school lunch menus - Page 2

[BurgundyElephant]

School lunch is one of the reasons that I homeschool. I looked at the menus beforehand and it was full of processed food. Bleh! Not stuff we would eat at home!

Growing up I loved the fried meat. And the rolls were so yummy! They don't do the rolls here. I know my DD and she would eat the pizza every day.

[GruppieGirl]

$2.00 including milk

My 3 yo and I usually go into school to eat lunch with my 1st grade dd once a week. I never brought lunch as a child, but I like what they serve at dd's school.


Each day the kids can chose from hot lunch, tuna sandwich, cheese sandwich or pizza. The kids are required to take a milk and at least one veggie and one fruit. The "fun" fruit and veggie offerings usually include packages of carrots, sliced kiwi, oranges (lunch ladies will cut with a machine) and apples (lunch ladies will cut with a machine). Extra fruits and veggies are always available at no charge. Every Friday there is a beautiful salad bar with tons of choices of veggies and dressings.

The regular menu items include fijitas, pizza, open-faced turkey sandwiches, baked ham and cheese on an english muffin, pasta with a choice os sauce, triple-decker grilled cheese w/ tomato soup, BBQ chicken subs and baked potato bar. (that is all I can remember right now)


What I don't like about the cafeteria is that the children are allowed to buy a snack. The rule is that the snacks have to contain less that 7 grams of fat. The snacks range from goldfish and fruit ice pops to fruit by the foot. I give dd $1/week to buy snack like to other kids.

Love to hear what other cafterias are serving!

[GruppieGirl]

Some of you posted breakfast menus. I have never heard of breakfast being served in school. From my experience, I don't that eating breakfast in school is common in New Englad

Do the kids go in earlier? Do you feed them breakfast at home? Do you have a choice of eating at school or home? Please elaborate.

[darlindeliasmom]

averysmom: Breakfast is offered to kids who are in the beforecare program at our school, you know, with working parents who have to drop them off real early in the morning.
I also think that schools that get Title 1 funds for low-income kids have to offer breakfast so that these kids get 2 "good" meals at school.

[GruppieGirl]

Thanks darlindeliasmom. I didn't know.

[boobear]

oliversmum2000, Jamie Oliver is great (I'm a fan), uses simple ingredients that pack lots of flavor

Deirdre, when I lived in NoCA I read lots about Alice Waters and the local schools and hoped that one day when I had kids they might have the same offerings. I'm pretty sure she's influenced a lot of other schools since then.

Our school hired a woman from CA (Berkeley area if I recall) to create a healthy menu. I read about it back in Sept and have forgotten details. Basically, they switched from white to whole flours and grains, removed trans fats and high fruit syrups, and added soy and organic items. It costs $2.75 a meal, and about $1.50 or so for any other snacks. I can't flip the bill every day but I'm pleased about the changes.

My dd is in K so I'm sending her in with choc milk & Sunchips as a little snack for now. I can do better. Good thread, I need to kick back in gear with healthy foods.

[serenetabbie]

Our school has a universal free lunch... I think it goes hand in hand with how many kids get free or reduced lunch too. We live in a pretty economically depressed area. We also have free brown bag lunch all summer at the local play grounds.

I do drop my kids off early at school if I need to be in work early or they have a big project that they cannot take on the bus (so far twice this year). Here, we can drop the kids off at 8:30, school starts at 9... the bus gets them to school at 5 till 9. My kids like going in, hanging out with friends and eating stuff we don't have at home Usually they get french toast sticks (3 with a little thing of "syrup"). The cafeteria also gives them milk or OJ with the breakfast. DS tells me they can also pick small boxes of junk cereal (like froot loops), bagels w/ cream cheese, butter or jelly, or toast and scrambled eggs.

[wanderlost]

Originally Posted by serenetabbie

Our school has a universal free lunch... I think it goes hand in hand with how many kids get free or reduced lunch too. We live in a pretty economically depressed area. We also have free brown bag lunch all summer at the local play grounds.

I do drop my kids off early at school if I need to be in work early or they have a big project that they cannot take on the bus (so far twice this year). Here, we can drop the kids off at 8:30, school starts at 9... the bus gets them to school at 5 till 9. My kids like going in, hanging out with friends and eating stuff we don't have at home Usually they get french toast sticks (3 with a little thing of "syrup"). The cafeteria also gives them milk or OJ with the breakfast. DS tells me they can also pick small boxes of junk cereal (like froot loops), bagels w/ cream cheese, butter or jelly, or toast and scrambled eggs.

we have that too - ds' school doesn't have universal free lunch, but the one i work in does - and they do summer lunch in the parks as well.

[mommy68]

At my DS's school they are offered a salad, baked potato or PB&J sandwich daily so there's definitely something for vegetarians if needed. But usually they have things on the menu each week like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, pizza, grilled chicken sandwich, and one veggie per day like corn, peas or potatoes and a roll. I have no problem with it as long as they are eating and don't go hungry. I pay $2.50 per day for their lunches as it's a private school.

They don't offer breakfast at the school. We can take care of that much atleast at home.