Does this work as a menu? Or is it boring?

I agree that if you've got mindees just formorning or afternoon then it's different and I'd be very happy with mine having a cooked meal
it all sounds great

these menu's look fantastic.

Just thought id add that
what lucky children

Breakfast Cereal (Corn Flakes/Rice Krispies/Weetabix) & Fruit
Lunch Baked potato, cheese & beans
Pudding Bananas & Custard
Tea Burgers in rolls, salad

Breakfast Hash browns & beans
Lunch Chicken Nuggets, salad I would swap these so it isnt nuggets and hash browns on the same day**
Pudding Rice pudding & peaches
Tea Poached salmon with carrots & green beans

Breakfast Toast & jam/honey
Lunch Cowboy casserole
Pudding Fruit crumble
Tea Pasta with cheese, tuna, broccoli & sweetcorn

Breakfast Cereal (Corn Flakes/Rice Krispies/Weetabix) & Fruit
Lunch Sandwiches, salad**maybe the heavier breakfast (hash browns?) on the light lunch day
Pudding Jelly & fruit
Tea Fish Pie with leeks & broccoli

Breakfast Croissants
Lunch Pasta with cheese & tomato salsa
Pudding Fruit & ice cream
Tea Sausage chips & beans

Breakfast Cereal (Corn Flakes/Rice Krispies/Weetabix) & Fruit
Lunch Fish Fingers, broccoli & cauliflower
Pudding Chocolate pudding
Tea Mince, mash, with carrots & peas

Breakfast Bacon sandwiches
Lunch Rice, with peas, sweetcorn & raisins
Pudding Chocolate pudding
Tea Pasta with cheese & tomato salsa

Breakfast Pancakes
Lunch Cheese & Potato Pie with beans
Pudding Ice cream, gingernuts & banana
Tea Pitta bread with chicken mayo and salad

Breakfast Cereal (Corn Flakes/Rice Krispies/Weetabix) & Fruit
Lunch Sausage rolls & salad
Pudding Hot cross bun & butter
Tea Curried meatloaf, caulilower & peas

Breakfast Hash browns & beans
Lunch Pizza Toast, cucumber/carrot/tomato
Pudding Meringue mess
Tea Rice, smoked haddock with peas & sweetcorn Brill

Breakfast Pancakes
Lunch Fishcakes, salad
Pudding Hot cross bun & butter
Tea Toad in the Hole, with carrots & broccoli

Breakfast Cereal (Corn Flakes/Rice Krispies/Weetabix) & Fruit
Lunch Vegetable soup & bread
Pudding Chocolate custard & pears
Tea Cold meat, chips & beans

it is very hard to menu plan! I find that the easiest way to approach it is by looking at main cooked meals first and try to incorporate pasta, rice, potatoes and couscous at least once a week, usually doubling up on the pasta or potatoes for the other day. I then look to also include fish, chicken, a red meat, eggs or cheese and pulses on each of the days so once again you get a balance across the week. I then look at the lighter meal and try to make sure I include a completely different protein and carbohydrate to that being eaten at tea on that day. So, for example, my next weeks menu is:-

Mon

Lunch Vegetable & lentil soup, crusty rolls
Tea Beef casserole, rice & green veg
Toasted Hot Cross Buns & fruit

Tues
Lunch Cheese & tomato panini pizza, salad
Tea Homemade fish gougons, homemade chips, sweetcorn & peas
Flapjacks & fruit

Wed

Lunch Home made Sausage rolls, carrots, cucumber, cherry tomatoes
Tea Moroccan vegetable tagine (chickpeas) and couscous
Tropical fruit salad

Thurs
Lunch Scrambled egg, toasted muffins, babycorn & dwarf beans
Tea Roast Chicken, Roast potatoes & parsnips, carrrots & cabbage
Apple crumble & custard

Fri

Lunch Choice of sandwiches (chicken, ham or tuna) & salad
Tea Pasta, tomato & mozerella bake & broccoli
Fresh fruit jelly & icecream

At lunch I only offer a free choice of framag frais, yoghurt and fruit.

I will then mix around the protein and carbohydrate content to different days on the next week to make sure that children who only come on a few days do not always end up eating the same things.

Other favourites in my house which are not on your menu are

Main meals - shepherds pie
spaghetti bolognese
salmon fish cakes
lentil & vegetable stew (served with cous cous)
chicken & noodles
pork meatballs in tomato sauce
macoroni cheese

Light meals - Eggy bread
Cauliflower & broccoli cheese with bread & butter
Houmous & pitta bread

Hope this helps!

Coral

I don't think the few bread crumbs on a chicken nugget count as a serving of carbs. But as you have said, your mains which are light on carbs have carby puddings. I still think poached salmon needs a carb as your mindees are eating this as their last meal of the day and it has to keep them going until breakfast.

Actually - where I put 2 days in a row, I can see now that there is a gap of 1 day, so not an issue.

Lunch Baked potato, cheese & beans - good
Tea Burgers in rolls, salad - good
Lunch Chicken Nuggets, salad - sounds like no carbs, should list the bread if you are serving it.
Tea Poached salmon with carrots & green beans - sounds like no carbs
Lunch Cowboy casserole - sounds like no carbs
Tea Pasta with cheese, tuna, broccoli & sweetcorn - good
Lunch Sandwiches, salad - good
Tea Fish Pie with leeks & broccoli - good
Lunch Pasta with cheese & tomato salsa - pasta two days in a row if you have any mindees who do consecutive days
Tea Sausage chips & beans - ok, but I would doubt the quality of sausages
Lunch Fish Fingers, broccoli & cauliflower - sounds like no carbs
Tea Mince, mash, with carrots & peas - good
Lunch Rice, with peas, sweetcorn & raisins - peas count as a veg, not protein to me so not a ful meal.
Tea Pasta with cheese & tomato salsa - again
Lunch Cheese & Potato Pie with beans - good
Tea Pitta bread with chicken mayo and salad - good
Lunch Sausage rolls & salad - not a fan of sausage rolls
Tea Curried meatloaf, cauliflower & peas - sounds like no carbs
Lunch Pitta bread with chicken mayo and salad - good, but two days in a row
Tea Rice, smoked haddock with peas & sweetcorn - good
Lunch Fishcakes, salad - sounds like no carbs, but I guess the fishcakes have potato in them. Are they homemade?
Tea Toad in the Hole, with carrots & broccoli - good
Lunch Vegetable soup - I would not be confident about this being a complete meal, any carbs?
Tea Cold meat, chips & beans - an odd mixture

I would say that there seems to be a lot of cheese in there, but perhaps this is because I don't like cheese and hope my DD won't either as it is quite fattening. You don't sound like you have used eggs at all - they are cheap and good for you.

Do you also do desserts or snacks? While I don't generally feed DD dessert, so I don't think you have to, it is worth your while listing them or doing a general "all meals are followed by fruit or yogurt" if you do offer them.

Do you use couscous - I always find it a big hit with children. And you can serve it hot or cold, as a side to a meal or as a whole meal if you put veg and protein in.

I honestly think its an odd meal but if the kids eat it and enjoy it you would be mad to change it because some random woman on the internet wouldn't eat it

Sounds fab but do you really want to cook hot food twice most days? I would either do cold lunch/hot tea or vice versa, maybe with the exception of substituting soup for the cold meal on a particularly cold day. I must admit the last CM I used fed her mindees a lot of processed "kiddy food" but, you know, she was a really lovely woman who was great with my kids and they were only there a few days a week so I wasn't that fussed. Better that than organic food cooked from scratch and a miserable cow! I guess we all have different priorities though

Sounds yummy. I tried using a menu once, but found that I was always dashing off to the woods for the day, when the menu showed a hot meal, etc, etc, so we just wing it each day now, letting the parents know in the child's diary what they had for lunch. We do have an informal chat at the beginning of the week about what food we have in the house and how we can provide a varied diet. I also try to make sure each meal has carbs, protein, fruit/veg + calcium, as a guide to help me choose what to make.

I must admit that:

Lunch Rice, with peas, sweetcorn & raisins

made me go no protein there
but overall sounds ok

Ds' nursery does cooked lunch and a lighter 'tea' of crumpets/beans on toast/sandwichs/ granola with youghurt (which i watched him eat though there is no chance in hell he would eat that at home)

Making me hungry!

What's cowboy casserole tho?

I like jendot's suggestion
"A nice little description at the top about how you provide a healthy, balanced menu with everything made from scratch where possible from high quality produce. How water and fresh fruit are always available etc"

My immediate thought on reading chicken nuggets was processed - so definitely put homemade chicken goujons.

I did notice that it was quite heavy on the cheese though it wouldn't put me off.

looks like a lovely variety but here:

Lunch Chicken Nuggets, salad
Tea Poached salmon with carrots & green beans

i cant see many carbs.

Looks yummy though. Agree with other comments of home-made breaded chicken goujans, sounding much better than chicken nuggets

Sounds wonderful! I'd be over the mion with that if you were looking after my DS. Would be happy with a variety of cold lunches as well too.

I don't list lunches - just have a bit on the bottom of my menu saying lunch will be sandwiches, pitta pizza, wraps, baby ploughmans, soup etc - makes it a lot easier if we're out and about unplanned...