When Do You Cook Food For Daycare? And What Kind Of Food Do You Offer?

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

My meals are mostly plain, basic foods. A lot of kids don't like this, that, or the other thing. So chicken is either barbecued(precooked the night before), HM nuggets or simply stir-fried in lite Italian dressing. I serve plain brown rice or noodles with butter/parmesan. They'll eat pork chops, chicken, sloppy joes, a dish made with hamburg, corn and rice(much like shepherd's pie), pizza, I serve sandwiches once a week, hot dogs once a month. Very plain and simple meals that I round out with either fresh or steamed veggies and fresh fruits. This summer the SA are here so I add things I wouldn't normally make, like Tacos, spaghetti(with sauce).

Most everything I make while the kiddos are here. My kitchen is in between the playroom and living room so I can keep a pretty good eye on them. It doesn't take long to put together a quick meal or snack. And snacks are always a quick make and serve. Breakfast is prepared while I wait for them all to arrive in the a.m. so by the time they get here I just have to pour milk and pop the toaster, etc. I serve cold cereal 2-3x a week because many times some of the kids have eaten anyways and don't eat much else. Many weeks I have leftovers on Friday where we clean out the fridge. Otherwise all that stuff gets tossed because I'm the only one here to eat it.

You've got a great system.
I also serve cold cereals right now because most/all of my kids have eaten as well (except for maybe 1-2 of 12 each day). It works well. I require all to eat SOMETHING if they're present. It can be any portion size or food item being served that morning.

[Snowmom]

I usually take one day a week to prep the majority of my meals and either freeze or bag it up in portions. I usually take nap time at the end of the week to do it, so that I don't use my weekend time.

I come from a farming family and do lots of organic and whole foods. Most of the time I shop at farmers markets, grow a lot and do pick ups at local farms. So, I get lots of really fresh foods that lasts longer than grocery store items.

[LK5kids]

Breakfast I ready while they play.

I also make most meals from scratch and I am about 90% organic.

Kids choose from the math/language shelf while I make lunch. These are homemade games and manipulatives. Math games don't typically include numbers but instead sorting, sequencing manipulatives, etc.

Younger toddlers play with toys I've set out.

Roast beef and turkey breast are made in the crick pot. I've learned offering fresh fruit takes a bit more planning and prep. It's not as quick as opening up a can! Sometimes I'll cut into fresh fruit and it's not ripe yet, say like canteloup. Then I have to switch to a different fruit like bananas or apples.

Also, steaming frozen veggies takes a bit more time too.

I usually have 6-8 kids also.

[trix23]

LK5Kids, I'm interested in your homemade math protects! Can you PM me ?

[LK5kids]

LK5Kids, I'm interested in your homemade math protects! Can you PM me ?

I sent you a long PM! Almost all my math games focus on either sorting by size, color, shape, making patterns, one-to-correspondence, simple counting games like moving a game piece two yellow spaces, shape puzzles, card games, geo boards, peg boards, etc.

I'm not big on pushing number recognition though they are exposed to numbers here and there. Hope the ideas are helpful!

[trix23]

Thank you, I'll check it out!

[hwichlaz]

I print file folder games for the kids to do when I need them occupied for a bit.

filefolderfun.com

[renodeb]

I can watch the kids play from my kitchen so I make meals while they play. Im about 1/2 kid foods and 1/2 I make extra of what we are having for dinner the night before and they get that. Then I just prep the fruits and vege.
Deb

[Mom2Two]

I don't cook much, unless it's eggs (flat scrambled eggs that I can chop or German pancakes) or beans, which I just warm up with cheese on it or warm them with cheese in a rolled up tortilla.

Sometimes I cook whole wheat dinner rolls using the bread maker, and the kids love those.

I like to chop containers of raw vegies during the morning, so that they are ready for the kids and also ready for my lunch.

My meals run like:

AM snack:
Regular Cheerios/Multi-grain Cheerios or corn chips + chopped fruit or juice

Lunch:
Ham or cheese sandwiches, made to order (not too hard).
Chopped, raw vegies (peppers are a favorite)
Chopped raw fruit

PM Snack:
Maybe milk/fruit smoothie or same as AM snack (but different options).

Dinner:
Similar to lunch but with different options. Maybe straight wedges of cheese as the protein. Maybe yogurt/milk smoothes as the milk/protein/fruit.

My menu changes as my group preferences change. I try to keep food non-messy and within the range of stuff that we buy anyway as a family.