Does your school lunch need a makeover? 

To build enthusiasm about their lunch makeover, the team at Watertown Public Schools in Watertown, CT, named their efforts “Operation Salad Bar!” Students eagerly awaited the debut of the new salad bar, which features a rainbow of colorful choices. Not only is the salad bar visually appealing, but most of the components are lower in sodium, too. Each week, a signature salad is offered, such as the Southwest Salad made with leafy greens, salt-free Cajun chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes, onions and tortilla chips. 

Makeover meals in action:

To get students interested in the new salad bar offerings, all grade levels at Watertown Public Schools in Watertown, CT, are given taste-tests of the new signature salads before adding them to the menu. Further, to give students the chance to see where their food is grown, the Agriculture Science class visited a local farm where some of the salad ingredients are sourced from. The salad bar has been such a hit that the only thing students complain about is how long the salad bar line can be! 

Learning new cooking skills was the first step of their lunch makeover at Trinity Lutheran School in Cedar Rapids, IA. Using grant funding from USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives, the nutrition team enrolled in cooking courses to learn how to develop lower sodium recipes. Students get a chance to try these new recipes and provide feedback on “Try It Tuesdays.”  New recipe favorites include breakfast pizza, roasted potatoes with fresh herbs, and cheese grits topped with turkey bacon. Students are excited about the menu makeover changes and look forward to voicing their opinions about school lunch.