutons.  The Caesar salad dressing is organic by Chelten. Here are the ingredients: filtered water, organic soybean oil, organic white vinegar, organic Parmesan cheese (pasteurized organic cow's milk, salt, cheese cultures, microbial enzymes, organic potato starch), pasteurized organic frozen whole egg yolks, salt, organic sugar, organic ground mustard seed, organic garlic powder organic onion powder, organic black pepper, xanthan gum.  (in 2 tbsp - 8 g fat, 160 mg sodium)

And - a fresh pear.

Wha'ts for Lunch - Wed., 10/6

Here's our menu: 

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese - Vermont Cheddar Sauce
Sauteed Fresh Zucchini Sticks
Crisp Apple

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.

Accompanied by a fresh vegetables and a fresh fruit. Lovely.

What's in Tuesday's Lunch - 10/5

All Beef burger, cheeseburger or Veggie burger
whole wheat bun
sweet pepper sticks
organic ranch dressing
seasonal fruit

100% beef (not from the govt) burgers or Dr. Praeger's veggie burger (ingredients posted previously if you search Praeger). Whole wheat bun with no HFCS.

Fresh, raw vegetable and fruit! Dressing ingredients have also been posted previously.

What's for Lunch - Mon., 10/4

Monday's menu features:

White Meat Chicken Nuggets
BBQ Dipping sauce
Sauteed Broccoli with garlic
Orange Wedges

These are Tyson frozen chicken nuggets. The BBQ sauce, however, is organic. The kids will be given 1 tablespoon.


The broccoli is fresh as are the orange wedges.

Note: With better kitchen facilities, we could make our own baked, breaded chicken products.   I'd like to see that as part of the capital campaign.

Sara

For Want of a Nail....Salad Bar Update

You may notice on October's menu that the salad bar has been reduced to once every two weeks.  Without a Cuisinart, the labor of preparing the fresh vegetables is more than we can currently handle weekly.  This news is disappointing but understandable.

Please - Support School Lunch and let's bring back the weekly salad bar.

And join the nutrition committee. With enough support, we can offer a salad bar EVERY DAY.

Sara

Weekend Reading

Reading

Chet Ann Cooper has a blog post summarizing the findings of  study by UC Berkeley of the results of the Berkeley school district's changes to their lunch program and their nutrition education which includes cooking and gardening. One of the best results was the increase in fruits and vegetables the kids consumed each day.  The post provides a link to the entire study.

Check out this rant about crackers and snacks. She's on to something.

Mark Bittman's blog is running lots of recipes from his new cookbook Food Matters.

Pick up some rice noodles this weekend and read about why they're good and what to do with them here in the NYT Well blog

Local Fun

Mini-mart is Sunday! Need I say more? But  I will....

Stone Barns is having a Harvest Fest on Saturday. Read more about this event and their commitment to sustainable agriculture here.