Just tried to blog from the BlogPress app and it ate my whole post!!! And even though I copied and pasted as a backup there was an error in that too 
I don’t have time for errors when I’m on the go!!
Lisa and I are doing an audit at a middle school today. These are fun because you get to see all the corners of a cafeteria hard at work! And all the kids too.
I love middle schoolers. They are still cute but old enough to have style and personality. Trends I noticed: side ponytails, HEADBANDS!!!, curled hair, and boots. And shaggy hair for the boyz. Oh, and suspenders 
The menu was good today. I like seeing a made-from-scratch, vegetarian entree being offered: broccoli and cheese soup! Made from real food. And those whole wheat rolls are sooooo good!
We’re heading to the office soon. And soon I’m going to need a snack!
{ 73 comments… read them below or add one }
aw too bad. i hate computers!
ps those are some super fashionable 12 year olds.
Unfortunately the soup isn’t vegetarian since it’s made with a chicken base. That’s been a tricky part of eating out since being veg. for me- forgetting that many vegetable soups use a non-vegetarian stock.
yeah i always hate it when brocolli cheese soup (which is DELICIOUS) is made with chicken stock. ruins it for vegetarians like me.
ooh I love broccoli cheese soup. cafeterias have come so far since I was in school! By the time I have kids in school, I bet it will be even better.
i love seeing the new fashion trends on middle schoolers!
Side ponytails!!??? YEssssss, those were the best, although I they always gave me headaches from the lop-sided feeling, haha.
Soup sounds good to me!
all the healthy from-scratch cooking in the schools is so impressive
The middle schoolers I teach (who live in quite an upscale neighborhood) are always sporting super skinny jeans and Ugg boots. Plus lots of Northface gear. I always feel awfully unstylish around them…
since i grew up in salisbury, i keep wondering what schools you are visiting! my mom taught at North Rowan and i went to West Rowan middle and high schools. I live in NYC now though! i am glad to hear you are enjoying your time there and not disliking the commute so much!
Awesome! I’ve been in North’s cafeteria a few times (that’s where I sampled the black beans!) and am going to West Middle on Thursday!!
oh neat!! this is cool to know, i will be on the lookout for familiar surroundings on Thurs.
Side Ponytails!?!?!!!! Gosh I feel old
hahaha side ponytails?! oh man, brings back memories.
that lunch looks terrific! i’m totally still a fan of side ponytails and headbands…you mean to say that actually went out of style?!?!?!
Aw, computer troubles are no fun.
I wouldn’t go back to middle school for any amount of money haha but it was definitely when people started developing individual styles.
Is that all disposable products? seems like a huge amount of trash every day!
I agree. It seems unbalanced to encourage healthy eating, and then ignor the unhealthy amount of disposable stuff being used. Seriously what happend to cafeteria trays?
your lunch looks good. I cant’ get over the fact that these lunchs are from a school cafeteria! the ww roll looks fabulous!
Bah bad luck on the post-losing – I go mad when my laptop does things like that, it seems such a waste!!
Side ponytails are back!? Well, you learn something new every day
Darn, chicken base in the vegetarian entree! The menu sure looks great though.
Middle school really is a great age! My oldest son is in 6th grade and you can really see how they pick their own styles at this age! It is also fun to see the trends that are going back around from when were kids.
School lunches sure have improved since I was a kid!
Sorry about all of the computer mishaps.. Although the soup looks halfway decent shouldnt there be whole wheat crackers served with it instead of all white enriched flour ones?
At least the veggies/fruit combination is on the right track..
Happy Lunching,
Ashley
Well there was a whole wheat roll. You gotta compromise sometime.
My 12 year old brother has the shaggiest hair known to man and it is a nightmare for my parents trying to get him to get it cut, haha.
I must be old because the fashion trends “du jour” are the ones that were in when I was that age. Yikes!
Side ponytails!?! Hello ’90′s!
Side ponytails and headbands were cool when I was in school too. Sigh.
Side ponys & suspenders?! The early 90′s are making a comeback, apparently!!
i love that you tried to have a back up – the mark of a true blogger! i lost my post one too many times before i started keeping a back up ready!
hair bows, Bleached jeans, and super exaggerated parts in hair are also huge right now in MS. I hate when stuff I write gets eaten.
Side ponytails are in again?!
I wish more guys our age would wear suspenders. I think they are hot. ahha.
oh no it’s never done that with me, I am so sorry don’t lose hope!
what a healthy school lunch! we definitely didnt have selections like that!
I love middle schoolers too. Their so unique!
Side ponytails! The 80s are back I tell you…
Lol. My dad taught middle schoolers for 40 years. He had a slightly different opinion than you. I do love the styles. Things just come right back around, don’t they?
I wear headbands every day- it’s sorta my trademark
Just picked up some awesome ones at Lacoste that were majorly on sale, so i’m rocking one today. I tried to bring back the side ponytail last year…maybe I actually succeeded?!?!?!? This is exciting!
OH my goodness – flash back to my middle school years! All they need are some teased bangs and tights with stirrups! And suspenders?!! No way!
Loving all the made from scratch goodness
Sorry bout the bloggie woes!
lol– I rocked a LOT of headbands in middle school. Glad to see that look is still going on. Did you happen to see any scrunchies, or bike shorts under skirts? If so, that might have been 7th grade me.
Love side ponytails! Low slung though, I couldn’t do the high-side ponytails. Haha cute middle school trend sightings. That food sounds delicious. Again, amazing food choices! Another vote for moving to Charlotte, our (future)kids would eat really well!
That’s it. Somebody’s wearing a side pony tomorrow.
Side ponytails and suspenders are two things I would not expect to see in a middle school. I rocked the side ponytails in middle school – guess they are coming back.
Looks like a great food selection- glad they have vegetarian options!
Augh, the frustrations of technology!
Glad your day is going well though!
I loved teaching that age group for the same reason. They were little fashion mavens.
I teach 8th graders, and I was shocked to see the things I used to wear! I told them all about tight-rolled jeans (remember those?!?!) and they looked at me like I was nuts. Just you wait…
I saw some girls I know last night who are in middle school and they are so fashionable compared to what I was like when I was there age. Beautiful nails, perfect hair and great clothes. Is it bad that I pick up style tips from them??!
Headbands I’ve seen (ever since Gossip Girl… Blair wears them all the time!) but side pony tails?!?! Really?? I thought that trend was retired!
Side ponytails… very funny! Love how styles always tend to “come back”!!
I have to say that the cafeteria food when my kids were in school was nothing like the district you are in. They food looks awesome! Middle school girls do some wild things with their hair, side pony tails? That was so 70′s!
Bummer about the hungry program
I love reading about your food service internship experience. I especially loved your highlight of the RoboCoup (my husband desperately wants one now!). When do you start your clinical internship?
Haha – took me a while to get the “hungry program” comment
Clinical starts in April!
im kind of confused ….all thi technical nutritional jargon! haha. what kind of internship are you doing exactly. after this, what happens? also, what happened with the great harvest opportunity? jw! i luv u and ur blog. i read all the blog but urs is the “classic” lol
xooo
Middle school. . . eek! I was NOT fashionable!
Honestly Kath – I do not know where you find these schools, because when I think of my high school breakfast options I think: bagels and sausage; and lunch options: personal cheese pizza pies, chicken nuggets, and hamburgers. TOTALLY no healthy options whatsoever. I think what you are doing is fantastic, and i wish I went to one of these high schools! Maybe I would not have gained 30 pounds my senior year! :X
Can’t believe side ponytails are back. Sigh
Suspenders?!
Kath, not sure if you saw this article on the NYTimes but I thought you’d be interested!
School lunch looks great!
So sorry to hear about the wordpress app. I was super psyched to learn about it but I’m totally skeptical now!!!
No, the WORDPRESS app is good. It was the BLOGPRESS one that ate my post! Blogpress lets you embed photos though so it’s “better” in that sense. Wordpress is more reliable – thus far.
I can’t believe you didn’t know headbands were back! Don’t you watch Gossip Girl and pick up on the style?
I thought I was the one who brought them back!! I wear them all the time, hence my excitement about the middle school girls wearing them too. I also rock side ponytails – just slight ones – from time to time.
But side ponytails are pretty bad. Yuck.
Sorry about the errors! Glad you got your post up because I loved reading about the kids’ styles! I love the idea of suspenders on young guys! Hawt!
Sorry about the errors! Glad you got your post up because I loved reading about the kids’ styles! I love the idea of suspenders on young guys!
D’OH about the chicken base!!!! I am clearly not a vegetarian!!
Oops, I maybe read that ingredients list as “lowfat fluid” and got a bit weirded out… then I saw the comma and all was right with the world! (Though I don’t really know why the word “fluid” seemed so bizarre. Maybe because I think of fluid as in “bodily”, not “edible”?
)
School lunch has clearly improved since my days in school!
middle school kids are one of my fave age groups to work with, too. they can be independent, but they aren’t too cool to listen to adults.
Glad to hear side ponytails are still around! I sported on this past weekend at my friend’s 30th birthday party (theme was an ’80s prom) not to mention all the ones I did on purpose way back when. Ha ha!