Make School Lunches Meatless, at Least on Monday!

 If your school hasn't implemented Meatless Monday yet, why not send your little one to school on Monday packed with a meatless meal?

Improving school lunches continues to be a spotlight topic with last Thursday's Senate passage of The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.  Supported by Michelle Obama's Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post last Monday, she stated that passing this bill would contribute greatly to the goals of her Let's Move Campaign – an effort to end childhood obesity in a generation.

Wrote Mrs. Obama about the Act: "It will set higher nutritional standards for school meals by requiring more fruits, vegetables and whole grains while reducing fat and salt. It will offer rewards to schools that meet those standards. And it will help eliminate junk food from vending machines and a la carte lines."

The bill also provides funding for schools to establish gardens, source local food, and allocates $1.2 billion to increase the number of children receiving food, an effort to meet President Obama's pledge to end childhood hunger by 2015. Of course the Hawaiian spirit of aloha 'aina has prompted many educators on the islands to move forward already with school gardens as detailed in previous posts here. We can be an example to the nation!

This is all positive. What I must point out, however, is that meatless meals are cheaper to produce and lead to less weight gain than meat-laden ones. Therefore an even bigger improvement would be for the bill to include Meatless Mondays as part of the change.

So until your child's school joins this important movement, do your part by packing a lunch with something as simple as meat-alternative slices, on sale at Down to Earth Mondays until September 6, 2010. A neighbor boy reported they taste better than the meat version when he tried a slice at our house!

Lightlife Smart Slices Roast Turkey, 6 oz. regularly 3.69 on sale for 2.49

Lightlife Smart Slices Bologna, 6 oz. regularly on sale for 3.69 2.49

Yves Veggie Bologna Low Fat, 5.5 oz. regularly 3.99 on sale for 2.69

Yves Veggie Salami Fat Free, 5.5 oz. regularly 3.99 on sale for 2.69

Yves Veggie Turkey Slices Low Fat, 5.5 oz. regularly 3.99 on sale for 2.69

Yves Veggie Ham Slices Fat Free, 5.5 oz. regularly 3.99 on sale for 2.69

I leave you with the Veggie Quote:

"My refusing to eat meat occasioned inconveniency, and I have been frequently chided for my singularity. But my light repast allows for greater progress, for greater clearness of head and quicker comprehension."

Benjamin Franklin

American statesman, inventor, (1706-1790)

Happy Monday!