school lunches ?

[bsblady01]

The problem with buying lunch, (at least at my kids school) is that they have to wait in line to get their lunch and then another line to get their drink so by the time they get to their table they barely have time to eat. My kids come home starving on days they buy hot lunch and they get zero time to play on those days.

Here the teachers rotate lunch duty, playground duty etc.

the other problem with hot lunch is the kids don't get enough food, no way does one chicken strip feed a child. and that is one reason I pack my kids lunches.

 

[pigletto]

School lunches have always been a thorn in my side. Our elementary schools don't have a lunch program. Everyone brings a lunch. When dd got to high school there was a cafeteria to buy things but she and her friends still packed a lunch most of the time. My kids food preferences are opposite in every way, and their individual preferences and trying to keep lunches cost effective and healthy was no small task. Our schools are also peanut free so the one sandwich my son would eat was out. What ended up going in their lunches the most was leftovers .. Spaghetti, soup, chilli, salads, etc.

DD had a microwave in high school to heat things, and for ds I got it nuclear hot in the morning, put it in his thermos, and then wrapped that in paper towels inside his lunch. Leftovers were/are a staple around here. DD who is a vegetarian also loved wraps. Pretty much anything rolled into a soft tortilla with cheese and tomato..sprouts..avocado...peppers etc made her happy.

We've probably kept the cheese strings company in business, and I have steadfastly sent the requisite piece of fruit that is ignored, uneaten and sent back every day. There's usually a cookie/muffin/granola bar component.

Can you tell how enthusiastic I am about starting this all over again in a week and half lol?

 

[KristiMc]

the other problem with hot lunch is the kids don't get enough food, no way does one chicken strip feed a child. and that is one reason I pack my kids lunches.

I have to say that this is not the case with all schools. I work in Food Services in our district and the lunch we provide is a very balanced and filling lunch. I know that not all schools are like this but not all serve junk either.

 

[DopeyDame]

I just bought the 100 Days of Real Food Lunch Menu e-book. It's 6 weeks of lunches, including menus, shopping lists, and recipes. They look fantastic! Some of it is a lot more cooking than I'm used to for luches, but I'm excited to give it a try. Fingers crossed

 

[MSLRAC]

I have to say that this is not the case with all schools. I work in Food Services in our district and the lunch we provide is a very balanced and filling lunch. I know that not all schools are like this but not all serve junk either.

Agreed, schools here serve good sized portions of the main dish along with 2 fresh veggies, a fresh fruit, and a starch. Even if they get soup and salad, they also get another veggie, fruit, and a roll. It's plenty for me as an adult and it's all well prepared.

 

[bsblady01]

I have to say that this is not the case with all schools. I work in Food Services in our district and the lunch we provide is a very balanced and filling lunch. I know that not all schools are like this but not all serve junk either.

a lot of the fruit comes out of a can and the veggies the kids get comes out of a can. I know they think this stuff is healthy but it's full of salt. I wish our school would do fresh stuff. we have a school garden and the teachers end up eating the stuff.

 

[Mizzoufan]

I'm lucky our schools has a fresh salad and fruit bar.

 

[Bec3b1g]

the other problem with hot lunch is the kids don't get enough food, no way does one chicken strip feed a child. and that is one reason I pack my kids lunches.

In all honesty, if you really believe this it would be a good idea to learn more about calories and food servings. School provided lunches are more than adequate. They aren't to my daughter's taste, but that doesn't mean they don't meet the calorie requirements of a daily meal.

 

[KristiMc]

a lot of the fruit comes out of a can and the veggies the kids get comes out of a can. I know they think this stuff is healthy but it's full of salt. I wish our school would do fresh stuff. we have a school garden and the teachers end up eating the stuff.

We do fresh fruit - today it was Watermelon. We also do Broccoli, carrots and salads. We make our own pizza sauce using fresh herbs that we grow. This is in NE Ohio - suburb of Cleveland.

 

[HeatherC]

I am a substitute teacher in one of our elementary schools. The lunch menu "sounds" good. The reality is the complete opposite. Most...and I am not exaggerating..of the kids buying lunch wind up eating VERY little of it. I am always shocked at how most of the lunch gets chucked and how most of the parents are thinking their kids are getting a healthy lunch.

I always wonder if any of the parents have ever actually "seen" these lunches.

One good idea I see some kids do is bring a ziploc bowl of cereal. They then buy milk and use that over the cereal. Great idea for kids who hate sandwiches or hot lunches.

 

[bsblady01]

We do fresh fruit - today it was Watermelon. We also do Broccoli, carrots and salads. We make our own pizza sauce using fresh herbs that we grow. This is in NE Ohio - suburb of Cleveland.

wow, I wish I was a teacher in your school.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Our kids school had a salad bar lane, a taco/burrito lane, sandwich lane, Chinese food lane, and whatever the cafeteria itself was serving lane as well. The options were outstanding, good quality and served all of their needs throughout the year. I can't think of a negative aspect in any of it. We must be lucky in that regard I suppose. Now what they are eating at college is a whole different story!

 

[KristiMc]

I am a substitute teacher in one of our elementary schools. The lunch menu "sounds" good. The reality is the complete opposite. Most...and I am not exaggerating..of the kids buying lunch wind up eating VERY little of it. I am always shocked at how most of the lunch gets chucked and how most of the parents are thinking their kids are getting a healthy lunch.

I always wonder if any of the parents have ever actually "seen" these lunches.

One good idea I see some kids do is bring a ziploc bowl of cereal. They then buy milk and use that over the cereal. Great idea for kids who hate sandwiches or hot lunches.

I have found that it doesn't matter if kids buy lunch or bring lunch from home - much of it goes in the garbage. It is sad. The kids like to spend the time talking instead of eating

 

[MSLRAC]

I have found that it doesn't matter if kids buy lunch or bring lunch from home - much of it goes in the garbage. It is sad. The kids like to spend the time talking instead of eating

Very true! Our school went to no talking the first 10 minutes of lunch. It has helped some but lots still gets thrown away. But I rarely hear the kids complaining about the food. It's always that they didn't have enough time. I'll let mine finish up some things as we walk out to recess and take other things back to class to eat after recess. I don't like having a class full of hungry little humans because they tend to get cranky.

 

[Mizzoufan]

My kids classes do afternoon snacks. Which help them not to be so hungry

 

[HeatherC]

What our school did two years ago for the younger grades was to have recess BEFORE lunch. I thought it was strange at first, but after two years think it is great. The kids get to talk with their friends, run around and burn off some steam and come in hungry to eat.

I honestly don't see the same amount of food being thrown away from those that bring it from home. But the school lunches are chucked consistently after one or two bites. Terrible shame really.

 

[Dawnlight]

I honestly don't see the same amount of food being thrown away from those that bring it from home. But the school lunches are chucked consistently after one or two bites. Terrible shame really.

I saw this, too, when I have volunteered for lunch duty at my kids' elementary school. Kids had hot lunch trays loaded up with food, but then I'd see entire salads, unopened cartons of milk, even whole unpeeled bananas tossed in the trash. I'm sure there are food safety issues that come into play that make it impossible to return the foods to the cafeteria or even to donate, but it's a shame to see food wasted like that (not to mention the parents paying for the kids' meals who think their kids are eating healthy, full meals)

 

[Poohforyou]

The problem with buying lunch, (at least at my kids school) is that they have to wait in line to get their lunch and then another line to get their drink so by the time they get to their table they barely have time to eat. My kids come home starving on days they buy hot lunch and they get zero time to play on those days.

Here the teachers rotate lunch duty, playground duty etc.

This is why my dd has never wanted to buy lunch. She's a slow eater to begin with and would starve if she had to wait in line.

Classroom teachers don't have lunch duty in our district. It's a combo of lunch aides and specialty teachers (language, art, library, music and gym)

 

[Happyinwonerland]

i think it is a shame that we rush young kids to eat. We should give them an hour, or at least 45 minutes, AFTER getting their food, to sit and eat and listen to their body's hunger cues. This is why we are all fat adults- as kids we learned to scarf down as many calories as possible in 15 minutes so you didnt end up hungry by 2:30

 

[bsblady01]

i think it is a shame that we rush young kids to eat. We should give them an hour, or at least 45 minutes, AFTER getting their food, to sit and eat and listen to their body's hunger cues. This is why we are all fat adults- as kids we learned to scarf down as many calories as possible in 15 minutes so you didnt end up hungry by 2:30

our kids have 30 min to eat and then 15 min outside to play.