I am wondering what other parents think of the food and choices given to the students in our schools around Miles City. My kids never want to eat there so they either come home or brown bag.

I would like some input from other students and parents.

I like BLT's.

If it is still being served, the Chefs Salad was literally the best item on the menu. Mainly because hot dogs and pudding don't go well together.

my kids eat everyday, they love it, of course there are some days they wont, but that happens at home too. They are kids can tplease everyone...Another cool thing they say know, school provide, new, unique snack to all, from new place, or countries, learning some culture is great!!

Kids eat what they are used to eating - even if it isn't the most healthy food choice. My kids won't eat the salad and the dinner roll commonly served with hot lunch unless mom or dad are sitting there telling them to eat it. The hot lunch staff should take note of the items of food that always end up in the garbage, and take them off of the menu. A lot of kids eating hot lunch might as well have nothing at all, because that is what they end up eating when none of the food on the tray is something that they want to eat.

Every Friday: Cooks Choice? So they basically hope the cook likes good food.
3rd: Not too many kids I know eat egg salad sandwiches.
4th: Perfect, because every kid will eat it.
5th: Rice with Cheese Tortilla, Green Beans, and a Banana? When did a banana and rice go together...
27th: Beef Barley Soup, WW? Roll, Corn on the Cob & Apple Slices.
Sometimes, fruit just doesn't go with the rest of the food. And what is a WW Roll?

I'll give the school a hand, because since I was there... The menu has gotta considerably better. However, it seems there are a few little iffy things still.

Josh, WW [whole wheat], and for some of us fruit goes well with most foods, and makes good snacks.

Creating the menus is complicated because they do have to be healthy. Putting junk on the menu is not a solution to the kids not eating stuff. These meals have to meet strict guidelines.

As for egg salad, my husband hates it but my older brother and I could live on the stuff. You can't make a menu that will satisfy everyone but you do have to make an effort to feed everyone decent food.

If the kids are hungry after lunch, maybe they will force themselves to try something new! And since they know in advance what the meal will be, they can plan to brown bag for things they really hate.

Cooks choice is partly to use up excess food. Whatever they have the most of leftover becomes cook's choice. When you figure how little each school spends per meal, it is amazing what they achieve.

I agree regarding the REQUIREMENT that the food meet strict guidelines.

And, I stand by my comment that I'd rather have my kids actually consume calories than eat nothing at all, even if those calories aren't of the most wholesome form available.

So long as there is the option to pack a lunch, I don't have a gripe. I just find it ironic that we will serve super healthy lunches even though the kids just dump the entire tray in the garbage because the type of food is not that which your average 6 year old will eat without being forced to do so.

A lot of those kids effectively have nothing for lunch as a result.

My child brown bagged her lunch most of her elementary and junior high years. I think that one thing people are overlooking is that the federal guidelines were formulated before there was such an obesity problem and the concern was to make sure the kids got enough calories. There is a minimum calorie requirement but no maximum. And I believe that the fat content is supposed to hover around 30%. This is really not appropriate for many of today's kids who don't get enough exercise. And the fact that Josh didn't know what a WW roll was is a testament to the poor education kids get about nutrition.

My daughter who goes to Garfield really doesnt mind the hot lunch, there are a few things she doesnt care for but will eat most meals that are served. My son who is now at Washington school hates the hot lunch and 4 or 5 days of the week only eats a salad. Which I personally have a problem with and recently decided to start sending him with lunch instead, not because salad is bad for him but I think he as a 13 year old growing boy who is hungry ALL the time, needs more food then just a salad for lunch. He comes home after school and wants to eat everything he see`s. I am not a picky person but there are alot of things they serve that I would not eat myself. Just my opinion though. Every child is different and has different likes and dislikes. Hope all the comments help your curiosity.

No Wendy. Back when I was at WMS, it wasn't called a "WW roll". They called it a Whole Wheat Roll. No shortening. Mainly because that is lazy.

I don't see any problem with most of the menu items--my daughter eats school lunches and likes most of what is served (and alot of it is stuff that is similar to what we eat at home--we don't go out and eat fast food or at restaurants--that's a "special" treat, once in a while)

They called it a Whole Wheat Roll. No shortening.

Those must have been low cholesterol rolls with out the shortening.

I think he as a 13 year old growing boy who is hungry ALL the time

He's a 13 year old boy. You could feed him a horse at lunch, another horse for a snack and he'd still come home from school to eat a third horse. That is the nature of a 13-year-old. I had a friend who joked about installing a trough by the back door that filled up with food automatically whenever her son came inside. He will be hungry five minutes after he eats no matter what he eats.

Agree on the hungery every 5 min! My son is 8, VERY LEAN! And he eats like a horse... And could eat a horse! So I can only think what life will be like at 13. The only thing my son tells me is that he is still hungery. That he would like more. But like stated, if mom isnt there to tell you to eat the roll or salad then they wont. So if they would just eat the few things on there that werent the greatest to their liking. They all would be fine!

I think the school lunches are horrible as far as fat, refined sugar and flour, processed ingredients (non-gmo soy and HFCS, for example) go, but they're no worse than in other parts of the country. They have to make it cheap, fast, and in huge quantities. And at least we don't have McDonald's and Pizza Hut and Taco Bell infiltrating the cafeterias and masquerading their junk as "healthy" meal options. It's lots worse elsewhere, and I'm grateful the middle schoolers are no longer "lunching" at M&H as they did in years past...

My kids take lunch from home every day.

My 8th grader takes lunch everyday and my 4th grader most days. I like that Mr. Gorton the principal at Lincoln eats hot lunch with the kids. He lets the chefs know if something doesn't go over.
PS: I don't think corndogs are made of lean protein and vegetables. Yeah, not so healthly.

My second grader usually likes all but the chicken rice type stuff... and the occasional off the wall soup. She use to be picky but now she even comes home saying... mom, i actually like (insert random food item)!

Some of the food choices do make me scratch my head. But we limit the # of times she can brown bag it as well. All in all, the menu looks better than what I grew up with in Drummond, MT.

I have 2 kids in school. They brown bag most of the time. The items on the menu are really to sophisticated for grade school kids. What 5 to 8 yr old wants to eat 'lemon chicken'! Come on! Simple is best. And you can serve simple and still serve healthy food! Go back to the basics.

Here's the October menu for my kid's elementary school in Redmond, WA, if you're interested in seeing what a different school district offers:

Lake Washington School Dist. Elementary Lunch Menu (October 2011)

"Lemon Chicken" is not "sophisticated"

Nor do I particularly understand Josh's criteria for fruit sides. It's not like you're trying to match wines to the entree here...

[This message has been edited by Bridgier (10/13/2011)]

Why not get out of bed in the morning, make breadfast, pack a lunch and send them off.
There by, no reason to bitch about what they get at school.
Second, why the hell should the tax payers feed your kids anyway.
You had them, you take care of them.
Can't wait for the retorts.

How's the trolling biz, Jay?

I am not sure why people are complaining about this topic. My son eats hot lunch and when he doesn't like the lunch we buy him a lunchable. I sure like them offering the kids lunch and i believe it is cost effective for us. So i don't see the problem.

Trolling. Crapolla. Read the next comment. That should give you a clue.

The point, Jay, is the health and welfare of the children. That trumps all.

In Utopia, all parents are great parents and take care of their children in healthy, loving environments. We don't live in Utopia.

Do the research. Studies have proven time and time and time again that many children only eat one meal a day, if that. Perhaps, though, your pocket change is more important than the life of a child.

Oh, and know what you speak of before you open your mouth. Only the children in need qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The rest of the kids have parents who actually pay for the meal. So you, precious taxpayer, are not feeding most people's kids.

[This message has been edited by Mary B. (10/13/2011)]

Well said, Mary B., but Jay already knows that. He's just trolling to get a rise out of people. He couldn't possibly be so stupid as to actually believe that a hot lunch program is pointless and that the taxpayers are paying for every kid's lunch. Nobody is that dumb. Right, Jay?

David; Stick your trolling where the sun doesn't shine.
Mary B: I do agree with some of what you say. But I find that a majority of peoples hard times come thru bad choices.
True kids suffer to a point. But don't tell me. I grew up on the north side, dirt poor and went to Garfield.
At the same time we got,nothing nor expected anything but what we earned as a family. Never even thought of outside help.
Don't try to lay any guilt trips on me about pocket change.
Right now my wife and I semi support a mother in law ( who banged
out 5 kids that were not affordable) and a daughter and 3 boys thru no fault of hers that are on hard times.
You can go down town any night in Miles and see people that are poor, swill down there beer and cigs while kids are somewhere going with out. Again bad choices or screwed life styles.
Also don"t tell me that lowcost lunches are not partly paid for by tax payer.
When it's cost effective,as stated before, you figure it out.

I stand corrected.

Just keep in mind... it was the the northsiders who decided that school buildings were too expensive and forced the junior high to share space with the senior high back in the day.

That's Austerity thinking at its finest.

Well the bulls**t starts. Raised no kids in Miles town. Saved 2 bucks.
Space sharing I know nothing about or do I care. Much after my time in MC.
Anyway, thanks for letting me vent.

Space sharing I know nothing about or do I care. Much after my time in MC.

You must be older than God's dog.

Jay, really?

But I find that a majority of peoples hard times come thru bad choices.

How is it that a child's poor choices leaves him hungry?

But don't tell me. I grew up on the north side, dirt poor and went to Garfield.

Did you still have something to eat? I'm assuming yes. If so, I guess your parents did not make poor choices. Lucky for you.

At the same time we got,nothing nor expected anything but what we earned as a family.

You explain to me how the seven year old going hungry provides for himself.

Don't try to lay any guilt trips on me about pocket change.
Right now my wife and I semi support a mother in law ( who banged
out 5 kids that were not affordable) and a daughter and 3 boys thru no fault of hers that are on hard times.

Ah, I see. Your daughter is down on her luck through no fault of her own, but everybody else's bad luck is due to their poor choices. Got ya.

You can go down town any night in Miles and see people that are poor, swill down there beer and cigs while kids are somewhere going with out. Again bad choices or screwed life styles.

I see. So the solution is to penalize the parents by starving the children? Makes perfect sense.

Also don"t tell me that lowcost lunches are not partly paid for by tax payer.

I don't know, but the $2.50 per lunch seems more than adequate to pay for a child's meal when it is prepared in mass quantities.

Any other nonsense you care to add?

Jay- I pay for my kids lunches, thank you very much. I am up every morning, getting my kids ready for school, myself ready for my full-time job AND college, AND helping my husband get ready for him job. It would be nice to have basic foods on the menu, so i didn't have to worry about getting a lunch together. I grew up on school lunches (that my parents paid for!) that were simple, basic, well balanced foods. That is the point.

Bridger- Do you EVER shut up? To a 5 yr old, Lemon Chicken IS sophisticated.

These kids are looking for chicken strips, green beans, milk, ect. BASIC!

The reality is this: there are many kids out there who look forward to the school lunch program because it is the only decent meal they can expect for the day. That is not their fault, and they should not be punished or cut off from it.

Way to go MaryB.

Abbeyb: No.

My 4 year old would not eat a chicken strip, if given the choice. He would prefer the lemon chicken, or his favorite yellowtail sashimi. Thankfully, we educate our spawn at home and there are two menu choices: take it or leave it.

The items on those menus are better than the stuff I was fed at school - the only hot meal I could be guaranteed daily , due to my mother's ridiculously poor choices. I personally thank the tax payer for my free lunch; with it I received an education.

Socialism.

Forget catering to fussy eaters. Being allowed to grow up that way is a serious character flaw in my opinion. Nothing wrong with kids getting a little more "sophisticated", whether they like it or not.

Spoken like a parent with loads of experience raising kids, Levi. How many do you have?

Here we go, true sophistication:

Oh, and for Jay, I can buy a Lean Cuisine frozen meal on sale for $2 and give my kid a small glass of milk ($2.49/gallon) and feed my kid at home for less than the $2.50 at the school cafeteria. I must be getting ripped off by the school taxpayers.

I'm with Jade. Feed your kids something more than McDonald's fries and hot dogs. My teen's favorite food is sushi (although I wouldn't let her eat it until she was about 12. I'd be a bit leery about giving a 4 year old raw fish.)

I do have to say that I understand what they meant by sophisticated food being on the menu. I don't know how many times my nine year old has asked me "whats that?" and I have to explain in simple terms. But the truth is not every child or every parent will be satisfied with what is on the menu. So I guess like my husband says when the kids actually get hungry they will eat no matter what it is....

Lots of ginger and wasabi allay my fears- and knowing exactly where it came from. Our friend was the chef at the Naked Fish in SLC and gave us quite the sushi/sake education. Their beef is to die for, too, and I never thought I could choke down raw beef.

The 4yr old eats as much ginger and wasabi as an adult with reckless abandon. He likes grilled jalapenos on occasion, too.

There is a teen wallet friendly sushi place we liked in WVC at Valley Fair called Sushi Monster. The Dragon Roll is a must try.

For the I'm - not- afraid- to-drop-some-Benjamins-on -my-meal then I recommend lunch or dinner at the Naked Fish downtown.(I think it is at 1st or 2nd S and 3rd W) The raw beef (I can't think of the name, but ask for the certificate of the cow-its cool) and any of the sashimi or ngiri and a few bottles of sake or Japanese beer make for a great time. Don't go on the weekends, as it is packed with noisy college kids and it is a buzz kill.

Not related to school lunches at all but we were just in Bozeman and eat at Dave's Sushi. Very good, a large variety on the menu and even some things for none raw loves like fried chicken rolls. All tasty and the cheapest meal we had there.

Thanks for the info, Jade. We usually haunt Mizumi's in Sandy or sometimes Mikado or Ginza in Draper. Takashi was good also. At least my family says so. I won't eat raw fish. I'm a chicken, bawack, buk, buk, bawack!!!