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.

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.

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.

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.

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.