Lately, there has been a lot of controversy over the school’s hot lunch program. Some would like to ban certain foods, while others insist on a particular menu. 

Nonetheless, we can all agree that nutritious, hot lunches are beneficial to students. In some cases, school lunch is the only nutritious meal they will have for the day. 

In my opinion, serving hot lunches is not the problem. Changing people’s eating habits is.

Every day, we are presented with choices about what we eat. We know that some of our favorite foods are lacking in nutrition, but we are so conditioned to their good taste that we eat them anyway.

Remember when health was a subject in school? As youngsters, we rarely thought about it, but the wisdom of age does kick in. 

And, when you think about it, your health is the most important physical attribute you can possess. Good parents start the education of their children early. Good parents not only set an example of eating what is good for us, but insist that children try foods that are good for them. 

It is far too easy to serve prepared foods, rather than the more nutritious food basics that require some preparation. This is wrong on two counts; you not only are sacrificing less than desirable food for the savings of a few minutes of time, but it costs you money as well. 

Take a tip from the old world. Take the time to prepare food from the basics. 

How much time do you really save? Not as much as you think. You will save a lot of money in using food basics rather than prepared food, and you will be teaching your children to eat better.

Have you ever noticed that when serving Mexican, Italian, Greek, or Oriental food that there is very little protein (meat) served? Instead, there is much more pasta, tortillas, or noodles, as well as a flavorful broth. Not only are these meals healthier for you, but they cost less, too!

I once had a friend — a talented cook — that prepared an entire gourmet meal out of what was then known as commodity distribution products. Governments would give out powdered milk, cheese, rice, beans, flour, etc. 

The people invited to the meal raved about the food, and she told them that all of the food had been prepared using only the free commodities available to everyone. It was an insight; good and cheap food, and it didn’t take that much longer to prepare.  

Today, we purchase Hamburger Helper. What is saved? A few minutes of time to cook the pasta?

Kids will eat healthy food if they are hungry. Those that lived through the Depression weren’t too worried about how the food tasted. 

That’s good news and bad news. That’s where “clean up your plate” started, and that’s a wrong signal. 

Children should be presented food and encouraged to try every kind of food. They can eat all they want but should not be encouraged to eat more.

In this day of abundant food (and refrigeration; remember, our parents and grandparents didn’t have much refrigeration) kids should be encouraged to snack between meals, but only on healthy snacks.  Grapes, easy-peel oranges, bananas, fresh fruit, and other healthy snacks should be available. Children should be told that they can have any of these choices when they are hungry.

I am proud of my daughter Kimberly’s children who have learned to eat a wide variety of vegetables, including broccoli and mushrooms. Kim’s girls drink water, milk and juice, not pop, and limited amounts of specialties, like birthday cake and ration their amounts of Halloween treats. 

I don’t mean for this to sound preachy, but if you don’t teach your kids to eat well, who will? The television, with their advertisements for snacks? 

We need not eat like people did in the 18th century, but you will be surprised what even a little change in diet can do for you. Substitute ethnic cooking for American cooking and you will cut down on meats and fats as well as develop a taste for exotic and interesting meals.

Mena Johnson was my earliest hot lunch cook.  She felt bad if there was food wasted because as a child of the Depression, she actually knew hunger, thus she thought the kids needed it more than the garbage can. 

She struck a compromise with the kids and teachers. She asked that the students taste everything, even if it was one pea. Her philosophy was that you came to school to learn about food and the preparation of food, as well as subjects.

One of the things you will find is that your family actually becomes more involved in meal time if the food is prepared instead of served from a can. In Europe and South America, meal time becomes a social time. 

Because meals take a little more time to prepare, family members can anticipate the meal. There is the time of preparation of the meal and an appreciation for the cook!

Try this: cooking healthy for a month. Actually mark it on the calendar. Serve ethnic foods, cut back on prepared foods and make fruits and vegetables available for your family during that time. 

If you want a snack after dinner, pick a healthy one. I really would like to know what the results are for your family: their health, their preferences, your food budget, how much more time it actually takes you to prepare healthy food.  

Write a letter to the editor or contact me directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. I will be glad to know what you learned, how you feel and ideas. Happy eating!

Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented they like to read about events such as family and school reunions, birthdays and anniversaries, and birth and wedding announcements. In order to read about these important things, we need our faithful readers to pass along the information to us. 

If you have news, please contact me via e-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; by postal mail, P. O. Box 192, Geneva, MN 56035 or telephone, 507-256-4405

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thurday, September 27th: Layla Grace Schultz, Judy Christensen, Naomi Wangsness, Mary Wayne, Gail Farr Christenson, Sara Holmes Wencl, Steve Lageson, Kristin Paulsen Zinke, Jacob Tasker, Chris Ritz, Katie Cameron, Eleanor Rodriguez, Carl Shadden, Daniel Van Kampen, Donna Mae McCamish, Kristin Severson, Lud Borchert, Jocelyn & Jason Heyer.

• Friday, September 28th: Madeline Schei, Kylie Lembke, Denise Hagen Olson, Mary Therneau, Mitch Vangen, Taff Worrell, Haley Mattson DuBois, Bunny Jepson, Miranda & Isiah Payton, Jerry & Ginger Thompson, Bill & Sharon Vavra, Jill & Todd Kubicek.

• Saturday, September 29th: Inez Shaunce, Norrine Jensen, Gail Kaplan, Annette Flugum, Millie Flugum, Ellen Pence, Jenna Quimby, Kevin Klemmensen, Linda Schmidt, Fran Ladlie, Ron & Donna Sletten, Jason & Tara DeWight, Dave & Donna Maixner.

• Sunday, September 30th: Chloe Walterman, Dean Hunt, Elmer & Joan Vanden Heuvel, Gilbert & Harriet Larson, Todd & Cheryl Utpadel, Amy & Shannon Vander Syde, Aaron & Jean Klemmensen, Tiffany & Luke Mueller, Kelly & Joshua Warke.

• Monday, October 1st: Kaeli Wayne, Ana Renee Larson, Lois Plunkett, Larry Crabtree, Vince Bergdale, Brian Flor, Melinda Milan, Renae Thompson Weatherley, Lisa Lembke, Carl & Brenda Shadden, Barbara & William Conly.

• Tuesday, October 2nd: Laurie Jensen, Taya Richards, Amanda Hullopeter, Makayla Vangen, David Lembke, Christopher Bergerson, Adrian Jensen, Andrea Zamora, Wilma Ditlevson, Dawn Hanna, Chuck & LuAnn Hanson, Amy & Alex Kromminga, Brooke & Tim Krohn, Brody & Katie Richards, Bob & Kathy Hanson.

• Wednesday, October 3rd: David Bunn, Lori Neidermeier, Dawn Enzenauer, Colette Holmes, Carrie Thompson, Wendy Thostenson Bogen, Paul Wayne, Lisa Zabel, Larry Carlson, Edna Thomas.

Wishing you a day of fond memories and new beginnings.