My High School Diet 2 During Coronavirus

Welcome back to my reviews of High School Meals during Covid-19. As my last blog post mentioned, I am picking up carryout High School meals for a week and will give detailed accounts of the High School dining experience.

Pop-Tarts & Grilled Cheese

I have no idea what schools are feeding kids these days so read on to see for yourself. I'll be sharing a different breakfast and lunch meal every 6 days. I think you'll be as surprised as I am of the good, the bad, and the ugly...oh boy.

Click on any photo to see larger.

These meals are Grab & Go from my local High School. I'm sure regular school cafeteria fare is different (better?) than the ones I am getting carryout at the drive-thru lane. You can click here to see the first meal I had at my neighborhood Grab & Go.

The GIF above is a drive-thru Susan Miller Dorsey High School's Grab & Go. 

Well, this week my Breakfast and Lunch Meals are definitely old school, Pop-Tarts and a Grill Cheese Sandwich.

Day 2 Breakfast - Pop-Tarts, Milk (always Milk for every meal,) Juicy Juice, and Apple slices.

You get two Pop-Tarts in a package. They are the size you are used to, a little bit smaller than a slice of toast.

Pop-Tarts were filled with an apple sauce or jam. The thin smear of tart filling is quite tasty if a bit over-sweet like typical grocery fruit jam. The apple jam is flavored with cinnamon. A strong amount of spice, but it works with the soft cookie-like pastry.

Pop-Tart ingredients & nutrition facts

And there is that hard sugar frosting shell on top that softens when toasted. It's super sweet of course, just the way I remember them. When Pop-Tarts originally appeared on grocery selves in 1964, I was 10 years old, and when we first had them it was a memorable day, indeed. They were a favorite at my breakfast table. And so convenient for late-running student sleepy-heads.

It's been quite a while since I had one and boy do they hold up as a cheap breakfast pastry. I see them all the time at my local Dollar Tree, too.

Fooducate  Heath Tracker info on Cinnamon Pop-Tarts is here.

A 2-ounce bag of Apple Slices accompanies Pop-Tarts. It appears to be from a Gala apple. I like that type over the other most-grown Red Delicious.

The Apple Slices are crisp and have that tart and sweet taste I enjoy so well.

I've never had Juicy Juice before. This one is an Orange Medley.  The ingredient list is a bit surprising with sweet potato and carrot juices, too. At least there is no added sugar.

It is a light orange flavor upfront and after a few sips, I could barely detect sweet potato and carrot flavors lingering. While a perplexing fruit and veggie combo, I liked it.

Day 2 Lunch - Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Milk (always Milk for every meal,) Jungle Crackers, and Celery Sticks.

For lunch, it's a fave most students can't help but like, a Grilled Cheese. I love Grilled Cheese Sandwiches forever! This one was packaged with no label so I'm guessing the types of the specific ingredients...is it American Cheese and White Bread with Butter? I hope so.

Fortunately dietary and health food restrictions have not changed this L.A. high school version. It hits all the right tastebud pleasure zones.

This Grilled Cheese has a thick slab of American style cheese. Buttered (?) and lightly browned white (?) bread cradle the cheese. I reheated the sandwich on a skillet, being careful to not burn the toasted bread. I just want the cheese melted.

Once heated through, It's a gooey Cheese Sandwich, just the way it should be. And not too much butter or oil on the toast. The balance is just about right for a classic Grilled Cheese. Bravo to Los Angeles Unified Schools Grab & Go Meals!

A bag of Celery Sticks is included. It's from 2 to 3 ounces. I'm not a big fan of raw celery (I will stirfry the heck out of them), especially without a dip. But I'm sure veggie-friendly kids eat it up.

For dessert is a small one-ounce bag of Jungle Crackers, which are basically Animal Crackers.

We used to have them in a cardboard box in the shape of a colorful circus-style crate. Definitely not a sensitive package design in these cage-free days, but back then we didn't give it a thought.

It's a hard cookie, and mildly sweet, with a touch of vanilla and cinnamon -- a less pungent graham cracker. Ingredients like whole wheat are used, and I'm sure there is less added sugar. The package says "no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives." I found a website, Fooducate, that gives nutrition grades, click here to see one for Jungle Crackers.

 I still like Animal Crackers even if it's been decades since I ate them. Old-school classic cookies never go out of style for me.

For reviews or info about the purveyors of these food items you can check out Fooducate, just enter a product food name and see what pops up about it: https://www.fooducate.com/

And you can learn about Los Angeles Unified School District's Cafe LA (which supplies a lot of the packaged food) here: https://achieve.lausd.net/cafela

And do check back in a few days for more of my latest food series High School Meals.

Be safe & keep your distance!