Right Bites
Building a Better Lunch

As your kids head back to school, are you concerned about what’s being served in the cafeteria—or even by what you’ve been packing in their lunchboxes? This year, let Whole Foods Market take you beyond the brown bag as you send your kids off with healthy lunch options that feed their bodies and fuel their minds.

You strive to give your children all the tools they need to succeed in school, but have you looked closely at what they’re eating during the day? You may be doling out dollars for cafeteria lunches that are packed with preservatives instead of nutrients (or your kids may be spending their lunch money on snacks you don’t even know about), or perhaps both you and your youngsters are tired of dealing with the same afternoon meal day after day.

It’s a problem most families face. That’s why Whole Foods Market launched its School Lunch Revolution; the grocer, in partnership with Chef Ann Cooper, “The Renegade Lunch Lady,” is committed to transforming the school lunch experience by helping schools switch from processed foods to fresh, natural ingredients. Together they have also opened The Lunch Box (www.thelunchbox.org), an online resource for promoting better school lunches and improved diets and nutrition. With a little homework (your kids have their assignments; now you have yours!) and some creativity, you’ll be able to send your kids to school with more than just a boring brown bag or a fistful of dollars; you’ll be able to send them on the right path to nutrition.
The new school year is the perfect time to revamp your food curriculum, or bump up familiar concepts with a fresh perspective.

When packing your kids’ lunches this year, consider these tips from Whole Foods.

• Choose meat, poultry, and dairy products with no added hormones or antibiotics. Read labels carefully, or choose organics to be sure.


• Fish around for safer, more sustainable seafood. Know the source. Ask about mercury content. And when buying farm-raised fish, look for no added hormones or antibiotics.


• Trade hydrogenated oils and trans-fats for healthier fats, like those found in olives, nuts and nut butters, avocados, seeds, eggs, and certain types of fish.


• Favor fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly organics, and eat a rainbow of colors.


• Skip the artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and sweeteners. Savor the taste of unadulterated real foods instead.


• Lighten up on refined sugar. Satisfy a sweet tooth with fresh or dried fruit, or with such sweeteners as agave, honey, maple syrup, pureed fruit, and other natural, unrefined alternatives.


• Avoid high-fructose corn syrup. It’s in foods where you may be surprised to find it, so always check the label.


• Opt for whole grains instead of white flour. You’ll get more fiber, and, in many cases, more protein and essential vitamins.


• Say no to genetically modified organisms when you can. The easiest way to avoid them is to choose organic.


• Nix foods laden with nitrates, which belong to a class of chemical compounds that have been found to be harmful to humans and animals.

Healthy Alternatives

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS
(makes 2 cups)

Ingredients
1 small pumpkin (about 2 cups seeds)
4 cups water
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• Heat oven to 250°F.


• Wash exterior of pumpkin and slice open. Remove seeds, discarding stringy fiber. Pick through seeds and remove any that are split. Rinse seeds well.


• In a medium pot, bring water and salt to a boil. Add seeds and boil for 10 minutes. Drain, spread on a paper towel, and pat dry.


• In a medium bowl, toss seeds with oil. Spread on a cookie sheet and place the sheet in the preheated oven. Roast seeds for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes until crisp and golden brown, being careful not to burn. Cool seeds, then shell them or eat them whole. They will become crispier as they cool.


• For spicy pumpkin seeds, add ½ teaspoon each of garlic salt, cumin, coriander, and cardamom to seeds and oil before roasting.


• For sweet pumpkin seeds, add 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon, cloves, and ginger and 1½ tablespoons of dark brown sugar to seeds and oil before roasting.

Nutrition
Per ½ cup serving: Calories, 100; total fat, 4 g (1 g saturated fat); protein, 4 g

PIZZA PALS
(serves 2)

Ingredients
1 whole-wheat English muffin, split and lightly toasted
2 tablespoons pizza sauce
2 slices mozzarella or provolone cheese
2 tablespoons chopped pitted black olives, roasted red peppers, or other pre-cooked vegetables

Method
Preheat broiler. Spread each muffin half with some of the pizza sauce. Fold under the corners of each cheese slice and place one on top of each muffin half. Top with olives or peppers and cook just until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. (Watch carefully if broiling so cheese doesn’t burn.) Let cool briefly before serving.

Nutrition
Per ½ muffin: Calories, 150; total fat, 6 g (2.5 g saturated fat); protein, 9 g

(serves 2)

Ingredients
1 8” whole-wheat tortilla
1 leaf of green-leaf lettuce
1 oz. thinly sliced smoked turkey
2 slices American or cheddar cheese
6 thin slices cucumber
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 to 2 tablespoons ranch dressing

Method
Arrange tortilla on a large plate. Top with lettuce, turkey, cheese, cucumbers, and tomatoes, then drizzle with dressing. Roll up and serve. (If not eating for several hours, pack ingredients separately in a lunch box to roll up at lunchtime, or serve the dressing on the side to avoid having a soggy wrap at meal time.)

Nutrition
Calories, 450; total fat, 27 g (9 g saturated fat); protein, 22 g