Menu ideas and opions please

[SongSparrow]

I don't use a meal plan, but I do provide parents with a list of our usual meals and snacks that we rotate through. I tried a monthly meal plan when I first started and didn't like it....I like to be able to buy what is on sale and also will a lot of times double up on my family's supper so I can serve the leftovers for daycare lunches. The parents I work with don't want or expect a meal plan, though I know there are parents that do.
If it is a good week I will plan ahead my lunches for the next week so I can get the groceries on the weekend. Snacks are usually just whatever is on hand/on sale.
The biggest problem I have is trying to get supper ready for my family before I'm done work, as I often have daycare kids until 6:00pm and my own kids have activities in the evenings. Hate that evening rush!!

[zoomama]

I've never done meal planning, although I always think it would be a great way to go. I did let parents know what their kids ate that day via communication books, but gave those up as they were far too boring and time consuming. I now have a white board posted in the entrance, and will be writing what we had that day. It will be posted for parents to see at the end of the day, and that still gives me total flexibility if I change the menu last minute due to a longer stay at the park or whatever.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I don't do a meal plan really. I buy what's on sale for the week so I sit down with all the flyer's and make my list. This helps my budget and it gives variety to what we eat.

Morning snacks are usually a grain (toast, waffle, pancake,bagel etc) with a fruit and milk or water. They don't really like smoothies but every now and then I'll make them.

Afternoon snacks are usually crackers/cheese, cheese/veggies, yogurt/cracker, pudding/cracker, fruit/cracker.....I change the cracker's up with whatever's on sale (goldfish, graham, ritz, breton etc) and whatever is left in their sippy cup from lunch. If they drank it all, it's water.

For meals I try to do something from all 4 food groups and then usually a fruit or yogurt for dessert. They get milk or watered down juice. My kids thankfully all like water so my milk and juice servings have really decreased. However, they are really picky with veggies so I admit I need to try harder with that. They love stews and chili's though so I get the veggies in that and for some reason they eat them that way!