Sea Cliff Nutrition Committee. The Apple People

Sea Cliff Nutrition Committee. The Apple People

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 12/22

PITA PIZZA
With Meatballs or Plain
Salad Bar Veggie & Fruit Sides
Fresh Grapes

The pita pizza is made with  a HFCS-free, minimal ingredient pita from Mediterranean Gyros.. It is not whole grain until they can find one that is tasty. 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.

Meatballs are another story. They 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.  Tyson recently had another ground beef recall due to e. coli contamination although this one did not affect the school lunch market.


Go with plain and make a nice salad.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

What's for Lunch - Wed., 12/21


BRUNCH FOR LUNCH
Homemade Challah French Toast w/Orange Rounds
Applegate Turkey Bacon
Carrot Crunchers
Cinnamon Applesauce

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.

There are alternatives - check out this one, for example.

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.

On the upside, there are fresh orange slices and carrots plus applesauce with cinnamon.

Monday, December 19, 2011

What's for Lunch - Tues., 12/20

Macaroni & Cheese
Barilla Plus Pasta & Wisconsin Cheddar
Caesar Salad at the Salad Bar
Fresh 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 Wisconsin Cheddar.

Caesar includes romaine lettuce, tomatoes and croutons. Plus a fresh apple.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

What's for Lunch - Mon., 12/19

BURGER BAR
100% Beef Burger or Cheeseburger
Lettuce/Onion/Tomato
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Orange Rounds

This is USDA commodity beef - but without fillers. You may wish to read more about ground beef in our Meatless Monday posts here and here.

Fresh toppings and orange slices.

The sweet potato fries are processed frozen  french fries we buy from McCains's, a big food service vendor. 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.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Weekend Reading

Reading

Read this piece in the Times on how the processed food industry has destroyed school lunch and created a nation of obese children.

Then read this piece over on Better DC School Food on the millions the food industry is spending on their 'right' to market junk food to kids.

There's a great guest post at Fed Up with School Lunch on how our early eating habits - including those in the school cafeteria - affect us later in life and what we can do to influence kids to make healthier choices.

Speaking of big food advertising, McDonald's is about to try to convince you that their food, too, is "farm fresh". Check out the Small Bites blog.

Petitions to Sign

Help the CSPI tell the FDA that we need to cut the level of salt in the nations' food supply.

Local Fun

Old Westbury House and Gardens will have craft making for kids on Saturday from 10-4 and wreath-making on Sunday at 2pm. Call for info. Our village library lends passes to this museum.

Bailey Arboretum will host a family nature adventure on Art in Nature on Sunday at 2pm.

Old Bethpage Village Restoration has this annual Candlelight Evenings this weekend.

And on the 20th next week - The Hanukkah Hoopla will take place at the Firehouse at 6:30.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

What's for Lunch - Fri., 12/16

Homemade Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana
Whole Wheat Penne Marinara
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Cinnamon Applesauce

We prepare this chicken in -house with a new recipe this year which is worth a try. We use frozen raw chicken (unprocessed). Our staff breads it with flour, egg and breadcrumbs.  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 probably the USDA commodity part skim mozzarella.  Ingredients are cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes. The sodium is 240mg/oz - I think we use 2 ounces. The noodles are whole wheat.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 12/15

Whole Wheat Penne w/Tomato, Broccoli & Mozzarella
Toasted Garlic Bread
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Fresh Fruit

Nice day for lunch. This is a whole grain pasta with vegetables and part skim mozzarella. We make the garlic bread. Plus fresh fruit and choice of salad bar sides.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

What's for Lunch - Wed., 12/14

TACO BAR
Seasoned Beef
or Vegetarian Rice & Beans
Lettuce, Cheese, Salsa, Sour Cream Toppings
Hard or Soft Shell
Fresh Grapes

The beef used in these is USDA commodity ground chunk -- it is all beef which means it does not contain fillers but it not necessarily of any particular quality. We do season it in-house with salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne and black pepper.

The rice and beans version is a good choice - brown rice, canned black beans.

Check out our posts on reasons to eat less meat here and here.

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).

Monday, December 12, 2011

What's for Lunch - Tues., 12/13

All White Meat Breaded Chicken Tenders
Roasted Sweet Potato Wedge
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Chilled Pineapple in Juice

I'm not sure I can identify which Tyson product these "tenders" are. I can give you the ingredients on a similar chikcen patty we use manufactured by Tyson and including rib meat: Boneless chicken breast with rib meat, 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.  ('Set' is often a euphemism for 'flash-fried.')

You can read more about Tyson here. It's not pretty.

Sweet potato wedges sound good - trying to find out if they are just sweet potatoes. Pineapple is canned.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

What's for Lunch - Mon. 12/12

Applegate Hot Dog on Whole Wheat Bun
Baked Shoestring “Fries”
Cole Slaw
Fresh Fruit

The hot dogs are from Applegate Farms - so they are far better than many hot dogs but are hot dogs nonetheless. 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.

I have not seen the ingredients on the french fries.  The other sides are all fresh.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Weekend Reading

Reading


The Environmental Working Group has released a new analysis of children's cereals, "Sugar Bombs," which they have cleverly subtitled "Twinkies for Breakfast." Read the report here or jump to the list of best and worst cereals here.

Then, you can read this blog post on how cereal is marketed to your kid s- by a former food industry marketer. Scary.

The Times ran some nice ideas for food gifts you can make - including some breakfast mixes that will nicely displace the above referenced cereals.

Local Fun

Sea Cliff School's Holiday Craft Fair is Saturday from 10-1. It's a terrific opportunity for kids to make their own gifts. We never miss it. More info at www.seacliffpca.org.

Old Westbury House and Gardens will also have holiday crafts for kids from 10-1 on Saturday and card-making at 1pm on Sunday.  Our village library does have a pass to this museum you can check out. 

Coe Hall at the Planting Fields has various holiday festivities this weekend including Gingerbread House making. See their website.

Have dinner like a Robber Baron at the Vanderbilt Museum on Saturday. Check website for details - it sells out.

Watching

Let's Eat! Films on Food at the Cinema Arts Centre of Huntington

Co-presented by Slow Food Huntington 
-----------------------------

Let's Eat!  Films on Food 
 DIVE! THE MOVIE: Living Off America's Waste

Speaker: JOHN STEPANIAN, Food Not Bombs

Wednesday, December 14 at 7:30pm
$9 Members / $13 Public / Includes Reception   
 
Inspired by a curiosity about our country's careless habit of sending food straight to landfills, the multi award-winning documentary DIVE! follows filmmaker Jeremy Seifert and friends as they dumpster dive in the back alleys and gated garbage receptacles of Los Angeles' supermarkets. In the process, they salvage thousands of dollars worth of good, edible food - resulting in an inspiring documentary that is equal parts entertainment, guerilla journalism and call to action.   USA, 2011, 62 min.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

What's for Lunch - Fri., 12/9

Freshly-Breaded Chicken Cutlet Strips
Brown Rice Pilaf
(Rice with Peppers & Onion)
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Fresh Apple Slices Dusted with Cinnamon

We prepare this chicken in-house with a new recipe this year. We use frozen raw chicken (unprocessed). Our staff breads it with flour, egg and breadcrumbs. The brown rice pilaf is a whole grain with vegetables. Plus fresh apple slices and salad bar sides.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

What's for Lunch - Thurs. 12/8

BURGER BAR
100% Beef Burger or Cheeseburger
Lettuce/Onion/Tomato
Baked Sweet Potato “Fries”
Sweet Corn
Chilled Pear in Natural Juices


This is USDA commodity beef - but without fillers. You may wish to read more about ground beef in our Meatless Monday posts here and here.

The sweet potato fries are processed frozen  french fries we buy from McCains's, a big food service vendor. 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.

The corn and pears are coming out of cans.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

No Lunch Wednesday -

School is closed for parent-teacher conferences.

Monday, December 5, 2011

What's for Lunch - Tues., 12/6



BURRITO
Chicken Breast and Cheese w/ Brown Rice & Zesty Black Beans
Vegetarian Burrito available
Salsa & Tortilla Chips
Salad Bar Veggie & Fruit Sides

Actual photo above - all our lunch photos are taken in our own cafeterias. This is a popular item and we make it ourselves with real chicken.

I've had the vegetarian version at our school before and thought it was really quite good.  So, you can get the vegetarian version or the chicken which uses raw, frozen unprocessed chicken.  I don't think anyone needs to eat rice, a flour tortilla AND chips in a meal - but you could skip the chips (if you weren't 6 years old, anyway.)  The beans are canned.. The cheese is Monterey Jack and the tortilla is white flour - not whole grain. Your choice of sides from the salad bar.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

What's for Lunch - Mon. 12/5

PITA PIZZA
Plain Cheese or with Broccoli
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Warm Apple Crisp

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.

And now, you can get broccoli! Plus salad bar sides and a homemade apple crisp treat.

Whole Wheat pita bread is coming soon! Our district is working to bring more whole grains to our kids!