Sea Cliff Nutrition Committee. The Apple People

Sea Cliff Nutrition Committee. The Apple People

Friday, May 31, 2013

Weekend Reading - and Local Fun

Reading

 Don't miss the NYT piece "Breeding the Nutrition out of Food."

Action

Join the movement to get GMOs labelled in New York

Local Fun

Saturday - Garage Sale Day in Sea Cliff! Hurray! Pick up a map at Clifton Park.

Bailey Arboretum's Family Day is this Sunday and a lot of fun.

On Saturday at noon, kids can visit Old Westbury Gardens to explore the gardens and make "fairy petal portraits". Get a pass at the Village Library.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

What's for Lunch - Fri., 5/31


Whole Wheat Rotini ”Bolognese” (Order Entree #1)
OR
Pizza Bagel (Order Entree #2)
Carrot Sticks with Dip
Salad Bar Veggie Side

This is a whole grain rotini by Zerega.  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, Spices, Salt, Citric Acid, Garlic Powder, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Black Pepper, Vitamin E (DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Natural Flavor, Vitamin A (Retinol Palmitate)

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.

Carrots are fresh with an organic full-fat ranch dip. More fresh veggies on the salad bar.



Wednesday, May 29, 2013

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 5/30

BRUNCH FOR LUNCH
Cinnamon Challah French Toast (Order Entree #1)
w/Applegate® Turkey Bacon
OR
Scrambled Egg & Cheese Wrap (Order Entree #2)
Potato Puffs ~ Orange Rounds

I'm really curious as to why we stopped serving whole wheat french toast to go back to the 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 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.

I do believe the wrap used for the egg and cheese is whole grain.  And they do use actual eggs like you would use at home.

Fresh oranges.

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. 

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

What's for Lunch - Wed., 5/29

FLATBREAD PIZZA
Thin Crust Pizza with Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella
(Broccoli Topping Available)
Cucumber Sticks
Fresh Grapes!

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.

Broccoli is fresh along with the cucumbers and grapes.

Monday, May 27, 2013

What's for Lunch - Tues., 5/28

APPLEGATE HOTDOG
Whole Wheat Bun
OR
Fresh Fruit Plate with Breadstick & String Cheese
Sweet Corn
Pineapple in Juice


Sorry for the hiatus. .. I was really busy with something really important. And I am now accepting applications from anyone who would like to be named Chief Lunch Blogger.


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. 

More canned stuff than usual due to the long weekend:

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


Canned pineapple in juice from China.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Weekend Fun

Take Action - from the Environmental Working Group:
Now is the time to demand real reform: Stand with EWG today and tell your senators to reject legislation that does not have the strong chemical safety measures Americans overwhelmingly want.

Click here to take action! Your senators need to know that you will accept nothing less than real reform of our toxic chemicals policy.

Every day, millions of Americans are needlessly exposed to untested and unregulated chemicals. Those toxic chemicals show up in our bodies and the bodies of newborn babies. The fact is that industrial chemical pollution begins in the womb.

Fun

On Saturday, Benner's Farm is having a workshop for kids - on strawberries. Very hands-on and no doubt delicious.

Saturday Night - see the fireworks from a spot at Tappen Beach.

Memorial Day Parade in Sea Cliff kicks off at 9am from Memorial Park.

Sea Cliff Beach opens this weekend - but its gonna be kinda cold and wet.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

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

BRUNCH FOR LUNCH
Cinnamon Challah French Toast w/
Baked Ham Slice (Boar’s Head®)
OR
Scrambled Egg & Cheese Wrap
Sweet Potato Wedge
Fresh Berries & Orange Salad

I'm really curious as to why we stopped serving whole wheat french toast to go back to the 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.

Ham is Boar's Head.

I do believe the wrap used for the egg and cheese is whole grain.  But they do use actual eggs like you would use at home. 

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.

The berries and orange salad sound great.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Don't Miss the Last Seed Table! Your Kids Will Eat Veggies!






Don't Miss the last seed planting table - Monday at pick up in front of the school!

Want a Fun Way to Get Your Kids to Eat More Fresh Vegetables? . For just $1 per vegetable plant, we'll help your kids plant seeds they can take home. We'll offer different vegetables each week at the right time for planting. Your kids grow the seeds indoors for a few weeks and then plant the whole container in your yard, flower pot - even in your flower beds (our cucumbers always grow over the azaleas!)

When kids grow vegetables themselves, they are much more likely to try new ones and eat more of the ones they already like. Join us for a few minutes on Mondays through April and May and you'll have a cheap, diverse vegetable garden with very little effort.

We've got: Broccoli, Cucumbers, Cauliflower, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Peppers, Watermelon, Lima Beans



And send us your pictures as your garden grows!

Friday, May 3, 2013

Weekend Fun

Fun

Old Westbury Gardens has a program on "companion planting" for families. You can get a pass from the Village library to the house and gardens.

On Sunday, Bailey Arboretum is having a family nature adventure - Who Lives in the Ground?

Thursday, May 2, 2013

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

Meatball Parmigiana Hero
OR
Whole Wheat Penne Marinara
Mozzarella Stick
Caesar Salad w/Chick Peas
More Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Fresh Apple Slices

For the meatball, parmigiana, unlike our hamburgers, this "beef" is from Tyson and  is a USDA commodity product.  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.

Whole wheat penne with sauce above. Mozzarella stick is part-skim.  Caesar salad is romaine lettuce, tomatoes and croutons - plus chick peas this week. Fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 4/2

FAJITA DAY
Southwest-Style Chicken Strips,
Brown Rice & Black Beans
& Build Your Tortilla
OR
Cheese Quesadilla,
Side of Beans
Carrot Crunchers~ Salsa
Pineapple in 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. But sometimes...we get chicken with "grill marks" or "added smaoke flavor" but hopefully everything will go well....

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 quesadilla has Monterrey Jack cheese and the beans and tortilla described above.
Fresh carrots with a mild organic salsa.

Canned pineapple in juice from China.