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.