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

BETTER-THAN-A-PIZZERIA
Thin Crust Pizza BBQ Chicken (Order Entree #1)
OR
Cup of Soup with Plain Slice (Order Entree #2)
Caesar Salad
More Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Pineapple 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've seen labels recently for everything from dark meat with added soy to something called a "tenderloin fritter". So, I would vote fo rthe plain slice today except for the soup it comes with......

For the soup -  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]), Broccoli, Light Cream, Water, Cheddar Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes, Annato, Powdered Cellulose [To Prevent Caking]), Contains 2% or less of: Butter (Cream, Salt), Modified Food Starch, Wheat Flour, Carrots, Hot Pepper Sauce (Distilled Vinegar, Red Pepper, Salt) and Spice.  Plus - 850 mg of sodium and 19g of fat -- 11g of which are saturated.

Caesar salad and other veggie sides are fresh options.  Pineapple is canned, packed in juice and is a product of Thailand. 

What's for Lunch - Wed., 1/9

Today's Lunch

Cup of Soup
All White Meat Chicken Tenders
Whole Grain Roll
Sweet Potato Crinkles
More Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Strawberry-Grape Cup

For the broccoli cheddar soup -  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]), Broccoli, Light Cream, Water, Cheddar Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes, Annato, Powdered Cellulose [To Prevent Caking]), Contains 2% or less of: Butter (Cream, Salt), Modified Food Starch, Wheat Flour, Carrots, Hot Pepper Sauce (Distilled Vinegar, Red Pepper, Salt) and Spice.  Plus - 850 mg of sodium and 19g of fat -- 11g of which are saturated.

Tenders -- in other words, nuggets. The chicken is from Tyson. 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.  The serving size of two pieces - which is what elementary students get - has 14g of fat and 580mg of sodium.

Whole grain roll - which may be partial vs fully whole grain.

The Crinkles are the french fry version of the sweet potato tater tots shown above with 190mg of sodium and 7g of fat (one is saturated). The ingredients are: Sweet Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following Oils: Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Corn), Corn Starch - Modified. Contains 2% or less of Annatto (color), Beta Carotene (color), Caramel Color, Corn Starch, Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Natural Flavor (Contains Wheat), Rice Flour, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate Added To Maintain Natural Color, Sugar, Tapioca Dextrin, Xanthan Gum.

Fruit is fresh and domestic but not of course organic. 

What's for Lunch - Tues., 1/8

Today's Lunch - without the fresh fruit

BRUNCH FOR LUNCH
Cinnamon Challah French Toast
OR
Fresh Oatmeal with Toppings
Raisin Box ~ Brown Sugar
Applegate® Turkey Bacon
Potato Puffs -Apple Crisp

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.


Oatmeal though is a whole grain and hopefully there will be some limit on the added sugar.


Then there are the commodity potatoes processed by McCain's into tater tots -- although they are labeled "frozen pre-formed potato rounds."  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.

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.

Raisins are domestic. Apple crisp is a dessert.

There's really nothing fresh or healthy in this meal. Get the salad bar:

Or Choose This Lunch

What's for Lunch - Mon., 1/7

MEATBALL PARMIGIANA
Whole Grain Roll
OR
Cup of Soup
Whole Wheat Penne “Marinara” with Mozzarella Stick
Sweet Corn
Orange Rounds

For the meatball, parmigiana, 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 penne is whole grain and the mozzarella stick is part skim.

For the soup -  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]), Broccoli, Light Cream, Water, Cheddar Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes, Annato, Powdered Cellulose [To Prevent Caking]), Contains 2% or less of: Butter (Cream, Salt), Modified Food Starch, Wheat Flour, Carrots, Hot Pepper Sauce (Distilled Vinegar, Red Pepper, Salt) and Spice.  Plus - 850 mg of sodium and 19g of fat -- 11g of which are saturated.

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

Fresh oranges

This sounds like a good day to go for the salad bar.

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

BETTER-THAN-A-PIZZERIA
Cup of Soup
Thin Crust Pizza with Fresh Sauce
Fresh & Crisp Zucchini Strips
Pears in Fruit Juices

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 soup this week 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.

Fresh zucchini and canned pears.

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 1/3

CHICKEN PARMIGIANA (Order Entree #1)
Whole Grain Roll
OR
Cup of Soup (Order Entree #2)
1/2 Chicken Caesar Wrap
Sweet Corn
More Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Fresh Grapes

For the chicken, 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 chicken itself is a pre-cooked breaded Tyson chicken 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.  Their serving size has 10g of fat (2 of which are saturated) and 620 mg of sodium.

The roll is at least partially whole grain.


The soup this week 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 chicken caesar wrap is also made with Tyson chicken and the wrap is not whole grain.

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

Fresh (domestic) grapes and other fresh fruits and vegetables from the salad bar.

What's for Lunch - Wed., 1/2

GRILLED CHEESE 2 WAYS!
Whole Wheat Grilled Cheese (Order Entree #1)
OR
Cup of Soup (Order Entree #2)
1/2 Grilled Cheese
Baked Sweet Potato Ridges

NO SALAD BAR TODAY

So, we're a little light on the fresh fruits and vegetables coming back from a long break.

The grilled cheese sandwich is made with 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.

We serve a variety of soups. Please note that the broccoli and cheese soup at least does contain chicken stock and rendered chicken fat.  The lentil soup is vegetarian. It looks like we may also have served a turkey soup, a roasted vegetable soup and Italian wedding soup.

I do not know what baked sweet potato ridges are. We can assume they are a frozen processed commodity food.  Our other products like this are from food service vendor McCain's "Harvest Splendor" line so I suspect these are the "Ridge Cut Wedges" -- i.e. fries.The ingredients are: Sweet Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following Oils: Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Corn), Corn Starch - Modified. Contains 2% or less of Annatto (color), Beta Carotene (color), Caramel Color, Corn Starch, Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Natural Flavor (Contains Wheat), Rice Flour, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate Added To Maintain Natural Color, Sugar, Tapioca Dextrin, Xanthan Gum. They have 4.5g of fat (.5g saturated) and 125mg of sodium.