Today’s menu: pizza, carrots, banana, ranch dressing, milk
I normally don’t grab the ranch dressing since I don’t need it to eat my carrots. But I did today. Definitely not necessary for me.
Doesn’t the pizza look good in the second picture? I think it does. The pizza wasn’t terrible today. And a banana? I saved that for later. Today I had only 15 minutes to eat so there wasn’t time.
***
I feel imaginary pressure to get these daily lunch posts out to you as quickly as I can. It’s like I’m filing the daily school lunch post with the bureau.
“Here’s what they ate today,” STOP
“It’s a jungle out there,” STOP
“Hope to file another lunch report tomorrow,” STOP
“If you don’t hear from me, I was found out,” STOP
“Over and….” Transmission interrupted
Sometimes life gets in the way and I can’t blog right away when I get home. So this week the lunch posts are after 8pm.
***
Today we were talking about countries we’d like to visit.
I told some students, “I want to go to Japan one day.”
One student pipes up, “I want to go to China.”
I ask, “Why do you want to go to China?”
“Because I like dumplings.”
I've never seen ranch dressing in a squeezy packet before! How do the kids dip their carrots in it? Do they squirt it out on their tray?
The pizza doesn't look half-bad. Pizza isn't a horrible meal – dairy, protein, hopefully a whole-wheat crust (I can dream), and lycopene in the tomato sauce. Hopefully they did not add a lot of sodium and used a lower-fat cheese.
The banana & carrots sound good! Nice to have a little color variety in this meal!
This pizza looks like the exact same pizza you captured when you first started this experiment. It even has the same gelatinous glow on top of the cheese! The difference? I think school food is growing on you, just like it does on the kids. It's not particularly appetizing, but it has a sort of "home-like" feel, when you eat it day-in and day-out.
Mrs. Q,
Please don't worry about when you are posting the picture of the food, the picture is not the point, it's an added bonus. People can wait, if they get huffy about it, then they aren't at this blog for the right reason. I agree, I think the pizza has been looking better as is the food. Is it good for the kids, does it nourish them throughout the day? Does it especially help those kids that might need it to sustain them because it's their only meal? Hm, those are questions that still need to be answered, you have given us a means or a vehicle, which I am grateful for.
Please, don't worry about when you can post, I'd hate to see you not enjoy doing what you're doing.
Ashley
The thing I notice the most in the pictures is all the plastic, individual packaging. Is the food heated in the plastic?
Dont worry about getting the posts out to us. We are ok waiting for you to do your thing. No pressure.
Kate
http://www.stepadventure.blogspot.com
I wondered the same thing as Celloluv, is the food heated in those plastic containers? That just can't be good for the kids.
*begins loop background music of the second verse of Anna Nalick – 2AM*
This is the internet. Internet is random, jumbled mess that is really quite ugly if you look at it in the terms of every server linked to every active IP. I don't think anyone will revolt if you don't post for a couple of days. Now if you were RayWilliamJohnson or PhillipDeFranco…the internet would puke all over the place if you didn't update regularly. I think this is a fairly sane group (I think) and you putting pressure on yourself to do something isn't going to make anyone happy. Heck if you feel a need to loop readers in send a tweet via text that says: No post today. And be done with it and go make some sammiches for your alter-ego and watch season 3 of Lost in unchronological order.
I'm with Allison. I just looked at the picture from Day 5, where you said: "The pizza wasn't good. I took the first picture with the box closed and then I realized that you have to actually see the pizza for its full effect. The cheese looks shellacked and shiny. . . The students and staff talk about how the pizza is "good." Yes, I agree it's better than say the hot dog, but it's completely devoid of flavor." Today's picture looks EXACTLY the same.
Have you thought about writing a few of your saved posts ahead of time, like on the weekend if you have an extra little bit of time, so that you don't have to stay up late on a few nights that you post?
Looking it up, that meal (minus the ranch) contains an estimated 27 grams of protein and 88 grams of carbohydrates.
Children are only supposed to have (Per Day):
Ages 4-8 ~ 19g protein
Ages 9-13 ~ 34g protein
Girls 14-18 ~ 46g protein
Boys 14-18 ~ 52g protein
http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/consumer/archives/percentDV.htm
Just want to say a quick thank to you for doing this.
I always thought that I was a healthy eater and that I promoted healthy eating to my kids.
That being said – that preschool blog from a couple days ago really got me thinking about what I was sending to school with my daughter for lunch.
I was re motivated to examine the foods I was sending her. I needed that little kick in the butt to get refocused on eating whole foods and not relying on pre packaged convenience.
Thank you for re awakening me – my whole family thanks you!
I think that's the whole point of plasic-wrapping the food, so they can quickly and cleanly heat it up. Not that that heating food in plastic is a good thing, but I think that is the point.
As good a reason to visit a place as any, no?
i love pizza, and i wanna go to singapore or south korea =p
Can you tell I'm a neurotic first born? 😉
Seriously though that daily post does "hang over my head" until I get it done and I can breathe. I have not posted some days and not one person has commented or worried about it. Thanks guys!
As soon as I saw the picture, I said pizza again? Like I was the one going to have to eat it lol! Pizza hasn't changed a bit since I was in school
In the Mid-West,the students usually put the ranch dressing on the pizza instead of dipping their carrots. Sounds ucky to me, but they love it. Also, the packaging is not all plastic. Most of the containers that are heated are made of cardboard that can be heated up to 350 degrees. Usually the only plastic is on the top-just like a frozen entree. Finally, as far as how much protein the meal contains-the USDA dictates the amount of protein that MUST be served each day in order to receive federal funds. While I am not a big fan of the company serving these meals, I can say, without a doubt, they are serving the minimum protein required (not because of health reasons, but for of the simple fact that protein is expensive.)
Mrs. Q- Just wanted to say I read everyday even though i usually don't comment. I love the little conversations with students that you have added. I think they are just hilarious.
Your blog has changed my look on eating. The other day, I was making a sandwich for lunch.. And I randomly thought of this blog and put a tomato on my sandwich, something which I don't normally do. Thank you!
Pizza dipped in ranch is yummy! I thought it was weird too when I first saw a friend doing it, but I tried it myself and was hooked. I don't think I eat pizza without ranch at all now!
I wouldn't be surprised if more kids are dipping their pizza in the ranch than the carrots. You should try it, Mrs. Q. Might make it taste a little better! Though I think Allison might be right. The food is growing on you!
Did you seriously write that the pizza looks good? I think you've jumped the shark, Mrs. Q. It's probably all downhill from here.
I am wondering about the packaging also, i steer clear of the microwave as much as possible, because it gives food a strange taste to me, but the packages look like tV dinner packages. Is it nooked and if so is it always warm all the way thru the pizza or burrito or whatever?
Loving what you do
Jelly Roll
Give yourself some breathing room from the self-inposed pressure to post everyday.
The pizza looks ok. A little gresy and too cheesy for me. How was the crust?
Your attitude towards the food seems to be improving. It's getting better, maybe? I think you are brave for undertaking something that requires so much dedication and patience.
Kudos to that kid for being aware of dumplings! I never knew how terribly unaware children are of the varieties of food in the world until watching Jamie Oliver's show. Kids that don't know what a POTATO is, let alone a tomato or eggplant? It made me want to cry!
Do you ever talk to your students about their lunches or foods? I know you are undercover, but just curious if they are food savvy or clueless like Jamie's kids.
Heh, like a few others, my first thought was that you intend to dip the pizza in the ranch. Shows I'm from Michigan.
As for the chinese dumplings: Yum! Here in Massachusetts they're "ravs", short for ravioli, though the usual name in American chinese restaurants seems to be potsticker.
Ranch…lol…yah i thought grab two packets and put it on both the pizza and the carrots. When i was in school they took away our salt but we could have as much fat free ranch as we want. We put that ranch on everything…corn..pizza..crackers..anything!