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60 middle schoolers at my house Friday

14 years ago

Yes, I'm scared. :-) No, we are the "salad" stop on a progressive dinner. I've never done this before, and wondered if anyone has suggestions?

I thought I'd do two big salads, a caesar and a green salad. The caesar already dressed, and the other one with choice of dressings. I'd kind of like to do a salad bar on the second, so they can choose toppings, but maybe we should just be simple and run 'em through asap?

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Comments (15)

golddust
14 years ago
You must have drawn the short straw. LOL! Somehow middle schoolers and salad is a hard concept for me to wrap my head around. LOL! I'm thinking jello salad. Orange jello with shredded carrots type of salad. Even cole slaw with raisons. Cranberry jello nut salad. Kid friendly salads.

All three of my kids love salad now. Max says he craves salad but he is 21, not 12. When he was 12, he would likely have skipped this stop.

Good luck! Please tell me I am hopelessly out of touch and todays kids like salad more than they used to.
golddust
14 years ago
I just googled 'kid friendly salad recipes' and there is tons of great recipes that kids may love! Try it!
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dilly_dally
14 years ago
I'm not thinking lettuce salad for middle schoolers either and a salad bar where they add their own garnishes seems too messy. I would have all the salads pre-made and ready to scoop - something like broccoli salad with nuts and raisins that kids seem to like. Kids really do like broccoli salad if the dressing is made sweet enough.
glaserberl
14 years ago
I was a lunch lady at a middle school for 11 years. Just quit 2 years ago and I would stay away from jello salads and anything with raisins in it. I think Caesar and lettuce salad would be ok. Most favorite topping is cheese followed by bacon bits. Only a few liked tomatoes, cucumbers etc.
work_in_progress_08
14 years ago
I don't think a ceasar salad would be a problem for middle schoolers. Progressive dinner just means that they stop at your house for the salad course before dinner. At least that's the way an adult progressive dinner works. Any event, I'd take the expert advise of the poster who worked with kids in the past. No JELLO salads!

Have fun!
nicoletouk
14 years ago
I have to agree - Jello salads wouldn't appeal to my two DDs or their friends. A Caesar salad would be fine. How about a fruit salad as well?

Nicole
parma42
14 years ago
Most kids that age love taco salads.
sweeby
14 years ago
Slightly OT, but wanna hear something weird?

Things were hectic here last night, so we didn't do our usual sit-down-together dinner. So I asked my 7th grader whether he would like a salad or a pizza for dinner. Don't know why I even asked! Guess it was because I was making Hubby a chicken salad anyway. And to my utter shock and amazement, he said "I'll have the salad." Had to pick me off the floor ;-)
deedee-2008
14 years ago
Mom to two middle school kids here. Fruit salad would be a hit. I agree with the no vote on jello salads. Another aside....Can you skip putting nuts in the salads? Lots of kids have nut allergies now. Good luck and have fun.
segbrown
Original Author
14 years ago
Yes, no nuts, no raisins, no jello. My own kids will eat tons of lettuce before jello or raisins (and to think how many salads WITH nuts, jello, and/or raisins I ate as a kid! ha ha). I think I'll do a caesar and a pasta salad (hopefully I can find some christmas tree shapes or something) with red and green stuff like tomatoes and peppers (and cheese and bacon). I might do fruit, but that's a lot of fruit. Thanks for the input!!
squirrelheaven
14 years ago
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yogacat
14 years ago
...and wondered if anyone has suggestions?

Yep. A stiff shot of your favorite hooch - for you, not the kids. You're a brave woman!
segbrown
Original Author
14 years ago
:-D Don't worry, I'll be relaxed.
Oakley
14 years ago
Yum! I bet they'd love the pasta salad, but I'd skip the green and red peppers because of their age. Half would probably like them, the other wouldn't. I was the latter, I was very picky back then, but now I love peppers!

Here's an easy jello salad recipe, and we all love it. It doesn't have the consistency of jello. I serve it all the time...the holidays, and just for eating with our regular meal. We usually have a green salad otherwise.

1 lg. tub of Cool Whip
1 sm. package Lime Jello
1 sm. can crushed pineapple.

Mix and chill. And it's green for Christmas!
tinam61
14 years ago
I agree on no jello salads too. Don't think they'd be too popular for that age group.

I think kids that age do like tossed salad more these days. At least many of my kids friends do. I like the salad bar idea, so that they could do their own toppings, but it would probably get messy.

Can't wait to hear how it went!

tina

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