Packed Lunch Termly Plan

Matthew has been on packed lunches at school now for a couple of years and things can get repetitive as he is such a fussy eater. For this school year I decided to get him involved with deciding what he wants..  We looked at various websites for inspiration. Matthew thought most of them were a bit OTT and fussy but he got a couple of ideas (pitta pizzas and homemade lunchables) from them. My favourites were 100 Days of Real Food and The Kitchen Shed. Both these sites had some delicious looking lunches for children, but their children are obviously not as fussy as Matthew. 

I am also lucky in the fact that the school, although they encourage healthy eating, are not as strict as some when it comes to the content of lunchboxes. I know that there are things on this plan which would not be acceptable in some schools, but my philosophy towards food is everything in moderation.

This has been successful so I have decided to repeat  the plan below over the rest of the year and see whether he gets bored.

Week 1

Chicken wrap, carrot and yoghurt

Ritz crackers, cheese, cucumber, crepe

Pitta Pizza, squeezy yoghurt, cucumber

Chocolate spread sandwich, carrot, plain popcorn

Chicken paste sandwich,  grapes, carrot

Week 2

Chicken and rice, squeezy yoghurt, smoothie

Ham wrap, grapes, carrot

Crackers, cheese, crepe, smoothie

Beef paste sandwich, grapes, fruit string

Ham, carrots, grapes, cucumber, small bag crisps

Week 3

Pitta Pizza, Squeezy yoghurt, grapes

Hot Dog, cucumber, carrot, crepe

Roast Beef Sandwich, grapes, Aldi Groovy Bar

Rice with cucumber, carrot, smoothie

Chicken paste sandwich, small bag of crisps, smoothie

Week 4

Pasta and hotdog, grapes, smoothie

Ham Wrap, cucumber, biscuit

Carrots, Sweetcorn, cucumber, Brioche

Crackers, grapes, squeezy yoghurt

Chocolate spread sandwich, grapes

Week 5

Homemade Chicken Nuggets, grapes and carrots

Pancakes, carrot and cucumber

Chicken paste sandwich, Jelly, smoothie

Tortilla Chips, grated, cheese, sweetcorn, grapes, chocolate milk

Cooked chicken breast,  squeezy yoghurt, crepe

Week 6

Beef Paste sandwich, carrots, sweetcorn

Pasta and sweetcorn, squeezy yoghurt, grapes

Roast beef wrap, grapes, fruit strings

Chicken and rice, squeezy yoghurt, grapes

Chocolate spread sandwich, smoothie, sweetcorn

I know there are repeats but there is more variety than there has been in previous years. By using this plan it will also help with shopping and not panicking in the morning about what to give him for his lunch.

Menu Plan 26th October 2015

Another week where I am late posting a menu plan.  I really need to buck up and do better. I wouldn’t mind but I had everything planned over the weekend, so it wasn’t as if I was late thinking about what to have.

As it is half term then I have a feeling that we won’t stick to this menu plan as  Craig is off with then kids this week and if he doesn’t fancy doing what is on the plan, he won’t. Craig has mentioned taking the kids to the Pizza hut buffet or a local Chinese buffet at lunch time which means they probably won’t want to eat a lot in the evening. I guess I will just have to see what happens.

This week the plan is:

Monday- Spaghetti Bolognese and Garlic Bread

Tuesday – Bacon, Egg and Potato cake

Wednesday- Fish pie

Thursday – Curried Mince Beef and rice

Friday -  Chicken Wraps

Saturday – Halloween and we are out

Sunday – Chicken Katsu curry (which I saw in the latest Asda magazine)

Hope you all have a good half term.

Linking up with Mrs M and I'm an Organising Junkie as usual

Deborah

Lilabean- A storybook about Simplicity for Grown Up Girls by Kate Carpenter

I guess part of me is looking for a simpler (and less hectic) life and I found out about this book from Alison May at Brocantehome. After reading the blurb (as shown below) I  downloaded it out of curiosity to find out more about Lilabean and what she did.. The book is written almost like a poem and is extremely easy to read.

OMG  I am Lilabean, in the first couple of chapters at least - trying to do everything for everybody and not enough time for me.

I am looking to change and make things simpler in my life just as Lilabean. I guess I was hoping that there would be some ideas on how to simplify disguised in poetry. Unfortunately in that respect I was disappointed.  Apart from de-cluttering and changing where she shopped there was very little detail about how she changed her life. In fact, towards the end of the book it felt that either the author had run out of time and needed to finish the book as quickly as possible or just ran out of ideas.

However the story is beautifully written and I could not put it down. There were so many things I could relate to whilst reading and the thoughts and emotions that Lilabean experiences I can totally understand what she is going through. Her journey is one that I am just embarking on and I hope to experience some of the relevations that Lila did and end up with the life I want to lead not one that I feel I am expected to lead.

Menu Plan (19th October 2015)

Another hectic week which is why this menu plan is late going on. I just can't seem to catch up. This week is hopefully quieter and I am planning on catching up with housework and crafts I have started. I was out last night at my WI craft club and I am in Aberdeen on tomorrow and my flight doesn't land until 9.35pm after leaving the house at 6.30am. Hopefully the hours hanging around in the airport will mean that I can catch up with some reading.  Craig is out Tuesday and Thursday and we are going to Blackpool on Saturday to see the illuminations so the menu plan is only Monday to Friday this week.


Monday - Bean burger, Sweet Potato fries and salad
Tuesday - Jacket Potato with cheese and beans
Wednesday - Chicken and Vegetable stir fry
Thursday - Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
Friday - Fajitas.

Linking up with Mrs M and Organising Junkie to see what everybody else is eating.

Enjoy your week

Deborah

Menu Plan (12th October 2015 )

Back to menu planning following another week where I worked away for most of the week. Thankfully, I have only one more week when I am away for more than one night and that isn't until the beginning of December. Last week was hard as it involved lots of hours of driving and being stuck in traffic. I am so glad that I no longer have to do that every other week. I am hoping to practically eliminate any need for me to travel by holding webinars and recording training videos. That would definitely be a big help and I am also learning how to do something new.

I am loving the cooling of the weather as I find it easier to cook when it is colder and also, I do like comfort food which is too heavy for the summer months.

The menu for this week is as follows

Monday - Steak Carne Asada Tacos
Tuesday - Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
Wednesday - Sausage Crumble 
Thursday - Chicken Fried Rice (Matthew's request)
Friday - Pulled pork Burritos (Emma's request)
Saturday - Moussaka
Sunday - Roast Chicken Dinner

Linking up to Mrs M and Organising Junkie to see what others are planning to eat this week.

Wishing you all a good week.

Deborah