Meal Planning Monday

oops....have realised I haven't posted on the Blog since last week's menu plan. There is certainly a lot going on around here but mainly I think it is the fact that at 32 weeks pregnant I am happier and certainly more comfortable lying on the sofa than sitting up at the computer. And sadly, other than some more Rocky Road, I haven't baked  for the family in the week (although I did magic an amazing crumble type thing out of red cherry pie filling when 1stSister's friend came over, which is already the stuff of legend, despite it being out of a tin.) However, we're still going with lots of homemade food before 4thSister arrives and we're onto freezer meals as our default.

I tried to menu plan the month early and then realised that Lent begins on 13th so have had to swap some meals around. We will try to stick to simpler fare for the next 6 weeks, dessert only on a Sunday, fish twice a week etc although with me waking up at 3am with a penchant for pastries I suspect it's pointless me even trying to fast from things other than TweetBook :-)  Anyway here is this week's selection:

Meat Free Monday - Pasta with Pesto. This is the meal we never had when we returned from our minibreak, a useful storecupboard standby for when my planned Ploughmans got switched around last week and I find us without enough fresh stuff to whip up anything else!

Shrove Tuesday - Mixed Grill followed by Pancakes For the past x Shrove Tuesdays, we've had Pancakes for dinner and pudding, no savoury course, just pancakes. Given that I don't eat eggs, this is pretty poor I reckon! Thankfully, all this menu talk of Brinner (breakfast for dinner) inspired me to order in a load of organic meat steaks which I've split and bagged and can do for a mega mixed grill for me, and any other takers, before the pancakes course. Given the horse meat scandal (I'm not bothered about eating horse, to be fair, I just like to know what I am eating and whether it's injected with chemicals), I am quite excited about having some proper steak along with chips!

Ash Wednesday - Turkey Tetrazinni. As it's Lent, I try to use up freezer stuff (hence the big turkey breast from Christmas will finally be gone) and cut down on my weekly chicken in favour of fish. I've wanted to try this recipe again - Jamie Oliver does a version - and it seemed the right time. Although I may have to cut down on trying new things already as my hormones can't take it - my husband loved last week's meatloaf, but the kids were scared, and sentences like "shall I give you feedback about this dish?" have me apopletic :-)

Saint Valentines Thursday - Mackerel Salad & Dessert. Yes, I know I said no desserts in Lent apart from on Sundays but it's the Feast of Saint Valentine for goodness sake! It took all my restraint not to order loads of heart shaped confectionery along with my fruit and veg boxes, but decided to settle for a heart shaped pudding instead. My husband enjoys smoked mackerel very much, and although there's a sustainability issue in the media at the moment, I'm satisfied with the practices of the fisheries we buy from, so this is a Lenten treat for us!

Fishy Friday - Fishfingers and Chips Fridays are generally fishy in our house, and this week it will be fishfingers and oven chips while my husband works over at his annual project, the Hucknall Beer Festival.

Saturday - Spaghetti Carbonara. A Saturday night favourite.

Sunday - Pork Steaks with all the roast trimmings. And a pud! Especially since 2ndSister has a ballet exam in the morning.

Enjoy the link up with Mrs M!

Meal Planning Monday

Meat Free Monday: Tortilla wraps with leaves, grated cheese, refried beans, salsa and soured cream ~ and some cheeky tortillas chips with melted cheese on the side! At this juncture perhaps I should mention that we always have half-fat mature cheddar cheese (unless we're using parmesan) and I skimp on things like soured cream as I try to control my tendency to gallstones by eating a healthy (ish) diet. So although this may sound very decadent, it's not really ;-)

Tuesday: Chicken Alfredo Another attempt for me to make a cheesy chicken pasta sauce that the Americans swear by...

Wednesday: Curry Night I've had to move things around a bit this week. Wednesday I'm serving 2 types of bought chicken curry with basmati rice and 2 types of naan. John will collect from school and take 2ndSister to her swimming class, on their return 2ndSister and I have a church meeting while everyone else eats then takes 1stSister to Brownies, then 2ndSister and I will return for our dinner. So, had to be curry really which will keep!

Thursday: Chicken Salad 

Friday: Fishfingers, Quorn Nuggets, Oven Chips, Peas & Salad. 1stSister is having her friend over who is vegetarian at home, so I'm going to try the kids with quorn nuggets instead of chicken ones & Emily can have some fish if she likes. (I've not served quorn in our house for over a decade now as consuming egg white upsets my digestive system completely....TMI!!!)

Saturday: Greek Meze Falafel, pitta, cous cous, houmous, tzatziki, feta & red onion salad, olives, the works, basically. This is one of my favourite dinners and I love it round the family table.

Sunday: Chinese New Year Feast Bought-in Chinese dishes to be served with rice, noodles and prawn crackers. The kids have always done Chinese New Year projects at school so know all about it and it's an excuse for us to get out the Oriental placemats and chopsticks and do something a bit different.

With thanks to Mrs M! Link up your own menu now :-)

New childcare plans: incoherent spiel

The incoherent spiel is mine (although I suspect the government has also produced some incoherent spiel on the topic) as I am sure I haven't clearly thought this through.

You know I'm a fan of larger families, so I understand that complaining about quotas of how many children a person can take care of may come off as a bit rich. And I'd rather the government incentivise parents to stay at home to provide pre-school care for their children than fund childcare in a way that pushes encourages women back to work, anyway. However, 3rdSister (aged 2 and a half) currently attends a playgroup setting for 2 three-hour sessions per week, which is beneficial to us both (I'm also on the Committee, and we've been talking about this particular issue since 2012.) So, I feel I do have a vested interest in how many children our UK childcare workers are encouraged to look after. (As well as being opinionated about it in a largely uninformed way.)

The facts are: previously, childminders (who care for children in their home) and other childcare workers employed by both nurseries and playgroups, were permitted to care for a certain ratio of under fives (1 adult: 4 two year olds). Myself, I would have struggled with that, even ~ I have enough on giving my 2 year old one-to-one care and attention on a physical, developmental and emotional basis, and I don't have to fill a form or checklist about it later and endure assessments. I do, of course, try to strengthen our bond as well during that time as a) come 3.30pm she's vying for attention with two very noisy and loquacious big girls and b) I'm 31 weeks pregnant and, um, a teeny bit drained. So, I'm possibly trying to do more than your average childcare worker, I'm trying to be a mother. And I gather that childcare workers aren't there to be substitute parents, although they are expected to contribute more to a child's welfare than a mere command and control method. Some days command & control, keeping children alive, basically, is as much as I'm going to manage, to be honest, and I've always said, hats off to those who work in the cacophony and chaos of a pre-school setting.

And now they are putting the numbers up - now it is proposed that one adult can look after SIX two year olds in a childcare setting! I find this incomprehensible!

I'm not saying this CAN'T physically be done, my own failings in this area notwithstanding. (Although the columnist Zoe Williams makes a hilarious case for why it can't.) Corralling and entertaining a large number of under-fives isn't impossible. It's an intensive, exhausting role but  it's not impossible. (And I think it's underpaid, obviously. Childcare workers, ditto care home workers and nurses, are inherently undervalued in our society, socially and financially. As, ahem, are parents.)  But it's possible.

But paying attention to the physical needs of children this age just isn't enough. The government inspectorate OFSTED themselves require various boxes ticked regarding what activities are provided, in addition to managing toilet needs, meals, snacks and ensuring they stay where you put them. How, looking after 6 two-year olds, do you manage to have an individual chat with each of them, expose them to the exact area of learning they are supposed to be experiencing or pay attention to their unique needs?

The proposed changes come in the guise of 'raising quality'. It is suggested that qualifications need to be raised for this to happen - specifically, basic Maths and English qualifications, as far as I can gather, rather than the need for becoming genetically spliced with an octopus, or additional years experience. But how does this actually help? Ensure you can count to 6 time and time again, as you check on your charges? And raising wages for those looking after more children ~ in theory, the new system is going to let more children through the doors and provide 'better value' for parents who pay for childcare. But as I mentioned, it's already a ludicrously underpaid sector. There will be diminishing returns. There is already a large chunk of parents who would not place their children in a childcare environment if they weren't feeling the need to go out to work themselves. How on earth is splitting someone's responsibilities 6 ways going to raise quality of care? I just don't get it!

As I said, being an advocate of the 'larger' family (by which I mean, sadly, more than two kids, in this day and age) I may seem to be giving out mixed messages. But, the more little people you introduce into a family, the more joyous bonding and special interactions you get, as well as increased work. You have siblings who will make each other chocolate spread sandwiches, snuggle up together and forge a little team, rather than a group of peers of the same age, with similar needs, vying for the attention, hitting prone position the minute they need to go in a buggy, kicking off about what they are wearing, eating, doing, thinking....it can't be only MY 3 girls who have been definitely terrible two year olds. Twin two-year olds would have been fun enough. SIX of them?!

So there you have it. An inconclusive ramble, perhaps, but my thoughts on some absolute idiocy the UK Government seems to have come up with, this week. Tune in soon for next week's instalment ;-)