When School is Out - Kids Can Go Hungry

Many kids rely on free school lunches - and breakfast in many places  - during the school year. These families sometimes have trouble feeding their kids over the summer.

According to the USDA, you can:

Help promote the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-Hungry or 1-877-8-HAMBRE.  The Hotline staff can provide families, parents and children with information on where summer meal sites are in their community in addition to other food help resources.  It’s a free call, available in both English and Spanish.

 And from the charity Feeding America:

During the school year, 21 million kids depend on free and reduced price school meals programs to help them grow and thrive.

But for millions of kids, summer vacation means going without the steady school lunch that they need and depend on. Which is why, today, I’m turning to you.

Make a gift to help feed children and families facing hunger this summer and it will have twice the impact thanks to a challenge grant from ConAgra Foods Foundation.

Our local food bank can be found at Long Island Cares if you would like to make a donation.

You can also donate extra food from your garden to several local food pantries and social service locations through AmpleHarvest.org.

Support Mayor Bloomberg's Limits on Sugary Drinks

From the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg submitted a proposal to limit serving sizes of soda and other sugary drinks to a maximum of 16 ounces.  Sugary drinks are the only food or beverage that have been directly linked to obesity and are one of the single largest contributors of calories to the American diet, as well as a leading source of added sugars.  The limitation will help cut down on some soda consumption and slow the expansion of New Yorkers’ waistlines.
The Mayor’s leadership on the soda issue provides a good model for other jurisdictions to follow, because overweight and obesity have become commonplace throughout America, mirroring the growth of soda serving sizes over the past five decades.  More than two-thirds of adults and one in three children are overweight or obese in this country. While Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal may not alone solve our obesity problem, it is a step in the right direction.

Please send a letter to encourage the Board of Health to vote in support of the Mayor’s proposal to limit serving sizes!

Sincerley,

Julie Salz Greenstein
Deputy Director, Health Promotion Policy
Center for Science in the Public Interest

Updated "Dirty Dozen" Guide to Avoiding Pesticides in Your Food!

From the Environmental Working Group:

Did you know that the fruits and vegetables at your grocery store could be covered with bug killers, fungicides and other chemicals?

In fact, the most recent round of U. S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration tests have found detectible pesticide residues on 68 percent of food samples.

That's why EWG is committed to giving you the tools you need to buy safe and healthy produce for your family. We have just released our 2012 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce - an update to the popular guide that helps you avoid the Dirty Dozen - those conventional fruits and vegetables highest in pesticide residues. We help you choose items from the Clean 15 list instead. Eat healthier and save money at the same time!

We've gone even bigger this year, adding new, eye-opening research like the Dirty Dozen Plus - with data on dangerous insecticides found on crops beyond the Dirty Dozen - and information on pesticides detected in certain baby foods.

Click here to see the fruits and vegetables with the most - and the least - pesticide residues and to check out our new research.

This year we've expanded the Dirty Dozen to the Dirty Dozen Plus. Green beans, kale and collard greens did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen standards but were commonly contaminated with organophosphate insecticides. These insecticides are toxic to the nervous system and have been largely removed from agriculture over the past decade. But they are not banned and still show up on some foods.

For the first time since the inception of its pesticide testing program in 1991, the USDA looked at pesticide residues on green beans, pears and sweet potatoes sold as baby food. Green beans used in baby food tested positive for five pesticides, including organophosphates linked to neurodevelopmental problems. Pears prepared as baby food showed significant and widespread contamination. Fortunately, sweet potatoes sold as baby food had virtually no detectable pesticide residues.

Disturbingly, the pesticide iprodione, which the Environmental Protection Agency has categorized as a probable human carcinogen, was detected on some samples of pears prepared as baby food. Iprodione is not registered with the EPA for use on pears. Its presence on this popular baby food constitutes a violation of FDA regulations and the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

EWG always recommends eating more fruits and veggies and buying them organic if you can - for adults and babies. But sometimes organic produce can cost more or isn't available. That's why we created the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce - so you know which fruits and vegetables have the lowest pesticide residues and which you should try to buy organic. Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day from the Clean 15 list rather than from the Dirty Dozen can lower your pesticide intake by up to 92 percent!

Check out this year's updated lists!

Want to take the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen with you to the grocery store? Donate $10 today and EWG will send you a free Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce bag tag. It features our Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen lists and is easy to hook onto your reusable shopping bag. We want to continue providing you and your family with great resources like the Shopper's Guide, but we need your help. Please donate today and get your free bag tag!

I hope you use EWG's 2012 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce in your shopping!

Sincerely,
Ken Cook
President, Environmental Working Group 

Weekend Reading

Reading

Check out this infographic "9 Shocking Facts" about the food industry. If you want to learn more, rent the movie King Corn this weekend.

The FDA says, um, no, that stuff's not sugar. Read more about the corn lobby and HFCS.

If your kids liked our quinoa sample day, you may want to read this NYT piece on the best ways to prepare it.

More information about sunscreen! Teaching your kids to use sunscreen when they are young - like using seatbelts - is critical to forming the habits they'll need when they are teenagers.

Local Fun

Celebrate the last day of school - the Civic Association's annual Ice Cream Social is tonight at 6pm in Spooky Park.

The Planting Fields is having a Family Fun Night tonight (Friday) - music and lawn games.  Also - next Thursday they are hosting summer theater with a free production of The Producers.

On Saturday afternoon, the Long Island Children's Museum continues their Get Up and Go series with a presentation on how animals eat healthily and then make a animal-shaped snack of tortillas.

Sunset Serenades begin next Thursday - Memorial Park, 7pm - thanks to the Civic Association.

No Lunch Wed., Thurs. or Fri.

School will be dismissed at 11:30am - so no lunch for the rest of the year!

Action Alert: Tell Nestle to Stop Marketing Candy to Kids

From the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

Nestlé USA is marketing limited-edition Crunch Candy Bars using the Girl Scouts logo and based on Girl Scout cookie flavors. At a time when childhood obesity rates are sky-high, do children really need more encouragement to eat candy bars?

Nestlé claims the candy bars are marketed to adults, but with 2.3 million girls participating in the Girl Scouts, children will naturally be drawn to the familiar Girl Scout's name and logo.

In 2008, Nestlé committed to reducing unhealthy food marketing to children, by joining the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative.  As a part of that commitment, they agreed not to market unhealthy foods like candy bars to children.  Please take a minute to write to Nestlé and ask them to make good on that commitment and stop marketing candy to kids.

Sincerely,

Margo G. Wootan, DSc
Director, Nutrition Policy
Center for Science in the Public Interest

Glenwood Landing School Garden

We just got these great pictures of the school garden at Glenwood Landing:

What's for Lunch - Mon. & Tues. 6/18 & 6/19

CHEF’S CHOICE TODAY
Entree
Veggies/Fruit or Juice

NO SALAD BAR

Well, it's the end of school.  There will be no salad bar and presumably a smorgasbord of whatever we have leftover from this year. Pack a lunch for a picky eater.

You should still be able to get the alternate entree:
Hummus with Toasted Pita Strips
Mozzarella Stick -Black Olives
Pears in Fruit Juice

Wednesday - Friday will be half days with dismissal at 11:40am - so no more lunch for this year!

Weekend Reading

Reading

Great round up of fruit smoothie recipes at the Well blog at the NYT -- with seeds and nuts thrown in.

The WSJ ran an interesting article on Sen. Gillibrand and the Farm Bill. Don't miss our action alert on this topic.

Want to avoid eating GMOs (genetically modified organisms, i.e. food)? Read this.

If you're loading up on sunscreen, try these - reports on aerosol sunscreen's ability to burst into flames and which sunscreens are unsafe also on the NYT site.  Then check out the sunscreen safety database at the Environmental Working Group.

Local Fun

You may have to check out the croquet course set in Clifton Park - pictured here - which also takes you on a tour of the origins of the universe.  We thought it was great fun and now know a lot about black holes and quasars.

Also in Sea Cliff -from the Great Book Guru:

First Annual Sea Cliff Bloomsday Celebration- meet at the Sea Cliff Water Tower aka Martello Tower on Saturday, June 16 at 8:30am for a walk through the pages of James Joyce's ULYSSES. There will be brief readings at each stop along  this Joycean jaunt which will end at Sea Cliff Beach aka Dublin Bay.

The Strawberry Festival is in Mattituck this weekend.

"The Seed" is a vegan show in the city this weekend - food tastings, films, cooking demonstrations, etc.

On Saturday, in conjunction with their Jim Dine exhibit, you can try silk-screening and making your own kite at the Nassau County Museum of Art.

The Planting Fields is having a free Father's Day acoustic concert Sunday at 1:30pm.  (There is a parking fee).

 On Sunday, you can build a bat house at the Sands Point Preserve.

What's for Lunch - Fri., 6/15

TACO BAR
100% Ground Beef (no filler)
Lettuce/Cheese & Salsa
Tortilla Shells (Hard & Soft)

Vegetarian Taco Available

Brown Rice & Zesty Beans
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Watermelon!!

The beef used in these is reportedly not USDA commodity beef and doe snot contain filler - like soy protein. However, beef with 'pink slime' is still considered 100% beef interestingly enough.  If you are concerned and have heard about the "pink slime" controversy, look back to this post. 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.  Salsa is organic.

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).

Strawberry Season

 Go strawberry picking this weekend! We went to the Garden of Eve on the North Fork this past weekend - lots of organic berries - but be sure to call to check on the availability before you head out.

We also had lunch at their cafe - great, fresh, organic options. Plus for the kids there are farm animals to visit and a playground.

You can also get organic strawberries at the Golden Earthworm or conventional u-pick berries at places like Lewin's.  Always call first1 They go fast....

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 6/14

“THURSDAY SUB DAY”
Panko-Breaded Chicken Breast “Parmigiana”
Whole Wheat Penne Marinara
Caesar Salad Bar
Fresh Fruit at the Salad Bar

Chicken is from Tyson. They describe this product as frozen "Boneless, skinless chicken breast filets with rib meat." 

Whole grain penne with marinara by Red Pack. 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.

Red Smashed Potatoes?

Last week the menu listed red smashed potatoes - but fried tater tot boxes left the cafeteria.  The ingredients would then be: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following Oils: Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Corn). Contains 2% or less of Dextrose, Natural Flavor, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate Added To Maintain Natural Color. They have 7g of fat and 360mg of sodium. 


And yes, those are cookie boxes - we sell a huge number of cookies every week.

What's for Lunch - Wed., 6/13

Macaroni & Cheese
Barilla Plus Pasta & Wisconsin Cheddar
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Pears in Fruit Juice

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.

Pears are canned.

Action Alert: Support Healthy Food and a Healthy environment in the Farm Bill

From the Environmental Working Group:

Right now, the Senate is debating the 2012 farm bill. This is our big chance to fix our nation's broken food policies.

If you want a farm bill that supports healthy and organic food, the environment, family farmers and the hungry, EWG Action Fund needs you to take action today.

As it's currently written, the Senate's version of the bill will cost taxpayers like you $90 billion in crop insurance handouts to corporate mega-farms and insurance companies.

Thankfully, several senators have offered amendments that would cut the crop insurance boondoggle and redirect funds to programs that expand access to healthy and organic food and protect our environment. Your senators need to hear from you today that you support these amendments.

Click here to urge your senators to vote for farm bill amendments that support the environment, healthy and organic food and family farmers.

Our government does the bare minimum when it comes to supporting healthy, local and organic foods - all while giving away billions in wasteful subsidies to the most-profitable agribusinesses.

Even worse, these crop insurance subsidies are not subject to payment limits or conservation requirements. One fifth of subsidy recipients collect almost 80 percent of available funding. Last year, 26 policyholders each collected more than $1 million in insurance premium subsidies.

While Congress is busy handing out millions to those that don't need it, vital programs supporting land conservation, family farmers and healthy diets are going underfunded.

Your senators need to hear from you right now - before they vote - that you want them to support sensible amendments. There is no time to lose - the Senate is debating the farm bill now.

Click here to take action before the Senate votes on the 2012 farm bill. Your senators need to hear from you that you support sensible farm bill amendments.

Thank you for taking action. Together we can reform the 2012 farm bill.

Sincerely,

Ken Cook
President, EWG Action Fund

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

ENTREE #1
Homemade Challah French
Toast w/Orange Rounds
OR
ENTREE #2
Scrambled Egg & Cheese Wrap
Applegate® Turkey Bacon
Oven-Roasted Potatoes
Cinnamon Applesauce

At least there's a choice. Say "No" to meal declared to be "cake" for lunch by our committee's nutritionist - basically white flour bread.  The syrup is basically HFCS.  They are looking for an affordable maple syrup but do not have one yet - but they will be limiting the serving size this year in the meantime.  Actual lunch from our schools above. This meal has a lot of sugar, simple carbohydrates -- no whole grains.

The egg and cheese wrap is a better choice, but hte sides are problematic.

The potatoes are from McCains. The ingredients are: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the following: Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Sunflower Oil, Corn Oil), Corn Starch - Modified, Dehydrated Garlic, Spices, Salt, Dehydrated Onion, Rosemary, Dehydrated Red Bell Pepper, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Paprika, Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate Added to Preserve Natural Color.   Note that the autolyzed yeast extract is potentially similar to MSG. They have 3.5g of fat and 160mg of sodium.

The turkey bacon is by Applegate.  Here are the ingredients: Turkey (Turkey Used Never Administered Antibiotics, Growth Promotants or Animal By-products), Water, Sea Salt, Maple Sugar, Celery Juice, Onion Powder, Spices, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (not From Milk.)  They promote it as nitrate-free but this NYT article indicates otherwise - and cites the company saying their products have the same level (naturally) of cancer-causing nitrates as conventional brands. Read more about nitrates here.

We do have fresh orange slices. The applesauce is canned and we add cinnamon.

You can still choose the salad bar this week.

What's for Lunch - Mon., 6/11

BETTER-THAN-A-PIZZERIA
Meatball or Cheese
Sauteed Zucchini with Garlic
Fresh Fruit at the Salad Bar

This is a white-flour pizza (not whole grain). The sauce is a Red Pack vitamin enhanced tomato sauce. The sodium at 140mg is much lower than we previously used.  Here are the ingredients: Tomato Concentrate (Water, Tomato Paste), Sugar, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Onion Powder, Salt, Citric Acid, Spice, Garlic Powder, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Black Pepper, Vitamin E (DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Natural Flavor, Vitamin A (Retinol Palmitate).  The 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.

Go with cheese. The meatballs are 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 sometimes has ground beef recalls due to e. coli contamination although this one did not affect the school lunch market.  Meatballs are also a pink slime issue - our schools won't use these next year.

Zucchini is fresh. You could have a great salad instead from the salad bar.

Weekend Reading

Reading

"What Would Batman Eat"? Researchers at Cornell found this prompt caused kids to pick apples over french fries. Read more.

Disney is planning to ban junk food advertising aimed at kids on its television networks. Read more over at nytimes.com. They also plan to license a "Mickey Check" logo to foods that meet their yet to be published nutritional standards.

The Motherlode blog at the Times explores the idea that maybe Bloomberg's soda restrictions don't go far enough. Could a broader ban stopping kids from buying junk be the budge parents need? 

Local Fun

Saturday is the Beautification Committee's Secret Garden Tour.

Long Island's Pride Parade is Saturday at 1pm in Huntington.

On Sunday, Sea Cliff with have a community picnic in Clifton Park featuring a brass band and patriotic tunes.

Movies to Watch

Next Wednesday -  Let's Eat! Food on Films : The Harvest/LaCosecha -- Wednesday, June 13 at 7:30pm

Every year there are more than 400,000 American children who are torn away from their friends, schools and homes to pick the food we all eat.  Zulema, Perla and Victor labor as migrant farm workers, sacrificing their own childhoods to help their families survive. The Harvest/La Cosecha profiles these three as they journey from the scorching heat of Texas’ onion fields to the winter snows of the Michigan apple orchards and back south to the humidity of Florida's tomato fields to follow the harvest.  From the Producers of the Academy-Award Nominated film, War/Dance and Executive Producer Eva Longoria, this award-winning documentary provides an intimate glimpse into the lives of these children who struggle to dream while working 12 – 14 hours a day, 7 days a week to feed America. For more information: http://www.theharvestfilm.com/ With special guest, filmmaker U. Robert Romano


Cinema Arts Centre
423 Park Ave, Huntington, NY

Recipe: Stir Fry with Rice Noodles

More from Bhavani's class:

The kids all took home a sample in a small take-out box!

Japanese Stir Fry Vegetables with Rice Noodles in a Sesame Sauce

1 onion, cut in half, then sliced into crescent moons

2 carrots, cut into matchsticks       

1 small head broccoli

1 cup string beans

1 Long Chinese Eggplant, roasted in oven with a little olive oil until soft

2-3 portabella mushrooms, sliced

1 cup snow peas

1 ½ Tbs grated ginger

1 ½ Tbs chopped garlic,

2 cups Napa Cabbage

2 cups Bok Choy

Olive oil

3 Tbs.tamari (to taste)

1 Tbs. Dark sesame oil

2 Tbs. Aji Mirin cooking wine

1 t. hot sesame oil (optional)

1- package of brown rice noodles

3 Tbs sesame seeds, toasted

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the noodles. Cook according to directions. When done, drain and run under cold water. Meanwhile, cover the bottom of wok with oil. When oil is hot, add the onions. Add the garlic, ginger and carrots. Continue cooking at med. high heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Then add the broccoli, mushrooms and string beans. Add more oil or a little water if needed.  Add the eggplant and snow peas. Cook for a few minutes more, than add the aji mirin and tamari. When vegetables are finished (they should be cooked, but not too soft), add the dark sesame oil for taste and the hot chili oil. Add more tamari if desired. Sprinkle with 1 Tbs of toasted sesame seeds

For Sauce;

¼ cup tahini

½ cup water

2 gloves garlic

1 Tbs. tamari

1 Tbs. aji mirin cooking wine

1 t. dark sesame oil

¼ t. hot sesame oil (optional)

4 sprigs parsley

1 slice ginger, size of a quarter

Process the above ingredients in a food processor or hand mill. Pour over soba noodles. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds

What's for Lunch - Fri., 6/8

WHOLE WHEAT ROTINI
“Chicken Marinara”
(Breast of Chicken, Diced & Mixed with Veggie Marinara)
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Fresh Fruit Salad

This is a whole grain pasta. The chicken is from Tyson and described as diced, cooked "chicken meat" including rib meat. Marinara has been enhanced with subtle veggies.  The marinara 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). 

Action Alert: Contact Your Senator on the Farm Bill!

From the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

An important law determining what America eats is about to be voted on in the U.S. Senate.  

The Senate Agriculture Committee has passed its version of the 2012 Farm Bill, and it will be debated on the Senate floor any day now.

As it's now written, this bill will continue to give away billions of taxpayer dollars in subsidies each year to the largest farm operations, while cutting food assistance and drastically underfunding programs that invest in local, organic, and healthy food.

Now for the good news:

When the bill comes to the Senate floor, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) will introduce an amendment that would cut wasteful and inequitable crop insurance subsidies to insurance companies and use that money to restore funding for SNAP and expand the fruit and vegetable snack program in schools by more than 30% a year. That would allow hundreds of thousands of low-income kids to have access to healthy snacks throughout the school year.

But all that will only happen if your senators hear from you. If you want a Farm Bill that supports healthy food, click here to take action right away – before the Senate votes. Tell your senators to support Sen. Gillibrand’s healthy food amendment.

70  leading food leaders, chefs, health professionals, food justice advocates and organizations  have  come together to sign a letter  urging the Senate to redirect a portion of crop insurance subsidies into programs that support healthy diets. Signers include Wendell Berry, Mario Batali, Marion Nestle, Michael Pollan, and Alice Waters—and me.

Please stand with these visionary leaders and help get the Farm Bill on the right track by clicking here.

Sincerely,
Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 6/7

CHICKEN FAJITA!
Sauteed Chicken with Zesty Veggies
Flour Tortilla
Shredded Lettuce, Lo-Fat Cheddar and Salsa
Brown Rice/Black Beans
Fresh Fruit at the Salad Bar

Tyson chicken. Tortilla is not whole grain but the brown rice is.

Hummus Recipe

Here's Bhavani's recipe for Hummus from Friday's cooking class:

Hummus

1 can Chick peas,

6 TBS water

½  cup Tahini

4 teaspoons lemon juice

1TBS chopped garlic

1 TBS cumin

½ t. salt

Parsley or cilantro, (optional)

In a food processor, pulse chick peas until blended. Add water, and puree until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings for taste.

*Garnish with Olive Oil, pine nuts and parsley

 As you can see, it's obviously very delicious.

What's for Lunch - Wed., 6/6

Whole Wheat Grilled Cheese
with Boar’s Head Ham or Plain Cheese
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Strawberry-Yogurt Smoothie

 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.

The smoothie  will be made with either plain yogurt to which we add  honey or vanilla yogurt (no honey) if we can't get plain plus 1% milk and frozen strawberries.

Cooking Class a Big Hit!

Bhavani Jaroff returned on Friday for our popular kids cooking class:

Stay tuned for her recipes including nori rolls shown here:

What's for Lunch - Tues., 6/5

Pizza Bagel
(with Broccoli or Plain)
Quinoa Salad!!
Fresh Fruit at the Salad Bar

We do assemble these ourselves so they are not highly -processed. The bagel is whole wheat! For our various pizzas, we 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 -  we use 2 ounces.

Try the quinoa - the kids loved it on sample day and you can check out the recipe here.

 Plus, fresh fruit.

What's for Lunch - Mon. 6/4

Applegate Hotdog
Whole Wheat Bun
Homemade Red Smashed Potatoes
Cucumbers with Dip
Warm Apple Crisp

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 do not know how they make the potatoes.


Cucumbers are fresh with an organic, full-fat ranch dressing as the dip.  Apple crisp is a dessert.

I could try the new alternate entree for June:
Hummus with Toasted Pita Strips
Mozzarella Stick
Black Olives
Pears in Fruit Juice

Cheese is part-skim.. Pears are canned. Pita is not whole grain.

Weekend Reading

Reading

Oh, the uproar. Mayor Bloomberg has proposed limiting many sugary soda serving sizes to 16oz. Read the details. There's already a Youtube video denouncing him as a Communist. Free speech  is a right - giant sodas are a marketing gimmick.

Here's a great list of small changes you can make toward healthier eating.(#6? "Kick the Soda Habit.")

Local Fun

Tonight - Kids cooking class at Sea Cliff! 6pm - cafeteria. 

Saturday is garage sale day in Sea Cliff! Make sure to hit the giant used book sale to support the library on Village Green. Rain date Sunday.

Music on the Harbor to support the Fire Dept. Sea Cliff Beach on Saturday evening.