Check out Friday's Alternate Entree

Last Year's "Hummus Boat"

Don't miss the "wraps" section on the menu. On Friday the wrap is actually the "box of energy" alternate entree which includes hummus, whole wheat crackers, carrots with a ranch dip, and grapes.

Whart's for Lunch - Thurs., 9/13

All White Meat Chicken Tenders
Whole Grain Roll
Carrot Crunchers with Organic Ranch Dressing
Fresh Fruit from the Salad Bar

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 elemntary students get - has 14g of fat and 580mg of sodium.

The roll is whole grain. Fresh carrots with an organic, full fat ranch dressing from Chelten.

Action Alert: Support New Healthier Lunch Standards in Your School

From the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

It’s that time of year again. Children are heading back to school, but they aren't heading back to the same school lunch. We write to ask for your help to support schools' efforts as they implement new school meal standards this school year.

In 2010, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, and as a result, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has updated the nutrition standards for school lunches. With one out of every three children in America overweight or obese, 31 million children eating school lunches, and 15 years since the last update, it was time for a change.

School lunches are now more wholesome and nutritious, with double the fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, only fat-free and low-fat milk, limits on unhealthy fats, and less salt. There are new age-based calorie ranges too, ensuring that children are served proper portions for their age.

The new school lunch standards are a great step forward, and schools need your help to fully implement them. Here are some ways you can support healthier school lunches:

• Spread the word to other parents about healthier school lunches. Write a letter to the editor; post a message on Facebook; tweet about them; or forward this message to family, friends, and colleagues.
• Join and spread the word about the upcoming Virtual Back to School Night on Thursday Sept. 13 at 8 p.m., hosted by the National PTA and Pew’s Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project.
• Review the school menu and ask your child what is being served. Ask what they had for lunch, what they liked, how it could be better.  Share constructive feedback with the school food service professionals in your child’s school district.
• See the improvements to school lunches firsthand by having lunch with your child.
• Offer to organize a taste test of new recipes and foods at your child’s school.
• Feed your child more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains at home so they will be more open to trying them at school.
• Talk to the school food service director in your child’s school about ways you can support their efforts.
• Join your school wellness/health committee (or start one).
• Visit www.schoolfoods.org/back2school for more information, model materials, and other ideas

The new school lunch standards have the potential to transform the school nutrition environment and improve children's health, and we need everybody’s help to get them fully implemented. Your involvement in supporting healthy eating is so important!  Thank you for helping to make the new school menus a success!

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

What's for Lunch - Wed., 9/12

Applegate Hotdog
Whole Wheat Bun
Long Island Smashed Potatoes
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Caesar Salad
Strawberry-Yogurt Smoothie
(Fat-Free Yogurt)

The hot dogs are from Applegate Farms - so they are far better than many hot dogs but are hot dogs nonetheless. 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 Caesar includes romaine tomatoes and croutons. See more about the salad bar here.  I don't have any details on the Long Island Smashed Potatoes other than what the name implies.

The smoothie  will be made with either plain yogurt to which we add  honey or vanilla yogurt (no honey) if we can't get plain plus 1% milk and frozen strawberries.

Don't Miss the Alternate Entrees - Especially on Wednesday!

Don't miss the "wraps" section on the menu.  On Wednesdays, it's the fresh fruit plate - shown above from last year at Glen Head.  You get fresh fruit, whole wheat crackers and mozzarella cheese. This was a popular alternate entree from last February that has now found a permanent home on the menu.

What's for Lunch - Tues., 9/11

Macaroni & Cheese
(Barilla Plus Pasta & Wisconsin Cheddar)
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Celery Strips
New York State Apple

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.

See our last post for pictures of the salad bar.  Fresh celery and fresh, local apple.

Please Welcome Back -- The Salad Bar!!!!

Last year, our school district applied for and won grants to put salad bars in all our schools. Salad bars are a terrific way to increase the number of fruits and vegetables kids each eat day. Students can pick their "side" dishes from the salad bar or choose the salad bar as their meal any day.

These are pictures from Sea Cliff and the salad bar looks terrific. The cafeteria employees will help serve your child and everything looks fresh and delicious.

Here's what you can typically expect to find:
- red leaf and romaine lettuce - basically, kids don't like mesclun and iceberg doesn't have much by way of nutrition so she felt these were our best lettuce options.
- 4 or 5 vegetables such as broccoli, cucumbers, carrots, grape tomatoes and red onion
- a protein such as chic peas, black bean salad, hard boiled egg, Boars Head turkey cut into small pieces or tuna
- a choice of dressings
- croutons which Julia has stated will be "good ones" with minimal ingredients. The croutons meet the grain requirement of the lunch and increase participation. Her ultimate plan is to be able to make homemade croutons.

 ....and sometimes Applegate bacon.  The dressings are Balsamic Vinegar, Ranch and Caesar. Click each one to be linked back to ingredient lists. Read about Balsamic Vinegar here: filtered water, organic soybean oil, organic balsamic vinegar, organic sugar, salt, organic white vinegar, organic minced garlic, organic garlic powder, organic onion powder, organic black pepper, organic red bell pepper granules, xantham gum.  


On page two of this pdf - you can see a description and suggestions for making the salad bar a complete meal.