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I like chocolate cheesecake with a good strong cup of black coffee.

Kendall

I volunteered to make the rolls and dessert for our Easter family dinner. I think I've just about decided on white cupcakes (will probably use a mix) with a decadent chocolate (homemade) frosting. I want to use a decorator set and make a big vertical swirl on the cupcakes with the frosting. Then top with pastel Jelly Bellys and maybe a little green-tinted coconut. I know you said your chocolate dessert didn't need to appeal to the younger set, but this seems easy, tasty and festive. HTH.
Kendall

This is my first posting at SE, so I hope it works. Until 7 weeks ago I was the cafeteria manager for a largish high school in a semi-largish city.

We served at least four entrees daily at lunch and students had unlimited access to the salad/fruit bar (not unlimited in the sense that they could take six apples home for their mother to make a pie; unlimited in the sense as to what they could eat for school lunch.) In order for schools to recieve monies from the federal government they do have to comply with calorie/fat/transfat proportions for meals. There are standards. Admittedly, a lot of the entree food is processed, but it is probably healthier than any fast food that we routinely feed to our children.

I can't speak for other school districts, but we sold no ala carte (read junk food) items, except for whole fruit juices and waters. Our salad bar consisted of a daily mix of iceberg/spinach/carrot salad, at least one fresh fruit (usually two), canned fruit and usually a two or three assortment of raw vegetables, sometimes canned.

My district is 'up-to-date' on this issue. We have once or twice a month local food promotions in the cafeteria. Sometimes even a whole meal. However...those meals are expensive!

It seems like there could be a compromise. Maybe ask school districts to provide a variety of fresh/processed fruits and vegs and have training on how to attractively present them to students. The entrees are a little harder, I think. High schoolers want pizza! We have a local source that we have an imput as to what goes into the product. But we are a larger district; smaller districts might not have that and may have to do things themselves. Ergo...more expense and who is going to pay? I have two daughters and they rarely buy school lunch because I can pack a much cost effective/healthier lunch than what they would get at school. I would y resent paying $5.00 for lunch for free/reduced students when I pack a healthy lunch for my children for $1.50. I think the above poster was right. Let's just start with some simple standards. No more ala carte junk food to begin with. This is a HUGE profit for nutrition school departments. But maybe if there was a conditional provision that their subsidies would decrease dependent on their ala carte sales and they were compensated in return we could amp up the healthy aspects of school lunch.

Kendall

rib-eye, please!