National School Lunch Week 2012

            This past week at school was National School Lunch Week 2012 in the United States, as declared by President Obama. From the Presidential Proclamation, “Our children are the key to America's success in the 21st century, and it is incumbent upon us all to ensure they have the resources they need to reach their greatest potential -- including access to healthy meals at school. During National School Lunch Week, we recognize all those whose dedicated work and care make good nutrition a reality for our sons and daughters.” –President Barack Obama 10/12/12

            Our school took action and recognized National School Lunch Week by creating new, different, and tastier lunches. I appreciate the time and care the lunch ladies took to prepare and create these meals; however some were more successful than others and some I am still unsure of. Will these lunches stick around, or were they simply to please the Obama’s?

            To start off, I didn’t eat school lunch very much this week due to working on school work and Lovely Lane lunch on Tuesday, so the only new meals I actually tried were on Monday and Wednesday. Otherwise I took other people’s words on what the lunches tasted like, and I judged from the pictures on Facebook and Twitter.

            Monday’s featured item was a Walking Cheeseburger. First of all, isn’t a cheeseburger already an on-the-go item? Second, is this supposed to be a spin-off of a walking taco? Well, it was a mixture of Fritos, cheese, hamburger meat, lettuce, and other ingredients. Innovative and there definitely could be worse meals…. Beef and Noodles for example. Gross.

            Tuesday’s featured item was a Breakfast Taco. I ate at Lovely Lane with my friends, so I can’t be 100% correct on this, but someone told me it was eggs in a hard-shell taco. I think they were stretching the truth a little bit, and that it really was a breakfast burrito, which we’ve had before, and is pretty good.

            Wednesday was ‘Fiesta in a Cup.’ Now when initially hearing that name, you second guess it and seriously wonder if this is a real lunch item. It ended up being similar to Mexican dip you can make or buy. This consisted of refried beans, sour cream, cheese, and salsa that was served with chips. It didn’t really seem like a healthy meal to me, more like a snack.

            Thursday was Ham and Cheese Toastie. A grilled ham and cheese sandwich with mayonnaise, honey mustard, and grilled peppers. Again, a description from a classmate, so correct me if I’m wrong.

            Friday was the lunch item I was most curious about. The ‘banana dog.’ Either a hot dog with bananas on top of it or a banana in a hot dog bun. I was hoping it would be the second prediction over the first, however it didn’t seem nutritious. It was indeed a banana in a hot dog bun with jelly, sun-butter (district substitute to peanut butter due to kids with severe peanut allergies), and honey. Similar to a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, with a slight spin on it. Apparently, the Food Network has this easy recipe online, and it’s recommended as a kid-friendly meal.

            Overall, I commend the lunch ladies on creating new meals to try in our high school lunchroom. Sometimes it’s good to have different meal options, instead of having the same meals rotated every month. Although the names are a bit strange, considering we are in high school, I appreciate the effort and spin on otherwise boring lunches.  (589)