Sailorway Middle School’s cafeteria (Ohio) had been offering fresh fruits or vegetables every day for years, but when Cafeteria Manager Evie Hess realized many of the fourth graders weren’t taking the fresh produce, she knew it was time to mix up the menu.
So one day Evie ordered fresh strawberries and baby spinach and served them with low fat poppy seed dressing. Her assistant said, “No way are they going to eat this!” but the class scooped up every single serving and students were asking for more the rest of the week!
Evie knows you have to get creative if you want kids to try their fruits and veggies. She also serves pineapple tidbits with a sprinkling of blueberries and pairs sugar snap peas with cherry tomatoes for a colorful serving line. She still comes across students who don’t recognize the fresh foods she serves, but thanks to the school meal program, Sailorway students are learning to love their fruits and veggies.
I like veggies more than fruits.
I like fruit more than vegetables and my favorite lunch is bosco sticks and pepperoni pizza. I like a lot of the lunch foods and sometimes I actually eat the fruit because it is good.
I love fruit and veggies I wish we had more of them, they taste so good, I love strawberries the most though.
I love the fruit more than veggies but still like the veggies
.
I really don’t like the vegetables. My favorite lunch is probably nacho’s, pizza or bosco… I wish we could have these more often.
I liked the candy but it was also a good choose when you put the water and fruit juice. But I think you should bring the candy machine back still a lot of kids like it. And could you try using a fruit salad with strawberry, watermelon, kiwi, and no vegetables.
I like the veggies and fruit.
I like how you put fruit juice and water in the vending machine. So I get something most of the time instead of my drink.
Hello
i really do not like spinach. My favorite lunch is nachos, bosco sticks, or taco salad, I wish we had them more often.
Hello
You should lower the prices on the fruit 66 to $0.50 or $0.75 and you would get students to buy more probably. I LOVE THE SALISBURY STEAK but can you put a plastic knife in the case because it is hard to cut it with a plastic spoon or a plastic fork.
Thank you Sailorway Students for all the positive comments. I told most of you this morning about this web site and am glad that you visited it. Please stop by the kitchen any day and let me know what else you would like to see on the menu. We are all very proud of our students here and hope that by offering some different fruits and veggies that it keeps you excited about buying school lunches! FYI about the candy machine , that machine was not the property of the food service department and it has been out of this school for 15 months now. Thank you , Mrs Hess / Cafeteria manager
Hat’s off to Ms. Hess and her attempt to get kids to eat and enjoy their fruits & veggies. Feeding kids is not an easy task! School Food Service is a rather complicated job. You have lot’s of rules and regulations while still trying to please all of your customers.
Keep up the great work Ms. Hess, your hard work is paying off!
Great Job and Three cheers To You Evie. Hope some Parents follow your example
Great recipe That can be altered to serve students
INGREDIENTS
2cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Place ‘n Bake™ refrigerated crescent rounds or Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
1package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2cup sour cream
1teaspoon dried dill weed (or Low sodium ranch dressing mix)
1/8teaspoon garlic powder
1/2cup small fresh broccoli florets
1/3cup quartered cucumber slices
1plum (Roma) tomato, seeded, chopped
1/4cup shredded carrot
DIRECTIONS
1 Heat oven to 375°F. 2 If using crescent rolls: Unroll both cans of dough; separate dough into 4 long rectangles. In ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, place dough; press in bottom and up sides to form crust. If using dough sheets: Unroll both cans of dough. In ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, place dough; press in bottom and up sides to form crust. 3 Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. 4 In small bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, dill and garlic powder until smooth. Spread over crust. Top with vegetables. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours before serving. Cut into 8 rows by 4 rows.
Nutritional Information
1 Serving (1 Appetizer)Calories 90(Calories from Fat 60),Total Fat 6g(Saturated Fat 3g,Trans Fat 1g),Cholesterol 10mg;Sodium 135mg;Total Carbohydrate 6g(Dietary Fiber 0g,Sugars 1g),Protein 2g;Percent Daily Value*:Vitamin A 6.00%;Vitamin C 2.00%;Calcium 0.00%;Iron 2.00%;Exchanges:1/2 Starch;0 Fruit;0 Other Carbohydrate;0 Skim Milk;0 Low-Fat Milk;0 Milk;0 Vegetable;0 Very Lean Meat;0 Lean Meat;0 High-Fat Meat;1 Fat;Carbohydrate Choices:1/2;*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
WE are so lucky to have such a positive cafeteria manager who loves kids. THanks, Evie for putting the kids and their health first!!
Congrats!
Your presentation looks so appealing and kid-friendly! And I think it’s great that you asked for your students’ feedback. Seems the kids love nachos. We’re big fans of making nacho chips from scratch (WAY impractical in schools, we know!!) and pulverizing veggies in the food processor to augment the salsa. Keep up the great work.
I love fruit..
My favorite food from lunch is basco cheese sticks they are so good =)
Sincerely,
Spencer Keisman
I like fruits more than Veggies!
Please serve more pepperoni pizza or basco sticks.
I like fruit more than veggies i think you should serve more things like the string cheese and peaches! Thank you for all your hard work!!!
My favorite food is Bosco Sticks I also enjoy the fruit especially the strawberry cups
I Love fruit! but I am not a fan of veggies
I also love the cheese pizza.
My favorite meal is the mini bosco stick!! They are amazing
I an going to be in VHS next year.
My favorite lunch is either nachos, or chicken strips. I think there should be more drinks. I like the fruits better than the vegetables.
I really liked the fruit that the school had before, but this just made it better. My favorite food at school is pizza and many others
I like The Mexican Bosco Sticks and The strawberries
I love all the fruit! My favorite meal is the mini bosco sticks!
My favorite lunch is popcorn chicken. Their so good! I like when you serve pineapple. Thats my favorite fruit you serve. It always tastes sooo good! I also like cheesy broccoli.
fruits are so much better then veggies <3
Serve more toasted cheese and tomato soup
I hope VHS Pizza Dippers and Strawberry cups..
I’m going to the VHS next year but I love the taco boats! But i’m not crazy about the chicken.
I like the pizza dippers and the bosco sticks! … Fruits are better than veggies!
Weelll, I enjoy pizza dippers, and I love fruit, as long as it’s ACTUALLYYYYYY fresh. yup.
oh, and I would quite enjoy having them at VHS. kthxbai.
I love your food. <3
Im NOT going to Vhs next year AHAHAAh….. I like Fruits and Veggies!
I am going to be in VHS next year and think we should have more of a serving. I like the bosco sticks not the mexican ones, popcorn chicken but we need more on our plate, and i also like the mac and chees no whole grain though.
Hi.. i like ice cream and i think little ice cream cups would be a cool snack choice.. but i dont think it should cost money. kthxbai ^_^
I really like our cafeteria staff. Everyone is so personable. They always keep track of my balance.
My favorite lunches are chicken sandwich and toasted cheese with soup. I also buy the hot breakfasts.
I love all your pizza, salisbury steak but you need less veggies and fruit.
Hello
I think that the school should serve Salisbury steak more often.
I LOVE THE FRUITS just not the vegies i love my moms i just don’t like how the school does this. thanx!
I think that we should eat more Bosco sticks and
hotdogs and pizzadippers and a lot more fries especaly fruit and brocoli with cheese you should start serving the little icecream cups
Hi im in the sixth grade and you should do that with our grade.
I love veggies a lot and you should have salad more often. Also think about having taco salad more often please. We used to have ice cream at our school….VIS please can you start serving them thanks.Thank You
I also think that the servings are too small
your all great cooks!!!!!
I love the cold strawberries in a cup! You should serve those more often! I also want little ice cream cups! We need larger servings too! You also should serve BBQ wings! hahaha
I miss those little ice cream cups, you should bring those back to the Vermilion schools next year! I like the fruits and vegetables as well.
I AM IN SIXTH GRADE AND I WOULD LIOVE YOU TO START SERVING FOOT LONG HOT DOG THANK YOU SO MUCH
I WANT FOOT LONG HOT DOGS!
AND ICE CREAM CUPS!
I think they should serve more portions sometimes
I love the Salisbury Steak and the Pizza Dippers I also like the Strawberry Cups!
I like the food . But what happened to the 4oz. icecream cups? I think that they should serve chicken Alfredo?
I really love your bosco sticks and I think that we could have them more often. I remember the small cups of ice cream we used to get at VIS and that you should sever them for no more than 30 cents. I also love your foot long hot dogs. I miss the cookies that you used to sever, so could you sell smaller cookies, but for the same price. I also love other foods you have, but this is all have I have to say know. Thank you for the food you sever.
I like the popcorn chicken as well as the fruits and vegetables. It’s nice to see the different choices of healthy foods available for the students.
I would like orange sherbert cups. They are sooooooo good.
I think we should get the four once servings of ice cream…. Also more servings.
WE NEED TUBS SALADES AND WE NEED and grilled chicken and pizza pizza dippers
i love most of the school lunches but i miss the ice cream cups we used to get
(Warning! This Is A Long Comment!)
Hi Im Rachel, and I really think we should have Bosco Sticks and Pizza Dippers. I think this because a lot of people really like them, including me. Also, I agree that we should have low fat ice-cream, because it would be healthy for you, because it is low fat. Also, it should be in different flavors, because some people don’t like certain kinds. Also for the ice-cream, the flavors should be: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Rocky Road.
I also would like more fruit. Maybe bananas, pineapples, strawberries.
Thank You For Reading!
~ Rachel Feathers
Also Birthday Cake Ice Cream!
:D
Will you also please serve the strawberries more often…. YUM
:p
i love pineapples and blueberrys ………YUM
I wish that the school would give us more snacks and ice cream.
I love your Toasted cheese but I think you should give us 2 instead of 1!
can we have a bigger serving of chicken nuggets?
<(0-0<) (>0-0)> YEAH GO SMS YOU SHOULD SERVE MORE BOSCO STICKS
(O-O)
I want more chicken and bosco sticks
i like fruit oh do i love it veggies with ranch are good but i like the strawberries please please please serve more cookies for free please
I think you should serve whole bananas with lunches, and fresh pears! I think you serve waffles sometimes for breakfast for lunch. And more curly!
I meant curly fries! oops!
I hate the veggies I mostly like the strawberries.BRING ON THE FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:p
i would also like pizza more often (:
I think you should put more salisbury steak or nachos because I luv them!! And also please have salad every day!
can we have bigger slices of breakfast pizza also can we have a chinese food day every month
I luv the cafeteria’s stuffed crust with the pepperoni pizza it is so delicious and i also love the nachos yum……… and i like the frozen strawberry’s.
i do n0t like all vegtables and i like the schools footlong hotdogs and tosted cheese with tomato soup!!!!!!!! >_<
:p
YO I LOVE BULUE BERRIES!!!!!!!!!!!WOOHOO I LOVE PINEAPPLES AND EAT ALOT FRUITS AND VEGGIES THEY ROCK AND THERE GOOD FOR U AND WE NEED BIGGER PORTIONS LIKE CHICKEN, CHICKEN CHICKEN CHICKEN CHICKEN CHICKEN. DAVIS IS RIGHT BETTER THAN WORLD PEACE YEA CALL THE DR. BOYS YEA MAJOR MEDICAL BOYS YEA!
I love are lunches some times is i dont like my lunch i will still eat it because i am adhd and i will eat at night but my fav. os mini corn dogs love them and i would like to thank the cafe. ladies for are lunches there so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!;)
Please put a little less cheese on the Toasted Cheese. It will be healthier! <3
I just posted. And I want bigger portions. Lunch Ladies read this. I speak for students. Which is why when I’m in high school, I should be elected student body president.
:/
Serve more apples!
OOOOHHHH I forgot you should sever more chicken strips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The kid who says hes in high school is a fifth grader im standing right by him
More pizza dippers!
Hi mrs. Hess, I think that we should have vanilla milk with the white and chocolate. And sometimes instead of french fries…SWEET POTATO FRIES!!!!!
I think you should have some more second choices! then kids would by more!
I think you should serve baby corn! I love corn on the cob, but kids might not finsh it all. CORN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Instead of fried chicken or chicken strips, sometimes y6ou should serve grilled chicken!
I really like that you are serving izzes now. I always have them at home and I was so happy when they started selling them at school!
Way to go SMS cafeteria staff. You guys rock. I love what you’ve done to get our children to try more fruit and veggies. Keep up the great job Evie and girls. All your hard work is appreciated and is paying off.
Congrats to Evie (cafetera manager) and the rest of the girls in the kitchen at Sailorway…you go above and beyond your regular duties to keep the kids guessing on their lunches daily. I knew “you” would be the one…all of your knowledge in food service never ceases to amaze me! Great job!!!!
Nice job Evie! Do you have carryout?
Congratulations on having all your hard work noticed. You girls do a great job everyday. Thanks for all that you do.
What great ideas to incorporate a variety of foods and make it good too.
A big thank-you to the students of SMS for all your feedback. I have been reading each and everyone of your comments and ideas. You have inspired me even more to do a better job here at Sailorway Middle School. This is my 26 th year and I believe that you can learn something new everyday!! I see that alot of you have requested Ice-cream. I have found some that meet the Alliance for Healthier Generation guide lines and you will be getting some of them to try. You also inspired me to start up our taste tester team again and it will be called S.N.A.C. This stands for” Student Nutritional Advisory Council”. We are excited about our first taste testing with the new council on February 1st. Thanks to Gordon foods for helping me with this and all the beautiful fruits and veggies!! Mrs Hess/SMS cafeteria manager…and proud of it!!!!
I am in the high school, and honestly, miss the middle school lunches! Especially footlong hot dog, and meat nachos!!
Congratulations Evie! I am proud to have considered you more family than friend for many years. Vermilion Schools are very fortunate to have a Great Mom and Cafeteria Manager like you looking out for the best interest of it’s students, like they were your own. I am sure your students and faculty at Sailorway appreciate all the thoughtfullnes and hard work that you have always put in to everything you do.
Congrats Evie!!
I know Sailorway has done fresh fruits and veggies long before it became “popular” !! Way to go!! They are very lucky to have you!
hello ms hess, i readed alot of children comments and alot about bosco sticks, are you serving the bread stick as your meat alt. and if you are what are you putting with it? thanks , by the way i am cafeteria manager in tennessee, thanks again, stella
Stella,
We are using the Reduced Fat Bosco sticks from Gordon. I do give them 2 to meet the meat alt. requirement. The bread is 25% whole grain on these too. We offer the government Marinara sauce on the side and some take it and some like them plain. Nice meeting you , Stella and good luck there in Tennessee! As we all know , the New Federal guidlines should be along very soon !!
ICE CREAAAAMAMAMAMMAMAAM
AGREED ^ YUMMY!!
So the of the food this year taste worse in comparison to last year’s food. CHANGE IT BACK
I think we should have some kind of pasta
I really like salad and I hope Mrs. Hess makes chef salad this spring.
I don’t want more spinach. I would like to have a better tasting/looking salads. Maybe even a salad bar!
I’m not glad the school serves lunches. My favorite meal is mini bosco sticks. They took it off the menu for chicken nuggets/patty. Not many like those. I do not. All of these changes aren’t very good.
ICECREAM
Chinese Food
uhhh i can’t think of anything else
EEEEEWWWW!!! :p I hate spinach it’s nasty.I popcorn chicken!
steak
dominos pizza
chinese food
icecream
I wish there was more green beans and more peppers. My favorite lunch is chicken and gravy with green beans or green peppers and milk or water.
To be Honest Your food is gross and fake and not real and your chicken has bone,fat,not real chicken,and fluber. It is not clean either.
Thnx Very Much you have a nice day.
And we should really have steak real steak not fake.!!!
From @@@ a secert person @@@
I like cheese
ICECREAM
ICECREAMICECREAMICECREAMICECREAMICECREAMICECREAMICECREAM
ICECREAMICECREAMICECREAMICECREAMICECREAM
ICECREAMICECREAMICECREAMICECREAMICECREAM
ICECREAM
ICECREAM
ICECREAM
ICECREAM
ICECREAM
ICECREAM
ICECREAM
ICECREAMICECREAMICECREAMICECREAMICECREAM
who wants spinach EEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!
I think they should have a cherrio and some vegtables and fruit so there is something of everything
last years was better and we should have dominos pizza instead of what we have
I think you should bring back the cookies they were really good!!!!!!! can we have more taco salad and make sure the chips aren’t at the bottom they get soggy and are nasty. (:
My favorite food is the hamburger.
My least favorite food is the the bueridos.
Then i think you should give us more pizza dippers.
Personally I love fruits! I will eat pretty much any fruit I think it is a great side dish. Vegetables On the other hand not a fan, I will eat some every now and then.
I think its nice to eat fruits, but I think we should have more desserts, like Blueberry cobbler, or more homemade foods like wraps and maybe a salad bar. And maybe there should be homemade brownies or Mini cakes and chicken legs and pie slices. Like I said more desserts and home style foods.
i like pie
I like sherbet and cheeseburgers, and I also like pomegranate seeds. I do not like spinach or the spaghetti that you make.
More Deserts, homestyle foods, and possibly a salad bar.
The macaroni tastes horrible thats the exact reason we home style foods.
Me troy I don’t care for the school food and the Porsche are to smalle
I like the pizza dippers just give us more!!
We need more and fresher fruit at our school, I also notice the apples are a little but waxy not that appetizing if you know what i mean….
I like the fruit more then veggies but i like veggies still
.
Well if you really wanna no my opinion its i think you guys should stop trying to have healthy food its not working i like how we have salad but not wheat bread and stuff. Also i love hashbrowns!!!! You guys should have them more. And we need more food! Like we don’t get enough! (:
I actually like our veggies over the fruit..But I wish we had more to eat because after lunch, I’m still hungry(: Hahaha!
Neeeed too serve more food with the lunches ! There’s never enough food on the trays & don’t make us full .
I like salad but its a little dry and not as fresh…MORE SALAD
i love our fruit but not neggies they dont taste good at all they taste like a fake….
My favorite is the pizza and hash browns. We need more food alot of us are still hungry afterwards especially the 7th graders. I think that we should get more than one option of food for our lunch because im not a big fan about the chicken nuggets. You should serve more fries and bosco sticks. You should start serving tator tots (:
I like the food but, the portions are too small.
I Like the food but I really don’t like if there is no food on my trey.
i am always a hungry girl and i like to eat more:)
I love the fruit!!!!!! I love the one with the yogurt. My favorite lunch is pizza dippers. I think that we should have that more often.
Hi, Mrs. Hess I say hi to you all the time and I love the Salad can you please add some more veggies please and some more triangles!
Thank you,
Nick Niehart!
I really like the chicken patties but we never have them anymore
Also, I think we need more food and more variety in our lunches. Having the same things over and over gets old. I really like the peaches too though :3
I love your pizza dippers! My least favorite food is the chicken Patty though. Maybe If we had a little more extra things for the side because a lot of people are always hungry. I really love your fruit though I usually always take it
i love friut and vegies becase they tast so good yum yum yummy i think u guys should keep them.
I love the pizza! We should have tator tots more often though. and we need bigger portions
The food is good. There should be more Bosco sticks. I love the strawberries.
I love the strawberry milk so much i take my time drinking it.
I like the south western pizza can we have more
I love the Vanilla milk I think we should have t more often!!! It taste like Ice cream
I like the bosco sticks, but they’re never served. I like the Pizza Dipppers too, they’re also never served. I also like the vanilla milk, and I’m still hungry after lunch.
i dont like veggies
I would like more pizza!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love friuts and veggies but i would serve more pizza dippers
I like fruit a lot but I think we should have a different variety of fruit everyday
The Food Is Awesome The Fruits+ Vegetables is good
I LIKE FISHYS:) AND bANNAS |:
I THINK WE SHOULD GET A SALAD BAR PLEASE.
I like chicken more than pizza dippers
i like your trays that you serv you food on
hi my favorite food is chicken legs i wish we could have them for lunch i would be drooling.
I LLLLLLLOOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEEEE MAC-AND-CHEESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I like the pizza, but they should have it more often like on wed. or another day of the week.
chicken leggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i think we should have more fruit and bosco sticks and vanilla milk.
I like pizza, but i think we should have it more often and the side of french fries with the taste of ranch.
I like the fruits! I think we should have more pizza dippers and basco sticks! You should serve more because some people are still hungry!
Pizza AND MAKE Browies AND cake
My favorite food is your pizza. I do not like spinach. I would like you to have more pizza days.
I love the meals you serve with the goodies like the peaches. U r an awesome cook!
Spinach is so nasty unless fresh and i don’t think any body else will eat it unless it’s fresh. DO NOT COOK IT !!!!!!!
i pack my lunch but the french fries are the bomb and i take my friends french fries when they dont eat them because there so good
i like your fruit but not the veggies sorry. your good cooks
I don’t like venrl slrot
I love the fruits and veggies but in the chicken i find hard pices of bone or something.And also i see hair in the food soooo pretty please wear a better hair net.
have better chicken like tyson chicken or something more organic based!!! no more multigrain buns
I love the chicken!!!!!! I really wish you would make less dry Hamburgers………. Just my opinion but i dont like hamburgers that much.
i really like fruit put really don”t like veggies so really don”t want veggies
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE RANCH EVERYDAY!!!!!! i use it with almost everything!
BAKED POTATOES!!! THEY ARE THE BOMB DIGIDY!!! I DON’T LIKE THE VEGGIES AND HAMBURGERS!!!
I like the toasted cheese, but you put to much cheese on it.:)!!!!!!!!
I LOVE YOUR COOKING, but the spinach Idea is not good but no offense, I don’t think people are going to eat it and I don’t want you guy to spent the money on the food. And could you consider to make couscous because it would get my vote Thank You =)
PentonK@sailornet.org
I pack and buy, but when I buy I usually go for the nachos and mac and cheese. I really enjoy the fresh frozen peaches. I have a few suggestions for you all behind the counter I would like to see some mozzarella sticks on my tray. Also some mexican like quesadillas. Also I would like some chicken Alfredo. I would also want some different themed weeks like mexican and itailan.
NaillK@sailornet.org
I buy lunch everyday at school. Knowing that I have eaten all of our school lunches there are things I would like to change. I personally think that we should have a Mexican week, Italian week, French week, American week, and many more. With these weeks of different cultures we should eat the foods from that culture. Hope this works out. <3