11/1/11 - Salad

Salad Day

Wes complained that this lunch didn't fill him up. I have a feeling that is because with the added rice krispy treat and fruit roll up (not shown) his blood sugar spiked and dropped very low leaving him feeling hungry. Without the sugary treats and a little more lean protein (boiled egg maybe?) it would have been an ok lunch. Fresh spinach would be a bonus too.

Halloween lunch

Halloween Lunch

I really appreciate the home-made chili! I would love to see more fresh vegetables and fruits and less iceberg lettuce. I don't feel that desert is necessary every day either. Packaged snacks and canned fruits we could do without as well. Wes really enjoyed the taco! I would like to know what fats are used in the baked goods. Are we steering clear of trans fats?

Crazy week with visits from cousins for fall break and sick children this week. The thing that stands out most to me (right brained here) is the lack of color.

10/19/2011 Southern Comfort Food

Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Biscuit, Orange, Pears, Cookie, Juice

Having lived in the south I can appreciate a good fried chicken meal. Not the worst thing nutritionally if done correctly. I appreciate the home cooked goods and fresh orange, but there is a serious lack in color. Where are the greens to round out such a scrumptious southern meal?

Meeting with Food Services Supervisor

I had a surprisingly positive meeting with the Wasatch School Food Services supervisor Darren Wilkins. I learned that most of the food in the Wasatch system is hand made on-sight. The 52% whole grain bread is usually baked fresh and main dish (aside from things like hamburger patties) are made fresh. Obviously Darren has a budget to meet and guidelines to follow, but given the circumstances he seems to be doing a great job with what he has.

I also learned that federal regulations on school food will be changing quite dramatically in a year or so. Darren suspects that it will go from a nutrient and calorie based menu to a food based menu. The serving size for fruits and vegetables will most likely go up. Also, our kids are currently offered fruits and vegetables, but the new system will require that they are served as part of the meal. While this all sounds fantastic to me, Darren pointed out that the biggest obstacle will be educating the kids. They will now have a tray with a well balanced meal...lots of great veggies and fruits they don't really like.

When asked what he would do with money raised through our LOVE TO THE LUNCH LADIES 5K, he replied "education". I couldn't agree more! We need to get these kids excited about all the amazing foods out there! I have been eyeing a program called Veggication for the past couple of years. It may be just what we need. As a compliment to the education program, a school garden would be ideal.

Wasatch High - 10/18/11

What is competing with school lunch at Wasatch High?

In high school I would have taken the $2 I got lunch that day for a nice hot lunch and bought my favorite pink cookie and some chips! It's right there calling my name! Beside vending machines the school store sells candy and chips at a discounted price. I know, these kids are old enough to make their own choices right?

Weston's lunch today consisted of french toast sticks, a roll (?), syrup, hash brown triangles, mixed veggies, shredded lettuce, orange, cake, water, and juice. He has been taking one of everything that is offered for the sake of this blog. His friends had to help him finish it all. Some kids (like me when I was a kid) have a hard time with portion control. Way too many calories in this meal for an average teenage kid.

He was lucky enough to get a picture of his friend's lunch too. So what, why should we care about this? At least they have something to fill their hungry bellies. You would be surprised how directly related diet and academic achievement really are:

http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/assets/pdfs/journalofschoolhealth.pdf

Wasatch High - 10/17/11

Here's a picture of Weston's lunch today. I was pleased to see a fresh orange and carrots at least. He said the burger was cold and everything else was optional. The iceberg lettuce salad is pretty worthless and the fruit in syrup isn't much better. The packaged snack foods shouldn't be offered at all. There isn't a picture of his drink, but he opted for chocolate milk :( and there was water and juice available too.