Running a home day care can be stressful. Small children need to be changed, helped to the bathroom, cleaned, entertained, educated and yes, fed. Day after day, week after week, they need a wide variety of healthy, balanced meals. For home day-care operators who have run out of menu ideas, help is on the way. Suggestions are based on recommendations of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture).
For breakfast, day-care providers are advised to give children nutritious meals with a fruit or a vegetable, bread or grains and milk. Children 1 year old and younger should have breast milk or formula. Children between 1 and 2 years old should have whole milk. Children older than two years old should have low-fat (1%) milk. Menu suggestions include the following: 1 blueberry pancake, 1/2 cup of cling peaches drained of syrup and 1 cup of milk; 1/2 orange with 1/2 cinnamon roll and 1 cup of milk; 1/4 cup of cooked oatmeal with 1/2 grapefruit and 1 cup of milk; 1 biscuit with1/2 cup of applesauce and 1 cup of milk; 1 cup of pear halves with 1 slice of cheese toast; 1/2 cup of bananas with 1/3 cup of unsweetened dry cereal and 1 cup of milk; 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries mixed in 1/3 cup of plain yogurt with 1/4 cup of cooked oatmeal and 1 cup of milk; 1/2 cup of pineapple chunks and 1 large scrambled egg with 1/2 slice of whole wheat toast and 1 cup of milk.
Lunch and dinner meals at home day-care establishments should include one serving of meat (or a meat alternative), one serving of grains or bread, two servings of fruits and/or vegetables and one serving of milk. All meals should include water. Meal suggestions include the following: tuna salad on wheat toast with mango slices, banana slices and milk; grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup with fresh pear slices and milk; fish sticks with pretzels, carrot sticks, apples slices and milk; hot dogs with bun, baked beans, grapes and milk; corn dogs, cherries, mixed vegetables and milk; cheese quesadilla with black beans, plums and milk, soft ground beef tacos, oranges and milk; spaghetti with meatballs, salad and milk; soy cheese burger, mango slices and milk; sloppy joes, cauliflower and milk; roasted chicken with rice, broccoli, salad and milk; marinated chicken breasts with noodles, squash, peas and milk; hamburger on a whole wheat bun with lettuce and tomato, oven cooked french fries and milk; turkey and cheese sandwich on wheat bread with broccoli, raisin/carrot salad and milk; roast beef sandwich with french fries, plums and milk; meat loaf with macaroni and cheese, green beans, peaches and milk; turkey potpie with peas, cucumber salad and milk.
Snacks must include one serving from the fruit/vegetable food group and one serving from the bread/grains food group. Suggestions include banana bread and milk, whole wheat toast and applesauce, whole grain muffin and apple juice, apple slices with peanut butter, graham crackers and peaches, zucchini bread with orange juice, orange slices with a bran muffin, peanut butter and jelly sandwich with milk, yogurt with peaches, raisin bread with applesauce and corn muffins with orange juice.