Monthly Archives: April 2010

Day 56: chicken patty

School Lunches, , , ,

Today’s menu: chicken patty, whole wheat buns, beans, banana, milk

I really want to like the chicken patty (for one it’s not beef). It’s just I can’t get over how it’s possible that it is cheaper to put chicken parts through the grinder, add a bunch of fillers, and then bread it. Why can’t the chicken be roasted? It’s easy to prepare and contains few ingredients. Plus it would actually look like it came from a chicken. The beans were eh and the banana was yummy.

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Some of the readers wondered how I could eat the cheese sandwich while being lactose-intolerant. Well, cheese is low in lactose (especially hard cheeses) as is yogurt and butter. Although processed cheese is higher in lactose, if I am able to eat processed cheese with other foods, I’m usually ok. But I still can’t drink straight milk, eat ice cream, or drink a milkshake.

Guest blogger: School food manufacturer

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Who am I? My name is Lisa Suriano.  I’m the Director of Operations for J.C. Food, a school food service management company in the New York metro area.  It is a company my father founded and has operated for 34 years exclusively in independent schools.  I was raised listening to and experiencing the ins and outs of school food service management literally my entire life.  My passion for wholesome food and childhood nutrition lead me to pursue a Master’s of Science in Nutrition.  I will be completing my degree this May!
When thinking over what to write for my guest blog post my mind was overwhelmed with possible topics.  The issues surrounding school food are vast and extremely complex: over processed foods, inadequate or underutilized kitchen equipment, lack of staff training and motivation, lack of funds, lack of nutrition education, potential benefits of school gardens and kitchen classrooms, potential new job creation and/or career advancement . . .
Phew I couldn’t pick one so I decided to take a cue from Mrs. Q and just tell you about the typical lunch we served at one of my schools today:
Here we have a homemade chicken tender.  Children LOVE and are comforted by this food but it is notoriously fried and hormone pumped, processed and refined.  We decided to take this beloved classic and give it a healthy make over.  We marinate anti-biotic and hormone free chicken in plain yogurt and spices over night to increase tenderness and flavor.  Then they are hand breaded in a mixture of whole wheat and panko breadcrumbs with a bit of parmesan cheese. The tenders are quickly baked in a very hot oven and our students gobble them up – lean protein and whole grains! These tenders were served with a homemade applesauce using NY state apples.  This meal is accompanied by simple roasted potatoes. Our staff has been trained to cut, season and roast these potatoes but they can easily be done whole to save time.  We also served fresh green beans and fresh carrots.  I find that children prefer veggies with vibrant colors and a crunch.
In the time that I have been working hands on in the school food industry I have gained a clear understanding of what it takes to produce a successful healthy school lunch and it is very doable. (By “successful” I mean a lunch that the students look forward to, eat and enjoy.) The overarching theme to achieving this is education. 

We are fighting against a fast food industry that is utilizing advertising and brain washing us all. How did this country slow down cigarette smoking? By banning on-air advertising and exposing young people and their parents to the ill effects of smoking. Now I don’t have a problem with fast food companies advertising healthy options. But the constant images of juicy burgers and glistening fries are attacking this country! As was done with smoking, we need to promote the dangers of eating such foods. But changing advertising is not the only answer.  We need:

1.    Nutrition Education: Nutrition has not been a focus of the school curriculum.  However, it is a critical life skill that is not understood by the majority of people.  If it is not being taught in school or practiced in their lives, how can we expect children to make the right food choices?
2.    Food Service Staff Education: In order to serve the desired type of lunches, the people producing them must know how to cook nutritious food. This is a great opportunity to create (much-needed) jobs and re-train current workers.  It is time to elevate the job status of the “Lunch Lady” and give our troops in the kitchen the respect and resources they deserve.  (The wonderful people I work with a proud of what they do. Such a great feeling!)
3.    Manufacturer Education:  It is not possible, nor is it economically responsible to cut out food manufacturers from school lunch.  We need to make clear requirements of the products we want served to our students.  Manufacturers need to be challenged and incentivized to be part of the solution.
Those of us whom are concerned and clamoring for change (our numbers are growing by the day! Just look at what Mrs. Q has accomplished here!) need to demand that our legislators understand and act properly on this issue.  They need to not simply “Band-Aid” the problems and make short-term solutions.  Fixing our food systems is a huge component in fixing our health care system and our economy.  The money we spend today addressing the child nutrition issues will go a long way in fixing the obesity problem and will go a longer way in saving us future dollars on health care.
We have a country full of many great minds; the federal government needs to bring them together and create a long-term plan to insure that our students (our future) are educated to appreciate good, healthy foods.  If not, our struggles with medical care will only grow exponentially.  They will be insurmountable.
I feel the tide turning in the American food industry. I am energized by it. I have been working to make positive change in my corner of the world, and, am truly pleased to feel part of a greater movement.  We need to remember that we are feeding and fueling the future.  Let’s do this the right way!
If you are interested, you can learn more about my approach to school food and nutrition education at:

NOTE: all guest bloggers have contacted me of their own free will, have given consent, do not know me personally, and are not receiving compensation (and neither am I). 

Day 55: chicken nuggets

School Lunches, , , ,

Today’s menu: chicken nuggets, carrots, corn muffin, fruit jello, milk

I can’t remember how this meal tasted. Even just a couple hours after I consumed it, I have no idea what flavors were present. I don’t remember a texture jumping out at me. When I ask my students “What did you think of your lunch?” they give me a blank stare. Now I get it.

I don’t remember eating the corn muffin. It’s like I blocked it out. The other day I ate the fruit jello and I thought it was fabulous. Today I took a couple sporkfuls and that was it. Could my taste buds have amnesia? Or worse have they deserted me? Whatever the case the little buds that remain in my mouth may need therapy.

Guest blogger: Texan mothers dish it up – Part 2: Daycare foods

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The Texan mothers/teachers join us again (read their previous post on high school food) to detail the food environment in their daycare, which appears to be neither healthy nor safe. See: Daycare Nutrition Program and Chokable Foods

An Unstable Foundation

I’m new to this parenting gig, and I readily admit that I don’t know everything about raising a child. I am learning as I go – reading books, looking up information online and asking questions of those who are more experienced. I don’t know everything, but I do know that my 15 month old needs to eat, and for now, he is dependent on me getting his food to him.

He had breast milk for eight months and then we began transitioning to formula, baby foods, whole milk and solid food. I have been diligent in trying to provide him with fresh, healthy food because I am building his nutritional foundation, and I want it to be a healthy one. I was astounded when I was provided with the menu of foods served at his day care.

Let me begin by saying, he has had wonderful teachers who have cared for him well, and overall, I have been happy with the school… but who gives a 12 month old an ICE CREAM SANDWICH for a snack? Call me picky, but babies have not yet developed the taste for processed sugar… why introduce it so young?

To be fair, ice cream sandwiches are soft, so they could be eaten by a baby with a couple of teeth… unlike, say, a HAMBURGER and French fries. I am sure the teacher cut the hamburger in little pieces, but in my head, I was envisioning my baby sitting at his lunch table with an entire hamburger sitting in front of him wondering, “What is this and how do I get it in my mouth?”

Some of the other “high points” of the menu include: Little Smokies in barbecue sauce, franks and beans, beefy Sloppy Joe, frosted cake, corn chips, hot dogs and bologna and cheese roll-ups. All processed meats accounted for… check!

After seeing the menu, I made arrangements to send my child with his lunch and snacks every day and the teacher has been more than accommodating in feeding him what I send. I also shared the menu with some of the other parents and got some support (although minimal) for working to change the menu.

When spoke to some of the parents I was shocked by their response. They said things like:

  • I don’t like everything on the menu, but I do like the variety.
  • I wouldn’t mind healthier options, but when I looked at other daycare’s menus, they were worse.
  • I’m just glad he eats anything because he is so picky.
  • It’s not great, but we try to eat healthy at home to make up for it.

After a letter writing campaign, I am happy to say that the daycare has opted to change some of the snacks to healthier options like carrot and celery sticks (although I am still not sure how babies with little teeth pull off eating these). Parental awareness is definitely needed. Do parents even know what children are given to eat by their schools and should/do they care?

I think most parents send their children to school with the assumption that they will be well cared for, and many of them are just grateful their children will be receiving something to eat each day. We have to do better than this. We shouldn’t focus on how the school menus “could be worse”. We need to focus on how to make them better. As a society we have to begin to recognize the importance food plays in our health and do a better job of educating and providing our children with fresh vegetables, fruit, whole grains and lean meats. Our children are worth it.

I welcome your thoughts and comments, and I would love your ideas about healthy food options for babies, toddlers and growing children. What do you feed your child?


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Thanks for the insightful post. I shudder to think about how much fast food babies, toddlers, and preschoolers eat every day in out country.


NOTE: all guest bloggers have contacted me of their own free will, have given consent, do not know me personally, and are not receiving compensation. 

Day 54: cheese sandwich

School Lunches, , , ,

Today’s menu: cheese sandwich, tater tots, pretzels, fruit icee, milk (not pictured as I am lactose-intolerant)

I ate most of the cheese sandwich. In case you were wondering the tater tots count as the veggie here. Yes, I’ll say it again – tater tots (or fries for that matter) count as a veggie. I know. I was shocked too but now I just shrug.

Then the fruit icee bar! The packaging has been upgraded. AND it is 100% juice so that’s an improvement. I was able on it suck on it and I didn’t pucker up from a massive influx of sweet hitting my taste buds. Are things looking up?

Also it’s worth noting that the flavor is “outrageous orange,” but it’s apple juice and pineapple concentrate when you read the ingredients. I think we should label it “amazing apple and plucky pineapple” juice or the equivalent. Kids don’t care whether or not it’s orange or apple and we should be honest with them.

Titanium Spork Awards – Accepting Nominations

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Remember my Spork post? And how I sort of poked fun at those who use titanium sporks? Well, Think Geek twittered me and asked if I wanted a titanium spork! I thought about it* and decided why not? When the package showed up, I opened it with glee. And then I noticed more than one spork! There were FIVE! What am I going to do with five titanium sporks?

My husband wanted one, “I’m taking this to work.” So that left me with four. Of course I’m going to keep one as a memento of this crazy journey and I probably will use it to eat, but I don’t want to lose it…

Now I have three. One for each of the three remaining months (April, May, June) of the school year before summer break (and short respite from the project until the Fall when I start back up).

Please nominate someone affiliated with the school lunch movement to receive a titanium spork for the month of April. It can be someone very well known or someone who is an unsung hero. Anyone making a contribution to children’s food and who would appreciate some recognition. Post your nomination in the comment section. I’ll close nominations in a week and then I’ll put up a poll to vote on who should get a titanium spork! The spork will go out in the mail at the end of the month.


*NOTE: The FTC requires that bloggers disclose receiving free stuff for review. I have to say that I decided to accept the sporks because I think they were given not so I would review them, but just for fun. Honestly I’m not sure how I would “review” a spork. It’s not your typical product. How would I give a spork a positive or negative review? “It got food to my mouth!” or “Food slid off it so it loses one star.” Full disclosure: they do look cool and they are light as a feather. Anyway, here’s the disclaimer.

Lunch Lady Q & A – Please provide the Q’s

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I received a very nice email from a “lunch lady” desiring to write a guest post. However, she wants to conduct a “Q & A” with the readers. What a great idea!

Here’s your chance to ask a real “lunch lady” anything related to school lunches. Please post your question(s) in the comments section below. I’ll gather up all the questions on Friday and send them to the her. The Q & A will appear next week.

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In a continued effort to “hide” myself and manage content, I’m going to be posting school lunches only four out of five weekdays some weeks. So today there will be no daily school lunch post. I still eat school lunch every day it’s offered to the kids, but this way I have a little more control over when I post what.

Guest blogger: Lunchables: The Other School Lunch

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Lunchables: The Other School Lunch
“Mom, can I have that? Pleeeeeease?!” If you’ve ever gone grocery shopping with a kid, it’s more than likely you’ve heard that phrase. Sometimes it’s for cookies, sometimes it’s for ice cream and sometimes it’s for Lunchables. But what’s a Lunchable?
Lunchables were introduced by Oscar Meyer in 1988. Originally marketed as a convenience food, they have since become standard fare in many lunchboxes across the country, with varieties such as pizza, nachos, chicken nuggets and ham and cheese. At first glance, Lunchables seem an acceptable alternative to school lunches. After all, the rolls are made “with whole grains”, there’s a fair amount of protein in them and they seem like complete meals. And they are fun to put together; much more fun than a sandwich or soup. But upon further inspection, and while Lunchables appear fun to eat (as the slogans “Make fun of lunch” or “Lunch your tummy right” imply), there is actually very little nutritional value to the product.
Having never eaten a Lunchable myself (I’d always been too scared of them), I decided it was time to do so (for research purposes). I purchased the Turkey and American Cheese Cracker Stackers. It was hard to decide which one to buy—the section with the Lunchables is fairly large and there are a lot of choices! I decided to purchase one that seemed “healthier” and more like a traditional lunch. But the Lunchable told a different story when I unpacked it. The food, which was comprised of Ritz crackers, little circles of processed turkey, American cheese, Capri Sun and a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, looked a bit like the plastic food my daughter uses to play with in her kitchen. Not exactly something that just screams healthy (or edible).

 The food is also ridiculously monochrome. The crackers are beige, the turkey is some sort of white/beige combo, there’s yellow cheese and brown candy. The only splash of color is the not picture juice (red) and the Peanut Butter Cup wrapper (orange). Not exactly the rainbow hues recommended by the USDA.
In addition to looking pale and tragic, as well as inedible, there is almost no nutritional value to the food. See for yourself:
You’ll notice that 35% of the daily recommended amount of sodium is in this box (to the company’s credit, this is down from 75% when Lunchables were first introduced), along with 28% of the daily recommended fat and almost no vitamins. There’s also only 1 gram of fiber; according to an article by Dr. Mary Gavin, fiber is a key element to a healthy diet since it helps with the sense of fullness without adding calories, as well as aiding in digestion.   
How about those ingredients:
That’s a lot of ingredients for crackers, turkey, cheese, juice and one piece of candy. I can’t even pronounce many of them! I don’t feel good about feeding children ingredients I can’t pronounce or spell without assistance. Given the exhaustive list of ingredients, Lunchables don’t exactly seem like the type of food worthy of the “Sensible Solutions” label. Yet in 2005, for certain Lunchables, that is exactly what happened. (Scary.)
Then there’s the taste. My husband, my daughter and I all gave parts of the Lunchable a try (I’m a vegetarian so I passed on the turkey). I found that the cheese tasted awful and had a rubbery texture while the cracker tasted like some sort of cracker/cardboard box combo (and I generally like Ritz crackers). My daughter was initially skeptical of the food (she actually asked “That’s turkey, right?”) but, like most kids, she enjoyed it overall. My husband, however, had the best reaction. After he was done sampling the Lunchable, he said “If I was starving and at a 7-11, I would choose a candy bar or a hot dog over one of these” (and this is from a man who eats scrapple).
Lunchables have long come under fire for their lack of nutritional value and contribution to childhood obesity. In fact, in 2004, the UK distributor of Lunchables removed Capri Sun and candy from the product and replaced them with orange juice and strawberry yogurt; the US has recently done the same, but only on a select variety of products (Wikipedia). Although that new line of products has made some strides in reducing the calories, sodium and fat, there is still some debate as to whether or not the new products actually qualify as “wholesome“. Check out this breakdown of the new Turkey and Cheese sub (part of the “wholesome” line); it’s pretty eye opening regarding what we as a society are now considering “wholesome” food.
I understand that, on the surface, Lunchables are enticing. They are easy, convenient, effortless, and come in varieties of foods that kids like to eat (nothing bothers a parent more than packing lunch only to find out it went straight to the trash or got traded away). But if you take an objective look at the nutrition information and the quality of the food, is that convenience worth it?
For more information on Lunchables, visit the product’s website. You’ll be glad you did.
 Jana Lynch is a regular mom who’s concerned with what her kid eats. You can follow her disasters, adventures and try some of her recipes, all of which can be found on her blog, The Empty Kitchen.