What's for Lunch - Fri., 1/27

BRUNCH FOR LUNCH
Homemade Challah French Toast
Orange Rounds
Applegate Turkey Bacon
Cucumber Sticks
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Cinnamon Applesauce

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.

There are alternatives - check out this one, for example.

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.

On the upside, there are fresh orange slices and cucumber sticks plus applesauce with cinnamon.

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 1/26

TACO BAR
Seasoned Beef w/ Hard or Soft Shell Corn Tortilla
or
Vegetarian Rice & Beans
Toppings for Both: Lettuce, Cheese, Salsa, Sour Cream
Fresh Grapes

The beef used in these is USDA commodity ground chunk -- it is all beef which means it does not contain fillers but it not necessarily of any particular quality. We do season it in-house with salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne and black pepper.

The rice and beans version is a good choice - brown rice, canned black beans.

Check out our posts on reasons to eat less meat here and here.

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 soft shells 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).

What's for Lunch - Wed., 1/25

All White Meat Breaded Chicken Tenders
Roasted Sweet Potato Wedge
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Chilled Pineapple in Juice




This lunch is close to fast food.

The chicken is a fried Tyson product with 580mg of sodium. Here are the ingredients: 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 sweet potato wedges are from McCain. 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.

The pineapple is canned.

What's for Lunch - Tues., 1/24

Macaroni & Cheese
Barilla Plus Pasta & Wisconsin Cheddar
Caesar Salad at the Salad Bar
Warm Apple Crisp

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.

Caesar salad is as pictured above with an organic dressing. The apple crisp is a dessert made in-house.

What's for Lunch - Mon., 1/23

Meatball Hero (Meatballs in Marinara) on Whole Wheat Hero Roll
Orzo Pasta w/Garlic & Oil
Carrot Sticks
Orange Rounds

The meatballs are are processed, cooked and frozen by Tyson.  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.  Tyson recently had another ground beef recall due to e. coli contamination although this one did not affect the school lunch market.

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 rolls are whole grain.  I do not have any details on the orzo pasta. It is probably not whole grain and the roll is probably enough carbohydrates for most people.

The carrots and oranges are fresh.

Tell the FDA You Want Genetically Modified Foods to be Labeled

From the Environmental Working group:

Dear Sara,

Do you know what's in the food you eat? I'm sure that, like me, you spend time in the grocery store reading labels and trying to make the healthiest choices for your family. But not everything is on those labels. Right now, there's absolutely no requirement to label foods that have been genetically engineered.

I think that's unacceptable. And so do more than 90 percent of Americans. Nearly 43,000 supporters of Environmental Working Group, including EWG Action Fund board member Robyn O'Brien, have already asked the federal Food and Drug Administration to require labeling of genetically engineered ingredients in the food we eat.

Robyn has joined the Just Label It campaign and worked with Food, Inc. director Robby Kenner to create a video about why we have the right to know what is in the food we eat. Please watch the video and then add your voice - to change the status quo, the FDA needs to hear from you today.

We're so close to our goal of 65,000 signatures on this petition. Will you help us make that mark?

Click here to watch Robby Kenner's new video and join him in signing our petition to the FDA. Tell government regulators that we want to know if genetically modified ingredients are in our food!

Genetically engineered foods are appearing on supermarket shelves with increasing frequency. More than 80 percent of crops like corn and soy are genetically engineered. Some 60 to 70 percent of processed foods available in American grocery stores likely contain some genetically engineered ingredients. We eat these common foods almost every day, without being fully informed about their content.

We have a right to know how the food we are eating is being produced so that we can make the right choices for ourselves and our families. By not requiring labeling, the FDA deprives us of that choice.

As part of the Just Label It campaign, EWG is working hard to make sure you get the information you need to make healthier choices. But we need your help. The FDA needs to hear from you, today, that you want the facts about what you are eating. Please take a moment to sign our petition.

Click here to hear Robyn's story and sign our petition to the FDA today. Help us get to 65,000 signatures today.

Thank you for taking action. You have the right to know what's in your food. Together, we'll make sure that happens.

Sincerely,

Ken Cook
President, Environmental Working Group

What's for Lunch - Fri., 1/20

Homemade Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana
Whole Wheat Penne Marinara
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Pears in Fruit Juice

We prepare this chicken in -house with a new recipe this year which is worth a try. We use frozen raw chicken (unprocessed). Our staff breads it with flour, egg and breadcrumbs.  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 probably the USDA commodity part skim mozzarella.  Ingredients are cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes. The sodium is 240mg/oz - I think we use 2 ounces.

The noodles are listed as whole wheat but they may be usign the Barilla Plus instead - which is not whole grain. If so , 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.

Plus, canned pears and choose your own veggies.