Menu Planning. Should be simple right?
Planning a menu for up to 100+ children is a tricky business. You are catering to the nutritional needs of children, their parents as well as national guidelines. It’s no wonder your left feeling stressed and confused.
Let’s first take a look at some barriers you may be facing when it comes to planning your menu’s:
- Fussy children.
- Multiple requests from parents.
- Food allergies and sensitivities (this is a huge one!)
- Tight budgets.
- Lack of time.
- Limited space for storage.
- Limited knowledge in the nutritional needs of the 0-5 age group – in particular, the babies (0-2’s)
All of these barriers make the planning process quite stressful and difficult. The first step is to be aware of these barriers so that you can have them in the front of your mind when preparing your menu. I know this may sound ridiculous and obvious but I promise, acknowledging these barriers helps you to remove them.
When sitting down to plan your menu, I recommend to put aside at least 2 hours per week of the menu (e.g. 10 hours for a 5 week menu). This is realistically how long it is going to take you to source recipes, factor in your barriers and put it all together. It is also a good idea to set aside additional time throughout the implementation of your new menu to assess it’s success. Scheduling time in your diary halfway through the menu and then again after the whole menu has been implemented. This ensures you are connecting with your food coordinator regularly and giving them the support and resources they need to succeed.
Important factors to consider when planning your menu:
- Include 1 chicken, 2 beef, 1 fish and 1 vegetarian meal each week.
- Include whole grains such as wholewheat pasta whole wheat flour instead of white pasta and white flour.
- Fruit isn’t always the healthy option. Fruit contains sugar so it’s important not to overload our children with fruit at every meal.
- Think about foods that are nutrient dense for sustained energy. Include sunflower seeds, pepitas, oats, whole grain carbohydrates.
- Eat in season for freshness and sustainability.
- Grow a herb garden at your centre. Fantastic for fresh herbs to add in your cooking and also teaching your children important life and environmental skills.
Creating your first whole food menu is definitely going to me the most challenging. It will however also be the most rewarding.
HEALTHY KIDS = HAPPY KIDS
If you would like some guidance with your menu planning, or would like to completely take the stress away by having someone else do all the hard work for you, give me a call on 0431698870 and we can discuss how I can devise a plan to suit your centres individual needs for menu planning success.
Katie Harding, CEO Nourished Beginnings
katie@nourishedbeginnings.org
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