food

[chels55]

do any of you prepare meals night before so you don't spend so long in the kitchen when your minding?

[Blaze]

Night before...I do the weeks worth on a Sunday & defrost! I do any fresh prep though the night before.

[crazybones]

Yes. Sometimes I will make a bolognaise at the weekend and freeze it. Or Mince for a Shepherds pie. As long as you know it is properly defrosted and reheated it should be ok.

[manjay]

Mee too. I only feed one little one at lunch time and he eats a sparrows portion. Each time I make a suitable meal for freezing I will make an extra portion for mindee.

[foxy lady]

yes i do thta most of the time
it makes teatimes sssssssssssooooooooooooooooo much easier

[breezy]

I freeze too, makes life easier and kids get healthy home cooked food easily

[miffy]

I try to do as much ahead as possible - certainly makes life easier if you can

miffy xx

[katickles]

I do where ever possible.

I only provide meals for one of my mindee's so always make something that i can give when that mindee's here.

I really does make things easier, easpecially with evening meals

[kindredspirits]

do you all provide meals for your mindees??? i am 'offering' it as a extra cost (£3 per hour is cheap enough without throwing in food!!) but i don't know how much i fancy it. i'm asking parents to provide a packed lunch if they need lunch..... being a newbie do you think i'm going about it wrong?? i need to start making/freezing meals anyway as i want to get my 16 m/o son off jars and he hates my home cooking. (

anna x

[crazybones]

I provide lunch and snacks without charge. I provide breakfast and dinner (if required) before 8 and after 6 as part of unsocial hours fee (ie double time)

[Alibali]

When I'm making family dinner at night, I make extra and pop it in the fridge for mindees lunch . Makes life much easier. I also freeze leftovers for emergencies.

Ali x

[sarah707]

do you all provide meals for your mindees??? i am 'offering' it as a extra cost (£3 per hour is cheap enough without throwing in food!!) but i don't know how much i fancy it. i'm asking parents to provide a packed lunch if they need lunch..... being a newbie do you think i'm going about it wrong?? i need to start making/freezing meals anyway as i want to get my 16 m/o son off jars and he hates my home cooking. (

anna x

Everyone runs their business in their own way Anna and you need to go with what you feel most comfortable doing...

I agree £3 an hour is not much if you start making food... is that the going rate in your area?

You could maybe charge £3.50 and offer a cooked tea for children who are there over teatime and it might encourage your little one to try new things as well... but only if you feel happy to cook...

Don't be pushed into doing anything you don't feel you want to do

[miffy]

I agree with Sarah - if you don't want to provide meals then don't - parents will provide them

miffy xx

[kindredspirits]

thanks - there's so much to think about - i don't mind providing meals... i don't think - but for some reason my dh thinks its a stupid idea and kids should eat with their parents. me thinks i need to run my business my way not his! lol easier said than done!

[miffy]

Maybe your hubby's just saying he'd like to eat with his family not everyone elses?

miffy xx

[kindredspirits]

nope - he's just tighter than a knats backside and thinks it'll be a waste of my income!!!

[miffy]

nope - he's just tighter than a knats backside and thinks it'll be a waste of my income!!!

miffy xx

[sarah32]

2 of my mindess bring there own lunch, (mums choice) and I supply snacks included in price.

My other mindee Ive always supplied his food and its left over normally from our dinners and frozen.