A few of the best stories spied elsewhere on the Web this week:
Much to the dismay of the meat industry, the Baltimore Public School System has instituted Meatless Mondays on the lunch line in an effort to reduce students' intake of cholesterol and saturated fats.
Building on the success of "Top Chef," Bravo plans to launch "Top Chef: Just Desserts," a competitive show for pastry chefs. They have yet to release the planned panel of judges or the host.
Jelly Belly announced a new line of beverages called Jelly Belly Gourmet Soda to be sold in 4-packs in popular jelly-bean flavors Sour Cherry, Lemon Drop, Crushed Pineapple and Blueberry.
Still looking for Halloween costume inspiration? Check out this slideshow of celeb chefs and dress accordingly -- will you choose tattooed arms or the traditional chef's coat?
Restaurants: The meatpacking district's Standard Grill suffers some dining hiccups but is still a solid food experience, the Village's Joseph Leonard has "flashes of daylight" in otherwise so-so fare and Brooklyn's Bark Hot Dogs rests between chic eats and fast food.
Following in the footsteps of her famous father, talk show host Montel Williams, 14-year-old Wyntergrace Williams has taken to the airwaves to solve other people's problems. But instead of counseling couples or advising addicts like Montel has done, the younger Williams is advocating for vegetarian meal options in public schools.
Williams' promo spot debuted last night during ABC Family's show "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." The 30-second PSA is part of a campaign to urge Congress to amend the Child Nutrition Act to include more vegetarian and vegan options in public school lunches. The CNA is up for reauthorization this year.
According to healthyschoollunches.org (the site that Williams is working with), though some schools are able to offer innovative school lunches that include numerous vegan and vegetarian options, some of which are even environmentally sustainable, many schools only meet the bare minimum nutrition requirements set forth by the CNA.
Did you know that this week is National School Lunch Week? Oh yes, Serious Eats posts that The Healthy School Lunch Campaign has decided that this is the week to praise and give love to the world of school lunches.
To me, that means Adam Sandler's "Lunchlady Land," which you can see above. While the lunch ladies of my youth didn't quite look like Chris Farley, they DID have similar 'dos and uniforms.
This week is also meant to bring awareness to the food that gets consumed, but no matter how important healthy food is, I feel a wave at nostalgia for the lunches that made me love those terrible, moist squares of pizza, huge piles of PB&J, and gave me a neverending love of sweet peas smushed into mashed potatoes. Share your cafeteria (and lunch lady!) memories in the comments!
We're heading into the waning days of summer now. With just a couple of short weeks to go before Labor Day, it's time to start thinking about school lunches. While I don't have any little ones to send off to school quite yet, I know that lots of you do. When I spotted this Lunchbag Round-up over at Teensygreen, I knew it was just the sort of thing that Slashfood readers would be interested in.
They've taken the time to search for lunchboxes of all shapes and sizes in order to help you find the perfect lunch storage devise for your kids. Several of these boxes would be great for grown ups too, as you're never too old to bring your midday meal along with you.
On the days that I stay at work for lunch, I carry my meal in a combination of jars and reusable plastic containers, tucked snugly into a zippered, insulated bag in which someone once mailed me cheese. For those of you who often bring your lunch with you, what's your preferred way to transport your food?
When I was a kid, I wasn't a picky eater, but I was difficult when it came to school lunches. I hated buying lunch at school, but I wasn't a big fan of sandwiches, mostly because of the squish factor. I also got tired of things easily, which made it hard for my mom to keep track of acceptable lunch bag contents. I really liked taking yogurt and granola to school, but I got teased mercilessly for having food that seemed too healthy (you must remember that we're talking about the late eighties here, when eating locally and organically was not the norm).
Cookbook author Keri Fisher currently has a post up over at Culinate that addresses the question of the lunch box. She talks of her own struggles making lunches for the kids in her household and offers a few of her suggestions for successful and kid-approved meals. I particularly like her Frog in a Bog Muffins, as they are essentially a healthy version of a corn dog. And who doesn't like corn dogs?
Some parents are worried about the security of their children's information. Me? I'm just worried that children will forget how to remember things. Like numbers.
There's still a little time left before kids have to head off to school, which means that you might still be packing a lunch. Without debating whether or not kids should be packing their own lunch - which depends entirely on whether they realize the value of having a meal that is more than Pringles and chocolate chip cookies - MSN has a list of foods that you might want to tuck into that brown paper bag on a school day. Most are convenience foods, but they are convenience foods that are healthy choices. Their suggestions include:
Propel Calcium, for a healthy dose of calcium that doesn't need to be refrigerated
Yves Veggie Deli Slices, which are soy-based (meatless) and low in fat and come in many varieties for sandwiches
100 calorie packs of pretzels, crackers, chips and cookies
Don't forget to include a piece of fruit or some raw veggies and dip (hummus or black bean, which doesn't need to be refrigerated) so the kids get something fresh in their lunch, too. In fact, why not include some in your own lunch box?
I'm not sure if LunchBox software will help solve child obesity, but it can't possibly make things worse.
Some school districts in South Carolina will start using LunchBox this school year. Parents will be able to track their kids eating habits and restrict what their children eat. The system works by issuing students PIN numbers that are entered each time a purchase is made. Mom and Dad can then monitor junior's purchases from home.
From looking at the company's website LunchBox seems to be a POS/inventory/ordering/sales tracking solution that's trying to get parents in the loop.That's all well and good, but parents can't possibly track everything their kids eat at school. My folks never knew about the pints of Ben & Jerry's I scarfed during my free period in high school.
The Namaste school, located in a Chicago neighborhood that is dominated by minority students, faces obesity rates in children that are three to four times the national average. The school was conceived to address two of the most difficult educational and public health issues facing today's low-income, minority urban children -- lack of access to high-quality public education and childhood obesity. The word "namaste" is a common yoga term that is Hindu for "my inner light salutes your inner light." The school seeks to provide an environment that nourishes both the mind and the body of children.
Namaste uses a complete immersion approach. Training in health and nutrition and regular physical activity are integral components of the entire academic curriculum. The following are just some examples of what the school is doing:
Walking School Buses - human-powered train that safely walks children to school
Nutritious breakfasts
Morning Movement exercises include stretches and yoga poses
Students get a full hour of gym as well as outside reces
Teachers build physical activity into lessons on reading, writing and arithmetic
Nutrition is taught in the classroom
In the cafeteria, a "creation station" at lunch is stocked with fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains
Parents get involved by receiving training in nutrition and having access to a weekly farmers market that Namaste sets up in the school.
Looks like school lunches are finger-lickin' good. Or finger-scannin' good, that is.
There's still a little time left before kids have to head off to school, which means that you might still be packing a lunch. Without debating whether or not kids should be packing their own lunch - which depends entirely on whether they realize the value of having a meal that is more than Pringles and chocolate chip cookies - 
I'm not sure if 
With childhood obesity at the front of everyone's minds, schools are under a great deal of pressure to be part of the solution. A 
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