sustainable pathways

Today McGillis students had a tour of the kitchen and I spoke about the whole process that is lunch.
We talked about where our food comes from.
We talked about the kitchen being designed to be energy and water efficient and use natural lighting.
I showed them the equipment that it takes to feed 400 people.
Lots of students commented on the size of cans and boxes of food.
Most students got to walk into our refrigerator and see our dish washing machine.
I showed the students how much water the dish machine takes to wash all of the dishes from one day (39 gallons).
Students were shown the difference between smart packaging and bad packaging.
Students were shown yesterdays food waste and we talked about ways that our garbage can be decreased.
I hope that the students had fun learning about the kitchen.
The process of looking up details about the efficiency of the kitchen was eye opening for me.
I learned that we are more efficient than I had thought, but we can do better.
Feeding 400 people is a huge responsibility.
Food safety is my number one priority, but I see that it is also important to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible.
We can all do a better more thoughtful job.
I have set new goals in the kitchen regarding reducing our carbon footprint.
I look forward to the future at McGIllis and am inspired by our students regarding sustainable pathways.

Hot dogs

Hot dogs are always a hit at McGillis. We don't have them often but our students really like them.
As always a quality all beef hot dog is used. Veggie dogs are offered for vegetarians.
Steamed french green beans will be served as a side dish as well as chips.

Salad bar fact.....Soy beans now top the list as most popular salad item.
Who knew?

Lo mien noodles and veggie egg rolls

Lo mein noodles and veggie egg rolls were the entree today.
This lo mein is a dish just full of veggies.
I use the six foot grill to stir fry broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, green onions, celery, garlic and carrot.
I boil the noodles first and then add them to the veggies on the grill.
Sesame oil and soy sauce as well as sesame seeds are added to the stir fry.
The egg rolls that we serve are also full of veggies.
Most of the kids don't mind the veggies because the egg rolls are crispy.
We have an oven that truly is amazing. It has a "fried" setting that really gives food a fried taste and look.
If you ever have a chance come in and let us show you this oven.

Veggie hummus wrap

Veggie hummus wrap was the featured sandwich today. Pita bread topped with hummus, sliced tomato , cucumbers, spring mix,
and a bit of cheese. Sides were apple slices, string cheese, baked chips, juice box.

sorry no posts

So sorry I have not posted anything for a few days. Ian our new dishwasher has injured himself and has not been able to work. We have been very busy trying to keep up with out him. Hope to have a new post soon. Thanks for your interest and patience.

tamales or quesadilla? Wich did your child opt for?

Homemade tamales are so much work and I love them, but I've decided to do this only twice a year. Tamales were the main entree today, but we also offered quesadillas as a more kid friendly option. As I look back on all of the students who opted for the quesadilla I am rethinking tamales place on the menu. We also served spanish rice and churros for a sweet treat.

The fruit bar offered farm fresh plums, bananas and apples. This variety of apples are called Gingergold and they are now my new favorite.

Salad bar update.... Kids are really enjoying the salad bar and eating a record amount of greens. FYI we use romaine lettuce, a mixed greens blend and spinach. Ask your student if they have tried the cusabi dressing. Cusabi is wasabi cucumber ranch.
We are still enjoying fresh baby orange tomatoes from the farmers market as well as peppers and even broccoli.

Egg salad sandwich the easy way

Egg salad sandwich was the featured sandwich for todays family group lunch. I count two eggs per pre ordered sandwich. So I boiled, cooled, then painstakingly peeled 300 eggs. Ha ha, actually that last part was true in the past but is now a sad sad memory. The eggs now come pre boiled and pre peeled and I love it. Now all I have to do is put the eggs through an egg slicer and stir in mayo and dijon mustard, and seasonings. I really do not understand how I had the time to do this when I had to start with raw eggs. As I think about it, lots of food items come in a more convenient form. This kind if thing is a huge trend in the food service industry. I can get onions and peppers already diced or sliced in 5 pound bags. Most produce items come in pre sliced or diced options. I would say that a food establishment of our size most often uses these options.

Lots of companies offer meat that comes pre cooked, both for convenience and also food safety. People do not always cook their meat to the proper temperature, and when it comes this way it is a safer product. Think about raw meat and everything it comes into contact with being a possible source of contamination. My Sysco salesman tells me that reheat and serve meat is a huge trend in the industry. At Mcgillis we use this option only for chicken nuggets. This kind of precooked meat can cost more than raw meats.

Another trend is aseptic packaging of foods. This is a high heat and sealing process that keeps food from needing refrigeration, If you go to the supermarket and see packaged dinners that look like they belong in the freezer section, these are aseptically packaged.
Its like pasteurization. As long as the seal remains intact the food has a very long shelf life, even without the use of preservatives.
Our juice among other things are packaged this way.

Technology brings lots of changes, some bad, some good. I am thinking that pre boiled pre peeled eggs are a change for the good.