Daycare Lunch Ideas?

Question

I just started doing daycare and have kids starting Monday, what are some healthy but on the cheaper side meals that you guys serve?

Answer 1

fruit  and crackers

sandwiches

Popsicles

ps. watch out for kids who have allergies

good luck!!

Answer 2

Involve the families by letting them share their favorite lunch or snack idea.  I know someone who asks what each child's favorite foods are.  She has at least one of those foods on the child's first day of daycare...a nice transition between home and child care.  Contact your Child Care Resource and Referral agency.  They will put you in contact with the Child and Adult Care Food Program.  This program offers reimbursement for meals/snacks as well as TONS of healthy/inexpensive menu ideas.  It is a great program!!!

Answer 3

I always loved carrots and peanutbutter when i was a kid, but depending on the alergies the children have, you might have to speak with the parents on that, for now, go with stuff like plain carrots, apples, bannanas, basically fruits and vegetables.

                                    ~Wish you luck in your new daycare job!

                                                                         ~Gabi1018

Answer 4

I  work in a childcare centre and we have sandwiches twice a week and a cooked meal 3 times.  We have things like fish fingers and mashed potatoes, sausages in puff pastry and mashed potatoes, chicken nuggets and salad, noodle cakes (which are just cooked 2 min noodles with mixd veg, egg and cheese and you cook them in a cupcake or muffin tray), sandwiches with ham, cheese, baked beans, vegemite, cheese spread etc.  We also do fruit salads for morning tea and afternoon tea's are generally things like milk arrowroots and a cup of milk, savoury platter (cheese, saltana's, chopped devon meat, carrot sticks and crackers), yoghurt, custard etc.  kids are pretty fussy so simple things and platters where they have choice are pretty cheap and easy.  Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Not sure how healthy it is, but my 3 year old would live off of PB&J sandwiches if I let him. He also likes baby carrots & celery. I give it to him with a little bit of low fat ranch dressing. I think it's just the dipping he likes. Celery & peanut butter works also. Apple slices, he loves bananas. Anything crunchy. He loves granola bars, most of them are sweet, and have a bit of chocolate in them. As a treat I give him a little popcorn as every now and then, that's his absolute favorite.

Those are more snacks than meals. I would say macaroni and cheese. They sell the boxes with the little individual packs. They're very easy to cook, pop them in the microwave. Macaroni with fish sticks or chicken nuggets, is a quick meal. Chef Boyardee ravioli, spaghetti o's, etc. Sandwiches i.e., turkey & cheese, ham & cheese, etc. Wow, this is hard....I can hardly think of much. I usually just feed my son what he has a taste for. It's easier at home with my own child though. Good luck with that.

Answer 6

celery sticks with peanut butter on them with rasons on the peanut butter (ants on a log) healthy and good! and chopped up fruits. The occasional frozen pizza isnt too bad ONCE AND AWHILE if you are on a tight schedule or if it's last minute sandwiched ham and chees w/ wheat bread hope some of these will work if you want more ideas email me @ [e-mail] i have 4 other LITTLE sibblings one new born even so i have a lot of experience

Answer 7

Home child care or child care center?  Makes a difference in what you serve. One of the things I like about family child care is that I can serve much healthier food...and really it isn't any more expensive.  :-)

Do you participate in a food program?  They usually have many ideas...usually have "cookbooks" and such.

When I plan a meal I think protein, grain, veg., fruit, milk.

Here are some that have gone over well with my crew

Banana Dog: pb and banana inside of hot dog bun.  Usually I add some sort of cheese or yogurt do to the high amount of pb needed to meet the required serving size.  A variety of cold veg. work well with this meal, milk.

Scrambled or boiled egg, english muffin, fried potatoes, peaches, milk.

Sausage , french toast, strawberries, potato smiles, milk

meatballs, buttered noodles, green beans, fresh fruit salad, milk

ham, dressing, pineapple, brocolli, milk

Chicken Casserole:  chicken, noodles, peas, jello made with apple juice, milk

Cheese quesadillas, tatertots, apricots, milk

Crescent Dogs: beef smoky links inside of crescent roll, coleslaw, kiwi, milk

Chicken dinos, tortilla chips, peas, plum, milk

A little tip I do with the fruits... I have individual fruits during the week and on Friday I do a fruit salad with the "leftovers"- you can do the same with vegetables and have a "mixed vegetable day".  

Albacore (tuna), multi grain bread, fruit cocktail, celery, milk

A side dish variation of coleslaw--- cabbage and apples or carrots and apples with the dressing mixture.  Seems to go over good!

This is a great breakfast idea that goes over very well!  I place applesauce on the bottom of the bowl and Honey Bunches of Oats on the top... "apple crisp".  They love it!

They also like frozen blueberries with sugar sprinkled on top and milk poured over.  Mix and then theirs a "sugar glaze" on the blueberries!

I find that with the younger ones, it's nice to place carrot sticks into the microwave with just a wee bit of water to semi cook them since they can't chew them very well.  I stay away from celery unless cut into very small pieces because I have quite a few young ones.

Good luck on your meal planning!

Answer 8

These are some good ideas.  Soup would also be an inexpensive, healthy addition.  Make your own.  It's easy to do, and the kids can even help you.  They'll love it!  And I vote for milk rather than juice!  It has less sugar, and even if the kids say they don't like it, I find that if you model good eating habits such as drinking milk, the kids will pick up on it!  Include lots of fruits, veggies, and whole grains, and make sure you have a protein source at each lunch.  Grilled cheese sandwiches or macaroni and cheese would be good alternatives to pb & j.  Also, fish sticks, hot dogs once in a while, and maybe tuna salad sandwiches.  Inexpensive frozen pizzas will probably be a big hit, and they're easy.  If the kids like them, pick one day a week to be 'pizza day.'