Tuesday, December 18, 2012

bagel sandwich

Last lunch before winter break. Bagel sandwiches and all of the veggies to add to the sandwich.
Peppers, red onion and carrots are missing  from this picture, but are offered as well.
All in all a pretty popular day.   Lots of choices today.    Some students are overjoyed for the bagel and others really like the toppings that are offered.

tortellini

Tuesday we served cheese tortellini. Tomato cream sauce was offered as well as roasted cauliflower.
The students really like this dish.   I use 100 pounds of tortellini.  I use 50 cups of tomatoes for the sauce.  Cooking in these large number can be difficult,  but I believe there is always a solution to a recipe that does not translate well to large batches.  I do research and try recipes until I am satisfied with the outcome.

tuna salad sandwich

Today was family group lunch day and the specialty sandwich was tuna salad.
Lots of veggies in this tuna salad.   Onions, celery, apples and spinach pack this sandwich.
As usual string cheese, and clemintine oranges as well as a graham cracker snack were served.
Milk is the only option for a beverage although students always have access to their water bottles.

Friday, December 14, 2012

chicken and rice

Chicken and rice was served today.  TO CELEBRATE HANUKKAH WE SERVED A TREAT.
Green beans and  roasted broccoli were offered on the side. Sun dried tomatoes were popular on the salad bar today.

chicken tenders and lemony smashed potatoes

                                                    Kid friendly lunch today.
 Lemony smashed potatoes were served as a side dish.  This is a difficult lunch to serve because the chicken tenders are so popular that they take up all of my oven space and time.
 Serving a kosher style lunch means no dairy with meat.  Lemony smashed potatoes are a good side dish to meat because they are dressed with a bit of olive oil and not butter.  Lemon zest and lemon juice are also in the drizzle that goes on the potatoes.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Pasta with alfredo sauce will be served today. We steam veggies and add them to alfredo sauce (made from scratch). As usual all of the items are offered separately.  The salad bar is a popular place  here in the  McGillis lunchroom. Olives and croutons are a limited food choice.  If allowed to students will pile olives and croutons only and call that a salad. We talk a lot about vegetables being salad and certain foods with salt and higher fat being condiments.  A pile of croutons is not a salad, and it is not allowed.

vegetable soup and grilled cheese

Vegetable soup and grilled cheese were served today. This is as usual, a made from scratch soup.
Almost every vegetable that you can name is in this soup.  Ingredients are onions, celery, carrots broccoli, cauliflower, zuchini, cabbage, potato, mushrooms corn, green beans, garlic, tomatoes and parsley. Most students try this and enjoy dipping the grilled cheese sandwich in it.

chicken salad sandwich

Chicken salad sandwich was the family group lunch entree today.  This sandwich was served on a whole wheat hoagie.  Red onions, celery, and red grapes were added to diced chicken, and dressing.
Clemintine oranges are the fruit of choice on a family group lunch day.

Friday, December 7, 2012

These are mushrooms, bell peppers and onions for the veggie quesadillas that we served today.
A surprising amount of students ask for a veggie quesadilla. The cheese quesadilla is very popular. Cheddar cheese is the preferred cheese for the quesadilla here at McGillis.
Spanish Rice pilaf was offered as the side option.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

chili beans and corn bread


Today we will serve chili beans and cornbread.
There are black, pinto and white beans in this chili.  Tomatoes, onions and bell peppers are also added to the chili.  The ingredients that really tempt the kids to eat this chili are the frito chips and shredded cheddar cheese toppings. I am of the opinion that a bit of cheese and corn chips are worth it for a child to eat a bowl of beans.   Really, this chili is delicious.

LASAGNA

LASAGNA WAS SERVED TODAY AND IT IS A POPULAR ENTREE.
THIS IS HOMEMADE LASAGNA AND IT TAKES A WHILE TO PREPARE,
BUT IT IS WORTH IT.

CHICKEN TERIYAKI

CHICKEN TERIYAKI WAS SERVED TODAY.  AS USUAL ALL ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE ALA CARTE.  STUDENTS REALLY FEEL LIKE THIS IS IMPORTANT.
I AM IN THE PROCESS OF FINDING AND SWITCHING TO A BROWN RICE THAT FITS ALL OF OUR NEEDS.  I DO NOT HAVE A RICE COOKER, AND IN THE LARGE NUMBERS THAT I COOK FOR,  BROWN RICE CAN BE HARDER THAN WHITE.
AS I LOOK AT THE MENU AND TRY HARD TO KEEP THE MENU HEALTHY,  I MAKE CHANGES AND USUALLY THE STUDENTS DO NOT PROTEST IN MASSES.

monday family group lunch

TODAY FOR FAMILY GROUP LUNCH WE SERVED EGG SALAD SANDWICHES.
THE EGG SALAD IS SERVED ON A WHOLE WHEAT TOASTED HOAGIE ROLL.
TILLAMOOK CHEESE SQUARES AND CLEMINTINES AS WELL AS CHIPS WERE OFFERED AS SIDES. LOWFAT MILK AS USUAL WAS THE BEVERAGE, ALTHOUGH ALL STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO WATER.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

pizza

TODAY WE SERVED CHEESE PIZZA.  PESTO VEGGIES WERE OFFERED AS WELL.
TANGERINES AND GRAPES WERE OFFERED ON THE FRUIT BAR.
COTTAGE CHEESE WAS A HIT ON THE SALAD BAR.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

BEEF STEW OR LENTIL SOUP

Today we served beef stew or lentil soup. The beef stew is a two day recipe, but it is worth the extra work.  Lots of carrots and potatoes  and onions make up the stew.

 The lentil soup is really good as well. The lentils are a bit fancy.  They are French green lentils.
Lots of tarragon and thyme as well as smoked paprika. It was surprising how many students chose lentil soup.  
 Of course bacci rolls were served and wow they are popular.   Apples and tangerines were served on the fruit bar.  Artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes were popular on the salad bar.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

macaroni and cheese

Macaroni and cheese was served today. Perfectly steamed broccoli was offered as a side dish.
Bananas and apple slices were on the fruit bar.
Sun dried tomatoes artichoke hearts were hits on the salad bar.

turkey bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches

So once again I did not get a picture. The sandwiches were all eaten. Turkey bacon is very lean and the students love it.    We  try to serve lean meats and everything is baked and never fried.

I have had many conversations lately about the national school lunch program and the hard work of Michelle Obama to change what our children eat.  What important work it is.  I think it is so vital to the health of our nations children to make a healthy lunch part of every child's day.  Here at McGillis we try so hard to serve fresh healthy food.  Most importantly that food must taste good as well or it will go straight to the trash.
 Please know that I put a lot of energy and thought into the food that is served to your children. Please feel free to stop by and chat with me if you have questions or concerns.
The main reason that I do this blog is so that you might have a clear picture and description of what your child was offered at lunch.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Today we served sloppy joe sandwiches.  We served brussel sprouts and roasted potatoes as side dishes. This is a very popular entree and the students have no idea they are eating so much celery, green bell peppers and onions. Truly, the ratio is almost 50/50 meat to veggies.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Cheese enchiladas were served today. The enchiladas are hand rolled. The filing is comprised of cheddar cheese, low fat cottage cheese  and a bit of low fat sour cream. The students have a choice of red or green enchilada sauce. The side dish was spanish rice.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

pasta with marinara sauce

Today we served spaghetti with marinara sauce. This is from scratch sauce and it is yummy.
Roasted carrots or steamed broccoli were served as a side dishes. The salad bar items that are well liked are sun dried tomatoes, Spanish olives and banana peppers.
Today we served potato cheese soup. A bit of broccoli is added as well.  The soup was served with bacci rolls. This is a very popular lunch day and of course we limit the helpings of bacci rolls because the students would eat ten if they were allowed.

Monday, November 12, 2012

greek chicken wrap

Today for family group lunch we served Greek chicken wraps.
These wraps were a new creation and were well received.
Lemon rice, marinated chicken and Greek salad were bundled in a tomato basil wrap.
Kosher rules kept us from adding feta cheese on these, but they were really good anyway.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Hot dogs

Hot dogs were served today. These hot dogs are all beef with no added fillers.  Vegetarian hot dogs were offered as well.
Perfectly steamed green beans were offered as a side vegetable.  Honeycrisp apples and grapes were offered on the fruit bar.
Salad bar offerings are popular.  Mandarin oranges and craisins are well liked.  Cusabi is the new favorite dressing, its cucumber wasabi ranch dressing.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Bean and cheese burritos were offered today. Spanish rice and baked tortilla chips were offered as side dishes.
 

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Garlic spaghetti


Garlic spaghetti
I have had parents comment on their child's breath and ask me how I persuaded children to try something with so much garlic. The answer is that fresh garlic is very potent.
This dish is basically olive oil and lots of fresh chopped garlic, parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
A bit of fresh lemon juice finishes the dish.
Perfectly steamed broccoli is served with this. The broccoli is steamed for just 8 minutes.
I will always do my best to get the veggies just right . It is my goal in life to leave a good impression of veggies on these young children.  I recall some of my childhood food memories and most involve disgusting soggy veggies.

Tomato soup

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich. The students really like this soup and tell me that its best eaten by dipping the grilled cheese into the soup. That is feta cheese sprinkled on the soup.
Honeycrisp apples are very popular on the salad bar. These apples are from the farmers market.
Grown locally in Alpine, Utah.   The farmer that sells them to me thinks they are the best apple around.

caprese sandwich





Caprese sandwich
Today's family group sandwich is a caprese sandwich.
This is a popular lunch and I think that McGillis students  have been exposed to a large variety of foods and the popularity of this sandwich is a perfect example.

Friday, November 2, 2012

gaden burgers

                                Today the sign read,   Cheese "Burgers."

 This was  half true.  They were veggie burgers. We did not advertise the fact that they were veggie burgers. The cheddar cheese also masked the fact that they were not beef, but in fact vegetarian burgers.
The students did not seem to despise the veggie burgers but did not love them either.
We do serve beef hamburgers twice a year and students expressed to me that they prefer real meat for this entree.
 I gave veggie burgers a try and then monitored the waste and decided that this menu item did not work.  Oh well, try, try again.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

BAKED POTATO BAR

BAKED POTATO BAR IS AN INTERESTING DAY TO WATCH ALL OF THE VARIED CHOICES THAT STUDENTS AND FACULTY MAKE WHILE TOPPING THEIR POTATO.

ON THE SERVING LINE WE OFFER SWEET POTATO OR REGULAR POTATO.
NEXT COMES CARMELIZED ONIONS, SAUTEED MUSHROOMS, STEAMED BROCCOLI, AND CHEDAR CHEESE SAUCE.
SOUR CREAM, FRESH CHIVES, SALSA, AND GRATED CHEDAR CHEESE ARE OFFERED AT THE FRUIT BAR.

THE QUOTE OF THE DAY...... " I WANT EVERYTHING ON MY ORANGE POTATO."

THIS FROM A FIRST GRADER WHO RESPONDED TO OUR QUESTION OF WHICH TOPPINGS SHE WANTED. SHE ACTUALLY CAME BACK FOR MORE BROCCOLI.
 I REALLY LOVE THESE PRECIOUS INTERACTIONS.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

pasta with brie and tomato

Today we served Pasta with brie and tomato, the alternative was plain pasta. Some students like plain pasta and proceed to the salad and fruit bars to get their veggies and that is just fine with me.
Here at McGillis we are all about choices.  Students really have a lot of options at lunch time. Most students at this point in the school year feel like they have figured lunch out.  They have navigated the lunch room and feel comfortable to ask us for alternatives.  I see several students a day who ask for plain turkey slices without bread. They then stop at the fruit or salad bar and have hummus and carrots, even grape tomatoes. This is usually a male student and this has something to do with finger food for them.  For this student, messy soup is never an option. I understand the different eating phases and stages that we all go through and this is why we have so many options. So do not worry if your student is eating plain pasta, its usually just a phase.

Monday, October 29, 2012

chicken noodle soup

 Chicken noodle soup was served today.
The vegetarian option was butternut apple soup.
The chicken noodle soup recipe is a long time McGillis recipe,
 it was given to me from the previous lunch program manager.  
As time goes on, sometimes I try new recipes, but this one is a keeper.

bbq beef sandwich

Monday family group lunch was bbq beef sandwich.  This is the second favorite sandwich.
Not my favorite because of the clean up being a chore.   I use  "Sweet Baby Ray" sauce  and most students really like it.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

roasted veggie pasta

                                                Today we served roasted veggie pasta.
 Mushrooms, onions, garlic, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, and tomatoes were the veggies used in the pasta. Plain pasta was offered as an option.  The side dish was roasted carrots sweetened with a bit of maple syrup.  
Oranges and grapes were served at the fruit bar. Popular items at the salad bar today were pepperoncini peppers, and grape tomatoes.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Fish taco or fish sticks

Today we served fish tacos. Real fish fillet sticks are served with mango salsa and coleslaw.
The other options are plain fish sticks, tartar sauce and ketchup are offered.
Side dish was roasted red potatoes. We offered grapes and pears at the fruit bar.

egg salad sandwich

                FOR FAMILY GROUP LUNCH WE SERVED EGG SALAD SANDWICH.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

pizza bagels

Friday we served pizza bagels. This is a very popular day, laborious but popular. The side vegetable was caramelized brussel sprouts. We served a treat today, it was apple cobbler. The cobbler was made with a variety of apples from the farmers market.  I believe that occasional treats can be a part of a healthy attitude about food.  At McGillis we  think that a treat should be just that, a treat. This is the first treat that we have served this year. A treat should be made from scratch and so delicious that it is worth the calories. For a few students the apple part of the cobbler was enough to decline the treat . This made me sad.  Hearing their  peers oooh and ahhh sent a few of them back to change their mind.

My favorite quote today was, "I didn't know I liked brussel sprouts, may I have more please?"
Hearing these words from students reminds me of how much I love my job.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

vegetable soup and grilled cheese sandwich

Today we served vegetable soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. This soup is delicious and made from scratch. Most students like this soup, but most prefer chicken noodle.  The soups are very popular at McGillis and all are from scratch.  The grilled cheese sandwiches are always a hit.  The cheese used is a natural cheddar and very good.

quesadillas with grilled veggies


Today we served quesadillas. 
This picture shows the peppers, red onions and mushrooms that we
added to the quesadillas for those brave enough to try a quesadilla with veggies. 
 Not quite a third of the students were brave enough to try the veggie quesadilla.                         

Roasted blue potatoes were served as the side dish today.
Oranges and grapes were served on the fruit bar today.
Hummus with celery and carrots were also available on the fruit bar.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Alfredo pasta

Today was alfredo pasta or plain pasta. This is plain pasta pictured. The alfredo is popular, but the trick is that I stir all of the veggies into the creamy sauce.  Students cannot enjoy the creamy sauce unless they also enjoy veggies.  The alfredo sauce  had asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, and onions.
 Bananas and farmers market plums were served on the fruit bar today as well as hummus and celery.

We added Jicama to the salad bar today and a few students identified it and had positive comments on it.  Other salad bar toppings include craisins, snap peas, and wonderful red peppers from the farmers market.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

chicken pot pie

Chicken pot pie.  Roasted chicken , potato, carrots, celery, onion and peas make up the filling.  A vegetarian version was offered as well. This dish is not popular with the youngest students but we still try to get them to taste it. It really is yummy.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Eggrolls and veggie lo-mein 
Thursday we served veggie eggrolls and veggie lo-mein.
So many veggies make up this lo-mein. Broccoli, cauliflower, green onion, cabbage, carrots, water chestnuts just to name a few of the veggie ingredients. The students really like this and I am so happy because this is a fun dish to make .                                                               

chicken burritos

Today we served chicken burritos. The chicken was marinated in caramelized onion, chipotle and adobe sauces  and diced tomatoes. The burrito was also filled with rice and some pinto beans.
Corn with zucchini made up the vegetable dish today.  Vanilla yogurt and farmers market raspberries were the fruit dish today.  The farmer that gets me the raspberries says he may have them one more week, I have my fingers crossed.   THIS WAS A YUMMY LUNCH.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

pasta and marinara from scratch

Today we served pasta with or without marinara sauce this is marinara sauce from scratch as usual and it is yummy.  Caramelized brussel sprouts or roasted broccoli were the veggie options on the serving line. Farmers market pears were sliced for the students at the salad bar, because the students do not waste them if they are sliced.

Monday, October 8, 2012

TURKEY B.L.T. SANDWICH

Today for family group lunch we served turkey bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich.
This is a very popular specialty sandwich and the students rank it third as favorites go.
So the bun is grilled in the oven, followed by the turkey bacon,  a bit of mayo and of
course garden tomatoes and crisp romaine lettuce top it off.  The smell of the smoky turkey bacon must make the entire school hungry because we never have leftovers.
I did not get a picture today because we served every sandwich that we made.

Friday, October 5, 2012

"meatball" sub sandwich

Today we served vegetarian meatball subs. The meatballs are vegetarian sausage and the students say they really can't tell that they are vegetarian.  As a side dish we served corn and zuchini stir fry.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Chicken teriyaki was served today. As you can see,  all items can be served separate from each other. This is a very popular lunch.
Edamame corn chowder was served today. Very good day for soup as the temperature has dropped a bit and it seems we are ready for soup season.  We make all of our soups from scratch and this is an easy one.

Friday, September 28, 2012

chili beans

Today we served chili beans. To entice the students into trying this we sprinkle a bit of cheese and frito chips on top. Great northern, black beans and pinto beans are used as well as tomatoes, peppers and onions.
 If I can get a kid to eat a bean, a bit of cheese and a few chips are great bargaining tools.

Friday, September 21, 2012

caprese sandwich

Monday we will serve the first family group lunch. We will have a family group lunch every Monday.
The groups are comprised of students representing all grades.  So every Monday this same group will meet and eat together. I love family groups because it really gives the student a few more familiar faces here at school that are older or younger than they are. There are so many opportunities during the school year that a friendly face makes all of the difference.    It is heart warming to look out after school and see a middle school student voluntarily playing tether ball with a first grader. These connections can start with family groups.
 Lunch is comprised of a hot or cold specialty sandwich that changes weekly. Juice and fresh fruit as well as carrots and chips  are all offered. The first family group sandwich is caprese (mozzarella, fresh tomato, and basil).
Ask your child who their family group leader is and where they met for lunch. Hopefully they will make a new friend in family groups

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Bean and cheese burrito

Bean and cheese burritos were the entree today. We hand roll these and this is what it looks like.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Chicken and rice

Chicken and rice day is popular.  I roast chicken breasts and add them to gravy. This is usually served over basmati rice, unless requested that they not touch each other. This is a common request that we try accommodate.  Curried vegetables are offered as a vegetable side. This way vegetarians may be served a delicious lunch as well.

cheese lasagna

Today we served lasagna, we make it ourselves and it is delicious.  The students were extra hungry today as they usually are after a long break.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Cheese enchilda

Thursday we served cheese enchiladas. The tray above shows the plain version. Red or green sauce is offered but most students do not like sauce on these.  Cottage cheese and sour cream (low fat versions)
are blended with real cheddar cheese to make these.  They are delicious and popular.

Garlic spaghetti

Today we served garlic spaghetti.   New students usually look for the sauce, but this is pasta with no sauce.   The ingredients include garlic,  parsley and parmesan cheese all tossed together.  I am really trying to get the students to at least try the vegetable daily.  Usually if they eat it at home they are open to trying it at school.  Peaches from the farmers market were a big hit at the fruit bar. They are perfect.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich

Right in time with the weather change is our first soup day. This is a delicious and simple soup and it is paired perfectly with a grilled cheddar cheese sandwich.  Yum.

sloppy joes

Friday we served sloppy joe sandwiches and some students were baffled as to what they were.
We were thrilled to tell them that it was just a hamburger sandwich.
What they don't know is that these sandwiches are full of celery and green peppers and onions.
Some students were big fans of the sloppy joe.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Baked potato bar

Today we served baked potatoes. The students could choose a regular potato or a yam. The toppings were mushrooms, sauteed onions, steamed broccoli or cheese sauce. The fruit and salad bars were busy today. Lots of farm fresh produce.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Today we had barbeque for lunch. Hamburger or hot dog, or vegetarian burger or dog. Watermelon and cantaloupe were offered as well as bananas. We did offer a baked potato chip as well. This has been very busy week because we tried to get all of the favorites in.  Next week has a few favorites as well. We feel like the students are really liking the lunches and all of the options.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Pasta with Brie and fresh tomatoes

Today we served plain pasta or pasta with brie and fresh tomatoes. Pine nuts were an option and because of nut allergies these were sprinkled on top versus mixed into the pasta dish.
  It has  been a first week full of favorites.  So many students remembering their favorites from last year.
The peaches that I have been getting from the farmers market are DELICIOUS.  The varieties are new every week and I learned from a farmer that not all peaches are orange colored, some are white fleshed.
I am so thrilled to be able to buy fresh produce for the McGillis lunch program. The prices are great and the taste is amazing.  Its so nice to buy locally while we can. So many of the farmers are happy to see me and even save cases of produce for me to buy because they like that kids are trying their produce.

Monday, August 27, 2012





Every weekend I go to the Murray Farmers market and purchase peaches, apples, pears, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and anything we can use for lunch. I have made some good friends with farmers and hope to continue our arrangement even after the market ends. Different varieties of apples arrive weekly and our students really enjoy the different tastes. I love the colors and smells of all of the different vegetables and fruits. The students have enjoyed all of this bounty at the salad bar, where they get to choose from all of the colorful veggies to add to their salad.