What's for Lunch - Mon., 4/1

This is a perfectly nice sandwich -- but take the cucumbers!

Whole Wheat Grilled Cheese
Cucumbers with Dip
Cinnamon Applesauce

NO SALAD BAR TODAY

Yes, we have school on Monday -- but no salad bar the day after a break.

The grilled cheese sandwich is made with Cabot cheddar on whole wheat bread.  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.

Cucumbers with a full fat organic ranch dressing.

Commodity applesauce dressed up with our own cinnamon. 

Weekend Fun

Looking for an Egg Hunt?

Sea Cliff's hunt will be in Spooky Park on the Friday morning before Easter - bring two dozen filled eggs (or drop off hte night before).

Garden of Eve organic farm has a hunt plus real bunnies and chicks. Great cafe and market.

Benner's Farm has baby animals and a great hunt.

Garvies Point has a Dinosaur Egg Hunt - it was great last year.

Poster Contest Winners Announced!

Sea Cliff's Nutrition Month Poster Contest Winners:

Enjoy the Break

No School this week -- but we do have school next Monday.

What's for Lunch - Mon., 3/25

Baked Chicken Tenders
Whole Grain Breadsticks
OR
Pizza Bagel
Baby Carrots with Dip
Pineapple In Fruit Juice

NO SALAD BAR TODAY

Yes, we have school today. But - no salad bar because school will  be closed the rest of the week.

The chicken is from Tyson. They are flash-fried by the vendor and frozen and then we heat them in the overn. The serving size of two pieces - which is what elementary students get - has 14g of fat and 580mg of sodium.

The ingredients are: Chicken breast tenderloins, 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. 



Pizza bagels - again. Pizza bagel is on a whole wheat bagel. 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.

Whole grain breadstick- which may be partial vs fully whole grain under the school lunch law.

Fresh raw carrots with an organic full fat ranch dressing.

Canned pineapple in juice from China.

Weekend Reading

Reading

Don't miss Michael Mudd's NYT piece - "How to Force Ethics on the Food Industry".

The WSJ's Law Blog weighs on on the USDA proposed rules to ban Doritos and other nutritionally worthless items from schools.  If you'd like to support the USDA's efforts to prevent obesity in children and help them fight the food industry, sign here.

You should sometimes wash those re-useable grocery bags you're toting about.

Watching

Loved this clip on urban and vertical farming in Chicago.

Food

Schools in Milton, VT have been serving some great new recipes according to the Let's Move campaign -- try them for yourself. 

Fun

Need Stuff for Your Kids to do over the break? These places are all hosting activities or camps:

Garvies Point

Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery

Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum

Science Museum of Long Island

Nassau County Museum of Art

What's for Lunch - Fri., 3/22

MACARONI & CHEESE (Order Entree #1)
Barilla Plus Pasta with Wisconsin Cheddar
OR
Cup of Soup (Order Entree #2)
with Pizza Bagel
Sauteed, Seasoned-Broccoli
Petite Banana

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. 

The soup is chicken noodle. It has 3g of fat (1g saturated) and it's quite salty - 670mg of sodium. The ingredients are: Chicken Broth, Water, Chicken (Chicken, Water, Modified Food Starch, Salt), Carrots, Pasta (Wheat, Eggs, Egg Whites, Niacin, Iron [Ferrous Sulfate], Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Celery, Onions, Contains 2% or less of: Chicken Base (Chicken, Salt, Rendered Chicken Fat, Dextrose, Sugar, Natural Flavoring, Roast Chicken Flavor [Rendered Chicken Fat, Flavor, Safflower Oil], Chicken Broth, Turmeric), Chicken Flavor (Salt, Corn Syrup Solids, Natural Flavor [Chicken Powder, Chicken Fat], Yeast Extract, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Natural Tocopherols), Chicken Fat, Olive Oil, Parsley, Acacia & Xanthan Gum, Garlic, Turmeric, Nisin Preparation and Spices.
Contains: Wheat and Egg.

Pizza bagel is on a whole wheat bagel. 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.

Fresh broccoli and banana.

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 3/21

Farm-Fresh Natural Beef Tacos with Toppings...
Lettuce, Cheese & Salsa
Sweet Corn
More Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Strawberry-Yogurt Smoothie

Our district has contracted with a New York State farm to provide beef raised without antibiotics and hormones. It is more expensive and there is less beef on the menu as a result but it is a huge improvement in the quality of our lunches. We season and prepare this dish.

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 corn is canned and has added salt - 200mg per serving and the cans do contain BPA.

The smoothie  will be made with plain yogurt to which we add  honey plus 1% milk and strawberries. The food service department says the strawberries are fresh -- we previously used frozen and have asked about the country of origin (Frozen Chinese strawberries sickened thousands of German school children earlier this year). Our fresh strawberries are from California.

What's for Lunch - Wed., 3/20

Our Pizza Bagels

ARROZ CON POLLO (Order Entree #1)
Latin-Style Diced Chicken
with Peppers & Onions & Brown Rice
OR
Pizza Bagel (Order Entree #2)
More Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Orange Wedge

The chicken is from Tyson. It is described as "1/2" diced chicken meat" and as "boneless, skinless, and fully cooked." It is chicken breast.

We usually serve brown (whole grain) rice but in our facilities we cannot cook it per current recommendations to rinse repeatedly and boil in excess water which should be drained (like pasta) to remove as much arsenic as possible.

Pizza bagel is on a whole wheat bagel. 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.


Various fresh fruit and vegetable choices.

Our Salad Bar with Fresh Sides including Orange Slices

What's for Lunch - Tues., 3/19

Turkey on Whole Wheat Roll (Order Entree #1)
OR
Ham on Whole Wheat Roll (Order Entree #2)
Lettuce and Tomato Toppings
Fresh Cole Slaw - Pickle
Deli Toppings
Celery Sticks with Dip
Raisin Cup

Boar's Head Ham or Turkey on a whole wheat roll.

Celery comes with a an organic full-fat ranch dressing. Raisins are Sunmaid and domestic.

What's for Lunch - Mon., 3/18

Cup of Soup (Order Entree #1)
APPLEGATE HOTDOG
Whole Wheat Bun
OR
Whole Wheat Grilled Cheese Sandwich (Order Entree #2)
Potato Puffs
Applesauce with Cinnamon

The soup is chicken noodle. It has 3g of fat (1g saturated) and it's quite salty - 670mg of sodium. The ingredients are: Chicken Broth, Water, Chicken (Chicken, Water, Modified Food Starch, Salt), Carrots, Pasta (Wheat, Eggs, Egg Whites, Niacin, Iron [Ferrous Sulfate], Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Celery, Onions, Contains 2% or less of: Chicken Base (Chicken, Salt, Rendered Chicken Fat, Dextrose, Sugar, Natural Flavoring, Roast Chicken Flavor [Rendered Chicken Fat, Flavor, Safflower Oil], Chicken Broth, Turmeric), Chicken Flavor (Salt, Corn Syrup Solids, Natural Flavor [Chicken Powder, Chicken Fat], Yeast Extract, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Natural Tocopherols), Chicken Fat, Olive Oil, Parsley, Acacia & Xanthan Gum, Garlic, Turmeric, Nisin Preparation and Spices.
Contains: Wheat and Egg.

The hot dogs are from Applegate Farms - so they are far better than many hot dogs but are hot dogs nonetheless. They have 8g of fat and 330mg of sodium. 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. 

The grilled cheese sandwich is made with cheddar or American on whole wheat bread.  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.

Then there are the commodity potatoes processed by McCain's into tater tots -- although they are labeled "frozen pre-formed potato rounds."  They are flash-fried before they get to the frozen part.  They have 7g of fat (one of which is saturated) and 190mg of sodium. Ingredients are: potatoes, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following oils: canola, soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, corn). Contains 2% or less of dextrose, salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate added to maintain natural color.

Applesauce and cinnamon.

Weekend Reading - and Local Fun

Reading

The Dept of Agriculture wants to expand the in-class breakfast program in NYC but Bloomberg isn't interested -- saying free breakfast somewhere in every school is sufficient. I wish the kids in our district who qualify for a free lunch could get breakfast at all - anywhere -  in our elementary schools.

Watching

Michelle Obama and Rachael Ray hosted the Let's Move campaign's school cafeteria cook-off. Watch it here.

Food

Next Friday, the NY Botanical Garden is holding an Edible Garden Intensive.

Make your own Matzoh House (think gingerbread -- but matzoh) - see it on Epicurious - but don't eat it. 

Fun

The Good of the Village Association is holding an antiques show on Saturday at the Knights of Columbus Hall.

Happy St. Patrick's Day. See the parade Sunday in Glen Cove.

What's for Lunch - Fri., 3/15

Our French Bread Pizza

Meatball Parmigiana Hero (Order Entree #1)

OR

Cup of Soup (Order Entree #2)

French Bread Pizza

Caesar Salad

More Salad Bar Veggie Sides

Fresh Apple Slices

For the hero, unlike our hamburgers, this "beef" is from Tyson and  is a USDA commodity product (although we were allowed to opt-out of the "pink slime" meat the USDA used to ship.)  The meatballs 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.  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 soup this week is lentil - one of our healthier verieties with 4g of fat and 360mg of sodium.  INGREDIENTS: Vegetable Stock (Water, Vegetable Base [Carrots, Tomatoes, Onions, Potatoes, Garlic, Sea Salt, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Canola Oil, Spices, Turmeric]), Lentils, Tomatoes (Tomatoes and Tomato Juice, Sea Salt, Naturally Derived Citric Acid and Calcium Chloride), Onions, Carrots, Celery, Contains 2% or less of: Butter (Sweet Cream, Sea Salt), Corn Starch, Basil, Garlic, Nisin Preparation and Spices.

I don not think the pizza is whole grain. The pizza sauce (from Red Pack) ingredients are: Tomato concentrate (water, tomato paste), salt, citric acid, basil.

Caesar includes romaine lettuce, croutons and tomatoes.  Lots of other fresh fruits and vegetables.

Action Alert: Get Junk Food out of Schools

The USDA needs to hear from us on their new proposed regulations on snacks sold in schools!

From the Healthy Schools Campaign:

At Healthy Schools Campaign, we believe the healthy choice should be the easy choice. And parents who strive to give their kids nutritious food should know that their efforts are being reinforced at school. But the reality is that even if students have a healthy lunch, many are still consuming junk food, heavily processed snacks or sugary drinks—chips in the a la carte line, soda in the vending machines or candy in the school store.
Although new federal nutrition standards for school lunch programs have recently been implemented, the lack of regulation surrounding junk food and sugary beverages sets these new standards up for failure. Food and beverage items sold in schools outside of the National School Lunch Program are known as “competitive foods” because they do just that: they compete with healthier options in the school lunch program. But big changes may be ahead, and we need your help to make them happen. For the first time since 1979, the USDA has released proposed nutritional standards for snack food and beverages sold in schools, and they are asking for feedback.

We have partnered with our friends at PreventObesity.net so you can take action and make your voice heard. Please join us in telling the USDA why it's so important to implement effective standards that ensure our kids have access to healthy, nutritious food throughout the school day.
Thank you for your action on this important issue!

What's for Lunch - Wed., 3/13

Cup of Soup
White Meat Chicken Tenders
Whole Grain Roll
Baked Sweet Potato Wedges
Caesar Salad
More Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Pineapple in Fruit Juice

The soup this week is lentil - one of our healthier verieties with 4g of fat and 360mg of sodium.  INGREDIENTS: Vegetable Stock (Water, Vegetable Base [Carrots, Tomatoes, Onions, Potatoes, Garlic, Sea Salt, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Canola Oil, Spices, Turmeric]), Lentils, Tomatoes (Tomatoes and Tomato Juice, Sea Salt, Naturally Derived Citric Acid and Calcium Chloride), Onions, Carrots, Celery, Contains 2% or less of: Butter (Sweet Cream, Sea Salt), Corn Starch, Basil, Garlic, Nisin Preparation and Spices.

The chicken is a Tyson "fully cooked chicken breast nugget fritter with rib meat" with 10g of fat and 420mg of sodium.  The ingredients are: Boneless, skinless chicken breast nuggets 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.

Sweet potato wedges are flash-fried and frozen with 4.5g of fat and 140mg of sodium. Ingredients are Sweet Potatoes, Potato Starch - Modified, Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following Oils: Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Corn). Contains 2% or less of Annatto (color), Baking Soda, Beta Carotene (color), Caramel(Color), Natural Flavors, Rice Flour, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate(Maintains Natural Color & Leavening), Sugar, Tapioca Dextrin,Xanthan Gum.

Caesar is romaine lettuce, tomatoes and croutons. Pineapple is canned -- and from China. 

What's for Lunch - Tues., 3/12

Thin Crust Pizza
BBQ Chicken Slice (Order Entree #1)
OR
Cup of Soup (Order Entree #2)
with Plain Slice
Sauteed Broccoli with Garlic
More Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Pears in Fruit Juice

The pizza sauce (from Red Pack) ingredients are: Tomato concentrate (water, tomato paste), salt, citric acid, basil.

For the crust, the ingredients are: enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, barley malt, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, soybean oil,, dextrose, salt, calcium propionate, fumaric acid, dough conditioner (wheat flour, salt, soybean oil, l-gyssteine, ascorbic acid, enzyme) potassium sorbate.

The chicken is some kind of frozen Tyson product. I believe it is supposed to be Tyson's "dark meat strips with grill marks" which have 7g of fat and 340mg of sodium, Ingredients are: Boneless, skinless chicken leg meat, water, seasoning (dextrose, salt, brown sugar, chicken stock, maltodextrin, flavors, yeast extract, molasses, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate), soy protein concentrate, modified food starch, sodium phosphates. BUT we have also gotten diced chicken breast for both Tyson and a company called Pierce before.  Read more about farm animals raised by industrial giants like Tyson,  antibiotics and hormones.

The soup this week is lentil - one of our healthier verieties with 4g of fat and 360mg of sodium.  INGREDIENTS: Vegetable Stock (Water, Vegetable Base [Carrots, Tomatoes, Onions, Potatoes, Garlic, Sea Salt, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Canola Oil, Spices, Turmeric]), Lentils, Tomatoes (Tomatoes and Tomato Juice, Sea Salt, Naturally Derived Citric Acid and Calcium Chloride), Onions, Carrots, Celery, Contains 2% or less of: Butter (Sweet Cream, Sea Salt), Corn Starch, Basil, Garlic, Nisin Preparation and Spices.

Canned pears are from China. Lots of good vegetable choices. 

Weekend Reading

Reading

The USDA has released it's "Smart Snacks in Schools" proposal and is accepting public comments. These are the regulations the USDA was asked to write as part of the Healthy,  Hunger-Free Kids Act reauthorizing the national school lunch program. The goal is to improve the nutritional value of all food sold anywhere in a school during school hours.

Read more here about the financial impact on schools of healthier snacks -- you'll be surprised.


Read about Kellogg's nearly evil breakfast scheme over on the Middle School's nutrition blog. 

St. Patrick's Day -- and Fun

The Spoonfed blog has information on artificial food dyes and some thoughts on green in particular. Read on. 

On Saturday, the county is hosting a St. Patrick's Day Celebration at Old Bethpage Restoration Village. 

What's for Lunch - Fri., 3/8

MACARONI  & CHEESE
Barilla Plus Pasta with  Wisconsin Cheddar (Order Entree #1)
OR
Cup of Soup (Order Entree #2)
Breaded Chicken Caesar Wrap
More Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Petite Banana

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.

The soup is Italian Wedding Soup. It has 7g of fat (2.5g saturated) and a whopping 920mg of sodium, The ingredients are:  Chicken Stock (Water, Chicken Base [Chicken, Salt, Rendered Chicken Fat, Dextrose, Sugar, Natural Flavoring, Roast Chicken Flavor (Rendered Chicken Fat, Flavor, Safflower Oil) Chicken Broth, Turmeric], Chicken Flavor [Salt, Corn Syrup Solids, Natural Flavor (Chicken Powder, Chicken Fat), Yeast Extract, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Natural Tocopherols]), Water, Meatballs (Pork, Beef, Eggs, Bread Crumbs [Unbleached Wheat Flour, Salt, Yeast], Water, Romano Cheese [Sheep's Milk, Rennet, Salt], Dehydrated Onions, Corn Syrup Solids, Salt, Natural Flavor, Sodium Phosphate, Parsley, Spice), Spinach, Pasta (Wheat Flour, Water, Egg White, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Contains 2% or less of: Chicken (Chicken, Water, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Sodium Phosphate), Modified Corn Starch, Olive Oil, Nisin Preparation, Garlic In Oil (Garlic, Soybean Oil, Water, Citric Acid [Acidifying Agent]) and Spices.

If the sodium doesn't concern you, note the autolyzed yeast extract which some believe is very similar to MSG.

 Chicken is a flash-fried product from Tyson with 10g of fat and 620mg of sodium. Ingredients: 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. 

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 3/7

Our Chicken Burrito

BURRITO
Chicken, Brown Rice (Order Entree #1)
& Black Beans
OR
Cup of Soup (Order Entree #2)
1/2 Cheese Quesadilla
Sweet Potato Puffs ~ Black Beans
Pears in Fruit Juice

 The brown rice is a whole grain but as previously discussed cannot be cooked in a way that minimizes the arsenic content.

The black beans are canned and the ingredients are "BLACK BEANS, WATER, SALT, AND CALCIUM CHLORIDE" with 140mg of sodium.

The chicken is from Tyson. It is described as "1/2" diced chicken meat" and as "boneless, skinless, and fully cooked." It is chicken breast.

I think we use Tyson's whole wheat tortillas. They have 4.5g of fat and 320mg of soidum. The ingredients are: Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Potato Starch with Monoglyceride, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Contains one or more of the following: Cottonseed Oil, Soybean Oil) with Mono- and Diglycerides and/or Citric Acid, Honey Wheat Seasonong (Dextrose, Wheat Germ, Caramel Color, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sucralose, Tricalcium Phosphate), contains 2% or less of the following: Vital Wheat Gluten, Salt, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Calcium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Dough Conditioners (Wheat Flour, Calcium Sulfate, Sorbic Acid, Fumaric Acid), Preservative (Sodium Propionate (Propionic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide (for pH adjustment), Water and Potassium Sorbate).
 
The soup is Italian Wedding Soup. It has 7g of fat (2.5g saturated) and a whopping 920mg of sodium, The ingredients are:  Chicken Stock (Water, Chicken Base [Chicken, Salt, Rendered Chicken Fat, Dextrose, Sugar, Natural Flavoring, Roast Chicken Flavor (Rendered Chicken Fat, Flavor, Safflower Oil) Chicken Broth, Turmeric], Chicken Flavor [Salt, Corn Syrup Solids, Natural Flavor (Chicken Powder, Chicken Fat), Yeast Extract, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Natural Tocopherols]), Water, Meatballs (Pork, Beef, Eggs, Bread Crumbs [Unbleached Wheat Flour, Salt, Yeast], Water, Romano Cheese [Sheep's Milk, Rennet, Salt], Dehydrated Onions, Corn Syrup Solids, Salt, Natural Flavor, Sodium Phosphate, Parsley, Spice), Spinach, Pasta (Wheat Flour, Water, Egg White, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Contains 2% or less of: Chicken (Chicken, Water, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Sodium Phosphate), Modified Corn Starch, Olive Oil, Nisin Preparation, Garlic In Oil (Garlic, Soybean Oil, Water, Citric Acid [Acidifying Agent]) and Spices.

The quesadilla has Monterrey Jack cheese and the beans and tortilla described above.

And then we have The Return of the Tater Tot - a product we thought we had sent packing years ago.   This processed flash-fried potato product comes from McCain's - a product called Harvest Splendor Bites.  The ingredients would then be: Sweet Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following Oils: Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Corn). Contains 2% or less of Corn Starch - Modified, Dehydrated Potatoes, Dextrin, Maltodextrin, Molasses, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate Added To Maintain Natural Color, Sugar, Tapioca Starch - Modified, Xanthan Gum.  We do bake them but I don't know yet if they are pre-cooked (fried?) before being frozen and shipped to us.

Canned pears.

What's for Lunch - Wed., 3/6

Cup of Soup
All White Meat Chicken “Bites”
Fresh Garlic Bread
Fresh Zucchini with Garlic
More Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Strawberry-Grape Cup

The soup is Italian Wedding Soup. It has 7g of fat (2.5g saturated) and a whopping 920mg of sodium, The ingredients are: Chicken Stock (Water, Chicken Base [Chicken, Salt, Rendered Chicken Fat, Dextrose, Sugar, Natural Flavoring, Roast Chicken Flavor (Rendered Chicken Fat, Flavor, Safflower Oil) Chicken Broth, Turmeric], Chicken Flavor [Salt, Corn Syrup Solids, Natural Flavor (Chicken Powder, Chicken Fat), Yeast Extract, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Natural Tocopherols]), Water, Meatballs (Pork, Beef, Eggs, Bread Crumbs [Unbleached Wheat Flour, Salt, Yeast], Water, Romano Cheese [Sheep's Milk, Rennet, Salt], Dehydrated Onions, Corn Syrup Solids, Salt, Natural Flavor, Sodium Phosphate, Parsley, Spice), Spinach, Pasta (Wheat Flour, Water, Egg White, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Contains 2% or less of: Chicken (Chicken, Water, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Sodium Phosphate), Modified Corn Starch, Olive Oil, Nisin Preparation, Garlic In Oil (Garlic, Soybean Oil, Water, Citric Acid [Acidifying Agent]) and Spices.

If the sodium doesn't concern you, note the autolyzed yeast extract which some believe is very similar to MSG.

The chicken is a Tyson "fully cooked chicken breast nugget fritter with rib meat" with 10g of fat and 420mg of sodium. The ingredients are: Boneless, skinless chicken breast nuggets 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.

I believe the garlic bread is made in-house. Zucchini is fresh and sauteed with garlic.

Lots of other fruit and vegetable sides to choose from.

Big Food has stolen the yogurt aisle

The view from 3' tall:

What's for Lunch - Tues., 3/5

DELI DAY
Roast Beef on Whole Wheat Roll (Order Entree #1)
OR
Turkey on Whole Wheat Roll (Order Entree #2)
Lettuce and Tomato Toppings
Roasted Potato Wedges - Pickle
Celery Sticks with Dip
Raisin Cup

Boar's Head Roast Beef or Turkey on a whole wheat roll.

Our potatoes generally come from McCain's Foodservice and are typically a flash-fried and frozen fry, etc. But htey also have USDA plain potato wedges and these might be those. I will try to find out.

Celery sticks are served with an organic, full-ft ranch dressing as a dip. Raisins are domestic.

What's for Lunch - Mon., 3/4

Italian Wedding Soup - 920mg of sodium!

 

CHICKEN PARMIGIANA (Order Entree #1)
Whole Grain Hero
OR
Cup of Soup (Order Entree #2)
Whole Wheat Penne with Broccoli
Fresh Garlic Bread
Sweet Corn
Orange Rounds

 Chicken is a flash-fried product from Tyson with 10g of fat and 620mg of sodium. Ingredients: 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.

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 soup is Italian Wedding Soup. It has 7g of fat (2.5g saturated) and a whopping 920mg of sodium, The ingredients are:  Chicken Stock (Water, Chicken Base [Chicken, Salt, Rendered Chicken Fat, Dextrose, Sugar, Natural Flavoring, Roast Chicken Flavor (Rendered Chicken Fat, Flavor, Safflower Oil) Chicken Broth, Turmeric], Chicken Flavor [Salt, Corn Syrup Solids, Natural Flavor (Chicken Powder, Chicken Fat), Yeast Extract, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Natural Tocopherols]), Water, Meatballs (Pork, Beef, Eggs, Bread Crumbs [Unbleached Wheat Flour, Salt, Yeast], Water, Romano Cheese [Sheep's Milk, Rennet, Salt], Dehydrated Onions, Corn Syrup Solids, Salt, Natural Flavor, Sodium Phosphate, Parsley, Spice), Spinach, Pasta (Wheat Flour, Water, Egg White, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Contains 2% or less of: Chicken (Chicken, Water, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Sodium Phosphate), Modified Corn Starch, Olive Oil, Nisin Preparation, Garlic In Oil (Garlic, Soybean Oil, Water, Citric Acid [Acidifying Agent]) and Spices.

If the sodium doesn't concern you, note the autolyzed yeast extract which some believe is very similar to MSG.

Whole grain penne with sauteed broccoli.

The corn is canned and has added salt - 200mg per serving and the cans do contain BPA.

Fresh orange slices. I believe we make the garlic bread.

SC Poster Contest!

March is National Nutrition Month!

Sea Cliff School Students: 

Enter Our Poster Contest for a Chance to Win a 

Barnes and Noble Gift Card!

All students are invited to enter by submitting posters that:

Promote the importance of eating nutritious food.

Designs should focus on the benefits of making healthy food choices. Winning designs will be laminated and displayed throughout the school. Five winners will each win a $10 Barnes and Noble Gift Card!

Designs will be selected based upon originality and creativity. Each submission must be original, in color, and on 8 1/2 x 11" size paper. No photos or clip art permitted. Student's name and grade must be written on the back only. Submit your entry to the Main Office on March 11, 2012. No early submissions. Winners will be announced on March 15, 2013.  Please direct any questions to Denise Rieger.

Weekend Reading

Reading

Don't miss the NYT article - The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food.

Check out the online journal Choices which covers the behavioral economics of school lunch and lots of other great school lunch research. 

Mark Bittman's sums up the damning eveidence that sugar - and hence Coke - is toxic.

Action

Look! Another reason to oppose Coke. They don't like recycling.....Sign the petition.


Listening

WNYC's Leonard Lopate show did a great interview with the makers of the new documentary on hunger in our country - A Place at the Table. 

WNYC's Brian Lehrer show has been doing some great pieces with the Global Kitchen from the American Museum of Natural History. 

Action Alert: Tell Movie Theaters to Disclose Calories

From the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

As you may know, Congress passed a law in 2010 to require chain restaurants and similar retail food establishments to provide calorie information for their food items on menus and menu boards.  The law applies to chain restaurants, vending machines, and other food-service establishments with restaurant-type food, such as movie theaters.  The movie theater industry has lobbied to be exempt from the regulation.  Yet, movie theaters in New York City, California, and other localities already post calories due to their local laws. 

And this is information consumers deserve to be told. At Regal Cinemas, a large tub of popcorn contains 1,200 calories (without buttery topping); with a soft drink and candy it’s a day’s worth of calories. If a company is selling you a 2,000 calorie “snack,” the least they can do is tell you. 

Please help close this labeling loophole by tweeting at the 3 largest movie theater chains. Let them know you don’t want movie theaters exempt from calorie labeling.  Model tweets are below. And please take a minute to share this with your friends and family.  Thank you in advance!

• .@AMCTheatres @RegalMovies @CinemarkUSA Don’t keep us in the dark. Disclose #calories. Eliminate #CalLoophole @whitehouse

• .@AMCTheatres @RegalMovies @CinemarkUSA 1,000+ cals in a popcorn tub? Least u can do is post calories. Close the #CalLoophole @whitehouse

• .@AMCTheatres @RegalMovies @CinemarkUSA You post #calories in NYC theaters. Why not nationally? Close the #CalLoophole. @whitehouse

• .@AMCTheatres @RegalMovies @CinemarkUSA Don’t lobby to avoid menu labeling. Give customers #calorie info @whitehouse

Sincerely,

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