Sample Center MENUS

[missy]

My center just opened and I am determined to not give in to the typical child care center menu items (USDA or not, they are NOT my idea of healthy meals for the most part). We are licensed for 70 kids (0-5 years of age only), and will provide breakfast and lunch (and 2 snacks but I have tons of healthy ideas for the snacks:-)

Does anyone have any good resources for healthy sample menus by age? (1-5yo's). Cost is of course an issue so I can't go crazy like organic, but I want the meals to be mostly whole foods with as little processed food as possible other than whole grain breads and such. We have an employee who will serve as the cook but I need to keep the prep time as minimal as I can, because she has other duties as well. So the simpler the better!

Thanks!

[NoMoreJuice!]

Good for you!! It is so easy (and CHEAP) to fall into the chicken nugget-fish stick-tater tot habit. I serve TONS of chicken! My kids love it and we make so many meals out of it. For instance, I cook a giant crock pot full of it (in cream of Chicken soup) Sunday night, and Monday we have the chicken with soup on top like gravy (YUMMY) along with two veggies, like sweet potatoes and broccoli and a small slice of 100% whole wheat bread because I'm on the food program.

Then on Tuesday, we may have chicken and cheese quesadillas with whole wheat tortillas, along with apples and green beans.

Wednesday could be chicken salad (chicken, mayo, apples, and celery) on whole wheat bread with carrots and strawberries.

Thursday we could have chicken pizza on a homemade whole wheat crust (I make a huge batch of these crusts ahead of time and freeze them--so easy to pull out and add toppings!) with peas and cauliflower.

Friday may be stir fry day. Chicken and veggies sauteed in a big pot with low-sodium stir fry sauce=easy peasy.

Anyway, that's my solution to balancing healthy and easy. Good luck to you, and I am sure you will draw a huge crowd when you market your healthy program!

[NoMoreJuice!]

I forgot breakfasts, but they're so easy for us. We eat a billion eggs a year it seems! I make frittatas, egg muffins, scrambled eggs, breakfast burritos(I make a hundred and freeze them every few months), etc. Lots of turkey sausage also (even though USDA doesn't require protein in the mornings, which is so dumb in my opinion). And tons of fresh fruit. USDA also requires a grain, but I make sure that every grain I serve is 100% whole wheat. Even my pancakes are...again, I make a million and store them in the freezer. I have a giant deep freezer stuffed to the gills with daycare food. Makes my life so easy!

[missy]

You really DO love chicken!! :-)

Thanks for the great ideas! I do plan to make every bread/grain option whole wheat and whole grain only. And lots of legumes too, not just lean meats.

I definitely need to add a crock pot onto my list too:+)

[playground1]

I have no idea what regulations you guys have to follow, but we have all organic whole food meals delivered to us. We have meat one day, fish one day, and vegetarian the other days. Some of the more popular ones are mac and cheese, pasta with tomato sauce, chili, stuffed peppers (they don't all love the peppers, but the inside is a hit. It's usually bulgar or rice), hot dogs both poultry and vegetarian, au gratin with potatoes and veggies.

We always have fresh cut up veggies on hand.

[Unregistered]

Wee are not allowed to serve mac & cheese unless we serve an additional protein on the side. They say that it's impossible to serve the correct proportion of protein to grain. (It's not. Mine oozes cheese, super good served with broccoli that gets all cheesy then too.)

[playground1]

Wee are not allowed to serve mac & cheese unless we serve an additional protein on the side. They say that it's impossible to serve the correct proportion of protein to grain. (It's not. Mine oozes cheese, super good served with broccoli that gets all cheesy then too.)

Oh, geez. Then throw some smoked tofu in there! The kids won't even notice.

[Unregistered]

Right. I just don't ever list mac and cheese as a menu item. I list whole grain noodle in the grain section, and cheese in the protein section And I checked my proportions and they are fine.

We also can't serve peanut butter as a lunch protein without another protein on the side. "Because no child can eat enough peanut butter to meet the requirements." I offered up my kids to prove them wrong, but they didn't take me up on it :: Mine would eat it by the spoonful if I let them. Heck, they'd dip their hands in the jar and eat it that way if they could.

There are a million crazy regulations. Now I just nod. And smile

[craftymissbeth]

Oh, geez. Then throw some smoked tofu in there! The kids won't even notice.

We can't even freaking count tofu as a protein I found a really awesome baked tofu recipe I wanted to try and then I got the brilliant idea that one day a week should just be tofu day. Nope, they won't count it so I'd need to serve another protein with it

[craftymissbeth]

Right. I just don't ever list mac and cheese as a menu item. I list whole grain noodle in the grain section, and cheese in the protein section And I checked my proportions and they are fine.

We also can't serve peanut butter as a lunch protein without another protein on the side. "Because no child can eat enough peanut butter to meet the requirements." I offered up my kids to prove them wrong, but they didn't take me up on it :: Mine would eat it by the spoonful if I let them. Heck, they'd dip their hands in the jar and eat it that way if they could.

There are a million crazy regulations. Now I just nod. And smile

I made pb&j with a hard oiled egg yesterday. As I was making the sandwiches, I decided to measure my peanut butter. I cut each piece of bread in half so each dck gets half a sandwich. I was using 3Tbs. per half! I'm not even going to try to claim them like that because they'd never believe me.

[playground1]

We can't even freaking count tofu as a protein I found a really awesome baked tofu recipe I wanted to try and then I got the brilliant idea that one day a week should just be tofu day. Nope, they won't count it so I'd need to serve another protein with it

WHAT?! Those regulations are like, from the 1950's or something.

[debbiedoeszip]

I would serve the same things that might be prepared at home for dinner (in a home that cooks mostly from scratch). So many things that kids like, things that aren't generally considered healthy, if done from scratch can be healthy.

For example, I have a friend who makes chicken nuggets from scratch. She cuts up chicken breast into nugget-sized pieces, dips the nuggets into pureed green beans (she buys the jars of baby food for this), and then rolls the nuggets into seasoned bread crumbs. Then she bakes them. She says that all the kids she feeds them to go crazy for them. And there is nothing unhealthy about them.

On my menu, I have meatloaf, spaghetti w/meat sauce, soft tacos, chicken pot pie, cooked ham, stew, baked chicken, etc. Things like meatloaf, ham, or baked chicken would be served with a starch, something like mashed potatoes, baked potato, or rice. And I make sure that every meal comes with either cooked veggies, salad, or veggie sticks and dip. Most of it is made from scratch (the Alfredo sauce is from a jar, but the spaghetti sauce is made from canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and a bunch of herbs).

[nothingwithoutjoy]

WHAT?! Those regulations are like, from the 1950's or something.

Yup. These sorts of stupid rules are one of the reasons I dropped the food program.

[SignMeUp]

I made pb&j with a hard oiled egg yesterday. As I was making the sandwiches, I decided to measure my peanut butter. I cut each piece of bread in half so each dck gets half a sandwich. I was using 3Tbs. per half! I'm not even going to try to claim them like that because they'd never believe me.

And if you did they might say that you are putting your children at risk of choking on that much p.b. with bread
Don't ask me how I know that

[SignMeUp]

We were given a new handbook at our last annual food program training. It says that for children up to age FOUR beans have to be cut or mashed, fresh fruit or veg has to be diced to 1/2", all kinds of crazy stuff.
Why not just feed them gruel?::::::
Half of the eating experience is about texture. It's not just taste.