School lunch just might be worth it

[Drew Sailbum]

This year our local school system announced that they are limiting fried foods to no more than once every two weeks in the school lunch program. Out too is fast food delivery or consumption on school grounds while kids are present.

The World Health Organization found our kids to be the most inactive of the 34 countries surveyed. Obesity is a major problem.

With school lunches costing US$6 and up at least they will be getting something with some better nutrition.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

My DD15 has great options at the high school. Salad bar, wraps, subs, then the hot lunch. It is well worth the money. DD11 is at the middle school and DD8 is in elementary and the lunches (which are the same) are awful. They have things like "dippers" which is breadded and fried cheese sticks, fries and chicken fries. Of course pizza, which I don't have an issue with once in a while but we have pizza once a week at home on the weekend so pizza on Friday (pizza day) isn't something they pick. They have chicken or shrimp poppers (fried) with fries, not very good choices.

I only ever let them buy once in a great while, I think last year DD11 bought 5 times, DD8 bought once (she is a PB&J girls, everyday, so she didn't want to buy more.) Last year DD15 didn't have a lunch hour so she didn't buy at all, this year (today was her first day) she bought today, had a wrap, but her lunch is 7th period, she only has 8 so one class after lunch so she is going to see if she can add a class instead again and not have lunch. If she can she will not buy again, if she can't she will probably buy daily.

My annoyance is they say kids only eat junk (I don't agree, mine are healthy eaters with junky foods in moderation) but they don't give them good options till HS, by then aren't their tastes already molded? I think they should offer better options at a younger age myself, but what do I know?

Oh, and we pay $2.25 for any age, so for a nice salad or wrap it is worth it and I would let her buy everyday cause she is getting a lot of veggies making it worth it. The other 2, no way. Once a month or once every other is about all I am willing to pay. Not even the fruit is fresh, it is canned in syrup. I don't buy that for at home so they aren't used to it and don't like it.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

We buy Boar's head from Publix as well and when I said "1 slice", I meant 1 of them sliced in sandwich thickness and NOT shaved. So it's a nice and wide piece that you can actually pick up separately. Their deli meats are huge in diameter, so it's a hearty sandwich.

Exactly. We use Boars Head turkey & 1 slice needs to be folded over to fit on the bread so it's really 2 thick KWIM? We don't buy the cheap crappy cold cuts so we're talking a big full slice & to put 1/4 lb of that on a child's sandwich makes me shutter. I don't eat that much as an adult.

 

[Chelley00]

This is the first year any of our kids have been in public school, and DD8 is so happy with school lunches, and I am surprised at how good her choices are. Every lunch comes with a veggie choice and a fruit choice and a choice of one of 2 entrees. Today she had orange chicken with rice, mandarin oranges and carrot sticks. For $1.90

 

[Hannathy]

How much meat do you put on the sandwich??? I can get sandwiches for 4 people all week out of a pound of cold cuts. 1 slice of meat & 1 slice of cheese is plenty IMO. If it's thin or small meat like salami dh will use 2.

You get 20 sandwiches out of 1 pound of meat!!!! Those aren't sandwiches that taking 2 slices of bread for lunch.
there's frugal/thrifty and then there is just I don't know what to call it that isn't insulting.

To get 20 slices out of a pound it has to be pretty thinly sliced. You are putting .8 ounces of meat on a sandwich! the Hilshire pack I have in the refridg. calls a serving size 2.4 oz. to get 20 slices out of a pound of cheese you are using less than 1 slice of like the Kraft individually wrapped american slices because there are 16 slices to a pound in those.

I really have a hard time believing that a grown man is filled and satisfied with a sandwich with 1.6ounces of meat and cheese together. I could see my DH if I handed him that. Do you have Teens? that is what they eat while they are waiting to eat!
I don't care if it is Boars Head or generic the Math doesn't lie to get 20 sandwiches out of 16 ounces you are using less than 1 ounce of meat.
This just amazes me.

 

[Dizneydaz]

DD's elementary school lunch is only $2 but they've changed the menu enough that she only buys once or twice every 6 weeks or so. (that's how often they rotate our menu). I don't blame her. The choices are pretty meager, and not at all healthy. I mean really, when did a pretzel with cheese sauce become a healthy lunch.

She brings most of the time now. Mostly leftovers.

I'm looking forward to next year, hope the choices are better.

 

[C.Ann]

I'm a "one slice" gal myself.. Sometimes with a slice of cheese, sometimes without.. Of course I usually have a side of cottage cheese as well, so maybe that's why the thin sandwich doesn't bother me..

Don't know how much DGD's lunch will cost this year (starting 7th grade) but they have so many offerings it's mind boggling! The majority is good, healthy food and lots of "sides" that are healthy as well.. Last year (same school, same offerings), she would sometimes bring a lunch from home and other times she would buy - usually a salad, yogurt, piece of fruit, and milk or juice.. It's nice to see such a healthy menu.. When I worked in a school cafeteria (a Catholic school) the meals we had to prepare for the kids were horrible.. Junk, junk, and more junk..

 

[disneymom3]

I wish our middle school charged those prices! $5.50 for a slice of pizza, fries and milk. $2.75 a la cart pizza. $5.50 for a taco salad, nothing with it...Needless to say we pack lunches.

Holy cow! I thought DDs was bad at $3.50. She would rather bring lunch anyway so it's fine but I was a bit taken aback at the prices. And they have no choices, even in high school so it's take it or leave it.

How much meat do you put on the sandwich??? I can get sandwiches for 4 people all week out of a pound of cold cuts. 1 slice of meat & 1 slice of cheese is plenty IMO. If it's thin or small meat like salami dh will use 2.

Exactly. We use Boars Head turkey & 1 slice needs to be folded over to fit on the bread so it's really 2 thick KWIM? We don't buy the cheap crappy cold cuts so we're talking a big full slice & to put 1/4 lb of that on a child's sandwich makes me shutter. I don't eat that much as an adult.

This doesn't make sense though. Twenty sandwiches out of one lb of meat means less than an ounce of meat even if they are sliced as thick as my hand. Weight is weight. A fourth of a lb of thick or thin sliced is still a quarter of a lb. I am confused. It's like that old joke "What is heavier? A pound of feathers or a pound of rocks?"

 

[sookie]

1/4 lbs is only how many ounces? 4? that isn't too much.

 

[Hannathy]

I know it is crazy. the wrapped slices of american cheese come 16 to a pound so she is using less cheese than 1 of these per sandwich.

It comes out to .8 ounce of meat!! do you know how little that is?

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

A pound of turkey makes about 6-8 sandwiches for us. It is usually sliced so thin, it falls apart, I can't even count slices

I am a teacher and I can usually get a nice salad bar salad for $3-4 or a cup of soup for $1.69 if I don't bring my lunch. Your school sounds like they have great offerings!

 

[dreamin_disney]

I wont complain about the $2.50 per day I started paying. I was sending dd to school with a lunch her choice(middle school).

The selection she decided she lies so now we pay for it. She like the tyson spicey chicken sandwich and 2nd choice is the Kung poa chicken and rice. She get a bag of small baked chips or cheeze its, fruit optional or juice plus . milk. I dont mind paying for it because i know she's eating her food.

On the other hand thats $40-$50 extra a month I wasnt expecting to pay. Luckily I only have one child otherwise I wouldnt be able to afford payiong for 2-3 kids.

 

[powellrj]

My dd changed schools this year and her new school is amazing! They offer salad bar as a side dish everyday and when they have sandwiches they offer a sandwich bar which includes sliced tomatoes among other toppings! She only paid $1.95 at her old school but the choices were awful. Now she pays $2.39, but to have the wide variety they offer its well worth the extra cost!

 

[pipersmom]

My dd packs 4 days a week, sometimes 5. I let her choose one day to eat either breakfast or lunch at school. Our school posts the nutritional info for all the menu items, and it's ridiculous, but then we wonder why our kids are getting fatter. (No, it's not the only reason, but with the decrease in most kids activity levels, it def contributes.) I would encourage everyone to see if you can find it for your children's schools, it truly both opened my eyes and disgusted me.

As to the great lunch meat debate..lol.. a serving size of most lunch meats is 2-3 oz. So when I buy a pound I count the number of slices and go accordingly from there. IE.. if there are 8 slices, each slice is approx. 2 oz..1 serving. If there are 16, each slice is an oz, 2 slices per sandwich.

 

[crisi]

1/4 lbs is only how many ounces? 4? that isn't too much.

A serving of meat is 3 oz. So you are 33% over what a nutritionist would consider a serving. You should get 5 1/2 adult sandwiches out of a pound of lunchmeat.

Also, lunchmeat is generally horrible nutritionally. High sodium, often high nitrates - which is linked to cancer. Which doesn't mean never eat it, but it probably isn't the thing to expand serving size on, eat everyday in portions 33% bigger than they should be, or teach your kids to expect meat loaded sandwiches.

 

[luvmy3]

I was just checking dd's menu and they offer Boars Head sandwhiches, but I think that is considered a premium meal so its $3 as opposed to the $2.25. Still not bad considering it comes with sides and a bottle of snapple 100% juice or milk. I don't have a problem with her buying that since I buy BH cold cuts anyway. I wish the elementary school offered BH, I've seen the ham my ds likes and no way is it premium

 

[disneydreamersx4]

A serving of meat is 3 oz. So you are 33% over what a nutritionist would consider a serving. You should get 5 1/2 adult sandwiches out of a pound of lunchmeat.

Also, lunchmeat is generally horrible nutritionally. High sodium, often high nitrates - which is linked to cancer. Which doesn't mean never eat it, but it probably isn't the thing to expand serving size on, eat everyday in portions 33% bigger than they should be, or teach your kids to expect meat loaded sandwiches.

deli meat is not the greatest but sometimes you just have to have a good roast beef or turkey sammi For the past 6 months or so I have stopped buying deli meat and just bake a roast beef to control all the additives. I need to get a better knife though to slice it thinner.

 

[Marionnette]

deli meat is not the greatest but sometimes you just have to have a good roast beef or turkey sammi For the past 6 months or so I have stopped buying deli meat and just bake a roast beef to control all the additives. I need to get a better knife though to slice it thinner.

You can get a professional style meat slicer. Like the kind that they use in the deli. They cost about the same as a sharp knife. And youll be happier with the results. I use one for roast beef, ham and turkey breasts. BTW the men in my family would stage a revolt if I made sandwiches with only one slice of meat and one slice of cheese. IMO why bother even having a sandwich if your gonna do that?

 

[disneydreamersx4]

Bed Bath used to have a $99 slicer but I don't see it on their website anymore??

I also have a DH here who would think I went loony giving him one slice of meat

 

[kwhite1022]

Im more amazed at the person who uses one can of tuna for a sandwhich I get 3 sandwhiches out of one can! Then again, Im also a one slice of meat girl, and 1 tbls of peanutbutter girl too! My hubby swears I use a spade to spread peanutbutter to get it so thin on the bread. At least Im equal opportunity crazy! I wont say cheap, cuz thats not why I do it that way, I do it that way cuz I dont like them the other way and would about lose my lunch if I recieved a sandwhich with 1/4 lb of meat on it. THankfully my kids prefer my method, hubby not so much, so I try to remember who Im packing for and do extra on his.

I try to pack the kids 3 days a week and let them get hot lunch the other 2 days, they see the calendar and pick which days based on what they will actually eat. I figure they may get some questionable food on those days, but its better then eating that crap every day.