Vegetarians

[tenderhearts]

I was wondering if any of you accommodate vegetarians? if so how do you work it in with kids who are not vegetarians?

[Cat Herder]

I can and have, it is much easier than cooking for kids with three-page long allergy lists. The other kids did not care unless I tried to make them eat that way.

You will quickly figure out which kids were actually raised vegetarian vs which kid's parents are trying something new, though.

[tenderhearts]

I agree about the allergy list. I have had one child that was vegetarian but she was only here 3 days a week so it was easy to do it with all the kids. So how do you do two different meals one for vegetarian and one for the others?

[Cat Herder]

I agree about the allergy list. I have had one child that was vegetarian but she was only here 3 days a week so it was easy to do it with all the kids. So how do you do two different meals one for vegetarian and one for the others?

I don't. I meal prep for the week in advance. I prepare meats separate from the rest of the menu and add them in later if I am doing a casserole type dish. I have a couple with sensory issues who only eat one thing at a time and nothing saucy, this makes that easy to accommodate, too.

My freezer, right now, has 4 one-quart containers of diced baked ham, 6 diced baked chicken, 3 diced turkey breasts and 4 with cooked and seasoned ground beef.

It also has precooked beans, squash, creamed corn, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, candied carrots, bread/rolls, muffins, silver dollar pancakes, etc.

For the vegetarian kids, if I were making spaghetti, I would add ground black beans instead of the ground beef everyone else was getting. If I was serving ham and mac-n-cheese, I'd give them sauteed eggplant slices and a cup of chickpeas in place of the ham. Same meal, minor modification.

[tenderhearts]

Oh I see that makes sense. Thanks for the info

[Ariana]

I serve lots of vegetarian meals and meat meals so for the meat meals I just sub in beans and lentils mainly if I have a vegetarian child. I have a child now who refuses to eat meat so every meal I give her mixed beans or lentils. I don’t find it hard. You can also buy dairy substitutes for everything now.

[Jupadia]

No I dont make vegetation meals, but I do alow parents to substitute food for meals (no tuition change). There is no type of food program for me to follow but I do follow the Canadian food guide for healthy meals on my own. I figure here most kids start Kindergarten by the age of 4 if not 3 years depending on birthdate it's good for them to learn that they dont already get feed the same. I've really only had one parents a couple years ago want to provide own food, other then a couple kids that provided their own lactose milk.

For non daycare events though I'll cater to diffrent diets my kids birthday tomorrow we areaking sure to order veggie and cheese pizza and made the rice crispies treated with Halle free ingredients do to many of the kids diets. (that remindes me one of the moster cakes I made is smore, I used the marshmellow fluff stuff. So was not thinking the other two monsters cakes are diffrent flavors)

[tenderhearts]

I as wondering what proteins besides lentils and beans do you use for protein? Tofu is not claimable correct?

[Cat Herder]

amaranth
quinoa
edamame
dried oats
wild rice
chia
nuts
pumpkin seeds
cheese
flax seed
chickpeas
green peas
sun-dried tomatoes
bulgur
buckwheat
eggs
pine nuts
millett
chia
tempeh

[tenderhearts]

This child is only 14 mo so I would have to look but are all of them something a child that age can eat? I feel like not.

[Cat Herder]

This child is only 14 mo so I would have to look but are all of them something a child that age can eat? I feel like not.

Every single one of them. All can be found in your local grocery store now, too.

Most are grains/flours that can be made into breads, added to pastas or blended into sauces/spreads.

Think: A bowl of oatmeal with a spoonful of flax seed mixed in with a bit of cinnamon and sugar to taste.

[hwichlaz]

I as wondering what proteins besides lentils and beans do you use for protein? Tofu is not claimable correct?

Tofu is claimable now, as long as you don't hide it. No purreeing. It needs to look like meat. As in, chunks in a stirfry or dish etc.

[tenderhearts]

According to my USDA sponsor she said tofu is not claimable. I'm waiting for a list from the mom of things she eats.

[e.j.]

Tofu is claimable now, as long as you don't hide it. No purreeing. It needs to look like meat. As in, chunks in a stirfry or dish etc.

Same here.

According to my USDA sponsor she said tofu is not claimable. I'm waiting for a list from the mom of things she eats.

It seems as though different states, and sometimes even food programs within the same state, have different rules so your food program rep may be correct about serving tofu in HI. If you want the option of serving tofu, though, it may be worth asking her to double check her information in case she's not aware of the changes made to the rules in October '17.

Here's a link you could forward to her:

https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/community-nutrition/pdf/cacfp_mma_component_handout.pdf

[hwichlaz]

According to my USDA sponsor she said tofu is not claimable. I'm waiting for a list from the mom of things she eats.

Your rep may be unaware that federal regulations were changed to include tofu and tempeh. If your food program isn't following federal USDA guidelines I'd be inclined to file a complaint with the USDA. Even imitation crab is allowed now.

The meal pattern was updated in June 2016, and here (cali) we had to implement it by October 2017.

https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/cn/SP53_CACFP21_2016os.pdf