Not sure what section - providing food?

[Tinkerbell1979]

Hi,

I currently only mind a 10 month and, I provide her breakfast (porridge and fruit), lunch meal is provided by parents as its home cooked lumpy mush and I provide the yogurts, fruit and finger food (only just getting to this stage). She has dinner at home.

Anyway she has asked to sit down and go through a menu planner with me for next year, I wasn't planning to provide hot lunch meals, where do I stand in this? Can she demand I cook at lunch and would you say until she's on proper food she is to provide it as I don't see why I should be purreeing meals.

Again I've had a lady say that she would like me to have her 15 month d 3 days a week and I said anoint sandwiches etch fir lunch, she's now emailing say hot lunch - I will also be providing him dinner so two hot meals! With 3 children of my own I don't want any more work as I feel I'm not spending enough time with them as it is and that was the whole reason for me to start this job. It's silly it's my business but I feel dictated to by the parents - I'm getting in a right tiz, any advice ?

Only been minding 12 weeks.

TIA

Jenny

[The Juggler]

i would have a good think about what you want to do. I only ever used to provide cold lunches. Babies weaning and on finger foods was a combination of parent provided and what they could eat of what I offered. Don't feel pushed into hot lunches if this is not what you want.

If they want a hot lunch and you don't wish to provide it, tell them you are happy to warm up what they provide (make sure they don't end up giving you raw ingredients to cook) but warn parents they may very well prefer the cold option you are offering others.

I have just started doing simple hot meals some lunches which don't take much longer than sandwiches so we typically have omlette, pasta and veg/ham, scrambled egg or sandwiches through the week.

[MrsP2C]

Bar the odd omelette or soup I only do cold lunch because I cook a proper evening meal & there's no way I'd be doing 2 big meals a day & an extra £2 sill wouldn't make the hassle & expense worthwhile.

Stand your ground and politely but firmly tell them what you are prepared to do provide & certainly don't let them dictate how *you* run *your* business.
I'm also intrigued about your parent wanting to go through your menu planner ...sounds ominous !!!

[mrs robbie williams]

Hi,

I currently only mind a 10 month and, I provide her breakfast (porridge and fruit), lunch meal is provided by parents as its home cooked lumpy mush and I provide the yogurts, fruit and finger food (only just getting to this stage). She has dinner at home.

Anyway she has asked to sit down and go through a menu planner with me for next year, I wasn't planning to provide hot lunch meals, where do I stand in this? Can she demand I cook at lunch and would you say until she's on proper food she is to provide it as I don't see why I should be purreeing meals.

Again I've had a lady say that she would like me to have her 15 month d 3 days a week and I said anoint sandwiches etch fir lunch, she's now emailing say hot lunch - I will also be providing him dinner so two hot meals! With 3 children of my own I don't want any more work as I feel I'm not spending enough time with them as it is and that was the whole reason for me to start this job. It's silly it's my business but I feel dictated to by the parents - I'm getting in a right tiz, any advice ?

Only been minding 12 weeks.

TIA

Jenny

id think about how you want to do this, i have babies during the day and provide breakfast - weetabix (both mums requests), lunch which is either pasta and grated cheese, scrambled egg and toast, sandwiches, bread sticks, fruit, yoghurt depends what we are doing that day and how quick i have to be, i provide evening meal for a 14m three days a week and this is anything from roast dinner to jacket potato again it depends on what we are doing - i dont charge for breakfast or lunch but do charge a pound each day for evening meal and to be fair the 14m prob eats more than that with fresh fruit, yoghurts, fresh veg etc BUT if you dont want to be tied to doing any of this then dont, tell parents yes you are happy to provide lunch but this may not be cooked, lo's dont need 2 cooked meals a day, along with snacks etc throughout the day you may find you are wasting food. Be firm, yes its hard to start with, but provide your menu and work it around your own children and give examples of hot/cold lunches and state that these are subject to change

[Tinkerbell1979]

Thank you all for your replies. Well
Spoke to the mum tonight and my new potential mindee's mum and told them that some days will be hot but will be a variety like you have all listed.

Would anyone be prepared to share a menu planner with me? An trying to make up a 3 week rota like the schools do if you get me. Also said that until she is on proper food not mushy lumpy purée she is to provide - all evening meals will be hot.

Many many thanks

Jenny

[MrsP2C]

I've just done mine for Jan so happy to share (I do 4 weeks so I can shop/batch cook). I don't include breakfast or lunch as breakfast is the same (cereal, toast & juice) and lunch is littlies only so I write it in their daily diary plus don't want to be tied down as our plans can change last minute. I don't have mindees every night but do like to meal plan regardless although I'm sure like most people I tend to stick to the same meals on rotation!

Week 1:
chicken & veg curry & rice
Macaroni cheese with peas
Prawn stir fry
Roast chicken with 2 veg & roast potatoes
Homemade Pizza

Week 2:
Roast Gammon, broccoli & boiled potatoes
Chinese baked chicken & veg rice
Toad in the hole with mash potato & peas
Spaghetti Bolognese
Kedgeree

Week 3:
Steak & kidney pie with peas & cauliflower
Veg curry, rice & popodoms
Tuna Pasta bake
Roast chicken with 2 veg & roast potatoes
Chicken stir fry

Week 4:
Pork loins with dauphinois potatoes & carrots
Fishy rice
Homemade pizza
Chicken casserole
Lasagne & garlic bread

Hope that helps!!

[lisbet]

Can't get the link to work for some reason, but if you google School Food Trust 'Eat Better Start Better', there is lots of advice and some sample early years menus.

[VeggieSausage]

I charge £2 per day for one meal and snacks and if they have lunch and tea £3 a day. Otherwise parents can provide their own food, never had any complaints but I just tell them how it works right from the beginning. Stick to your guns of what you want to do especially as as you get more families they will all have something they want and you will not be able to accommodate everyone. I have just changed to cold teas as well - lunches sandwiches, rolls, home made soup, fruit, pasta, scrambled egg, beans on toast, sometimes cooked meal and evening meal (don't have any that stay for lunch that stay for tea, if I had a child for 2 meals a day I would do one hot meal) is now toasties/sandwiches/rolls, fruit, yoghurt, breadsticks, banana bread etc....big load taken off me not cooking for 5 after schoolies....

[lynncjt]

I've just done mine for Jan so happy to share (I do 4 weeks so I can shop/batch cook). I don't include breakfast or lunch as breakfast is the same (cereal, toast & juice) and lunch is littlies only so I write it in their daily diary plus don't want to be tied down as our plans can change last minute. I don't have mindees every night but do like to meal plan regardless although I'm sure like most people I tend to stick to the same meals on rotation!


Hope that helps!!

Thanks very much for this! I normally do a cooked lunch and am running out of ideas so this is great! Thanks again!

[Tinkerbell1979]

I've just done mine for Jan so happy to share (I do 4 weeks so I can shop/batch cook). I don't include breakfast or lunch as breakfast is the same (cereal, toast & juice) and lunch is littlies only so I write it in their daily diary plus don't want to be tied down as our plans can change last minute. I don't have mindees every night but do like to meal plan regardless although I'm sure like most people I tend to stick to the same meals on rotation!

Week 1:
chicken & veg curry & rice
Macaroni cheese with peas
Prawn stir fry
Roast chicken with 2 veg & roast potatoes
Homemade Pizza

Week 2:
Roast Gammon, broccoli & boiled potatoes
Chinese baked chicken & veg rice
Toad in the hole with mash potato & peas
Spaghetti Bolognese
Kedgeree

Week 3:
Steak & kidney pie with peas & cauliflower
Veg curry, rice & popodoms
Tuna Pasta bake
Roast chicken with 2 veg & roast potatoes
Chicken stir fry

Week 4:
Pork loins with dauphinois potatoes & carrots
Fishy rice
Homemade pizza
Chicken casserole
Lasagne & garlic bread

Hope that helps!!

Thank you x

[Tinkerbell1979]

Would anyone mind sharing lunch ideas please?

[TAZ]

I've just done mine for Jan so happy to share (I do 4 weeks so I can shop/batch cook). I don't include breakfast or lunch as breakfast is the same (cereal, toast & juice) and lunch is littlies only so I write it in their daily diary plus don't want to be tied down as our plans can change last minute. I don't have mindees every night but do like to meal plan regardless although I'm sure like most people I tend to stick to the same meals on rotation!

Week 1:
chicken & veg curry & rice
Macaroni cheese with peas
Prawn stir fry
Roast chicken with 2 veg & roast potatoes
Homemade Pizza

Week 2:
Roast Gammon, broccoli & boiled potatoes
Chinese baked chicken & veg rice
Toad in the hole with mash potato & peas
Spaghetti Bolognese
Kedgeree

Week 3:
Steak & kidney pie with peas & cauliflower
Veg curry, rice & popodoms
Tuna Pasta bake
Roast chicken with 2 veg & roast potatoes
Chicken stir fry

Week 4:
Pork loins with dauphinois potatoes & carrots
Fishy rice
Homemade pizza
Chicken casserole
Lasagne & garlic bread

Hope that helps!!

This is great! Thank you for sharing.
I give parents the option of providing their own food (no charge) or me providing food (£1.50/meal). I have a combination of both (and must admit prefer it when they provide their own as one less thing for me to think about!).
I have learnt to be reserved when it comes to promising gourmet meals daily!!!!

[MrsP2C]

Would anyone mind sharing lunch ideas please?

Lunch is either soup (most popular are carrot & coriander, butternut squash & red pepper, chicken noodle and minestrone) with bread & butter, sandwich (ham, cheese, egg, tuna) or beans on toast. I sometimes have crisps or veg sticks to share and pudding is fresh fruit sometimes with a yogurt.

Soup is definitely the cheapest, healthiest & quickest option so I usually do that 3-4 times a week in winter less in summer. I always freeze soup in bags with enough for 2 adults (or me & 2 children) so I can just grab a bag or 2 out of the freezer that morning.

[loocyloo]

Lunches....We have alot of soup too!

Mine like lots of veg sticks, pitta bread, sometimes vegetarian veg grills/bites/fingers, sausage etc to dip in houmous or other dips.

Scrambled/boiled egg or ommlette.

sometime s if there is pasta left over from previous night, we have that with cheese or a tomato sauce.

Xx

[Tinkerbell1979]

Thanks again, I charge a day rate so food included, thanks for your lunch ideas

[VeggieSausage]

Lunches I do are:

Scrambled egg on toast
Beans on toast
Vegetable soup
Bean and veggie chunky stew
Rolls/sandwiches/ picnics
Toasties
Eggy bread
Baked potato and fillings with cheese
Spanish omlette
Hummus and veg
Wraps
Bagels with cream cheese etc
If I have cooked something for tea the night before and have leftovers then I may reheat and give them this...

[TraceyC]

A couple of my parents have said exactly the same thing. I do hot meals in the evenings for afterschoolers and any EYFS who are still with me at that time. I ask parents to provide a packed lunch or they can have a sandwich lunch for £1.50. However one parent keeps asking me for hot meals at lunchtime which I don't want to get into to - I don't really have time with 3 children of my own under 6. I have kind of compromised and for lunch often have quick easy hot food such as beans on toast, cheese on toast, omlette and that kind of thing. If mum wants to take her little one out to a toddler group in the morning and then bring back child and give lunch and put to bed for a nap, there is no time to cook a hot meal. I am trying to stick to this but it is quite hard. x

[Maza]

She can't demand that you do anything which wasn't in the contract. So if you said she would provide lunch when you signed then that is what she must do. Personally I don't mind making purees as I freeze portions of it for later weeks. At ten months she won't need it pureed for much longer. We also have a lot of soups - Annable Karmel's Golden Veg and Lentil soup is a favourite here and I would puree that anyway. If I make something for tea I often put a little portion or two aside for the baby. Cottage pie probably wouldn't need to be pureed and I don't cook with salt. Actually at 10 months could you not just 'mash' everything with a fork rather than getting out the blender? Spag bol, lasagne, fish pie, cauliflower cheese etc. Again, these are things that you might be having for tea anyway so you wouldn't have to go out of your way. x