What's for Lunch - Tues., 11/1

BRUNCH FOR LUNCH
Homemade Challah French Toast
w/Orange Rounds
Applegate Farms® Turkey Bacon
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Fresh Pear

Join me in saying "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 hte 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.

The fresh fruit sounds terrific.

What's for Lunch - Mon., 10/31

Happy Halloween!

Applegate Hotdog w/ Whole Wheat Bun
Mini Corn Cobs
Salad Bar Veggie
Fresh Fruit

The hot dogs are from Applegate Farms. 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 says otherwise - and cites the company saying their bacon has the same level (naturally) of cancer-causing nitrates as conventional brands.  The bun is whole wheat.

The corn cobs arrive frozen. For kids with braces at Sea Cliff at least, they will try to substitute canned corn.  Plus kids can choose their own sides from the salad bar. there is fresh fruit - whatever was available at a reasonable price.

Weekend Reading

Reading

The Spoonfed blog has some great thoughts on how one mom deals with Halloween candy.

Nutrition for the Future has 5 tips on a healthier and greener Halloween.

Flash Mobs for  a Healthy Halloween? Check out this guest blog over at Mrs. Q's Fed Up blog.

Petitions to Sign

The people at Food, Inc. recently sent this email:

Tell the FDA to Just Label It

Hello,

A recent study shows that over 93% of Americans think it's necessary to label genetically engineered (GE) foods. We all have the right to know what we eat. The Just Label It campaign, a coalition of hundreds of socially-conscious organizations and companies, is bringing together millions of activists to demand that the FDA require the labeling of GE foods.

Concerned about the lack of labeling of GE foods? Start by learning the eight things you can do about it, including writing the FDA.

Thank you for all of your support,

Local Fun

The Civic Association's Cider Social is Sunday 3-4 in our own Central Park. Lots of fun for costume-wearing kids.

The Long Island Children's Museum has their halloween gala on Sat. from 6-9.  They are also sponsoring a "healthy halloween" as part of the Get Up and Go series on Sunday at 2:30pm.

Clark Garden's Spooky Walk is Sat. from 6-9pm and on Sunday afternoon they will host a not-so-spooky walk from 12-4pm.

The Teddy Roosevelt Nature Sanctuary has also planned Halloween fun on Saturday. Kids age 2-10 are invited from 1 - 2:30pm.  (Update: Moved to Sunday due to the weather!)

And of course the Pumpkin Patch at the Methodist Church is open until 6, And AFTER Halloween, all those leftover pumpkins will be sold for next to nothing for those of you thinking of pumpkin recipes....here are some recipes that appeared in the NYT to get you thinking....

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

Whole Wheat Spaghetti
with Meatballs or Marinara
Toasted Garlic Bread
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Fresh Fruit in Season

This is a good meal - but go with the marinara version.  This is a whole grain spaghetti with or without meat.  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).

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.

The garlic bread is homemade but not whole grain.

"Fresh fruit in season" means they will get whatever is fresh and well-priced this week.  Kids can pick their own veggies from the salad bar.

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

TBLT
White Meat Chicken Patty
Turkey Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato
Caesar Salad
Cinnamon Applesauce

This meal contains a lot of highly processed, manufactured foods.  Here are the ingredients on the chicken patty - 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.  These patties have 14g of fat and 620mg of sodium.

The turkey bacon does not say "Applegate" on the menu so I can't 't be sure it is but that's what we usually use. Nonetheless, it is still bacon.  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 says otherwise - and cites the company saying their bacon has the same level (naturally) of cancer-causing nitrates as conventional brands.

Caesar has lettuce, tomato and croutons.  Applesauce is a USDA commodity to which we add cinnamon.

Good day for the salad bar instead.

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

Pizza Bagel
(with Slice Meatballs or Plain)
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Petite Banana

We do assemble these ourselves so they are not highly -processed -- but you should go with the plain version (see below)  which has enough protein in the cheese. The pizza bagel does not indicate it is whole grain so it is likely not. For our various pizzas, we typically 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 - I think we use 2 ounces.

The meatballs 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.  This is not generally the kind of ground beef you want to eat - check the posts labeled "Meatless Mondays".

Plus a fresh half banana and sides from the salad bar.

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

Brown Rice, Zesty Black Bean and Cheese Burrito
Flour Tortilla
Salsa & Tortilla Chips
Fresh Fruit Basket

Pictured above is an actual fruit basket from our cafeteria.  I've had a bean and cheese burrito at our school before and thought it was really quite good.  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.)  On the other hand, they do use an organic salsa. The beans are by Pride of New York - flash frozen - and are all natural with nothing added. The cheese is Monterey Jack and the tortilla is white flour - not whole grain.

What's for Lunch - Mon. 10/24

BURGER BAR
100% Beef Burger or Cheeseburger
Lettuce/Onion/Tomato
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Pineapple Chunks in Juice

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 pineapple is canned. 

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.

Weekend Reading

Reading

The battle over the potato is back. The NYT ran a piece describing how the Dept of Agriculture was attempting to implement the recently re-authorized school lunch legislation by limiting starchy vegetables like potatoes (read: french fries and tater tots)  in favor of leafy greens, etc. The US Senate took time out from such weighty matters as the economy to pass actual legislation insisting that children never be denied unlimited access to french fries, I mean potatoes. You'll have to search for that one yourself ....

The WSJ chronicled how (delicious) vegan cupcakes go undercover by necessity.  Plus they have video of how Babycakes NYC makes theirs.

The Journal also ran a great article on the 'halo effect' of the produce aisle and how processed foods are attempting an invasion.  So, read your labels -- but also the tricks grocers use to sell fresh fruits and vegetables probably work in school lunch lines as well.

The USDA has just published an evaluation of its fresh fruits and vegetables program aimed at increasing consumption  of these foods in our country's poorest communities.

Petitions to Sign

Join the Environmental Working group's petition to the FDA to label genetically-modified foods.

Local Fun

This Sat. and Sun. is the annual $5 Halloween costume sale on Sheridan Ln - 11am - 5pm. Proceeds benefit a literacy foundation.

Sat. at 4pm the good of the Village Association will run a family-friendly tour of the Carpenter Family cemetery behind the school.

On Sunday, the North Shore Boys and Girls Club hosts their annual family carnival from 11am - 5pm.

The world-record setting giant pumpkin will come to the NY Botanical Garden this weekend along with lots of other fun Halloween activities in the children's garden.


Need more? It's also (Hard) Cider Week.



And coming up next week ....

Next Thurs at 4:30 is the North Shore HS Halloween Party.


On Monday, the Cinema Arts Theater in Huntington continues their Food on Film series with

In Celebration of Food Day
Co-presented by Slow Food, Huntington

FOOD STAMPED

Film + Cooking Demonstration by Chef BHAVANI JAROFF

Food Provided by Whole Foods Market and Chipotle

 

Monday, October 24 at 7:30pm 

Members $9 / Public $13 / Includes Cooking Demonstration
Following the film, Chef Bhavani Jaroff of iEat Green and co-leader of Slow Food Huntington, will show you how to prepare meals on a budget, that is delicious, nutritious, and sustainable for the planet. Taste for yourself what a real value meal can be!
Food Stamped is an informative and humorous documentary film following a couple as they attempt to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet on a food stamp budget. Food Stamped investigates why America is overfed, yet malnourished. Food Stamped follows nutritionist Shira Potash and her documentary filmmaker husband Yoav as they attempt to eat a healthy, well balanced diet on a food stamp budget. Through their adventures, they consult with Members of Congress, food justice advocates, nutrition experts, and people living on food stamps to take a deep look at the obesity epidemic and the American economy; it's a thought-provoking examination of the barriers low-income Americans face in their attempts to eat healthy. USA, 2011, 62 min.

What's for Lunch - Fri., 10/21

Chicken & Broccoli (Diced Chicken Breast)
Stir Fry
or
Vegetarian Egg Roll
Brown Rice
Orange Rounds

Exciting new menu choices!   Get a chicken and broccoli stir fry we make ourselves or a vegetarian option in the form of an egg roll. The chicken is poached, diced frozen chicken breast but without fillers, etc. The egg roll uses Pride of New York flash frozen black beams I believe. Both worth trying. Plus, brown rice and fresh orange slices.

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

Macaroni & Cheese
Barilla Plus Pasta & Wisconsin Cheddar
Caesar Salad at the Salad Bar
Warm Apple Crisp

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 salad plus an apple crisp we make in-house.

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

TACO BAR
Seasoned Beef Taco
Lettuce, Cheese, Salsa, Sour Cream Toppings
Hard or Soft Shell
Black Bean & Corn/Salsa
Petite Banana

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.

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

The taco shells 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.

Fresh 1/2 banana.

What's for Lunch - Tues. 10/18

Pita Pizza with Meatballs or Plain
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Fresh Pear

Go with Plain.

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



 
Sides from the salad bar - kids can pick the fruits and vegetables they like.

What's for Lunch - Mon. 10/17

All White Meat Breaded Chicken Chunks
Oil & Garlic Tossed Penne
Caesar Salad from the Salad Bar
October Apple

These are fried, frozen Tyson "quality" chicken chunks.  Here are the ingredients for the chicken nuggets so you can decide for yourself:  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 chicken patties we recently served turned out not to be all white meat - so I'm concerned about these as well.

For the penne, we use 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.

Romaine, tomatoes and croutons are available for the salad. The apple is fresh,

Weekend Reading

Reading

Interesting article in the Crain's about the city's Department of Education efforts to get fresh - versus just cheap - foods into school cafeterias. (Thanks to Lara P. for this.)

Our food service consutant Julia van Loon sent this link to an UK-based magazine which took an extensive look at genetically modified foods.

The WSJ chronicled General Mills' effort to reduce the sugar in its cereals ...slowly.

Watching

Mrs. Q of Fed Up - where she blogged about eating school lunch every day - has finally revealed herself. Watch the Today Show segment here.

Food Day is coming up on Oct. 24 - catch Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me fame talking about it here.

Things to Do

Oyster Fest! Sat. and Sun. Take the train.

Sunday is the annual open house at the fire dept. in Glen Head near the boys and Girls Club/ soccer fields. It is Fantastic. Fire truck rides. Fire hats. Popcorn. Last year you even got to use a fire extinguisher to put out a fire.

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

Freshly-Breaded Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana
Whole Wheat Penne Marinara
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Fresh Fruit Salad

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.

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

BRUNCH FOR LUNCH
Homemade Challah French Toast
w/Orange Rounds
Applegate Farms® Chicken-Apple Sausage
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Fresh Melon


Join me in saying "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 hte 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 Sausage contains: Chicken, Dried Apples, Water, Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Honey, Salt, Spices, Parsley.

You do get fresh orange slices and fresh melon.

Do Hot Dogs Cause Cancer?

Recently, a national stir was created when these billboards went up:

Processed meats like hot dogs have been connected with increased rick of cancer according to various studies and noted here by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

The hot dogs at our school are better than most - no nitrates, for example.  But what is our school teaching our kids when they  serve hot dogs at lunch? That hot dogs are a perfectly acceptable lunch and something they should eat regularly. I think they message that these are "Applegate" hot dogs is probably lost on them.

Let's ask our school to feed our kids real meals - not "kids menu" foods.

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

Applegate Hotdog
Whole Wheat Bun
Mini Corn Cobs
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Raisin Box

The hot dogs are from Applegate Farms. 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. The bun is whole wheat.

The corn cobs arrive frozen. For kids with braces at Sea Cliff at least, they will try to substitute canned corn.  Plus kids can choose their own sides from the salad bar and there are raisin boxes. The raisins are domestic.

Support the National Food Day Campaign's Petition to Congress.

Oct. 24 had been declared a national "Food Day" by the Center for Science in the Public Interest to organize people around the idea that food should be healthier, more affordable and safer.  To join their petition to Congress, click here to read, edit and send a letter to our representatives.

The letter covers a lot of ground but specifically talks about getting more fresh fruits and vegetables into school lunches. Won't take you more than 5 minutes and it's interesting.

What's for Lunch - Tues., 10/11

Whole Wheat Grilled Cheese
With Ham or Plain
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
October Apple

The sandwich is made with Cabot cheddar on whole wheat bread.  The optional ham is Boar's Head brand.  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.

Meatless Mondays

There are more reasons to eat less meat - possibly particularly at school --  It is likely injected with ammonia which is considered a "process" and not an "ingredient" and thus not labeled. Read the Times reporting on it here and note the "pink slime" reference.  You can also watch Jamie Oliver's video on beef, ammonia and slime.

(((If you missed the previous Meatless Monday posts read them here and here -- plus , I've copied relevant excerpts from our Weekend Reading posts here:

I've recently been reading the USDA's Weekly Reside Repeat Violator list.  It shows the packing plant and originating farm of meat found to have illegally high levels of antibiotics (not just antibiotics - that's ok, apparently - these are just the folks who took it way too far.) It's disgusting to see what we're eating: penicillin, neomycin, sulfadiazine, tetracycline, and on and on and on.  Cargill shows up numerous times -- and so does a company with "all natural" in it's name, so read your labels carefully. Dairy cows frequently appear on the list - the aging cows used for ground beef.

If you have been following our posts calling for Meatless Mondays, you may be interested in the evidence posted on the Small Bites blog in an article about 'cultured' meat on the terrible impact of meat production on animals, humans and the environment.

The WSJ ran an article on the USDA's stepped up inspections of pork due to the rampant use of antibiotics and concerns that antibiotic residue in meat is illegally high.  Previous testing has shown that the highest levels of antibiotic residue are found in ground beef. Unfortunately, the major meat processors in question do supply the national school lunch program.)))

Weekend Reading

Reading

I've recently been reading the USDA's Weekly Reside Repeat Violator list.  It shows the packing plant and originating farm of meat found to have illegally high levels of antibiotics (not just antibiotics - that's ok, apparently - these are just the folks who took it way too far.) It's disgusting to see what we're eating: penicillin, neomycin, sulfadiazine, tetracycline, and on and on and on.  Cargill shows up numerous times -- and so does a company with "all natural" in it's name, so read your labels carefully. Dairy cows frequently appear on the list - the aging cows used for ground beef.

The Rudd Center at Yale has for years been doing terrific work on obesity and food marketing. Now, they've set up a website for school food reform advocates called SPARK. Be sure to sign up for their email list.

I ran across an article in the APA Monitor that reminded me of how much I love www.smarterlunchrooms.org with their tagline - Food is Not Nutritous Until It's Eaten. They have great ideas for how to get kids to make healthier choices including a blueprint/layout for school cafeteria lunch lines.the folks at the Cornell food and Brand Lab are behind it all.

Great article in the WSJ on lunch box notes.

Things to Do

Enjoy the Long Weekend. No school Monday. Consider apple picking.

The Queens County Farm Museum has opened their corn maze.

The Planting Fields has a family festival on Sat. and Sun.

Food Marketers Use Evil Powers for Good!

Look what we saw at North Shore Farms:

Yes! They are using Dora to convince kids to eat organic edamame - in kid-sized packs.  It's frozen - you can warm it up or just let it defrost in their lunchbox. Since it is a soybean, the organic part is important - virtually all soy grown in the US is now genetically modified. but generally not organic soy.

Don't miss our action alerts on labeling genetically engineered foods and marketing junk food to kids.

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

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

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.

Check out our posts on reasons to eat less meat here and here and then consider the vegetarian version - better for you and the planet. We use brown rice and flash frozen New York beans.

The taco shells 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.

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 10/6

Pizza Bagel - Plain or topped with Broccoli
Salad Bar Veggies
Caesar Salad
Fresh Pear

There are lots of fresh fruits and vegetables to be had today! The pizza bagel does not indicate it is whole grain so it is likely not. For our various pizzas, we typically 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 - I think we use 2 ounces.

Tell the FDA You Want Genetically Modified Foods to be Labeled

One more reason to limit processed foods- up to 70% contain genetically engineered foods. Virtually all soybeans in our country and a significant percent of our corn has been genetically modified. But food manufacturers in the US don't have to tell you what you're eating. Read on --

From teh Environmental Working Group:

Have you been eating genetically engineered food?

The truth is, when it comes to genetically engineered foods, there is no labeling requirement. These foods have been altered at the molecular level. They are appearing on supermarket shelves with increasing frequency - in fact, 94 percent of all U.S.-grown soybeans are genetically engineered!

Environmental Working Group thinks this is wrong. You have a right to know what you and your family are eating. That's why we've joined forces with more than 300 organizations to launch the Just Label It campaign and tell the federal Food and Drug Administration that Americans have the right to know when they're eating genetically engineered food. Our partners at the Just Label It campaign put together a video to spread the word about genetically engineered foods - will you watch it, sign the petition, and then pass it on today?

The only way the FDA will act is if it hears from all of us.

Click here to sign our petition to the FDA and to watch a special video from the Just Label It campaign, Dining In The Dark.

Consumers might choose to avoid some of these foods if they had all the information.

The issue is not just fresh produce. According to the Congressional Research Service, 60 to 70 percent of processed foods available in American grocery stores likely contain some genetically engineered ingredients. These ingredients are prevalent in many products you may buy every day, including breakfast cereals, cookies, chips, sweetened soda, frozen meals and more.

The scientific debate about the benefits and risks of genetically engineered crops will continue for a long time. Meanwhile, an entire generation will have grown up consuming them. We should all have the right to participate - or not - in this sweeping experiment with our bodies and our environment.

Several polls and surveys have found that the vast majority of Americans want genetically engineered foods to be labeled. Many other countries including Japan, Australia, the European Union and even China require labeling of genetically engineered foods. Let's make sure the FDA gets the message that the U.S. shouldn't be left behind. Join EWG and its 300-plus campaign partners in demanding that the FDA insist that genetically engineered foods be labeled.

Click here to sign our petition to the FDA, and watch the video, Dining In The Dark.

Thank you for taking action. We all have the right to know what we are eating.

Sincerely,

Ken Cook
President, Environmental Working Group

PS - The right to know what we're eating should apply to school food, too. Ask your district to post the ingredients.

What's for Lunch - Wed., 10/5

 Try the alternate turkey wrap:

BURGER BAR
100% Beef Burger or Cheeseburger
Lettuce/Onion/Tomato
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet Corn
Fresh Melon

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 fries are frozen, cut sweet potatoes. Corn is canned and melon is fresh. Not sure what kind - personally, I'm still a little afraid of cantaloupe.

Instead, try the salad bar as your meal or Wed's wrap is Boar's Head turkey. Pictured above.

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

Chicken & Broccoli (Diced Chicken Breast) Stir Fry
or
Vegetarian Egg Roll
Brown Rice
Orange Slices

Exciting new menu choices!   Get a chicken and broccoli stir fry we make ourselves or a vegetarian option in the form of an egg roll. The chicken is poached, diced frozen chicken breast but without fillers, etc. The egg roll uses Pride of New York flash frozen black beams I believe. Both worth trying. Plus, brown rice and fresh orange slices.

Is this Your Child's Lunch?

Is this Your Child’s Lunch Tray?

This is an actual lunch purchased at the elementary school:

And it's not the only one! Lots of our kids are missing out on a complete meal at our school. The staff can't make them take the fruits and vegetables -- but you can talk to your kids today.

These are actual photos of fresh fruits and vegetables served in our cafeteria:

Please encourage your child to try the side dishes! Your child will:

-      -  Feel full for longer during the day

-      -  Benefit from all the vitamins, minerals and fiber in fruits and vegetables

-        -Help generate more money for our lunch program by purchasing a complete meal under USDA guidelines

What's for Lunch - Mon., 10/3

Here's the menu for Monday:

Whole Wheat Penne w/
Meatball Pomodoro
(Chunky Fresh Tomato Sauce
with Meatballs & Basil)
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Fresh Fruit

The Oct. menu should be home in backpacks soon!

Meatless Mondays - A Proposal

Here's another reason to eat less meat - the tremendous impact on the environment. Plus, as the letter below notes, young children are eating 3 times the protein they need- but not nearly enough fruits or vegetables.

Join Mario Batali's campaign, sign the pledge and eat less meat. Then, let's ask our school to help our kids learn to eat vegetable-centric meals, too.

From the Environmental Working Group:

In recent years I've been more aware of how much my food choices impact our planet. I was introduced to the Meatless Monday campaign and realized that eating a little less meat makes a big impact, both when it comes to losing weight and getting healthier, as well as relieving some of the tremendous burden on our environment.

And I'm talking about a big impact. According to EWG's Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change + Health, if everyone in the U.S. skipped eating meat and cheese just one day a week for a year, it would be like pulling 7.6 million cars off the road. At the same time, people -- especially kids -- would be less likely to develop health problems such as obesity and heart disease.

That's why I am such a big fan of EWG and the Meatless Monday movement in their work to get people to eat less meat and more fruits and vegetables.

So will you join me and pledge to go meatless just one day a week?

Click here to sign EWG's pledge that you'll skip meat one day a week. EWG is trying to get 100,000 supporters to take the pledge.

My restaurants were already very vegetable heavy, but I came to realize that vegetables did not have to be only a condiment or a side dish, and we've added more veg-centric entrée-type options. I wanted to make it easier for other people to cut back on meat, so we began promoting Meatless Monday and offering alternating veggie specials every week!

This issue is particularly important to me because it so profoundly affects children. Studies have found that young kids are eating triple the currently recommended amount of protein, mostly from meat, yet few eat enough fruits and vegetables. If we don't take action now and teach our kids how to eat less meat, more and more of them could face serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke and even some types of cancer as they get older.

You can help your family eat healthier by serving them a tasty meatless meal once a week. And if we all do it together -- cutting down on the chemical fertilizers, fuel, pesticides and toxic chemicals that harm the environment -- we'll make a huge difference!

Click here to sign a pledge that you'll go meatless at least once a week. EWG wants to get 100,000 people to join us. You'll still have plenty of great options, such as beans, nuts, eggs, vegetables and whole grains!

What I love about this campaign is that you don't have to be a vegetarian to eat healthier. That's not realistic for everyone, but you can make a lasting impact on your health and on our planet by making even small changes to your diet!

Sincerely,

Mario Batali
Chef and Author