School Snacks

Before Zoe started school, I've been researching on baon ideas for her. I want to make sure that I pack healthy meals for her instead of resorting to the usual hotdog-rice combo that most kids eat in school. Good thing that ISYC is also an advocate of healthy eating and they actually forbid processed food for snacks. Although I have yet to know what they do if they notice kids eating such all the time. For the past week and a half, here's what I've been preparing for Zoe:

- peanut butter and strawberry jelly (no sugar) sandwich
- pancakes
- seedless grapes and mandarin oranges
- homemade french fries
- cupcakes 
- cookies

I cut her sandwiches and pancakes in cute shapes using cookie cutters and she actually loves them. In fact, she always shows her snacks to her teachers before eating. 

Since I'm a working mom, I've come up with a system on how to organize Zoe's weekly menu. I prepare the menu 2weeks in advance and I shop for the ingredients. Then, I prepare most of them in advance (on the weekend) so that I would only need to reheat or to assemble them. The things I bought for the next two weeks are:

- pancake mix (in a squeeze bottle for easier cooking)
- sliced bread and spreads (Nutella, PB&J, cheese)
- corn and carrots (made from scratch)
- chicken fingers (chicken breast coated in flour, egg, and jap breading)
- San Remo mac and cheese
- assorted cupcakes, wafers, and cookies
- apples, seedless grapes, and mandarin oranges
- homemade french fries
- eggs

Here's a sample menu plan:

Mon: corn&carrots + nutella sw + sticko
Tues: rice + chicken fingers + grapes
Wed: fries + pancakes + oranges
Thurs: rice + ham + scrambled egg + knick knacks
Fri: mac n cheese + wafers + grapes

Mon: corn&carrots + pancakes + knick knacks
Tues: cheese s/w + fries + apples
Wed: rice + ham + scrambled egg + knick knacks
Thurs: nutella sw + grapes + cookies
Fri: rice + chicken fingers + oranges

This week, she will start taking the school bus by herself. It breaks my heart to do this but we've got no choice since we both have work and don't have a yaya yet. This will be a good learning experience for her but I'll ensure her safety by keeping in touch with the bus mother and her teachers.