Last year I had five preschoolers and two school-age children here for lunch every day. Over the summer two preschoolers were replaced by extra school-age children but they have left now. My current enrolment includes one infant (who brings his own food), four preschoolers and three school-age children (who stay at school for lunch).
Essentially that means that suddenly I have half as many children here for meals and I’m making too much food. So, I’ve been considering changing a few of the menu items. Many of the meals are easy to adjust the amounts to suit the number of children in attendance. Several of the casseroles can be halved – or returned to original since in most cases I was doubling the recipes. However some are difficult to modify so they may have to be replaced if I don’t want a fridge full of leftovers.
Another strange phenomenon is that the preschoolers that are here for lunch are eating far less than usual. I’m not sure if this is a temporary thing due to the change in season and schedule. This one I’ll just wait and see if it continues then maybe it means they are getting tired of certain meals and we will have to change more of the menu.
Then there is the produce from our garden. Some things like the peas and corn did not provide anything edible – something I find odd. Other plants continue to generate so much that we have difficulty eating it all.
I love those little pear tomatoes – we have hundreds of them!
Of course this produce is great for menu items like the Chicken Gumbo;
And I’ve been baking with those zucchini too so we’ve had some special snacks. Anyone interested in joining the Family Childcare Committee? We’re looking for new members and our meetings are delicious.
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