Small Schools Offer Great Meal Deals

As a very proud Montanan, I am thrilled to share a very tasty example of what the Treasure State offers students in one of our smaller districts.

In a small town near the Montana/Idaho border, Lolo School District Foodservice Director Linda Free has been making whole grains the norm for many years. As a proud winner of a HealthierUS School Challenge Gold Award in 2007, Linda and her team serve meals that meet highest nutrition standards, while also meeting their customers' desire for great taste. This lunch rocks with a Confetti Quesadilla, Fresh Baked Potato Wedges, Romaine Salad/Dressing, Fresh Watermelon Wedge, Whole Wheat Sugar Cookie, and Choice of Skim or 1% Milk. The quesadilla includes low-fat mozzarella and cheddar cheese, black beans, and red pepper pieces on a whole wheat tortilla -- just one of many whole grains on the Lolo menu.

According to Linda, "I can always expect a large count on the day we serve these."

And, what's for lunch at Deer Trail School 26J, a very small district on the eastern plains of Colorado? Try homemade Shepard's Pie, Cheesy Biscuits, and a salad bar filled full of fresh veggies and fruit - a delicious, nutritious lunch enjoyed by everyone from the kindergartens to Seniors Citizens.

Don't tell Brenda Geesen, the cook at Deer Train for 14 years, that school lunches can't taste like home and be served with love! She serves between 150 to 165 everyday for lunch, and around 40 for breakfast, including the Senior Citizens who receive three free meals a week.

Her proudest moment was "when a third grade class was going on a field trip the same day as I was serving spaghetti. The students didn't want to go because they wanted to eat spaghetti for lunch."