Yearly Archives: 2010

Day 4: Chicken Patty

School Lunches

Today’s menu: Chicken patty with peas, two slices of bread, fruit cup, and chocolate milk.

There was sauce on the patty. I guess it was tomato sauce, but it was tasteless and of course you can see that it was burnt. The fruit cup was partially frozen. In fact I stabbed it with my spork.

I ate up the chicken, the bread, and the peas. Sometimes they offer butter with the bread, but I didn’t see it there this time. Of course the kids don’t get knifes so spreading the butter on the bread is a challenge. Basically you have to smear it.

Day 3: hot dog

School Lunches, Uncategorized

Today’s menu: Hot dog, wheat bun, baked beans, fruit cup, small bag of pretzels, chocolate milk

I didn’t get the fruit cup or the pretzels because I was in a hurry. I often like hot dogs and baked beans, but these offerings were bland and tasteless.

 

 

Food from a can

Uncategorized

When I was of early school-age, my family did not have a lot of money. The reason I know that is not because I knew explicitly that there was no money. In fact, I only came to understand that later over time. Looking back my favorite food was baked beans and my sibling’s was macaroni and cheese. So I didn’t have high brow taste as a kid.

The “organic” and the “slow food” movement was not around back in the 1980’s when I was in grade school. However, my mother never got us fast food and I didn’t even sip soda until I was 5 years old. Because of my mom’s vigilance, I don’t drink soda (maybe root beer every six months) and I only eat fast food if it’s the only option (again once every couple months).

When I make dinner for my husband and my toddler, I focus on very simple, quick meals. Normally I try to make sure we have one thing from the following food groups: one grain, one veggie, and one meat. Sometimes I do make our meal with something from a can (actually baked beans maybe once a month), but more likely I get our food from the freezer (especially frozen veggies). We also like to go out to eat for dinner once every weekend and usually got out for Thai food.

Day 2: chicken nuggets

School Lunches, Uncategorized

Today’s menu: 5 chicken nuggets, chopped carrots, cornbread muffin, chopped pears in juice, chocolate milk.

I was sort of surprised how small this lunch felt compared to yesterday’s. I feel like I should have gotten more chicken nuggets. I ate them though, along with the carrots and the muffin. The muffin was a little stale. I couldn’t get through the pear stuff because it was partially frozen.

Notice the lack of fiber. Hmm.

Growing up

Going retro

When I was a little girl, I ate school lunch occasionally. My mom would sit down with the menu provided by the school and we would choose which days I would eat “hot lunch” and which days she would pack my lunch.

I remember eating my own packed lunch more often than choosing to eat school lunch. My mom would put dried fruit in my lunch wrapped in little squares of saran wrap. The other kids would be so grossed out by the prunes, but I enjoyed them!

My family moved around a lot and we lived in multiple states. My only memories of school lunch revolve not around the food but trying to find a place to sit where people would talk to me. I remember carrying a tray through large cafeterias wracked with anxiety about where I would sit and with whom. Scanning the room with my eyes, I never wanted to eat alone, but I did sometimes. Being new was very hard.

I remember my mother putting notes in my lunch bag telling me how much she loved me. I cherished seeing her handwriting on small pieces of paper. It helped me get through some hard days.

Day 1: spaghetti with meat sauce

School Lunches, Uncategorized

Today’s lunch: Spaghetti with meat sauce, green beans, a breadstick, chocolate milk, and a blue-raspberry icee thing.

As far as school lunches go, this one is pretty good. The meat sauce over penne was passable and the green beans were ok too. I ate all of main stuff, but I only took one bite of the breadstick, which was too chewy yet semi-hard, and the blue raspberry thingy….I took one suck and knew it was not for me. Of course I drank all the chocolate milk.

School lunch at my school/workplace always comes in these strange little packages. I have to say that it is very hard to open them. I have to stab them with the spork multiple times. The only reason I mention that is that if you have fine motor issues, it would take you awhile to get everything open. The kids get 20 minutes to eat including getting through line and clean up.

The school feeds many hundreds of students. There are multiple lunch periods. The lunch ladies are friendly and hard-working. It’s a very busy cafeteria.

My idea

The Food,

It’s very challenging to teach students when they are eating school lunches that don’t give them the nutrition they need and deserve. Oftentimes what is served barely passes muster as something edible. And after a meal high in sugar and fat and low in fiber, they then must pay attention in a classroom.

I’m going to attempt to eat school lunch everyday in 2010. As a teacher it’s available to me as well for a few dollars. Most of the students at my school get free lunch or reduced. I’m going to take pictures of the school lunch and post them.

Normally I shop for organic fruits and veggies. I avoid processed foods and food high in sugar and high fructose corn syrup, but I normally eat food brought from hom including leftovers, sandwich, or a “healthy” microwave meal for lunch with yogurt and a piece of fruit.

The reason I’m eating school lunch every day is to raise awareness about school lunch food in America.