AESD Child Nutrition

12/31/2025

❓Did you know that AESD’s lunch menu is on a 4-week cycle?

That means students get an opportunity to grab their favorite lunch entrees multiple times a year! Within our menu cycle we leave room to feature seasonal and fun celebration foods.

We also conduct an annual student survey to get specific student feedback on our menu cycle. The annual student survey will be sent out soon so we can see what students have thought of this year’s menu cycle so far.

Drop a heart emoji 🧡 in the comments below if you want us to share some of the results of the student survey!

12/30/2025

✏️ This year’s Menu Development Team is taste testing and taking names! (Okay, not exactly, but we are definitely taking the names of the products we like best.)

There is SO much that goes in to choosing which products will be featured on our menus. That is why we have a Menu Development Team who gets together six times a year to discuss all things menu. The Menu Development Team creates a space that allows folks from all areas of the Child Nutrition Department to contribute to what students will see (and eat) on their trays during the following School Year. (Can you believe we are already discussing School Year 26-27’s menus?!?)

Our wonderful Menu Development Team is made up of Managers, Cooks, Assistants, Clerks, the Procurement Supervisor, the Nutrition & Wellness Supervisor, and, of course, the Director. It is incredibly important that we have all these perspectives when we are deciding what should be on our menus to make sure we aren’t missing anything.

In addition to learning, and hands-on recipe testing, we also taste test products and compare them to our current menu. Our first taste test was a few weeks ago and we were focused on pickin’ chicken. We taste tested a whole grain Breaded Chicken Drumstick and whole grain breaded Chicken Tenders from two different brands.

Needless to say, we found our winner, winners chicken dinner (lunch). 🍗

In January we will be testing two homemade recipes and we can’t wait to share that with you. Stay tuned!

12/29/2025

🎬 Behind the scenes look at the cafeteria testing a Beef Birria recipe.

We always test a recipe prior to serving it to students. We want to make sure the flavor, the texture, and everything else is on point first.

With this recipe we are deciding if we are going to serve it with corn tortillas, whole grain flour tortillas, make it as tacos, or as a quesadilla. The possibilities are endless!

Either way we will let you know what deliciousness students can expect to see on the menu!

12/24/2025

Happy Holidays from the Child Nutrition Team!

We hope you are enjoying your Winter Break having fun and getting plenty of rest. ❤️

We look forward to seeing you in the lunch line and serving you nourishing school meals on Tuesday, January 6!
Pictured here is our team at . 😍

12/23/2025

🍊We are proud to have served 987,144 meals so far this School Year!

AND we are especially proud of our team in the kitchens and in the warehouse who make serving this many meals possible.

We are looking forward to serving even more school meals in 2026!
Pictured here is our Touchdown Tray with baked Chicken Wings and whole grain Garlic Texas Toast.
📸 Credit: Karla Sanchez

12/22/2025

👀 Want a sneak peek at the AESD Child Nutrition camera roll?

Whether you answered “yes” or “no,” here it is! 🤪

1) Mixing mashed potatoes for the masses.

2) A student favorite... Our whole grain Crispy Chicken Sandwich (baked, never fried).

3) A pre-school friend carrying their lunch tray with confidence because they have had over 4 months of practice.

4) A close-up of our homemade, whole grain Mantecadas (Mexican Sweet Bread Muffins) which our Baking Team is currently perfecting.

5) Alma hard at work with a Beef Birria Taco recipe.

6) And just to keep this classic... A picture of our salad bar which is available to students DAILY.

We hope you enjoyed a tiny glimpse into our world through our camera lens. 🤳 AND we hope you are enjoying your Winter Break!
SchoolFoodService K12FoodService SchoolMeals NationalSchoolLunchProgram NSLP

12/18/2025

The student comment that made our WHOLE week... 🥹

But first... a quick background story. With the help of , we sent out a 5-question survey to middle schoolers to see which recipes they wanted our Menu Development Team to test in January.

The last question on the survey was, “Do you have any other suggestions for new recipes for our lunch menu?”

One middle school student responded, “Keep doing what you’re doing. I like the lunch.” And, honestly, it made our WHOLE week!

Everything we do, we do for students. ❤️ Thank you for dining with us!

12/09/2025

📚The learning never stops!

Some of our bakery team members are attending ’s School Food Workshop, “Elevate Your School Cafeteria Baking,” today. We can’t wait for them to share new baking tips and tricks with us!

Professional development opportunities (like this School Food Workshop) is just another way our team works to provide the best meals and best service to AESD students!

12/08/2025

👩🏽‍🍳 Our Bakers are hard at work testing new recipes for AESD students!

Right now we are working on Co**ha and Mantecada recipes, and trying to get the perfect whole grain flour ratio. Once we have that locked in, look out world. (Or just be on the lookout. Locally.)

We will keep you posted so stay tuned!
**has

12/05/2025

12/04/2025

🥣 Pozole season is officially in full effect and we are ready for it!

Part of our mission is to celebrate the foods of our community so all students are represented. One of our favorite ways to celebrate? By serving homemade Pozole Verde monthly!

Come through the lunch line and get warmed up with a tasty bowl of Pozole Verde, AESD-style!