Set aside a time and place to plan menus for a week at a time. Have your menus planned before the food is purchased. Plan menus that meet the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Meal Pattern requirements for the age groups of children you serve. Plan the main dish first (Meat/Meat Alternate). The main dish may also contain pasta, rice, or vegetables. Plan foods to go with the main dish to meet the remainder of the CACFP Meal Pattern requirements (Fruits/Vegetables, Grains/Bread, Milk). Include foods on the menu approved as creditable by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and your state agency. For success, set aside a special time and place for uninterrupted menu planning. Have reference materials handy. Plan menus a week at a time. Plan Nutritious Meals 1. Plan to serve a variety of foods during the day and week. 2. Check to make sure that the same foods are not repeated more than once a week. 3. Increase fiber by including fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, and whole-grain products. Limit the number of fried foods and high-fat foods offered. 4. Limit the number of sweets such as cookies, cakes, brownies, doughnuts, and sweetened cereals. 5. Plan to serve fewer high-salt (sodium) foods, such as luncheon meats and processed foods. 1
6. Include foods that provide vitamin A. Food sources of vitamin A are spinach and other dark, leafy greens; deep orange fruits and vegetables (carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, winter squash, such as butternut or acorn, mango, cantaloupe); fortified dairy products like milk and cheese; and eggs. 7. Include foods that provide vitamin C. Food sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, lemons, canned mandarin oranges); cabbage-type vegetables (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower); dark green vegetables (green peppers, spinach, kale, lettuce); melons (cantaloupe, honeydew); kiwi; mango; strawberries; tomatoes; potatoes and sweet potatoes; and sweet red peppers. 8. Don t forget to include iron-rich foods. Food sources of iron are beef and turkey (dark meat); dry beans and peas; whole-grain, enriched, or fortified grains/ breads; spinach; and broccoli. 2
Plan Meals That Look and Taste Good 1. Include foods that are different shapes round, square, rectangular, wedgeshaped. 2. Include foods that are different colors tan, brown, yellow, orange, red, bright green. See the list of vegetables and fruits of various colors in this lesson. 3. Include foods that are different textures soft, fluffy, crunchy, crisp, creamy, smooth. 4. Include foods that have different tastes sweet, sour, tart, salty, spicy, and mild. 5. Think about the likes and dislikes of the children. 6. Consider special requests of parents. 7. Include some foods in each meal that are easy to like. 8. Introduce new foods along with familiar foods that children already like. 9. Plan menus that are right for the age of the children in your care. Do not serve foods that could cause young children to choke. More information on preventing choking follows. 10. Remember to take into account any food allergies that the children in your care may have. If you have been alerted to food allergies by the child s parents, prepare a special care plan that includes the food or foods the child is allergic to, the allergic reactions you need to look for, and the appropriate treatment. Then prevent exposure to the specific food(s) to which the child is allergic. 3
Prevent Choking Caregivers should not offer foods that are implicated in choking incidents (round, hard, small, thick and sticky, smooth, or slippery) to children under 4 years of age. Examples of these foods are hot dogs (whole or sliced into rounds); raw carrot rounds; whole grapes; hard candy; nuts; seeds; raw peas; hard pretzels, chips, peanuts, and popcorn; marshmallows; spoonfuls of peanut butter; and chunks of meat larger than can be swallowed whole. Peanut Butter Source: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Outof-Home Child Care Second Edition (2002). Available online from The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education http://nrc.uchsc.edu. 4
Choose different colors of vegetables and fruits to add variety to your menus. Here is a list that will give you ideas for a variety of colors to include. Yellow Orange Red White/Pale Blue/Purple Green Apples Apricots Apples Applesauce Blueberries Apples Bananas Fruit Cocktail Grapefruit Pineapple Summer Squash Cantaloupe Carrots Mandarin Oranges Nectarines Oranges Pink Grapefruit Strawberries Tomatoes Watermelon Jicama Onions Pears Potatoes Dried Cranberries Grapes Plums Broccoli Celery Peas, Pea Pods Honeydew Kiwifruit Peaches Lettuce Pumpkin Lima Beans Sweet Potatoes Spinach Tangelos 5