View Full Version : school lunch challenge
So, this story is very big on another forum I go to. It seems a school in Chicago has banned homemade lunches, and so have other schools. One poster supported this and said that it wasn't very likely that parents could post an equally nutritious lunch as this school for this cost. I'd love to hear folk's replies to this and a response to the challenge.http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110411/us_yblog_thelookout/chicago-school-bans-homemade-lunches-the-latest-in-national-food-fight;_ylt=Akhbd.it9wkeO2p3YGcya9.s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDM TVvNDByZHB2BGFzc2V0A3libG9nX3RoZWxvb2tvdXQvMjAxMTA 0MTEvY2hpY2Fnb%E2%80%8By1zY2hvb2wtYmFucy1ob21lbWFk ZS1sdW5jaGVzLXRoZS1sYXRlc3QtaW4tbmF0aW9uYWwtZm9vZC 1ma%E2%80%8BWdodARjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzk EcG9zAzYEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl9oZWFkb%E2%80%8 BGluZV9saXN0BHNsawNjaGljYWdvc2Nob28-
Now, in all fairness, Fox says this is not the case about the school, http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/04/11/chicago-elementary-school-bans-lunches-brought-home/but I'd still like to see the responses to the challenges, simply because I'd like to so some great examples of how it can be done.
My kid today took in for her lunch:
- some salmon I smoked myself, cost $0
- bread she baked, cost $not_much
- goat cheese a friend gave us, cost $0
- an apple, cost $not_much, free much of the time
- water, free
If our school or district were to attempt that, it would be the last straw for me, and I would homeschool. School lunches may be better than they were 30 years ago, but that's not saying much. They are loaded with salt, sugar, and preservatives.
As for cost, it is no contest! Lunch at our elementary school is $2.35, which is almost 4x what it costs me to pack DD a healthier lunch, such as yogurt and granola (both homemade) or a sandwich (on homemade bread) with sliced vegetables or fruit, and a bottle of filtered water.
DD buys school lunch once/month. She picks a day that is reasonably healthy and we discuss how it compares to other days, and the options for sides. On those days, she is always extremely hungry when she arrives home - much more so than when she has a simple sandwich and fruit.
All I know is the boys tell me the other kids tell them how lucky they are to have a lunch from home and the boys say most kids pick at the school lunch and throw 80% of it away. Maybe trying to serve a 'hot' meal isn't the best route schools could go.
domestic goddess
4-12-11, 9:36am
My dgds like school lunch, and many days it is more nutritious than what I know her friends have in their lunches. The school really does seem to make an effort. Since they both get free lunch, it is a viable program most of the time.
Sometimes one or both of them don't like what is offered. Then they take a lunch from home. But they prefer school lunch, which isn't always hot. Bagels and cream cheese, turkey deli, and some others are cold meals, and come to the kids colder than most of the lunches from home, especially since the girls don't like having to keep up with ice packs, and so on. Lots of fruit, which they love. Of course, some of the offerings are less desirable, but I think they do a good job. Much better than what I remember of my school lunches!
School lunch here is a disaster nutritionally. It's also $2.50.
Some lunch ideas:
-Homemade potato leek soup (maybe $.25 a serving), cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread (about $.10-$.15 for the bread, let's say another $.10 for butter and $.25 for the cheddar), apple ($.25). Total: $1
-Pasta with sauteed tomatoes, herbs, olives and parmesan (good cold too and easy enough for a busy family). I don't know how much the pasta is per serving. Let's say $.30. A can of diced tomatoes with Italian herbs is $.50, so probably $.25 per serving. Olives are $1 a can at Aldi. 1/4 of a can, $.25. Parmesan, probably another $.10. Total: $.90
-Crostini with roasted tomato relish and mozzarella. French bread is $1 for a small loaf. We'll say $.20 for a pretty large serving of bread. I make the tomato relish from tomatoes I grow on my deck, but it can be replicated decently using the roasted canned tomatoes at Trader Joes, which I think are $1. We'll say $.35 for the relish. $.25 for the mozzarella. Total: $.80
-Black bean burrito. Whole wheat tortilla, black beans, corn, rice, cilantro, salsa, cheese. That one might be over $1 because whole wheat tortillas are a little more expensive. It's way less than $2.50.
-Grilled chicken leg with Penzey's Northwoods seasoning, wild/white rice pilaf (mixed to save on cost), roasted zucchini/summer squash mix. I got organic chicken legs at Trader Joes for $3.50 for 6. $.58. The Northwoods seasoning is $5.59 for a 4oz bag, but that goes a long way. For one chicken leg, maybe $.10. The pilaf, maybe $.50. Wild rice isn't cheap. Zucchini and summer squash were $1 per pound this week. $.25 a serving, lets say. Total: $1.43
-Egg salad with dill on whole wheat bread, cream of asparagus soup, carrot sticks with hummus. Egg salad is cheap. $.15 for the bread, maybe $.30 for the egg salad. $.60 a serving or so for the soup. $.10 for the carrot sticks. Hummus, if you make it yourself, is cheap also. Maybe $.10. Total: $1.25
-Tilapia tacos with mexican slaw. Corn tortillas (insanely cheap bought in bulk), tilapia with a little spice rub (relatively cheap), salsa. The mexican style slaw is cabbage ($.35 a pound! Doesn't get much cheaper than that), olive oil, lime juice and jalepeno. I don't have exact numbers on this but it would be under $2.50 a serving.
-Spinach and cheese quiche, salad. Again, easily under $2.50 a serving. I can make an entire quiche for that.
-Lemon roasted chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans. You can buy that at the grocery store deli for less than $2.50.
-Rice noodles with peanut sauce and vegetables. A little over $1 a serving. You could add chicken and it would still be under $2.50.
-Broccoli, ham and cheddar stuffed baked potatoes. Potatoes are very cheap bought in bulk. Broccoli is cheap. Ham steaks, diced small, are cheap.
-Cheddar apple sandwiches on french bread. $.25 for 1/4 loaf of french bread. $.25 for an apple. A small amount of dijon mustard and maybe $.25 for cheddar. Total: a little over $.75. Add a yogurt, even from the grocery store, and we're talking $1.25.
Those are just some off-the-top-of-my-head ideas.
loosechickens
4-12-11, 11:39am
well, at least if schools are going to provide lunch, let it be like this..........lucky, lucky little kids at this school in Paris, France
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1967060,00.html
"Only students with allergies are allowed to bring a homemade lunch to school"
They are kidding, right? Lots of kids have food sensitivities, would prefer not having stomach aches or farting all afternoon in class. Religious concerns? Alternatives for vegetarians and vegans beside salad? Someone who feeds their kids organic foods would have to let their kids eat what they feel is unsafe? And the school considers letting kids go hungry instead a viable alternative? And the few bringing lunch get to feel like freaks because the only reason they'd have a lunch from home is that something is wrong with them.
Beyond all that - institutional food is usually pretty nasty especially if you are used to real food. I can imagine that many kids will get the school lunch, and go hungry as well as much of it will just get tossed in the trash.
Nutritious by whose standards? Talk about a school district overstepping its bounds and expecting its captive audience to pay for it. The sample tray I saw was queasy-making--canned fruit (sugar), white bun (starch), a half ounce of rubbery looking cheese food, a small pile of (baked?) tater tots (more starch)...I'm guessing there was some small amount of protein hidden somewhere in the bun. Really, it was ghastly.
As LC points out, institutional food is awful--starchy, sugary tasteless slop with too little fat and protein, and poor quality vegetables and fruit. I foresee a huge jump in "allergic" kids, lots more food in school garbage cans, protests from parents unwilling or unable to pay for substandard fare, and more parents opting to home school. This is an outrage, IMO.
The childhood/national obesity epidemic is the "New Smoking" we will a lot more of this sort of thing as institutions and organizations jump on the bandwagon.
Nutritious by whose standards? Talk about a school district overstepping its bounds and expecting its captive audience to pay for it.
Indeed. Who would want their kid to eat that...."stuff"? That's horrid looking.
Nutritious by whose standards? Talk about a school district overstepping its bounds and expecting its captive audience to pay for it. The sample tray I saw was queasy-making--canned fruit (sugar), white bun (starch), a half ounce of rubbery looking cheese food, a small pile of (baked?) tater tots (more starch)...I'm guessing there was some small amount of protein hidden somewhere in the bun. Really, it was ghastly.
As LC points out, institutional food is awful--starchy, sugary tasteless slop with too little fat and protein, and poor quality vegetables and fruit. I foresee a huge jump in "allergic" kids, lots more food in school garbage cans, protests from parents unwilling or unable to pay for substandard fare, and more parents opting to home school. This is an outrage, IMO.
Well said Jane!
Well, their hearts are in the right place, but I think it's crazy.
My son is in his 2nd year of preschool. In his first year, I packed his lunch. It was a bit challenging at first, something that could be eaten lukewarm and didn't need refrigeration. But he mostly got some protein, a grain, fruits and vegetables.
The school has lunch too, and it's pretty healthy. They cook it in their own kitchen from scratch, using fresh and often organic ingredients. This is granola California. Surprisingly, my son is at a very poor school, but they have made it a priority to get grants to fund their own kitchen.
This year, they got a grant to cover lunch for every student, not just the low income ones. So, I let him get the school lunch. On the bad hand, if he doesn't like the vegetable, he won't eat it (if I pack it, I at least know he didn't eat it because it comes back home). On the good hand, he tries things that I don't make at home.
I know my friends thought I was crazy to pack lunch "it's only $2.50!" But I was able feed him for $3-4 a day most days, so $2.50 is a lot.
I know my friends thought I was crazy to pack lunch "it's only $2.50!" But I was able feed him for $3-4 a day most days, so $2.50 is a lot.
This comment confuses me. (?)
I think she means that a whole day's food usually only cost $3-4 (for three meals + any snacks), so $2.50 for just one meal is a lot in comparison. That's how I understood it, anyway.
lhamo
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