Thank you to School Nutrition Association for inviting me to learn more about school lunches. All thoughts are my own.
So your child comes home from school and is telling you about her day. When she gets to lunch she say, I had Domino’s Pizza. The next day when she gets to lunch, she says, I had a cheeseburger. And by the third day, when she tells you about lunch, she says she had chicken nuggets. BY now you are wondering why your school is feeding your kid a bunch of crap for lunch, when it is suppose to be a healthy lunch.
They actually aren’t. Back in August I shared with you what I learned at the School Nutrition Conference in Boston. Schools have a very strict guideline of the things that they can feed the kids for lunch. If the kids are getting pizza for lunch, the pizza has been made specifically for school lunches and that means it fits into the federal guidelines of how many calories it can have, how much salt and fat. It also has to have a whole wheat crust.
This picture is courtesy of Tray Talk Facebook Page
Many of the large companies that schools lunch programs work with have taken an active stance to stay within the food guidelines so that they can bring food that is healthy for the kids, but that the kids will also eat.Companies like Barilla and Dominoes, Adam and Eve juice company and even Dasani Water is making flavored water including a sparkling water, so that kids can have the flavors that they love while eating healthy. Many school have started a initiatives like Farm to Table, growing some of their veggies and fruits right in their school yards, or working with other local farms. School lunch programs are also bringing kids into the kitchen or bringing the cooking experience into the classroom. All in a way to get kids to take an active part with choosing the healthy foods.
I have heard from a lot of parents that their kids school lunches are not looking as good as some of the ones that I have shared. And yes, that might be the case, school and the School Food Directors are working as fast as they can to get to the best standards for the kids. And while your kids might be balking at all of the fresh fruit and veggies, know that you school is serving your kids healthy foods and food you can feel better about feeding them.
A Grab and Go lunch option: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, string cheese, baked whole grain tortilla chips & crispy veggie strips. Perfect for lunch or snack. Courtesy of Tray Talk.
Schools are also trying to offer many more gluten free options and vegetarian meals. With the push to more healthy choices with fresh fruit and veggies, tasty vegetarian meals are a logical choice. Even if your first response is, my kids won’t eat that, school are working hard to make them flavors that your kids will enjoy.
If you want more information about what is going into school breakfasts and lunches and see what other new things are going on, how schools are moving forward and maybe even ideas to bring to your school lunch director visit Tray Talk, an online website that provides information and articles about what is going into school food programs and visit the Facebook page for more updates.
Robin (Masshole Mommy)
My kids school works hard to provide a healthy, decent meal for the kids and I am very pleased with what is served there.
Dee Mauser
I remember back when I was in school the lunches were fairly nutritious in elementary and junior high but once I got to high school it went downhill. They served just a few things every single day— hamburgers or chicken patties and fries or pizza and french fries. No fresh fruits or veggies there! It’s not a great way to teach children about healthy eating.
susan
These are much healthier option than what I had at school as a child. They look delicious!
Meagan
I remember eating all sorts of unhealthy meals during school lunch. It’s good to know that schools (for the most part) are taking a healthy approach to their meal planning.
Paula
Thank you for this information! I would have wondered hearing those three items as well. I mean you don’t think of pizza and chicken nuggets as being “healthy”. It is good to hear that they are following guidelines for our kids.
Dominique
My kids aren’t in school yet, but I’ve been through a bunch of different public schools growing up. It’s crazy how different the food can be in different schools!
Karen @TheMissingNiche
My kids won’t eat school lunch, I wish they would, it would make my life easier!! I pack them lunches similar to the grab and go!
Jennifer
I wish they were serving healthy options like this in my area. My niece and nephew are still getting menu options like corn dogs with mac and cheese.
Debi
The one thing you can know for a fact though, is that it most likely a turkey dog and whole grain breading. Same with the mac n cheese, it has to be whole grain. If they don’t comply with that they lose their funding from the state. While I agree corn dogs in any form and mac n cheese is still off point at least the upgrades like fresh fruit or whole grains is a start.
Dawn
I’m so glad to hear that schools are starting to get on the healthy eating train. I think it’s time for the days of pizza and cheeseburgers to be over.
Myrah - Coupon Mamacita
An apple and salad to go with lunch? I would have never believed it.
Courtney
I’m so glad to see schools serving healthy lunches. My daughter will be starting school next year, and I hope our school is doing this.
Jen Temcio @ Dapperhouse
This is great! It’s so important to get kids into healthy eating habits early, and this is a great way to reinforce that.
Marina
More schools need to do this. A lot of schools are still serving heart attacks on trays.
Tosh
We pack our kids school lunches but we are very fortunate that their school always has a fresh salad bar, soup and baked potato as options for the kids.
Tammi @ My Organized Chaos
We don’t have a hot lunch program at our schools except for once a month, and that is totally optional. I’m all about the nutritions and healthy lunch though.
Libby's Library
One of our grand daughters lives with us, and she loves buying school lunches. They serve a lot of regional meals like Jambalaya, Red Beans and Rice and Seafood dishes.
Sarah @ Must Have Mom
I’m so glad to see schools starting to serve healthy lunches. There’s too much corn dogs and mac and cheese out there.
Nicole Brady
My daughters’ school has a mini salad bar with fruit and fresh vegetables. It surprises me to hear that my kids helped themselves to sliced peppers or a salad or carrot sticks. Music to my ears!
brett
i feel so much better about the kids’ school lunches having attended the conference with you! but also- just reaching out and introducing myself after the conference to our local nutrition director and asking HOW i can help made a big difference
Amy Desrosiers
Wow, I guess school lunches have came a long way since my days in school! They look delish!
Kristin
I do my very best to pack lunches daily but I also try and teach our girls to male healthy choices. Those little lunches look amazing.
Kristin Wheeler (@MamaLuvsBooks)
My kids have never had a school lunch. They just won’t try it. I wouldn’t care if they wanted it sometimes. =)
Racquel
I love that school lunches are taking a new direction. It’s nice to
Racquel
It’s nice to know that the kids can eat at school and have something closer to what we eat at home!
Jenn Park
The grab and go option looks so good. Mine aren’t in school yet, but I will pack their lunches if I have to.