Sea Cliff Nutrition Committee. The Apple People

Sea Cliff Nutrition Committee. The Apple People

Sunday, September 30, 2012

What's for Lunch - Mon., 10/1

BURRITO BOWL (Order Entree #1)
Brown Rice, Black Beans &Southwest-Style Chicken in a Taco Tub!
Salsa & Romaine & Cheese
OR
Monterey Jack & Black Bean Quesadilla (Order Entree #2)
Baby Carrots
Fresh Apple

The burrrito bowl is a new item.   That being said the brown rice is a great whole grain. The black beans are canned. The southwest-style chicken is from Tyson and described as diced, cooked "chicken meat." Read more about farm animals raised by industrial giants like Tyson,  antibiotics and hormones.  The bowl comes from Smokewood Foods. The ingredients are described just as "enriched masa flour" and they look like a big rectangular corn chip. They have 5g of fat and no sodium. 

The quesadilla has Monterrey Jack cheese and canned black beans served in a flour tortilla - no whole grains. The tortillas 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).

Plus fresh carrots and apples.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Weekend Reading - and Fun

Reading

An interesting study conducted in a Hardee's shows that a nice atmosphere means we eat less.

La Vida Locavore did a long, well-researched piece on GMO crops, super weeds and the escalating use of pesticides. Read it here.

Then, read a new study on GMOs and tumors. Corn and soy in this country are very likely to be GMO - read your ingredients carefully (including for school lunch) because these two items are nearly ubiquitous in processed foods.

New research supports NYC's big soft drink ban.

Watching

The backlash over the new nutritional guidelines for school lunch continue. High School students protesting the protein servings made this video.  The new rules require few grains and protein and a lot more fruits and vegetables.

Action

The International Rescue Committee is helping refugees resettle by helping them create community gardens. Read more.

Fun

World Maker Faire is this weekend at the NY Hall of Science.

On Sunday, visit Old Westbury Gardens with your pooch for the Fall Dog Festival - including a costume contest and parade.

Sea Cliff's Pumpkin Patch at the Methodist Church opens on Saturday at 10am!

The Long Island Fair returns to Old Bethpage Restoration Village this weekend.

Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery has a Fall Festival on Saturday.

The 9th Annual Long Island Garlic Festival is this weekend at the Garden of Eve organic farm and market. 

Thursday, September 27, 2012

What's for Lunch - Fri., 9/28

Sub Day
Meatball Parmigiana
or Egg Salad
Whole Grain Roll
Cucumbers With Dip
Strawberry-Yogurt Smoothie

I'd go for the egg salad.  Unlike the rotini we had last week, I believe this meat is from Tyson. The meatballs we've used previosuly are processed, cooked and frozen by Tyson from commodity beef.  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 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.

The roll is now whole grain. Cucumbers are fresh with an full-fat organic ranch dressing for the dip.

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.

Don't forget Friday's alternate entree of hummus and crackers. Details here.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

What's for Lunch - Thurs. 9/27

Whole Wheat Penne “Chicken Marinara”
(Breast of Chicken, Diced & Mixed with Veggie Marinara)
Whole Wheat Garlic Bread
Salad Bar Veggie & Fruit Sides

The pasta is a whole grain penne.  The marinara starts with tomato sauce 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).  I believe we are adding additional diced vegetables to satisfy  the new vegetable requirements in the school lunch law.

The chicken is a pre-cooked Tyson product. The ingredients are: Boneless, skinless chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, modified food starch, sodium phosphates, salt. PREDUSTED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), wheat gluten, salt. BATTERED WITH: Water, enriched bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), modified corn starch, salt, dextrose, spices, garlic powder, xanthan gum, oleoresin paprika and annatto. BREADED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt, spices, garlic powder, extractives of paprika, natural flavors (spice extractives). Breading set in vegetable oil.  They have 10g of far (2g of saturated) and 620mg of sodium.

More whole grains arrive at our school! Enjoy the garlic bread -- we make it ourselves. Fresh fruits and vegetables on the salad bar.

UPDATE 10-1-12: The food service dept. says they used a different Tyson chicken product in this dish. It is described as "1/2" diced chicken meat" and as "boneless, skinless, and fully cooked." It is chicken breast.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Monday, September 24, 2012

What's for Lunch - Tues., 9/25


Pizza Bagel
with Broccoli & Garlic or Plain
Sweet Corn Cobbettes
Fresh Fruit at the Salad Bar

We make these ourselves and 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. The broccoli is fresh.

The corn is about half an ear; we buy frozen corn.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

What's for Lunch - Mon., 9/24

 Macaroni & Cheese
Barilla Plus Pasta & Wisconsin Cheddar
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Carrot & Celery Sticks
Fresh Pear

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.

Fresh carrots, celery and pear!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Weekend Reading - and Fun

Reading

I thought everyone would be excited about the new, more stringent nutritional requirements for school lunch. I thought kids should have boycotted the old version of lunch. I was wrong. Students everywhere have finally been driven to pack a lunch a home....read on.  After which, head over to The Lunch Tray for a thoughtful piece which basically argues - give kids  a chance to get used to seeing vegetables on their plates.

More dirty tricks from junk food manufacturers - the WSJ reports here on how they use free games for tablets and smart phones to get your kids to demand more Icees.

We all know eating well while traveling can be tricky. The Spoofed blog covered a family vacation and their efforts to find real food.

Stanford researchers have produced a new study on the nutritional value of organic versus conventional produce. Read more here.

The produce aisle has some new stars including kale but most of all - avocados - as consumers hear the message about nutrient-dense foods. 

Fun

The Sea Cliff Silly Shakespeare Company will perform at the village beach Saturday at 6pm.

North Shore's Homecoming is this Saturday. 

Join the International Coastal Cleanup Day at Garvies Point on Saturday at noon.

Sunday at 12pm, Old Westbury Gardens is hosting Kidsfest. Borrow a pass from the Sea Cliff Library.

The Queens County Farm Museum hosts the traditional Queens County Fair this weekend.

On Sunday, the NY Botanical Garden has their Edible garden Festival with Mario Batali. More info here.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

What's for Lunch - Fri., 9/21


QUESADILLA
Chicken & Cheese
or
Plain Cheese Quesadilla
Brown Rice & Black Beans
Find Your Veggies on the Salad Bar
Watermelon!!

Cheese and chicken quesadilla w/ a flour tortilla - no whole grains. The tortillas are from Tyson and contain:  Bleached Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Contains one or more of the following: Cottonseed Oil, Soybean Oil), Mono- and Diglycerides, Contains 2% or less of the following: Salt, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Corn Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate), Fumaric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, Dough Conditioner (Wheat Flour, Calcium Sulfate, Sorbic Acid), Preservative (Sodium Propionate and Potassium Sorbate).  Sodium is 380mg. 5g of fat (1 of which is saturated).

The chicken is from Tyson and described as diced, cooked "chicken meat."



Fresh watermelon!

Take Your Parent to Lunch Day



October 17th has been declared "Take Your Parents to Lunch Day" as part of National School Lunch week. You can get more details here. The website has a lot of terrific ideas for getting this event off the ground in your school and why it's so important to know what your school is serving for lunch.