I’ve read about the amazing French school lunches in several articles and books such as “Bringing up Bébé” and today the town’s Facebook page shared the school menu for the month of November. Here is the menu for the first week of November:

Monday– pork cheek confit, braised lentils, cantal (cheese), kiwi
Tuesday– grated carrots and tomatoes, roasted chicken, cheese, yogurt, fruit cocktail
Wednesday– rice salad, stewed beef and green vegetables, camembert (cheese), apple
Thursday– endive mimosa, fish with hollandaise sauce, braised carrots, emmental (cheese), chocolate
Friday– rosemary lamb roast, steamed potatoes, vanilla chocolate pudding

I can’t believe this is the type of food being served in school cafeterias!  French children are said to not be picky eaters, and this is a prime example of why- they are served a variety of food right from the start and are offered healthy dishes at home and at school.

I’ve read and been told that the French believe you should have a well balanced diet- no avoiding carbs or cheese etc. and not making dessert something that is a “cheat meal” or something to be avoided.  They enjoy their food, savor it, and don’t binge on certain things because they allow themselves to eat everything in moderation.

Of course, not everything is healthy and a lot of the snacks for kids are sugary.  But I’ve also seen, on several occasions, French children eating cherry tomatoes and avocado like they’re candy.

Now if I could only make meals like the ones on this menu….