School Lunch

First Lady Michelle Obama has been working on her Let's Move! campaign for some time now. Last Friday, June 4, she kicked off a new part of the initiative, the Chefs Move! to Schools program, which encourages chefs to pair with local schools to provide cooking and nutrition advice. Despite the stagnant, 90-degree weather, more than 500 hundred participants, clad in their chef's whites, gathered on the South Lawn of the White House. Among those who attended? Media mogul Rachael Ray, Top Chef head judge Tom Colicchio, Iron Chef Cat Cora, nutritionist Ellie Krieger, and chefs Marcus Samuelsson and José Andrés.
“Children consume as many as half of their daily calories at school, and with more than 31 million children participating in the National School Lunch Program and more than 11 million participating in the National School Breakfast Program, good nutrition at school is more important than ever,” Mrs. Obama said in her remarks. “Chefs have tremendous power as leaders on this issue because of their deep knowledge of food and nutrition and their ability to deliver these messages in a fun and delicious way and I want to thank them for joining the Chefs Move to Schools campaign.”

Check out the first lady's (somewhat lengthy) address, and pictures of who was there, after the jump.

On June 4, at the South Lawn of the White House, Michelle Obama will officially launch the new Chefs Move to Schools Program, a call to action for the nation's chefs to partner with local schools, giving cooking and nutrition advice to educators, parents, and kids.

Chefs Move to Schools is a part of the First Lady's larger Let's Move! campaign to fight childhood obesity. The initiative, which Mrs. Obama and Food Initiative Coordinator Sam Kass announced on May 13, plans to match chefs with nearby schools. Hoping to spread the word, the administration has also employed the help of respected professional organizations such as the IACP and National Restaurant Association.

I was really bowled over by the success of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and believe this similar concept has a lot of promise, especially with its grassroots approach. Are you excited about the new program?

Get your kids to eat like Apple and Moses Martin! Gwyneth Paltrow may be a queen of the big screen, but she also showcases her talents in the kitchen. Focused on health and very much a fan of Jamie Oliver's food revolution, the mom of two whips up healthy snacks. In today's Goop, the actress shared a trick — cut a sandwich wrap into pinwheels to make it look more appealing — and a recipe for wholesome granola bars that you can tuck into your child's lunch box.

To see the Iron Man 2 star's recipe for homemade granola bars, read more

If you can't fathom putting fast food into your body, then imagine what it must be like to eat lunch at one of our nation's public schools. According to an investigation by USA Today, when it comes to food safety, fast food chains such as McDonald's, Burger King, and Jack in the Box perform more diligence than the USDA does with the National School Lunch Program.

The top two burger chains test their ground beef five to 10 times more frequently than the USDA tests beef made for schools, and other chains, like Jack in the Box, set limits for bacteria in burgers that are 10 times more stringent than what the USDA sets for school beef. Reporters also found that the USDA has spent upwards of $145 million on spent-hen meat for schools — that's meat from old birds past their egg-laying prime that might otherwise go to compost or pet food.

In 2010, Congress will review the Child Nutrition Act, which oversees the National School Lunch Program. I've always supported initiatives like Slow Food's Time For Lunch Campaign, and now they seem more necessary than ever. Are you surprised by the standards for school lunch?

Breakfast sandwiches are popular with rushing mothers and their kiddos on the go! From egg filled bagels to bacon and cheese caught between an English muffin they fill the tummy up right. My son favors waffles sandwiches. The handy breakfast is easy enough for him to munch on in the car if he doesn't finish it before I have to shuttle him to school. While all the hearty meal involves is the simple assembly of two whole grain waffles (store bought or homemade) and a slathering of fresh peanut butter between them, I recently watched Big Daddy over at the Food Network make a more inventive recipe for his boy.

A twist on a sandwich Elvis Presley was famous for — peanut butter and banana, the cook takes buckwheat pancakes, adds the protein spread, sliced bananas and a drizzle of honey to make a morning sammie that can be finished in the afternoon if you pop it in your kiddo's lunchbox. While the flavors appeal to wee taste buds, its quick prep time makes it a dish mama can accomplish even if she isn't completely awake.
To get the recipe, read more