You can take a horse to water...... school lunches

[LibraryLover]

"keen-wa" and it's good if cooked well :)

 

 

It's great, very tasty, very adorable, as it gets a little curly -q look when cooked. :) It goes everywhere, does everything you'd want rice or some pastas to do. It thickens a soup beautifully, which is a bonus. Very filling, too. No guilt. ;) Except for those who don't eat any grain and are all Paleo, of course.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

It's great, very tasty, very adorable, as it gets a little curly -q look when cooked. :) It goes everywhere, does everything you'd want rice or some pastas to do. It thickens a soup beautifully, which is a bonus. Very filling, too. No guilt. ;) Except for those who don't eat any grain and are all Paleo, of course.

 

Reeeally? Can it fix a broken crockpot? Summon kilt pics in single click? Put my shopping cart back? Remind me to wash my hands? Fix me a Nutella and Bacon Sandwhich? Teach my kid fractions? Please think about the lives you touch before making such hyperbolic statements! :glare:

[LibraryLover]

Reeeally? Can it fix a broken crockpot? Summon kilt pics in single click? Put my shopping cart back? Remind me to wash my hands? Fix me a Nutella and Bacon Sandwhich? Teach my kid fractions? Please think about the lives you touch before making such hyperbolic statements! :glare:

 

It is with great delight I explain to you that $500,000 million British pounds (sterling) has been in left in your name by an unknown to you relative who owns a Quiona Farm in Nigeria. Please send your social security number, and your mother's maiden name so that you might enjoy your Quiona and your winnings as soon as possible.

Edited January 22, 2012 by LibraryLover

[beaners]

In order to receive the USDA reimbursement for a meal, students must have a milk, entree, and iirc, 2 side items on the tray. Schools depend on that reimbursement to fund their food programs; it's not all coming from the paid lunches. Think about it this way, the food is already cooked. They can't use it again another day, so any that didn't get voluntarily taken by students is already "wasted". If it's on the tray, at least there's a chance the kid might eat it.

 

I know I do that at my house. I put stuff on my kids' plates that I know they probably won't eat, because there's ZERO chance they'll eat it if it's not there!

 

We always had multiple lunch periods, and food was heated up or cooked as needed instead of all at once. If a certain amount of pasta or pizza wasn't needed, it didn't get prepared. Maybe that isn't the norm?

[ThatCyndiGirl]

It is with great delight I explain to you that $500,000 million British pounds (sterling) has been in left in your name by an unknown to you relative who owns a Quiona Farm in Nigeria. Please send your social security number, and your mother's middle name so that you might enjoy your Quiona and your winnings.

 

 

Oh, THANK YOU!!! I've been looking for just this sort of home business! I shall contact you thusly forthwith and hencely my monies can be delivered unto me. :001_smile:

 

We're in the money!! We're in the money!! :party:

[ravinlunachick]

We always had multiple lunch periods, and food was heated up or cooked as needed instead of all at once. If a certain amount of pasta or pizza wasn't needed, it didn't get prepared. Maybe that isn't the norm?

 

It certainly isn't in elementary schools. Not IME anyway. There will be 2-3 different entrees, with a vegetarian option (generally a Smucker's Uncrustable PB&J), but only one big cooking session after breakfast, and all the side items for the entire school are prepared.

[butterflymommy]

There are schools that don't allow children to bring lunches from home? They're forced to eat cafeteria food? I heard about that one school around Detroit that did that, but I thought that was a huge exception. Is this getting to be more and more common?

 

It was a private Catholic school. We eventually got a dr's note but that didn't help much, because one of the few things she'll eat is toast, which I couldn't exactly pack. She would usually just drink 2 juice boxes for lunch and maybe have a few crackers that I packed.

 

Picky eating is a recognized eating disorder. It's different from just wanting junk/ not wanting to eat healthy. My daughter eats pretty healthy in terms of avoiding sugar and processed foods. But she'll only eat a handful of things-- toast, chicken, fruit juice, grapes... one or two desserts are ok... and that's it.

 

I tried the "let her starve" technique for more than a year... she never touched the school lunch even once. It impacted her grades because she couldn't think straight from hunger.

 

eta-- I make quinoa all the time-- tossed in olive oil and lemon juice-- either a warm side or used cold in salads.

Edited January 22, 2012 by butterflymommy

[Spy Car]

With more than 70% of LAUSD students qualifying for free lunch, I assume that most students are not paying. which is irrelevant - the lunch needs to be healthful and appetizing regardless and it sounds like the LAUSD has better school lunches than I did as a child. I bet the article took the most crunchy sounding things from the veggie OPTION side of the menu to make it seem much more "horrible" (to people on the standard American diet) than it is.

 

And quinoa is tasty.

 

You can see the actual menus here: http://cafe-la.lausd.net/Caf%C3%A9_LA_Menu

 

The menus sound significantly more conventionally appealing than the story makes out. Looking at elementary school- tacos, tortellini, turkey burgers, roast turkey, pizza, beef stew. With veggies and fruit daily.

 

And maybe it is a stretch to change a high schoolers diet but for kids in early grades, this could really help them learn a healthier way of eating.

 

The sugared milk is as sugared as soda. Not ok for daily consumption. Has anyone seen how heavy kids are getting? What they eat at school, including that milk, is a big part of that. Childhood obesity is actually has been identified as a security issue by law enforcement and military generals because the number of young adults who are not fit to join the military is amazingly high. And even more troubling are the number of kids with middle and older age health worries- diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks. We are failing our kids if we throw our hands up and say "oh they don't like birdseed, let them eat cake" :001_smile:

 

:iagree:

 

You are correct on all fronts.

 

I am probably one of the few people on this forum who has actually eaten the LAUSD lunches myself, and I can tell everyone:

 

The lunches are dramatically better this year!

 

Bill

[Soror]

Reading the actual menus it sounds pretty good to me. As pp's mentioned tons was wasted when I went to school, that is nothing new. It really makes me sick that they force milk on the kids, sugared or not, a fair amt of kids don't tolerate it. I could only tolerate the taste of flavored as well and now know that it doesn't agree with me. Water is healthy as well. I think they should keep the menus as is and let them deal with it.

[Trish]

Good lord, how stupid were they that they went from crap to quinoa.

 

There is a middle ground that's healthy.

 

And, let them drink water. *sniff*

 

That is delicious! Your turn of phrase, "from Crap to Quinoa." What a GREAT headline! My hat is off to you. And your point is good too.

[AdventureMoms]

Those menus look totally reasonable to me. Pizza, pulled pork, chicken sandwiches, beef burritos... that's all pretty mainstream in my world! It looks a zillion times better than my school lunches growing up, too! And the picture of the discarded trays doesn't faze me... most of them only have a banana left. The entree is gone on all the visible trays. Maybe the kids ate enough of their burritos that they weren't hungry for the banana. Ideally they wouldn't be required to take them, but i know that's a federal funding issue. It makes a lot more sense to me that the kids throw it away than eat it if they aren't hungry.

 

I do wish schools would allow water as an alternative to white milk. Not everyone likes or does well with milk, nor is it terribly important for school-aged kids to drink milk with lunch. But I also agree with removing chocolate and strawberry milks, those have a TON of sugar.

[Wendi]

Okay, I just looked at this month's secondary menu. There was nothing weird on it at all! Beef stew, turkey burger, chalupa, beef soft taco. Vegetarian option was mostly a black bean burger. And it said at the bottom that there is an alternate choice of turkey sandwich or burger.

 

Sounds fine to me.

 

Wendi

[LibraryLover]

From a taste and visual point, quiona might actually make sense. It's very plain on it's own and will take on the flavors of whatever you're adding to it. It doesn't look weird...it looks like orzo pasta in a way...or little alphabet letters in canned soup....sort of. Not really...but it's so unoffensive. It's not like it's brown rice (horrors) ...and it's much healthier than white rice. Who wrote that article? Is there something el$e behind this article? Was the situation exaggerated and/or overblown?

 

I have a feeling something else is involved here...is this political somehow? What got the parents we saw bringing their children junk food when they took away the vending machines so riled up? Why did they want so badly to make sure their kids had soda and candy during a school day?

 

When the change was coming, did the schools get kids involved...talk to them about the transition, do taste tests etc.? Is *everyone* throwing the food away. I lived in S CA for several years, and even some of the poorest parents were affected by the health food 'movement'. I worked in the unified school district (not as a teacher) and we saw children poor as church mice bringing vegan foods, things like tofu pups & rice milk etc, in their lunch boxes. Now, this was not usual, but there were several children who were bringing such lunches. It's hard to believe an entire school of hungry kids won't even take a bite of something as simple looking as quiona. It doesn't look weird. It's not that unlike white rice or tiny pasta, taste-wise, so i can see why it would not seem an outrageous transitional food.

Edited January 22, 2012 by LibraryLover

[luvnlattes]

There is a middle ground that's healthy.

 

why not feed them healthy alternatives of their old favorites?

 

:iagree: You two should have been on the advisory board :) .

[LibraryLover]

:iagree: You two should have been on the advisory board :) .

 

Look at the menus. They do seem like healtheir versions of old favorities. Shredded pork? Black beans? In CA? And everyone up in arms about quiona. Seems weird.

[Jean in Newcastle]

:iagree: You two should have been on the advisory board :) .

 

Have you looked at the menus? I don't see corn dogs but I see burritos and burgers and other healthy alternatives of old favorites.

[Dmmetler]

My local school district is in the process of changing their menus as well,and they did a pretty big "Tasting fair" where they invited kids from different schools/ages/grades to come in and try and rank foods. Supposedly there has also been a big improvement this year.

 

In my local district, much of the food is prepared in one central location, and then sent to the schools to be cooked/reheated, so it's not a case where they're preparing it on-site and only preparing as much as they need. Apparently, for a large district, this is more cost-effective than having to have the full kitchen and food preparation staff in each school. My daughter's former private school, where they DID cook the food in the school each day, generally only had one choice a day for exactly that reason.

[Mrs Mungo]

If you don't know what quinoa is, and you have a Trader Joe's? They have a very nice Israeli couscous and quinoa mix. I cook it, add olive oil and lemon, cilantro and loads of veggies. It makes a great salad.

[Spy Car]

Okay, I just looked at this month's secondary menu. There was nothing weird on it at all! Beef stew, turkey burger, chalupa, beef soft taco. Vegetarian option was mostly a black bean burger. And it said at the bottom that there is an alternate choice of turkey sandwich or burger.

 

Sounds fine to me.

 

Wendi

 

Have you looked at the menus? I don't see corn dogs but I see burritos and burgers and other healthy alternatives of old favorites.

 

You are right. The menu options are pretty "normal." Plus one needs to remember that this is Los Angeles where the vast diversity of cultures means people are exposed to a wider variety of ethnic foods as a "normal" part of the diet than might be the case in many parts of America.

 

Bill

Edited January 22, 2012 by Spy Car

[LibraryLover]

I just looked again at the source. I get it now. Local news station known for 'rile them up' stories. That's all I'll say. I knew there was something more.

 

Pad Thai being rejected and thrown away en masse? Pad Thai is so exotic in LA? ;)

Edited January 23, 2012 by LibraryLover

[luvnlattes]

Look at the menus.

 

Have you looked at the menus?

 

Oops...didn't look at the menus...just read the article :tongue_smilie: .

[Catwoman]

Oops...didn't look at the menus...just read the article :tongue_smilie: .

 

Same here. The actual menus are considerably different than the article led us to believe.

[Spy Car]

Oops...didn't look at the menus...just read the article :tongue_smilie: .

 

Same here. The actual menus are considerably different than the article led us to believe.

 

It is a good lesson not to fall into the trap of a "culture of outrage" that seem increasingly common in our society.

 

Bill

[JustGin]

So I too was unfamiliar with quinoa and since I'm always game to try new things I looked up it's nutritional profile. Looks good, especially in the protein department and certainly it is a great complex carb, lot's of bang for your calorie buck but oh.my.goodness that calorie buck is expensive - 1 cup = 626 calories!!!

 

Yikes, even with being a good whole grain, that is a stinking lot of calories, especially since most recipes will call for 2 or more cups, depending on size. So it's a trade off then for someone watching calories, and if added to meat dishes the extra high protein should be taken into consideration.

Just saying.

[extendedforecast]

I don't know if this is OT, but when I was in school, all the uneaten food got scraped from our trays into buckets for the local farmers to feed their animals. I always thought this was the norm. When my oldest DD went to school, I was horrified at all the waste. One school district did away with the melamine trays and served on styrofoam trays to be tossed. :eek:

 

I agree with the other posters who said that they should have transitioned slowly by making the favorite meals more healthy. Never mind, I just looked at the menus. They're not as exotic as the article led me to believe.

Edited January 22, 2012 by extendedforecast

[Sputterduck]

So I too was unfamiliar with quinoa and since I'm always game to try new things I looked up it's nutritional profile. Looks good, especially in the protein department and certainly it is a great complex carb, lot's of bang for your calorie buck but oh.my.goodness that calorie buck is expensive - 1 cup = 626 calories!!!

 

Yikes, even with being a good whole grain, that is a stinking lot of calories, especially since most recipes will call for 2 or more cups, depending on size. So it's a trade off then for someone watching calories, and if added to meat dishes the extra high protein should be taken into consideration.

Just saying.

 

A cup of quinoa is a TON of quinoa. Seriously. You have to cook it in water, because it's dry and expands. If you start with a cup you'll have a for more than a person could eat. It's doesn't expand as much as beans (a cup of beans is cooked with 5 cups or 10 cups of water depending on the cooking method), for example, but a cup is just way too much for one meal.

[Spy Car]

A cup of quinoa is a TON of quinoa. Seriously. You have to cook it in water, because it's dry and expands. If you start with a cup you'll have a for more than a person could eat. It's doesn't expand as much as beans (a cup of beans is cooked with 5 cups or 10 cups of water depending on the cooking method), for example, but a cup is just way too much for one meal.

 

True.

 

Bill

[Catwoman]

It is a good lesson not to fall into the trap of a "culture of outrage" that seem increasingly common in our society.

 

Bill

 

I wasn't outraged. I just didn't care enough to bother reading the menus. :D

 

So basically, there's Outraged, and then there's Just Plain Lazy. Guess which one I am? ;)

[LibraryLover]

So I too was unfamiliar with quinoa and since I'm always game to try new things I looked up it's nutritional profile. Looks good, especially in the protein department and certainly it is a great complex carb, lot's of bang for your calorie buck but oh.my.goodness that calorie buck is expensive - 1 cup = 626 calories!!!

 

Yikes, even with being a good whole grain, that is a stinking lot of calories, especially since most recipes will call for 2 or more cups, depending on size. So it's a trade off then for someone watching calories, and if added to meat dishes the extra high protein should be taken into consideration.

Just saying.

 

Quiona does have more calories than some grains because it's so high in protein, but i dont believe it is as hogh as stated here. That number is a cup of uncooked, is my guess.

[KidsHappen]

My girls go to PS and they assure me that no matter what the menu says is being served, what is actually being served in no way resembles what the item is supposed to be. My kids do not eat the meals served at PS. They eat salads, and whatever a la carte items they can stomach plus usually gatorade or vitamin water and then come home from school starving.

[LucyStoner]

It's great, very tasty, very adorable, as it gets a little curly -q look when cooked. :) It goes everywhere, does everything you'd want rice or some pastas to do.

 

Reeeally? Can it fix a broken crockpot? Summon kilt pics in single click? Put my shopping cart back? Remind me to wash my hands? Fix me a Nutella and Bacon Sandwhich? Teach my kid fractions? Please think about the lives you touch before making such hyperbolic statements! :glare:

 

I am really impressed by your rice and pasta! :D

[Sputterduck]

My bag on quinoa specifically says that 1 cup feeds 4 people. :)

[ravinlunachick]

OT: I read somewhere recently (maybe an NPR blog?) that because quinoa is becoming so popular in the US, Bolivians who have depended on it for nutrition are now losing it as a food source. It's too valuable a commodity for them to eat, so they make do with much less nutritious alternatives to meet the market demands.

 

Just in case you needed a healthy dose of guilt to go along with your couscous. ;)

[stripe]

I am probably one of the few people on this forum who has actually eaten the LAUSD lunches myself

 

I never ate them, as I brought my own food (as did all of my friends), but I did eat the chocolate chip cookies, coffee cake, and flavored yogurt. There was Chicago Brothers pizza for sale every Wednesday, and soda and candy for sale in vending machines. Plus the candy we had to sell every year.

 

I read the menus. They sound decent to me. People in LA are used to interesting food. However, it's weird that the vegetarian option is the exact same thing every day of each week. I mean, why would someone want to eat Vegetable Chow Mein with String Cheese Monday through Friday?? They need to mix that up a bit.

[LucyStoner]

 

I read the menus. They sound decent to me. People in LA are used to interesting food. However, it's weird that the vegetarian option is the exact same thing every day of each week. I mean, why would someone want to eat Vegetable Chow Mein with String Cheese Monday through Friday?? They need to mix that up a bit.

 

I think it is an economy of scale issue. It would be more expensive to offer a different veggie option daily. Given that when I was in school the veggie option was hoping there was still a slice of cheese pizza left when you got through the line on pizza day and eating the salad and fruit cup the other days, even having a real veggie option daily sounds awesome to me. If there were more vegetarians, they could mix it up. I applaud them for their great efforts to accommodate.

[Sputterduck]

OT: I read somewhere recently (maybe an NPR blog?) that because quinoa is becoming so popular in the US, Bolivians who have depended on it for nutrition are now losing it as a food source. It's too valuable a commodity for them to eat, so they make do with much less nutritious alternatives to meet the market demands.

 

Just in case you needed a healthy dose of guilt to go along with your couscous. ;)

 

Well that sucks.

[SKL]

Personally I think they should end all school hot lunches. Close the school kitchen and convert it to something else. Stop throwing good money after bad.

 

They should offer basics such as apples, whole-grain bread and cheese in case some kids have nothing else to eat. Period.

[JustGin]

A cup of quinoa is a TON of quinoa. Seriously. You have to cook it in water, because it's dry and expands. If you start with a cup you'll have a for more than a person could eat. It's doesn't expand as much as beans (a cup of beans is cooked with 5 cups or 10 cups of water depending on the cooking method), for example, but a cup is just way too much for one meal.

 

Good to know. I was looking at different recipes online to see what kinds of things it's normal to use it with, and all of them used more than 1 cup. Of course in a recipe that has multiple servings even 2 cups would break down to an acceptable amount of calories per serving. Thanks

[AuntieM]

Good lord, how stupid were they that they went from crap to quinoa.

 

There is a middle ground that's healthy.

 

And, let them drink water. *sniff*

 

:iagree:

 

It's a shame they didn't start with healthy-recipe alternatives of familiar foods. Personally I find quinoa to take some getting used to, and I am willing to try lots of new foods. I'm not surprised the kids dumped it. Sad and wasteful, yes, but not surprising.

[MHowell]

I'd really like to see school lunches take a few steps backwards.

 

I send my kids turkey/ham/some other lunch meat sandwiches, fruit, crackers/pretzels/chips, and a thermos of water/hot tea (on cold days). Why make them into something fancier than needed?

 

Sometimes dd will get the Friday pizza, but that's because I am lazy on Fridays and don't have to make her brother lunch. It's obviously not healthy so it's a treat. Make pizza day once a month instead of weekly. Have brown bag lunches only.

 

If your child is not eating lunch at school then it's their fault, not the schools.

[Jean in Newcastle]

:iagree:

 

It's a shame they didn't start with healthy-recipe alternatives of familiar foods. Personally I find quinoa to take some getting used to, and I am willing to try lots of new foods. I'm not surprised the kids dumped it. Sad and wasteful, yes, but not surprising.

 

:lol: Read the menu linked! Really. You've been set up by the article.

[stripe]

Well, I think they should improve school lunch offerings, as many children depend on them, apparently, and it could be a way to actually help children develop good eating habits, which are sorely lacking in this country. Encouraging more snacking, even if "healthy" snacks, is not really what we need.

I think it is an economy of scale issue. It would be more expensive to offer a different veggie option daily. Given that when I was in school the veggie option was hoping there was still a slice of cheese pizza left when you got through the line on pizza day and eating the salad and fruit cup the other days, even having a real veggie option daily sounds awesome to me. If there were more vegetarians, they could mix it up. I applaud them for their great efforts to accommodate.

 

When I was in college (mine was smaller than my high school), they often had the same vegetarian option day after day. Lunch on Tuesday, broccoli souffle. Dinner on Tuesday, broccoli souffle. Lunch on Wednesday, vegeburger. Dinner on Wednesday, broccoli souffle (now looking rather burnt from being reheated again). Very uninspiring and certainly not healthy for those who actually wanted to eat vegetarian food at every meal. I think it's only an economy of scale thing if you open one container and it has to last the whole week. If it's frozen anyway, which we all know it is, the package can hold off until next week. Monday can be vegeburger day, Tuesday can be chow mein + string cheese (yum!), Wednesday can be pasta + cheese.

Edited January 22, 2012 by stripe

[SKL]

Well, I think they should improve school lunch offerings, as many children depend on them, apparently, and it could be a way to actually help children develop good eating habits, which are sorely lacking in this country. Encouraging more snacking, even if "healthy" snacks, is not really what we need.

 

No sure whether or not this was a reply to my post (recommending only basic uncooked food options such as apples, whole grain bread and cheese).

 

If it was, I respond: that is exactly the kind of food I prefer for my family to eat for lunch (and sometimes supper too). It's not junk, it's real food and if someone really needed free lunch, this would develop healthy habits as fast as any other kind of food. But at least it would not be at a huge cost and would be less likely to create waste (whatever wasn't taken while fresh could easily be donated to a hunger charity or homeless shelter).

 

ETA: looks like it was not a reply to me - sorry.

[luvnlattes]

It is a good lesson not to fall into the trap of a "culture of outrage" that seem increasingly common in our society.

 

Bill

 

Hand-slap duly noted although I think it's a jump to assume that I'm part of the "culture of outrage." I just read the article in passing and didn't notice a link to the actual menu. :auto:

[LibraryLover]

Not quite. At least not yet.

 

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/13/132878264/demand-for-quinoa-a-boon-for-bolivian-farmers

 

 

OT: I read somewhere recently (maybe an NPR blog?) that because quinoa is becoming so popular in the US, Bolivians who have depended on it for nutrition are now losing it as a food source. It's too valuable a commodity for them to eat, so they make do with much less nutritious alternatives to meet the market demands.

 

Just in case you needed a healthy dose of guilt to go along with your couscous. ;)

[PiCO]

I don't blame the schools for serving cheap crap food. I blame parents for not feeding their kids better and not demanding better from the schools. Too many just don't care.

 

:iagree:

My dd won't eat school lunches, ever. If her school required a doctor's note to bring a lunch, I would find a doctor to write her a note. That's just ridiculous.

 

If they made school lunch free for everyone, I would still pack her a lunch rather than feed her crap or food she despised.

[Cindyg]

In all fairness, my 12 y.o. is a very picky eater-- she'll only eat about 3-4 things. The school she was in did not allow bagged lunches without a dr's note, so she simply didn't eat all day. She was so hungry by midday (since she hadn't eaten breakfast either) that she couldn't concentrate, and god forbid she had a test toward the end of the day. Sometimes when I would pick her up she was so weak and dehydrated she'd just collapse asleep when she was home and then have trouble doing her homework.

 

I realize that this wasn't the point of your post, but I'm curious why your daughter hadn't eaten breakfast at home? Especially since she couldn't eat the school's breakfast.

[Spy Car]

Hand-slap duly noted although I think it's a jump to assume that I'm part of the "culture of outrage." I just read the article in passing and didn't notice a link to the actual menu. :auto:

 

The comment wasn't directed at you. This is just another in a myriad of examples where press reports are so skewed that people get "outraged" when there is no cause, and this actually moves them to act against their own interests and against the interest of society at large.

 

In this case children, and especially the most vulnerable, directly benefit.

 

The Los Angeles schools have improved school lunches considerably. They are better tasting and more healthful. These are positive moves. Yet, due to skewed reporting, it is made to look like a bad move.

 

Bill

Edited January 23, 2012 by Spy Car

[stripe]

No sure whether or not this was a reply to my post (recommending only basic uncooked food options such as apples, whole grain bread and cheese).

 

If it was, I respond: that is exactly the kind of food I prefer for my family to eat for lunch (and sometimes supper too). It's not junk, it's real food and if someone really needed free lunch, this would develop healthy habits as fast as any other kind of food.

 

I certainly don't think it develops bad habits, but I'm not sure it develops habits of eating other kinds of food than cold, prepared or raw snacks, which frankly I think would be beneficial, although apparently no one eats many raw fruits or veges these days! It just sounds boring, not unhealthy but not ideal.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I think it's a great step the school district is heading in a healthier direction. That said, I couldn't stand to eat it myself.