Being a science girl at heart, I loved (re)learning about all the foodbourne illnesses this morning. Topics like receiving and sanitizing aren’t quite as interesting 😉 it’s easy to overreact when you hear about all if the pathogens, but I think (at home, not in foodservice!) a healthy immune system and mindful food handling practices are the best defence. When serving others, you gotta be perfect!
As much as I love regular oatmeal, I have an admission to make: Greek yogurt-based breakfasts hold me over longer. Probably the weight and protein. Another reason why cottage cheese + pumpkin oats are the best combo of satiety and flava!! I didn’t get hungy all morning and at 11:30 when lunch was served I was perfectly ready to eat.
Lunch was a pretty spread of sandwiches, cold salads, fruit, chips and cookies. I made healthy choices with a killer sandwich on ww bread with turkey, half a slice of cheese, lettuce, tomato, lots of pickles, mustard and a side of fruit. Plus a bite of oatmeal cookie 😉
(Can you believe these are iPhone photos!? Best Camera app rocks and Photoshop Mobile app rotates!)
Jessica @ How Sweet says
My blackberry takes great pics, too! They are practically better than my point and shoot.
Morgan @ Life After Bagels says
you really are super good at making healthy choices when you don’t have a packed lunch
Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg says
WOW– I’m going to have to download those apps! Thanks for sharing!
lol– I am definitely not a science girl at heart– arts and humanities, all the way! 🙂
Happy Thursday!
weekly bite says
What a great lunch variety! Love your Iphone pics 🙂
Katie@ Two Lives, One Lifestyle says
I’ve had my point and shoot break, tried out a new camera and didn’t like it, and now I am saving for a better one. All the while, I’ve been using my blackberry and while it’s not perfect, I’m often VERY impressed, especially when the lighting is good! Your iPhone pictures are impressive, and lunch is too!
Jenna says
Lunch looks so healthy and good!
The Paris Food Blague says
salut!
i agree about greek yogurt….it’s very filling, that protein! way to combine the best of both worlds.
yay for sanitation too—less sexy than greek yogurt, maybe,but important!
a bientot
-The Paris Food Blague
Jessica @ The Process of Healing says
Yummy looking lunch!!
And I agree about the Greek Yogurt. I generally rely on oats for breakfast because I love them like nothing else but if I know I won’t be eating for a while, i’ll have overnight oats or some other form of yogurt to keep me full for hours.
Karla says
Wow those are great photos for an iphone!
I put greek yogurt in my oatmeal 🙂 Delish!
Adrien says
I’m on the fence whether yogurt does the trick for me yet. I used to do it, but recently switched my school day brekkies to oats.. I’ve been loving the whole grains in the morning and moved my yogurt to be an avo snack (which holds me over till dinner).
I’m not too sure about PB2 either, but I really think Better N PB is a bit strange, especially for people who are trying to eat whole foods– lot’s of ingredients in that bad boy.
megan says
i’m so impressed that you can resist all the cookies and chips! that’s the worst for me at lunchtime…i always choose the healthy sandwich, and then eat the junk too 🙂
Foy Update - Cook. Garden. Write. Repeat. says
Those fruit trays look amazing. I might have skipped the sandwich part altogether and just loaded up with fruit. Okay I’d want a half sandwich too, but it would have to sit on top of my fruit pile.
Ameena says
What a great buffet, and you made such good choices!
ashleigh says
Thos are awesome iphone pics! I am def going to get that app.
Elisa says
Love your site, have never commented before but your pumpkin pie yogurt recipe has inspired my daily breakfast since october and is the best of oats and greek yogurt:
steel cut oats made per package instructions with flax or chia seed and cinnamon added at end, top with your pumpkin pie yogurt recipe (using greek yogurt) and kashi 7 grain puffs. It is almost like a cream pie with an oatmeal ‘crust’ and keeps me full through lunch. I have replaced the pumpkin with cranberry sauce, blueberries, peaches, etc. depending on what I have. Thanks for the inspiration!
Kath says
Mmm!
Natalie says
Yum. What a tasty looking spread!
Ash @ Good Taste. Healthy Me says
Sweet photos! You’re so right. All that info can definitely make you paranoid. I took a “Germs” class in college and they basically scared you everyday with the fears of meningitis!
Sara says
Yum – that food looks super good. Those are really good pics!
Heather says
What a great looking lunch – that fruit selection is beautiful!
Brittany says
Wow! Those are great pics! I need to get me an iphone! 🙂
Chelsea says
I’m downloading those apps now! Thank you!!!
Sara says
you must be working for one extremely well funded school district, kath. between the lunches they are providing their staff and what they are doing at the schools themselves, they seem to have a lot of resources most municipalities would kill for. i hate to say it (although you have expressed this yourself as well) but i don’t think your internship is giving you a really great perspective on the challenges facing most school systems. it seems to me that the people in charge of the internship program hshould also assign several weeks in a poor inner-city or rural location to give you “both sides of the story” if they were really interested in giving their internees the best possible knowledge for the workforce.
Kath says
I think that is a really unfair comment. The school system I am working for IS rural – an hour outside of Charlotte. They work with $2.65 per student per lunch. Parts of it are extrememly high free/reduced meals. They don’t have a lot of money coming in from any special fund. What they DO have is incredible leadership that cares about nutrition and is willing to take a stand against packaged and profitable “traditional” cafeteria foods to get more fresh stuff in the schools. Today’s lunch was a catered event, but the food is all foods from the cafeteria. Tuesday’s catered lunch was prepared in the cafeteria from foods that came from the USDA. This school system is amazing because of the minds behind it, and I am really lucky to be placed with them. It probably says something that they are willing to take on a dietetic intern (which is hard to do and doesn’t provide any compensation to them.)
Heather says
that food looks so yum! I love my iphone camera, I wa sjust saying the other day how good of pictures it takes!
Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats says
Camera phones have come so far these days – my blackberry takes photos that seriously are comparable to my old point and shoot!
Spread looks amazing – and making me crave some fresh fruit, yummm!!!!
JENNA says
This lunch looks so good! 🙂
Kati @ Living Well says
Those photos DO look good! I want an IPhone for my b-day 🙂
Heather @ Health, Happiness, and Hope says
OMG, that spread is just fabulous! And I’m totally impressed by the picture quality. I have a Blackberry now and don’t use it for pictures, but I’m really surprised by how well yours turned out!
Lauren @ Eater not a runner says
I can’t believe those are iPhone pics. Mine look terrible compared!
Erin (Travel, Eat, Repeat) says
Great iPhone pics — definitely need to get those apps and try ’em out!
Mara @ What's For Dinner? says
Yeah, my BB takes pictures so good that most people don’t even notice the difference if i don’t point it out! Looks like a great lunch!
Freya @ foodfitnessandfreya.wordpress.com says
What a beautiful spread!
Gosh your iPhone takes photos 10 x clearer than my digital camera! Maybe I need to invest…
I find cottage cheese or greek yogurt holds me over for ages too…but then oatmeal tastes the best!
lynn (The Actors Diet) says
those are some great pix – i should tell my hubby to download that app.
Danielle (Coffee Run) says
Your phone takes some really nice pics! Everything looks so pretty 🙂
Allison K says
that fruit tray is so pretty!
Julie @savvyeats says
Nice pics!! I haven’t been hungry for lunch at ALL today, but now after looking at your’s, I think I will finally eat mine.
Angela (The Lady Loves to Eat) says
wow I need to check those apps out! Sometimes I have to take pictures with my iphone and they look like poo but those look great! great job avoiding the cookies 🙂
Niki says
I find the opposite for me! Oats keep me full way longer than a Greek yogurt brekkie! Funny! To eash their own I suppose!
Anna says
Hey Kath- I don’t know if you’ve seen this but I think you’ll find this interesting… http://www.mnn.com/food/dining-out/blogs/an-interview-with-school-lunch-blogger-mrs-q
Kath says
I’ll check it out!
Anne Marie@New Weigh of Life says
Lunch looks so delicious!
Jenn (www. j3nn.net ) says
That sandwich does look GOOD! 🙂
Jenn
Heather (Heather's Dish) says
i love that app on the iPhone! makes it so much easier if i forget the camera when we go out 🙂 i LOVE learning about pathogens and whatnot…especially the gross stories. is that weird? 🙂
Mae @ OhhMay says
I completely agree- when you’re serving food to other people, 1 degree in the danger zone means it’s time to start from scratch. I heart learning about pathogens too!! 🙂
Mandy @ University Cooking says
Yeah you have to be super careful when serving other people.
And i find oatmeal keeps me more full. Maybe I’m just the opposite.
Erin says
Look at all those pickles! LOVE!
Kelly says
Mm that food looks so good! It’s great that you can make your own sandwich and add anything you want. I am a huuge pickle fan as well!
Courtney says
I’ve been using your tip lately of not adding cheese to a sandwich if I know the flavor will get lost in the other ingredients. It is a good way to control fat content. I’d rather add some extra avocado for texture anyways!
Great job on the heatlhy choices on the go!
Courtney
adventures in tri-ing
Hillary @ Nutrition Nut on the Run says
I was ServSafe certified in ’07 and am excited to get recertified this semester – nerd alert!
Meagan says
AUGH – I love that fruit platter!!!!!
Joanne says
Hi Kath! I’ve been reading your blog since this past summer but I didn’t have a blog (until today!) so I never commented. So this is me, de-lurking, and saying hi! Love the blog! I’m also loving your posts about your internship. I am studying to be a teacher (this is my last semester) and I would love to see more healthy foods in our school’s cafeterias! Keep up the good work!
Kath says
thanks for your comment!
Tay says
Oh ServSafe…brings back memories haha. It really is important to be aware. I can’t get over how many people think it’s okay to leave out pizza for hours and overnight, and then just microwaving it makes it safe to eat! Makes me cringe.
Jil says
Mmm, the lunch looks awesome! and seriously, that app has made a world of difference in the phone photo quality. awesome!!
Alison says
foodsafe means a lot to me because
my sister was a total stickler for that kind of thing –
she got the highest score on her
foodsafe certificate than anyone that year. 🙂
i confess i’m a bit of a germophobe myself…
interesting note about the greek yogurt filling you up more satisfactorily.
i like the look of oikos but we don’t get it here in canada! 🙁
i have 2% yogurt with breakfast every morning,
and i top it with raw oats,
among other things
(NUT BUTTER!!!).
it definitely fills me up,
almost to the point of needing to wait until 1:30 for lunch!
Annie says
Hey Kath,
Just wanted to tell you how much I love your blog.
I was on yumsugar.com and I came across this pic of your carrot cake oatmeal. I instantly recognized it as your pic b/c of the cute placemat and also b/c I’ve tried it before!
http://www.yumsugar.com/7115290#read-more
Kath says
Thanks for the link!! Glad someone gave me a bit of credit 🙂
Catherine says
That fruit spread looks amazing!! Although I can’t say I loove learning about foodbourne illnesses, I certainly think it is important this to be cognizant of at all times!
Tami says
What beautiful food trays. Love reading your blog and seeing your awesome pictures.
Mary (Food Fit & Fun) says
wow I can’t believe the spread you guys have for lunch…that is so awesome, I’d be in heaven! Who exactly is that lunch for?
Kath says
About 30 lead cafeteria staff during ServSafe training.
Katharine says
VERY impressive spread! I could eat that whole fruit tray. 😉
Jessica Lee says
I am so jealous of all the fresh foods you had! I would have been all over that fruit plate though. Forget the sandwiches 🙂
Deanna - The Unnatural Mother says
NOW that’s a spread!!
Susan says
Kath, I am really enjoying getting the inside perspective on school cafeterias from your experiences, thank you so much for sharing and caring! I’m a mom to two grade schoolers and we are really making an effort to focus on healthy lunch choices. My youngest was so proud that he chose a fruit salad at school today! Your blog has really inspired me to step up my game with our family’s meals. I’m even doing Kath-inspired oatmeal in the mornings, this week we did pina colada! OHH… the big news, tonight we had kale chips and my two young’uns LOVED them! So did hubster and I!! I can’t believe how the kale is so easily transformed. Anyway, just wanted to say THANKS cuz I know it must be hard to blog and be so busy… lurv the blog!
Kath says
How fun 🙂
Sara says
kath,
i’m sorry if my remark came off as unfair — apparently i underestimated the commitment of the school system…it taught me a lesson that maybe some of these other schools are using finances as an excuse for commitment. to bring healthy changes into our nation’s classrooms/lunchrooms. i do believe that it is easier to be healthy if you have more money, but your experience might just give me hope that it’s not impossible in other situations.
Kath says
🙂
Spiceaholic says
Those really are great iPhone pictures! Thanks for the heads-up on the two apps, I’ll have to check them out.
Andrea@CeleryInTheCity says
Do you ever count calories? I was wondering about how calorie heavy oatmeal might be…for some reason,I’ve always been taught to stray away from carby breakfasts and my love for oatmeal was pushed aside.
Just wanted to add..my mom works at a freshman center (she’s the cook for the teachers) and when I was home for winter break, I showed her the picture of you making oatmeal while I was reading the blog and she got so excited..she’s got the same machine at her school too! It seems so similar to what she does at her work, she even told me HER oatmeal recipe for the kids.
Kath says
I don’t count much anymore, but my bowls are usually 400-500 calories. Don’t be afraid of carbs! You need whole grains for energy for the day – esp. for your brain which relies completely on glucose to function.
Cool that your mom uses the same technique!
Christy says
Those pictures ARE good! Technology is amazing 😛 And I know what you mean about freaking over the pathogens… I was a germaphobe after Microbiology lab!