School lunches leaving a better taste in kid’s mouths

“Michelle Obama stole my chips!” my son said after school one day.

Before you start judging me for allowing my kids to eat chips, please know that my sons are both underweight and also eat fruit like candy.

I noticed changes to the school lunch menu last year: French fries were served only about once per month, as opposed to once per week.

This school year the menu reads more like a wedding banquet feast: spaghetti with meat sauce, warm garlic toast, tossed salad with ranch dressing and fresh apple slices.

I can’t say I disagree with the school lunch menu changes implemented by Mrs. Obama. Healthier options are a move in the right direction.

But, where were Mrs. Reagan and Mrs. Bush when I was in school? Hillary … ? I survived on a Little Debbie Fudge Round and a Cherry Coke for lunch most days (shh … don’t tell my mom). Why? Because it was available and I liked it.

My sons are going to school and opting to buy their lunches this year because they are getting orange chicken, fried brown rice, an egg roll, chilled mandarin oranges and a fortune cookie as opposed to the PB&J sandwich made — with love — by Mom.

I’m considering heading to the school for lunch, too.

Some things haven’t changed though. Friday is still pizza day with the alternative option of a fish sandwich (I bet the fish are pretty safe) and chicken nuggets are still on the menu at least twice in the five-week rotation. Although, now they are served with some sort of veggie.

My dilemma comes at dinnertime. How do you follow a lunch of a BBQ rib sandwich, a baked potato with butter, crisp tossed salad and apple slices?

My standard pigs-in-a-blanket just isn’t making the grade anymore.

“What? Not hungry? Here, have some chips, too … ”

Thank goodness my should-have-been-a-gourmet-chef husband cooks most of our evening meals.

I’m perfectly content cleaning up the kitchen because my kids will actually eat things like black beans, salad and pretty much whatever concoction their dad prepares. Thus, on chicken-sandwich-with-steamed-black-beans-and-corn-day at school, I know they will actually eat.

Not to say they wouldn’t like a bag of chips with along with it, but at least they won’t go through the rest of their day hungry.

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