Weekend Reading - and Local Fun

Reading

The USDA has finally released the nutritional guidelines for snacks sold in schools. Get the details. 

If you haven't, check out Bhavani Jaroff's blog at I Eat Green.

Watching

There's a new documentary out about school lunch - this time by a fourth grader. Guess what it's called? Yuck.

Fun

Saturday at noon, kids can visit the Walled Garden at Old Westbury House and Gardens to learn about bees, wax. natural pigments -- and how to make crayons.

Action Alert - How Much Roundup Should We Eat?

From Food&Water Watch:

Do you ever eat carrots, sweet potatoes, flax or sunflower seeds?

Most of us think of these foods as a nutritious part of our diet, providing us with the vitamins we need to stay healthy. But the EPA is considering a rule that would change that, by raising the amount of Roundup chemical residue that's allowed on many vegetables and seeds that we eat every day. Tell the EPA that you don't want to be exposed to more chemicals on your food!

Monsanto's ubiquitous weed killer, Roundup, has been sprayed on farms across America for decades. Now, 14 varieties of Roundup-resistant "superweeds" exist, creating enormous hassle for struggling farmers. To combat the superweeds, Monsanto wants farmers to buy and spray even more Roundup on their crops, perpetuating an endless cycle of toxic chemical overuse. To make matters worse, they are pressuring the EPA to change the rules and allow for more chemical residue on the vegetables we eat.

Demand that the EPA protect our health by not raising the amount of Monsanto's Roundup chemical that's allowed on carrots, sweet potatoes, flax and sunflower seeds.
When you take action to protect your food, it works! Activists like you recently flooded the USDA with 400,000 comments against "agent orange" corn, and the agency agreed to conduct an environmental impact statement to examine this product's health effects. Now, we need to sound the alarms again, telling the EPA not to allow more pesticides on our food. Submit your public comment today to protect your health!

Take action today for your health and the environment:
https://secure3.convio.net/fww/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=809


Thanks for taking action,

Jill Pape
Online Organizer
Food & Water Watch
act(at)fwwatch(dot)org

Weekend Reading and Local Fun

Reading

NYC is going to compost! I think Sea Cliff should.....

Michelle Obama has posted healthy recipes that illustrate "my plate" on Pinterest.

Fun

Tonight at Old Westbury Gardens, children can participate in "Find a Flower Fairy" where clues will lead them through an enchanted garden.

School's Out! Happy Summer!

Action Alert: Call Congress - Protect SNAP

From Feeding America:

Dear Sara,

We need to do something about what’s happening in Congress.

The House is poised to vote on the Farm Bill. The bill would cut SNAP, or food stamps, by $20.5 billion. That’s 8 billion meals that will be lost over the next 10 years. To put it in perspective, 8 billion meals is the equivalent of the entire Feeding America network of food banks shutting its doors for two and a half years. We can’t let the House pass this bill. Not on our watch.

We are going to flood the Congressional switchboard with calls today, and your voice can make a real difference. Please call your Representative today by dialing 866-527-1087 and listen to the pre-recorded message. We will then connect you directly to your Representative’s office and ask you to deliver this simple message:

As your constituent, I am asking you to vote against the House farm bill due to the cuts to SNAP. With so many families still struggling to put food on the table, it is important to protect and strengthen programs like SNAP and TEFAP. I understand the need to reduce the deficit, but increasing hunger is not the way to do it.

After calling your representative at 866-527-1087, tell us how they responded so we can hold them accountable.

Thank you for your important work in helping to feed families facing hunger.

Sincerely,


Brett Weisel
Director of Advocacy
Feeding America

What's for Lunch - Mon. and Tues., 6/17 and 6/18

No Salad Bar!

Chef's Choice!

They are using up whatever we have left, folks. Certainly a money-saving effort on behalf of our lunch program which by law must be self-financing.

But I can't tell you what's in it.

Tuesday is the last dayour school will service lunch. Wednesday and Thursday are half-days and Friday is a one hour day.

Weekend Reading - and Local Fun

Reading

Food waste is even worse than we thought - read more.

Fun

It's Back! Origins of the Universe mini-golf at Clifton Park. And it's free!

Viking Masquers 50th Anniversary event is Saturday night. Get your tickets!

Art Auction to benefit Mutual Concerns is on Saturday at 7pm at the Sea Cliff Yacht Club. Please bring a nonperishable food item to donate as well.

Free concert at the Planting Fields on Saturday night.

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

Meatball Parmigiana Hero
OR
Whole Wheat Penne Marinara
Caesar Salad
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. Caesar salad is romaine lettuce, tomatoes and croutons. Fresh fruits and vegetables.

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

APPLEGATE HOTDOG
Whole Wheat Bun
OR
FRESH FRUIT PLATE
with Breadstick & String Cheese
Sweet Corn
Pineapple in Juice

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 this month - maybe we're trying to use stuff up before the end of the year.:

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

Canned pineapple in juice from China. 

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

Thin Crust Pizza with Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella
(Broccoli Topping Available)
Cucumber Sticks with Dip
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.Dip is a full-fat organic ranch dressing.

If You Grow It.....

Over the weekend, the kids had a lot of things to attend involving treats of various kinds. Mid-afternoon we felt desperate to get a vegetable into them before the next activity.  The kids were not excited. Until they saw.....

....the peas they had grown themselves from seed.

They were picked, washed, and devoured in short order. One of the many reasons I love the seed tables are school runs each year.

These peas are also a history lesson. Thomas Jefferson held a pea growing contest every year and you can get these seeds and others. Monticello sells a children's gardening kit based on his extensive gardens.  You can also read "First Peas to the Table" about Jefferson and a school garden. If you buy it, click the Amazon link on the PCA's website first!!

And if you are growing peas, you have to read "Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas" on genetics.

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

Whole Wheat Spaghetti w/ Meatballs
OR
Whole Wheat Spaghetti Marinara
Mozzarella Stick
Whole Grain Garlic Bread
Zucchini w/Garlic & Oil
More Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Applesauce w/Cinnamon

The pasta is a whole grain.  The marinara is a 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).

The meatballs we've used previously are processed, cooked and frozen by Tyson from commodity beef and although we've improved the beef in our hamburgers, the same is true for the meatballs. 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.

Mozzarella stick is part-skim.

We make our own garlic bread - glad to see it is whole grain. We also make this nice zucchini dish from fresh zucchini. More fresh veggies on the salad bar plus applesauce. We add teh cinnamon which is a nice touch.

I Don't Know What to Say....

Yes, I do -- Someone is getting a promotion at Dunkin' Donuts. And I am not even going to bring up "National Donut Day"....

What's for Lunch - Mon. 6/10

All White Meat Chicken Filet on Whole Grain Roll
Sandwich Toppings
OR
Whole Wheat Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Baby Carrots with Dip
Strawberry-Yogurt Smoothie

 Go for the Grilled Cheese. Have the Salad Bar.

The chicken is a processed Tyson USDA commodity product with 620mg of sodium and 14g of fat. The ingredients are: Boneless chicken breast with rib meat, water, salt, and natural flavor. BREADED WITH: Wheat flour, water, wheat starch, white whole wheat flour, salt, yellow corn flour, corn starch, dried onion, dried garlic, dried yeast, brown sugar, extractives of paprika, and spices. Breading set in vegetable oil.

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.

Fresh carrots with a full-fat organic ranch dressing for the dip.

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. Our fresh strawberries are from California.

Weekend Reading and Local Fun

Reading

WSJ reported on a new study showing vegetarians live longer.

Newsday had a great round up of where you can go berry-picking. Their list online is here but the paper also mentioned the Golden Earthworm and Garden of Eve -- both organic options.

Food

It's that time! Here's a nice round up of Farmer's Markets!

Fun

On Saturday at noon in the Roe Garden of Old Westbury Gardens, kids can learn about smell and try to identify plants by aroma alone. Take home a recipe using dried flowers and herbs.

Sunday is Sea Cliff's Spring Fest on Sea Cliff Ave between Roslyn and main from 11am to 4:30 pm. Afterwards, catch the Flag Day Northwinds Concert at Clifton Park at 5 p.m

Next Wednesday, June 12th at 7:30 pm, Slow Food Huntington Presents: Let's Eat! Food on Film: How to Cook Your Life - Film, discussion and special reception at the Cinema Arts Centre, Huntington

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

Chicken Parmigiana Hero
OR
French Bread Pizza w/Broccoli
Caesar Salad
More Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Fresh Apple Slices

Hero: 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.

Pizza: Whole grain bread. The pizza sauce is from Red Pack and the ingredients are: Tomato concentrate (water, tomato paste), salt, citric acid, basil. Fresh broccoli -- we are making these pizzas - not frozen!

Caesar is romaine, tomatoes, croutons and an organic dressing.  Assorted other fresh fruits and veggies.

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

BRUNCH FOR LUNCH
Cinnamon Challah French Toast
w/Applegate® Turkey Bacon
OR
Scrambled Egg & Cheese Wrap
Herbed-Potato Wedges
Watermelon Slice

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 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 believe the wrap used for the egg and cheese is whole grain.   The eggs are actual eggs.

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

Fresh watermelon is always popular.

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

Chicken Fajita with Trimmings
Brown Rice/Black Beans
Lettuce, Cheese & Salsa
Zesty Corn Salad
More Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Petite Banana!

The brown rice is a whole grain but rice has been found to contain significant amounts of arsenic  - so don't eat it every day and make sure you rinse it thoroughly multiple times and boil in extra water like you would pasta/ (Unfortunately, our cafeteria cannot take these extra steps.)

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

The chicken is a USDA commodity food via Tyson. On at least one occasion it was "fully cooked boneless skinless chicken dark meat chicken fajita strips -smoke flavor added." Here are the ingredients: "Chicken dark meat, water, seasoning [salt, spices, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, sugar, chili powder (chili pepper, cumin, oregano, salt, garlic powder), lemon juice powder (corn syrup solids, lemon juice, lemon oil), modified corn starch, natural mesquite smoke flavor (maltodextrin, natural smoke flavor), natural flavor (from partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil)], modified food starch and sodium phosphates."  The "partially hydrogenated" oil is a source of trans fat.  Chicken has 7g of fat (2 of which are saturated) and 490 mg of sodium.  Read more about farm animals raised by industrial giants like Tyson,  antibiotics and hormones. 

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

What's for Lunch - Tues., 6/4

WHOLE WHEAT PITA PIZZA
With Chicken Cutlet or Plain
Red Pepper Sticks with Dip
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Cinnamon Applesauce

We make these ourselves - we do not serve highly processed frozen pizzas. 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.

I might avoid the chicken version.  The chicken is a pre-cooked Tyson product.

Applesauce and fresh peppers with a full fat organic ranch dressing for the dip. More fresh sides on the salad bar.

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

Meatball Parmigiana
On Whole Grain Roll or with side of bread
Sauteed Broccoli with Garlic and Oil
Salad Bar Veggies Sides
Orange 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 grain roll. Fresh fruits and vegetables including orange slices.