Well, I am glad that homeschoolers can make their own daily lunch choices, but who really thinks very much about the beauty of selecting your own lunch items? Not me. Sometimes I might even think of it as a chore. I do have a different view after reading a recent article from the Chicago Tribune about a Chicago school that does not allow students to bring their own lunch to school, eve, unless they have a medical excuse. (Read all three Pages.) They have to eat what the school provides, and pay for it too, because kids are not allowed to bring a lunch... they have to be protected from "unhealthful" food choices.
Now, as a mom, I understand the concept. I have told my kids," Eat your veggies" and "No dessert while your dinner is still on your plate!" This situation is more than protecting children, it is about business and control. You can bet that businesses bank on partnering with school lunch programs and that schools get federal funding for each free or reduced priced lunch it serves. If kids do not eat in the cafeteria and do bring lunches from home, business' suffer and lunch revenue at the school is loss.
The official word though, from Principal Cameron, is: "Nutrition wise, it is better for the children to eat at the school." and "It's about the nutrition and the excellent quality food that they are able to serve (in the lunchroom). It's milk versus a Coke."
Okay... got me there. We might all be convinced now. I mean, don't you know that it is healthier for kids to drink "milk" instead of a "Coke."
Some homeschooled kids should do a study on that. It might not be so true if all our milk gets radiated from the recent nuclear disater in Japan. But if you do think about it, you could almost justify it in some respect. I mean you would alleviate those lunch trades, you kow, kids who trade sandwiches and are not getting the nutrition their parents sent th There would be not chocking hazards....like grapes or hot dogs or pretzels and maybe less waste for the lunch staff in the kitchen, forseeable purchasing practices, fewer leftovers to deal with on those days when not enough students purchase lunch at school.
But, lets think again and think about the beauty of freedom to eat what you like and what you can afford. How willing would you be to let someone dictate your choice of food and then force you to pay for it as well, whether you liked it or not? How would you like to have your choices disrespected and be told you were incapable of making the politically correct food choice on your own.
Really.
It is shocking to think that most of the parents, teachers and school officials think nothing of it and are doing it. Well, at least it is shocking to some people. It is certainly shocking to the kids who often will throw away the food they are given and go hungry instead.
I say, Hooray for homeschool lunches!
Leave a comment... post your favorite homeschool lunch there!
Lisa B.
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[u]Ramen Noodles[/u]
ReplyDeleteRamen Noodles are great! My kids love em. They are cheap, easy to make and versatile too. Besides it is a sort of cultural study to eat Ramen Noodles, at lest once in a while, for lunch.
One time someone told me they were worried because all the students in colleges studying to be doctors and lawyers and important people like that, were eating nothing but Ramen noodles. I thought it was kinda funny to badmouth a food that doctors in training live off of while going to school. I mean, I understand the carbs and the sodium really are not good to eat, certainly not all of the time, but on occasion,let's face it, they are cheap, easy to make, easy to store and yummy. For college kids, Ramen is apparently some sort of mysterious brain food.
So, here is how you make Ramen noodles:
Go to store and get 10 for a dollar when they are on sale. Stock up!
Heat some water in a pan on the stove to boiling. Open Ramen Package and read instructions while your water boils.
Insert noodles into the pan of now boiling water, reserving the little packet that comes with it in the wrappers. You might want to plan now to use only use half of the seasoning... it will help make your nutritionally deficient Ramen more healthy.
Ramen only takes three minutes to "cook" and just so you know, they are already cooked when you purchase them, so you CAN eat them straight from the package and not worry about eating raw noodly things. (I use Ramen noodles in "Fumi" Chinese Cabbage Salad" sometimes.)
Pour cooked noodles into a bowl.... open seasoning packet and pour into noodle soup... then mix and eat. If you are health conscious and not into the mono sodium glutamate and high sodium content, dump the packet and use any flavoring you like It is that simple. The noodles themselves, if you don't mind the carbohydrates in them, are delicious!
You can make Ramen in the microwave too. Just put the noodles into a bowl, fill the bowl with about a cup of water...enough to cover the noodles and microwave for about 2 min. (Some people in my house do 2, some do 3, depending on if you like them crunchier or softer.) Watch the microwaves while your Ramen cooks. (Safety, when cooking, is important in the kitchen..)
My kids hate it, but I like to add frozen veggies to my Ramen, or while it is cooking I will crack and egg over it, making a sort of "egg drop soup". Also I like to drain lot of water and make more of a noodle dish that I put chopped green onions, chopped celery and sesame seeds on... topped with chili sauce.
I do not eat Ramen too much, my kids make it more often than I do. Maybe it is because they are almost college age and it does seem to work wonders for those students studying to be doctors and lawyers. These homeschooled kids have to be prepared for culture shock of no home cooking when they are away at school. They best be prepared.
HA!
[b]Need more Ramen Noodle REcipes? [/b]
Try:
[url]http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/college-life/ramen-noodle-recipes/[/url]
and
[url]http://www.ramenlicious.com[/url]
and
[url]http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/08/09/ramen-noodle-recipes-for-college-campus-cooking/[/url]