Meals and Snacks for 12-18 months

I just opened this week. I have (2) 12 month olds and my own daughter who's 16 months.

I don't have a menu plan. Do you recommend that I do? I thought it would be easier to just wing it sort of thing but now I just want what works best. I offer breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks. I feel super stressed about what to serve. My daughter doesn't eat super fancy (healthy, yes) but can't say she eats veggies kind of thing. Mom is more the "flax seed, green smoothie, etc." type and I know I shouldn't be so worried about what I offer because its my home, my business.

Do you mind sharing meal plans an or ideas for snacks that are simple and not too out there.

Thanks!
:)

Don't worry about what type of foods the children are getting at home. Like you said your home, your business. Feed what you feed your daughter. As long as it is healthy then don't worry. For the little ones I start out with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers cut in small pieces. Our group eats a lot of raw vegies so start with those. I also sliver raw carrots/celery/broccoli etc. I feed the kids KD, perogies, grilled cheese, hot dogs, macaroni, chicken fingers, fries etc - all the kids fun foods but we eat fresh fruit and vegies daily. I do feed small ones cheerios, rice cakes, cheese cubes, crackers for snacks too.

Its ok to just wing it!

I read your other thread that you posted - same thing with the addition about breakfast. You most certainly can adjust your contract to cut out breakfast. Just give lots of notice. Personally I would give 3 months notice - just send out a notice saying that as of ____ date (3 months from now) that you will no longer be serving breakfast and ask that all children be fed BEFORE arriving at daycare.

I used to allow parents to bring breakfast and eat it here. too much of a pain. I did it for awhile but then cut it out completely.

I just wing it....I have a general idea of what I'm serving that week but I don't know the exact details. For example, a roast chicken cooked on Sunday gave them a lunch of chicken and potatoes one day and chicken parmigiana another day!

At those ages, I'd give soft fruits (banana, strawberries,raspber ries,blueberries,kiw i etc) cooked not raw veggies, soft veggies like mushrooms and I'd be starting cucumber, avocado and pepper slices. Snacks like pudding, yogurt, applesauce, soft cookies, cheese, crackers, apple crisp, banana or zucchini blueberry loaf, muffins, bagels, toast, eggos, pancakes. Meals like casseroles (kids love cheese...who doesn't?!), soups, potatoes with slow cooked tender meat, sandwiches, pasta with spaghetti sauce or cheese, ham, chicken, chili, stews etc.

If you want more veggies in their diet, you can "hide" it in baked goods, soups, chili and stews.

A meal plan definitely takes the stress off, especially if you want to provide healthy meals and snacks instead of relying on prepackaged and processed foods. We make everything from scratch here, some things like our veggie nuggets, soups and applesauce we'll make in large batches and freeze, taking out just what we need for the kids we have. We don't find we have to 'hide' veggies, the kids love them, especially if they're seasoned well with italian seasoning, garlic, himalayan salt, curry, etc. We do lot of fruits, veggies, beans & lentils, rice, quinoa, etc and not so much meat (I find the group we have don't like meat so much but love everything else). Some of their faves are quinoa with black beans, kale and sweet potatoes (with a bit of olive oil and himalayan salt), stir-fry veggies with rice and curry sauce, mac & 'cheese' (the cheese is actually pureed veggies, coconut milk, cashews and seasoning), chia seed pudding (super easy to make, if you buy a package of chia seeds, its usually on the back), green smoothies and chunky veggie soup with beans. I saw a recipe on Pinterest for Applesauce Bites, I haven't tried them yet, but they're super easy - just 1/2 cup applesauce & 1 cup oats, mix it up, put them on a tray (bite sized) and put in the oven at 325 for 8-10 mins. I post some recipes on my Facebook page, feel free to check it out if you'd like some inspiration! https://www.facebook.com/HealthyLittleMonkeys

I have been in this business for a LONG time and have always offered to feed breakfast....I do have the parents that take advantage of this but I can't for the life of me...figure out the child that shows up anywhere between 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. and have the parent say..."oh by the way....she hasn't eaten anything"??????? WHAT! SERIOUSLY! I have actually rolled my eyes in front of the paren
t and asked.."what time did she get up? mother: "oh like about 8;00 but she wasn't hungry." I finally told then that I was NOT offering breakfast after 9:00....lol guess who is here by 9:00