Principal Takes a Stand on Junk in the Cafeteria

Marc D'Amico, Principal of Glenville elementary school in Greenwich, Connecticut, was in the news yesterday for taking a stand on child nutrition and upping the ante on setting standards for healthy school lunches. He actually banned the sale of ice cream and cookies in the school cafeteria. Way to go Marc! You are a child nutrition hero.

He and the PTA co-President saw too many kids eating cookies and ice cream instead of the healthy lunches their parents packed for them and decided enough is enough. "They go right for the desserts. It's been my ongoing observation that the lunches that parents pack don't always get eaten by the children," D'Amico said. "(Parents) hold a lot of trust that we make sure kids eat the lunch first, and then go for the cookies."

"I feel it's my responsibility," D'Amico said of upholding healthy eating at the school. D'Amico said he already has received several e-mails from supportive parents glad to hear about the change, which he expects to be permanent.

I had to send him a congratulatory email and just let him know what a great example he has set for other school officials. How many others will ante up?

Kiddie Cookbook Battle

Sorry to hear that Missy Chase Lapine has sued Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld for copyright infringement and defamation. If you saw my previous post, you'd know it was over Jessica's kiddie cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, which strongly resembles Missy's kiddie cookbook, The Sneaky Chef. Missy's was released first, hence the cookbook battle. Well, at least they're getting a lot of publicity!

Let's Play Hide the Vegetable

So my dear friend Susanne who is a working mother of triple five-year-old boys confessed that she had signed up to buy fake food (aka Juice Plus) after a rep gave a dog and pony show at the kids' preschool. Naturally I did a controlled freak out and suggested she try playing hide the vegetable instead. She didn't know where to start so I recommended using one of the two cookbooks out on this topic - Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious and The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine. When I hung up I felt so sorry for her that I went on Amazon and ordered The Sneaky Chef along with a fruit and vegetable alpahabet book for the boys.

Well fast forward to January 8 and as of today they have eaten the chicken nuggets dipped in YES, vegetable puree, and chocolate chip pancakes laced with blueberries and spinach! Way to go Susanne. Keep up the great work.

So that inspired me to puree the carrots I put in my French lentils today and my four-year-old ate them with gusto for lunch and asked for seconds. This is the child who won't touch a plate or bowl if he sees a vegetable on it. I think these women are on to something.