School Lunch Wednesday 6/8: Twin Taco

The menu reads as follows: Twin Taco, Turkey Taco Meat, Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce & Salsa, Fruit.

What they got: Two hard-shell tacos, turkey meat, cheddar cheese, smooth (?) salsa, lettuce w/tomato and a banana

Another twin taco meal with pre-seasoned turkey taco meat. I'm still not sure about this one but I do know I would feel a whole lot more comfortable if I knew they were using fresh ground turkey instead of the pre-packaged stuff.

Vegetables are almost non-existent (I don't count lettuce as a vegetable), but make the turkey from scratch and you can add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, peppers or whatever you feel like or have on hand. Nutritionally this meal can't possibly satisfy a growing body. If you are a nutritionist out there and think otherwise, please feel free to comment and inform me. The banana by far is the most nutritionally packed and is  a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium and manganese, and a very good source of vitamin B6.

As for the rest of meal...I think we can do better! 

School lunch Wednesday 5/26: Soft Turkey Taco

The menu reads as follows: Turkey Taco Meat on Flour Tortilla, Lettuce & Tomato, Ched Chez/Salsa, Banana

What they got: Turkey taco meat on flour tortilla, lettuce & tomato, cheddar cheese, salsa, banana and lowfat milk.

Honestly, not a bad meal and would have been much better had the tortillas been whole wheat and the turkey made in our kitchens from scratch, instead they probably used pre-packaged seasoned taco meat! I really do think that a few tweaks here and there and our kids would be eating much better.

For the most part they (the kids) enjoyed the taco, but I did see a few of them pushing off the meat and opting for lettuce, cheese tomato and salsa! This leads me to believe that opting for a vegetarian meal once or twice a week at school might actually be worth investigating! Frankly eating more beans is probably far more beneficial to them than any many of other components they are made to eat.

Just looking at the May menu, I do not see many legumes (beans, peas, lentils) offered. In fact this past month they have included baked beans once and seasoned peas once. Legumes are inexpensive, nutrient-rich and high in fiber, you'd think schools would make more use of them!

If I had to grade this lunch as far as if it's appealing and well-balanced, I'd give it a C+. It loses major points because the taco meat is pre-seasoned and also because there is not a whole grain in sight. What do you think?

School lunch for Tuesday 5/25: Baked Breaded Chicken

The menu reads as follows: Baked Breaded Chicken, Sweet Potato, Fresh Broccoli, Dinner Roll and Fruit

What they got:  Baked breaded chicken, canned sweet potato, fresh broccoli, a dinner roll (white), fruit juice and lowfat milk.

While this meal looks 'OK' I am not sure the kids had the same reaction. In fact one kid broke down into a symphony of cries when he realized that it wasn't chicken nuggets! It seems Tuesday's at school have become 'breaded chicken day'. From nuggets to lemon chicken, rest assured you will find chicken caked in some sort of breading as the main meal. Again, I have to say I am NOT a fan of the breaded chicken.  I think the kids can do without the fake seasoning and/or KFC look-a-like batter.

I also wonder if the school gets raw whole pieces delivered and then breads them on site or whether its been breaded and deep-fried at the manufacturer and then reheated/baked at the school kitchen.  I would obviously opt for the former, at least then the cooks would have control over what goes into the breading and whether or not it gets fried. I asked for real pieces of chicken and we got them, I just wasn't betting on them being drenched in batter.

The dinner roll proved to be popular and at least the kids didn't leave the cafeteria hungry...or did they?  There was some fresh broccoli, which they ran out of, and as for the canned sweet potato, while it may have some nutritional value it looks fake and quite unappetizing.  A dinner roll is definitely not a wholesome meal for growing inquiring minds, so all-in-all I'd say this meal is a fail. Which gives me an idea, I think from now we should start grading the meals! Plus, it would be pretty awesome if you the reader would also grade it from a visual perspective.  What do you think?

Tuesday 5/11: Chicken Tenders

The menu reads as follows: Chicken Tenders, Brown Rice, Creamy Cole Slaw, Fresh Orange, Dipping Sauce.

What they got: Chicken tenders, rice, creamy cole slaw, fresh orange, BBQ dipping sauce and milk.

The first thing that struck me was how the brown rice actually looked like white rice with seasoning. In fact the more I think about it the more I think I'm right!  Look closely at the actual rice. Brown rice usually still contains the bran and germ while white rice has been totally stripped down so the rice is smooth in look and texture.

Secondly, I believe the kids got real chicken tenders today! It does look like deep-fried chicken though that has been reheated in a convection oven before serving. But at least it was real chicken. 

The chicken does however remind me very much of KFC and also just serves to confirm how our schools have been transformed into fast food joints. A reflection of current culture perhaps? Probably.

There is a huge effort out there to reverse this fast food culture.  One such effort is that of SLOW FOOD INTERNATIONAL - Their mission: " to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world."  It lobbies and promotes organic farming, nutrition education while preserving family farms and rejecting agribusiness.  Slow Food is about teaching us to eat again, it's about preserving traditions and celebrating food as the honest pleasure that it is.   


The current Food Revolution, is taking deep root across American schools and society.  It is another example of a united effort to reject fast foods that are highly processed, packed with additives and preservatives, and then sold to the consumer for profits, in this case our unsuspecting kids!  Rejecting the current culture of convenience that is also fast and cheap is what the food revolution means to me. It is what has got us in the this mess in the first place- and I'm talking from environmental destruction to recalls to diseases!  

For me it's meant changing my priorities a bit, like making time to cook every night, like not buying plastic baggies anymore, like composting and recycling and also not always eating what we feel like but what's actually in season (LOCAVORE)! Becoming a locavore has been the hardest one to achieve especially in the winter when we are not getting our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share!  But like anything in life, nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement! Find what works for you and your family, make those changes and stick to them. Creating good habits that are not only good for you but also good for the earth will ensure a happy and healthy life for all.

Hoboken Reporter meets EAT Hoboken!

Last week the Hoboken Reporter called to interview me for a piece they were doing. I of course obliged since spreading the word is critical if we want to see any changes come about. I honestly thought it would be a small piece but landed up on the front cover of the print edition! Here is a link to the online article: 

‘Mystery meat’ and strange nuggets Hoboken school lunches exposed by blogger mom

The commentary from the school board is interesting especially the bit about : "We talked to Peta about [joining a committee to create the district policy].” They did!?

As for Superintendent Peter Carter's lack of vision regarding the health of our children, I recommend he start reading the reports on obesity and taking note what's going on on national level.  For what its worth, Mr Carter, the reason there have been no "pediatric concerns and no other parental concerns" is that we will see the effects of poor nutrition in the form of obesity and disease only when these kids grown up- and then its too late! The point is to PREVENT diseases!  I also have to argue that parents are concerned...I'd be interested to check the participation rates of the school lunch program. I'm pretty sure they've declined in some schools.

I encourage parents to email Mr.Carter to tell him that it's not OK to feed garbage to our kids!
peter.carter@hoboken.k12.nj.us

I also just want to thank  all the parents who have vocally showed their support. I urge you to please translate those words into action. Speak up and act out.  We have to change this now, today, if we want our kids to grow up with the best opportunities available to them! 

If anyone is interested in joining the Wellness Committee please email me at:  eathoboken [at]gmail.com

Thursday 5/6: Whole Grain Meat Ravioli

The menu reads as follows: Whole Grain Meat Ravioli, homemade sauce, Garlic Bread Stick, Fresh Italian Veg, Banana

What they got: Meat Ravioli, homemade sauce, garlic bread stick, fresh italian veg and a banana.

Things have definitely improved- whole grain meat ravioli with home-made sauce and side of Italian veggies!  One of the teachers actually commented that in her 10 years as a pre-school teacher, this was her first time she had seen fresh Italian vegetables being served. I myself was actually tempted to try them, so I did, and they were yummy! The kids on the other hand were not quite that impressed with the eggplant and zucchini mix. I'll admit, while this may not be a kid-friendly side of veg, at least the kids have been exposed to eggplant and zucchini. This reminds me of a great piece I had read a while ago in the NYTimes. In fact I will reprint it here. Tara Parker Pope offers practical and sound advice on how to approach new foods with young kids:

September 15, 2008

6 Food Mistakes Parents Make

By TARA PARKER-POPE 

HARRIET WOROBEY, a childhood nutrition instructor, knows firsthand that children can be picky eaters, but even she was surprised by a preschooler last year who ate a mostly chocolate diet.

“Chocolate milk, chocolate chip muffins, chocolate chip pancakes — it was unbelievable,” said Ms. Worobey, director of the Rutgers University Nutritional Sciences Preschool in New Brunswick, N.J. “His mother just thought, ‘That’s what he wants, so that’s what I’m going to do.’ ”

While most parents haven’t resorted to the chocolate diet, they can relate to the daily challenge of finding foods that children will eat. Although obesity dominates the national discussion on childhood health, many parents are also worried that their child’s preferred diet of nuggets and noodles could lead to a nutritional deficit.

Fussiness about food is a normal part of a child’s development. Young children are naturally neophobic — they have a distrust of the new. Even the most determined parents can be cowed by a child’s resolve to eat nothing rather than try something new. As a result, parents often give in, deciding that a bowl of Cocoa Puffs or a Pop-Tart, while not ideal, must be better than no food at all.
“I think parents feel like it’s their job to just make their children eat something,” Ms. Worobey said. “But it’s really their job to serve a variety of healthy foods and get their children exposed to foods.”

A series of simple meal-time strategies can help even the pickiest eater learn to like a more varied diet. Here’s a look at six common mistakes parents make when feeding their children.

Sending children out of the kitchen With hot stoves, boiling water and sharp knives at hand, it is understandable that parents don’t want children in the kitchen when they’re making dinner. But studies suggest that involving children in meal preparation is an important first step in getting them to try new foods.

Researchers at Teachers College at Columbia University studied how cooking with a child affects the child’s eating habits. In one study, nearly 600 children from kindergarten to sixth grade took part in a nutrition curriculum intended to get them to eat more vegetables and whole grains. Some children, in addition to having lessons about healthful eating, took part in cooking workshops. The researchers found that children who had cooked their own foods were more likely to eat those foods in the cafeteria, and even ask for seconds, than children who had not had the cooking class.

When children are involved in meal preparation, “they come to at least try the food,” said Isobel Contento, professor of nutrition education at Teachers College and a co-author of the study. “Kids don’t usually like radishes, but we found that if kids cut up radishes and put them in the salad, they love the radishes.”
Pressuring them to take a bite Demanding that a child eat at least one bite of everything seems reasonable, but it’s likely to backfire.

Studies show that children react negatively when parents pressure them to eat foods, even if the pressure offers a reward. In one study at Pennsylvania State University, researchers asked children to eat vegetables and drink milk, offering them stickers and television time if they did. Later in the study, the children expressed dislike for the foods they had been rewarded for eating.

“Parents say things like ‘eat your vegetables and you can watch TV,’ but we know that kind of thing doesn’t work either,” said Leann L. Birch, director of Penn State’s childhood obesity research center and a co-author of the study. “In the short run, you might be able to coerce a child to eat, but in the long run, they will be less likely to eat those foods.”

The better approach is to put the food on the table and encourage a child to try it. But don’t complain if she refuses, and don’t offer praise if she tastes it. Just ask her if she wants some more or take seconds yourself, but try to stay neutral.

Keeping ‘good stuff’ out of reach Parents worry that children will binge on treats, so they often put them out of sight or on a high shelf. But a large body of research shows that if a parent restricts a food, children just want it more.

In another Penn State study, researchers experimented to determine whether forbidden foods were more desirable. Children were seated at tables and given unlimited access to plates of apple or peach cookie bars — two foods the youngsters had rated as “just O.K.” in earlier taste tests. With another group, some bars were served on plates, while some were placed in a clear cookie jar in the middle of the table. The children were told that after 10 minutes, they could snack on cookies from the jar.
The researchers found that restricting the cookies had a profound effect: consumption more than tripled compared with when the cookies were served on plates.
Other studies show that children whose food is highly restricted at home are far more likely to binge when they have access to forbidden foods.

The lesson for parents? Don’t bring foods that you feel the need to restrict into the house. Instead, buy healthful snacks and give children free access to the food cabinets.

Dieting in front of your children Kids are tuned into their parents’ eating preferences and are far more likely to try foods if they see their mother or father eating them. A Rutgers study of parent and child food preferences found that preschoolers tended to like or reject the same fruits and vegetables their parents liked or didn’t like. And other research has shown girls are more likely to be picky eaters if their mothers don’t like vegetables.

Given this powerful effect, parents who are trying to lose weight should be aware of how their dieting habits can influence a child’s perceptions about food and healthful eating. In one study of 5-year-old girls, one child noted that dieting involved drinking chocolate milkshakes — her mother was using Slim-Fast drinks. Another child said dieting meant “you fix food but you don’t eat it.”

A 2005 report in the journal Health Psychology found that mothers who were preoccupied with their weight and eating were more likely to restrict foods for their daughters or encourage them to lose weight. Daughters of dieters were also more likely to try diets as well. The problem is, restrictive diets don’t work for most people and often lead to binge eating and weight gain. By exposing young children to erratic dieting habits, parents may be putting them at risk for eating disorders or a lifetime of chronic dieting. “Most mothers don’t think their kids are soaking up this information, but they are,” Dr. Birch said. “They’re teaching it to their daughters even though it doesn’t work for them.

Serving boring vegetables Calorie-counting parents often serve plain steamed vegetables, so it’s no wonder children are reluctant to eat them. Nutritionists say parents shouldn’t be afraid to dress up the vegetables. Adding a little butter, ranch dressing, cheese sauce or brown sugar to a vegetable dish can significantly improve its kid appeal. And adding a little fat to vegetables helps unlock their fat-soluble nutrients. The few extra calories you’re adding are a worthwhile tradeoff for the nutritional boost and the chance to introduce a child to a vegetable.

Giving up too soon Ms. Worobey said she has often heard parents say, “My kid would never eat that.” While it may be true right now, she noted that eating preferences often change. So parents should keep preparing a variety of healthful foods and putting them on the table, even if a child refuses to take a bite. In young children, it may take 10 or more attempts over several months to introduce a food.
Sibling dynamics and friendships can also change a child’s eating habits. Dr. Birch of Penn State noted that her first child was always willing to try new foods, but that her second child was not. “Part of it was just him defining his place in the family,” she said. By the age of 10 or 11, he didn’t want to be outdone by his sister and was far more willing to try new foods.

Susan B. Roberts, a Tufts University nutritionist and co-author of the book “Feeding Your Child for Lifelong Health,” suggested a “rule of 15” — putting a food on the table at least 15 times to see if a child will accept it. Once a food is accepted, parents should use “food bridges,” finding similarly colored or flavored foods to expand the variety of foods a child will eat. If a child likes pumpkin pie, for instance, try mashed sweet potatoes and then mashed carrots. If a child loves corn, try mixing in a few peas or carrots. Even if a child picks them out, the exposure to the new food is what counts.

“As parents, you’re going to make decisions as to what you want to serve,” Ms. Worobey said. “But then you just have to relax and realize children are different from day to day.”

There you have it. While this bit is not the end-all and be-all of advice for helping parents to get their kids to eat vegetables, it's at least a good start!

Wednesday 5/5: Macho Nacho

The menu reads as follows: Crisp Tortilla Rounds, Meat&Cheese, Cilantro Brown Rice, Lettuce&Tomato, Fruit Cocktail

What they got: Crisp tortilla rounds, _____&_____, cilantro brown rice, lettuce&tomato and fruit cocktail.

Again we have the 'mystery' meat and it's accompanied by the neon cheese product. I really detest this cheese stuff. According to NutritionData.com it has some 'goodness'. The good: This food is a good source of Calcium, and a very good source of Phosphorus. The bad: This food is very high in Saturated Fat and Sodium. Mmmmm, strong healthy bones to carry the extra weight maybe?

I am happy that the kids were actually eating their brown rice and even happier to finally see an inclusion of whole grains into the menu, even if it is only included here and there.

I am noticing thought that our menu contains a lot of meat, in fact everyday has some form of a processed meat product. I wonder how the district would react to a day of meatless lunches? New York school district does Meatless Monday.

Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Our goal is to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.

I think it would be a great addition in our district too! Definite food for thought.

Wednesday 3/31: Twin Taco

The menu reads as follows: Twin Taco, seasoned taco meat, cheddar cheese,lettuce & salsa, fruit.

What they got: Taco, seasoned mystery meat, cheddar cheese, cheddar cheese, lettuce, salsa and canned peaches.

The lunch today again was delivered as stated on the menu. Please note the real cheese. Cannot complain about that!

The think what really bothers me with this lunch though is really the seasoned taco meat. Sitting in the serving tray it was all goopy and sticky. I've cooked a lot of ground beef, many variations and never does it have that texture. The lunch lady told me they get it in huge vacuum packed bags and then they just cook/warm it up. I'm concerned because it sounds like it's commodity processed beef and the sodium and saturated fats in it don't come with a whole lot of other nutrients! So why are they eating this again? The last time I looked we eat to feed our bodies and minds, this means eating healthy foods that are rich in nutrients AND taste! Food is not simply a filler. Sure it satiates hunger but then we may as well just feed them cardboard and be done with it.

The only fresh ingredient on the plate was the iceberg lettuce. Need is say more? 

Good news though: The school lunch project is picking up steam! Hoboken Patch did a story today on raising awareness about the poor quality of food served by our lunch program: Bring A Brown Bag—Some Hoboken Mothers Unhappy With School Lunch

Call To Action: MAKE SOME NOISE!
And don't forget to sign the petition for Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.

Friday 3/26: Pizza

Menu reads as follows: Assorted pizza, tossed salad, fresh apple.

What they got: Pizza, tossed salad, fresh apple.

Today, this was my stryofoam tray! Yes, I had the pleasure of eating pizza with the kids! Actually, the regional chef (Chef S) was visiting again and he invited me to eat lunch with them. Of course I accepted and it was rather weird that I was now eating school lunch and my child was not! :))  I am happy to report that things have most certainly improved since last week's attempt . The lunch was way more appetizing and I actually saw many kids digging into their salad and fruit! Amazing what a little visual stimulus can do!  That said, I'm still worried about what the pizza was actually made from and in all honesty a couple hours after the meal I had heartburn! I know, from previous experience, that when I eat flavor enhanced and preservative laden foods the acidity levels in my stomach go hay-wire. I was not surprised. So while presentation has improved we still have a lot of work to do to improve on the quality of food.

The real surprise was seeing Chef S interact and talk with kids. He encouraged and offered them fruit from our new basket, which we have been assured, will be a permanent fixture in the cafeteria of St.Francis!

Chartwells is taking a real interest and I am happy that they are being responsive.They even invited me to come and check out the High School as well as Wallace at lunch time since that is where the 2 kitchens they cook out of are located. I'm looking forward to seeing a real school kitchen and cafeteria in action!

EAT Hoboken Blog pics picked up by CNN!

Seriously, my photos were picked by Anderson Cooper 360 for CNN! He was interviewing Jamie Oliver just 2 days before his show "Food Revolution" takes America by storm.

In case you dont believe me here are pics of the pics on TV!  :)