Menus & Planning

[Chell]

Do you plan your menu in advance? Is there any requirement to keep records of what the children eat?

I always do a meal plan when I do my weekly shopping but never plan a certain meal on a certain day. It tends to depend on what I need to use up and how much time I have to prepare food/the need to prepare in advance for a quick dinner. I'm also getting to know the one child who stays for dinner and finding out what she likes to eat.

At lunchtime I tend to offer my mindee a choice, again dependant on what food needs to be used first to prevent waste.

[Roseolivia]

When i first started to mind i had a 4 weekly menu plan but never use that now. I plan what we'll eat weekly (mainly so i don't overspend at shops) to fit in with what we as a family and the mindees like. I only make 1 meal so we all eat together.

[christine e]

Do you plan your menu in advance? Is there any requirement to keep records of what the children eat?

I always do a meal plan when I do my weekly shopping but never plan a certain meal on a certain day. It tends to depend on what I need to use up and how much time I have to prepare food/the need to prepare in advance for a quick dinner. I'm also getting to know the one child who stays for dinner and finding out what she likes to eat.

At lunchtime I tend to offer my mindee a choice, again dependant on what food needs to be used first to prevent waste.

I very much do the same as you. At my last inspection I showed Mrs O a sample menu but explained that I swap around according to what I am doing, childrens likes/dislikes etc etc and she said that was good because I was working around the children's needs.

Cx

[sarah707]

The Eyfs (guidance) says -

Display a colourful daily menu showing healthy meals and snacks and discuss choices with the children, reminding them, for example, that they tried something previously and might like to try it again.

It is good for budgeting to have a rolling menu so you know what you are buying every week.

Run it by parents first and make it flexible enough to take all children's dietary requirements into account.

hth :D

[The Juggler]

I don't. my parent info explains my food choices and the food is based on healthiness and a mix of the mindees/my children's likes/dislikes.

However, in effect it's a bit of a 'rolling' menu I suppose = around 6 dishes that we have regularly (I only do tea 3 time per week).

[louised]

I used to have one but not any more, i've never done evening meals only lunches and I've stopped doing hot lunches, tend to stick to sandwiches and snacky type foods

[caz3007]

I cook for my after schoolies and as they have all been with me for some years, we have core meals that they will all eat and I rotate them to suit what I have in.

I usually have a look in my freezer and work out meals at the weekend for the following week. Sometimes they get swapped around if I am busy and cant find the time to cook it, but usually I pretty much know what I am doing and sort from there.

[AliceK]

Do you plan your menu in advance? Is there any requirement to keep records of what the children eat?

I always do a meal plan when I do my weekly shopping but never plan a certain meal on a certain day. It tends to depend on what I need to use up and how much time I have to prepare food/the need to prepare in advance for a quick dinner. I'm also getting to know the one child who stays for dinner and finding out what she likes to eat.

At lunchtime I tend to offer my mindee a choice, again dependant on what food needs to be used first to prevent waste.

Same here. I've just written out all the lunches and dinners for next week and put it all on my shopping list for this weekend. I need to plan around what children I have each day and what they will / will not eat and who's staying for tea on what weeks plus obviously take into account my own children. BUT I don't have it set in stone and don't neccs plan this far in advance what we will have off the list on what day it depends on what we are doing and how much time I have.

xxxxxx

[singingcactus]

I plan a menu each week. I post it up on my blog and on my notice wall. The parents are all told when they start that this is my 'plan' but reality may sometimes differ. I like to keep a record and share it with parents because a lot of people these days do not have a good knowledge of nutrition and cannot cook with actual ingredients.
If I cook a meal that the kids all wolf down then I share with all my parents the recipe and method so they can try it at home too. I often explain in my blog about why I chose the foods I choose and how they benefit their child's development and health, and how often each food should be included in the diet and what foods should be avoided at what ages.
I find that planning my menu and sharing it with the parents allows for an open forum for discussing nutrition and other development issues easily and without any confrontation - teaching with actions rather than lectures.