Menu Plan Monday: September 24-30

Wow! Where have the days gone? I missed out on posting my menu last week. Since we were away for the weekend and didn't get home until late Sunday night, I didn't get the menu planned on Sunday. Somehow the rest of the week was spent running around trying to "put out fires" as a friend of ours recently described their hectic life. The menu for last week was written down but only one day at a time. This week I hope to settle into our school schedule a bit and hope the running around will slow down a bit. Being the end of the month, but before payday, the plan this week is to use as much as possible from food onhand in the pantry and freezer and keep the grocery list to the absolute minimum. If there is a bit of cash on Wednesday I will try to hit the outdoor market for fresh fruit and veggies and those will be added to the meals depending on what I buy. If that doesn't work out, we'll stock up on lots of fresh goodies next Wednesday.
I mentioned before that I was going to include breakfast in the menu to try and give variety and keep the costs down by not buying so much cereal. It is working well so I am going to continue that. The kids have to bring a snack to school each day to eat at recess to hold them over till their midday meal after school (around 2pm). I thought about having a rotation of snacks but the teachers seem to be taking that job over. I have 3 that attend the same school -- preK(4 year old), 2nd grade, and 5th grade. Each of them came home with a list of "suggested" foods for certain days of the week. (For example the 5th grader is supposed to bring fruit on Thursdays). I understand the idea that the teachers want to see the kids bringing healthier foods rather than storebought sweets and junk food, but a bunch of us mothers are bristling at being told what to send with our kids each day, especially since the grades couldn't seem to come to a consensus on what day should be fruit day, for example. Here is what I am supposed to do if I comply with all the "suggestions" which are obviously designed so that the peer pressure for the kids to be eating what "everyone else" has will cause them to make sure that Mom sends what is on the list.
5th grader: PTL, I only have one suggested day which is Thursday -- fruit day. Well chosen since it is the day after the farmers market in our town.
2nd grader: Original plan was fruit day on Tuesday and bocadillo day on Thursday. When we pointed out that market day was Wed. the teacher switched the two so fruit day is Thursday. The bocadillo (sandwich) must be out of pan (baguette type, not soft sandwhich bread) because the teachers are concerned that these kids are not getting the muscular exercise in their jaws and some are only eating soft foods all the time, so she wants them to have to do a bit of chewing using the thicker bread. Problem most of us have is that the majority of bread here is made fresh and isn't very good the next day. I have never sent the kids to school with this type of sandwich before for that reason.
Preschooler: Oh boy! this one is the worst. There is a "plan" for each day. Monday: dairy products, Tuesday: pastry, muffins, etc --specified to be homemade and not "industrial" or commercially made, Wednesday: fruit day, Thursday: sandwich, Friday: free choice.
Here is the plan for this week.

Monday
Breakfast: cereal, poptarts
Snack: croissant and mini cheese
Lunch: Finish up last week's lentils
Supper: spanish tortillas (potato and eggs), chorizo sausage

Tuesday
Breakfast: bran muffins
Snack: left over tortilla in baguette bread for bocadillo day, bran muffin for the Princess
Lunch: Tuna sandwiches
Supper: Homemade macaroni and cheese, hotdogs

Wednesday
Breakfast: eggs
Snack: Croissants with either peanut butter or salami and cheese
Lunch: Meatball subs, cucumber spears
Supper: Fish, baked potatoes, broccoli

Thursday
Breakfast: oatmeal
Snack: Fruit-- apple slices and grapes
Lunch: fried rice
Supper: grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit slices

Friday
Breakfast: cereal
Snack: red pepper slices, cherry tomatoes or cucumber spears
Lunch: sandwiches or something light to tide them over until our late picnic with friends.
Supper: Picnic with friends to the mountains north of Madrid -- we'll pick up KFC to share together along with fruit or brownies or something for dessert.

Saturday
Breakfast: waffles
Lunch: leftovers
Supper: homemade pizza

Sunday
Since we will be in two different churches (AM and PM) we will either grab gyros downtown or buy chicken at the local rotisserie place for midday meal.

Head on over to Laura's for more menu plans.