Lunch/ menus

[DeeDee]

Hello,

Just opened my homecare and trying to do a menu plan, wonder where some of you get your menu templates, and what do you serve durning a two week period? in need of ideas thanks in advance.

[Inspired by Reggio]

I use to have a rotating menu plan when I started and found I was often tossing things out and well I myself would get 'bored' cooking the same thing over and over again

So now on Fridays the children help me plan the next weeks menu ~ each child basically gets to choose one am snack, lunch and pm snack and if I have a nonverbal child I choose for their selection ... this has resulted in us eating some new and different things I would not have served cause they are not things I myself had as part of our normal palette but have since learned to enjoy!

Some examples of our favorite fare choices are:

Am snacks - one option plus a serving of fruit or veggie

Cold cereal – rice crispies, Shreddies, corn bran, alphabets, cheerios, etc
Pancakes / Waffles / French toast
Warm Oatmeal
Toast/Bagels/English muffins with PB or Cream Cheese or Cinnamon
Eggs … mini quiche, scrambled in mini pita pockets, hard boiled, Omelets, A bird in the nest (toad in hole)
Cereal Bars
Yogurt / Cottage Cheese
Mini Muffins … Pineapple coconut, peanut butter banana, apple raisin, pumpkin raisin, carrot raisin, raisin bran, cranberry lemon etc.
Cheese cubes

Summer Lunch ideas

Cold Chicken, Pita bread & Fruit Salad
BBQ Hamburgers, Home fries, Grilled veggies & Orange slices
Tuna Salad Wraps & Fruit kabobs
Meat & Cheese Pizza’s, Raw Veggies & Dip & Applesauce
Cold Turkey, Caesar Salad & Peaches
Roast Beef Slices, Potato Salad & Red Applesauce
Tuna Melts On English Muffin, Vegetable Salad & Pears
Egg Salad Sandwiches, Cold Veggie Tray & Pineapple
Greek Chicken Salad with Pita and Hummus, Mixed Fruit
Taco Salad With nachos, ground beef and cheese & Mixed Fruit
Chicken Breasts, Baby Spinach Salad, Pita Bread & Oranges
Greek Pasta Salad, Feta, Tomato & Melon
Roast Beef Wraps, Coleslaw, Carrots & Mixed Fruit
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Veggie Tray with Dip & Pears
Ham Salad Wraps, Potato Salad, Carrot sticks & Oranges
Kabasa & Cheese Kabobs, Crackers & Fresh Fruit tray
Cold Tuna Noodle Salad, Sliced Tomatoes & Banana
Chicken & Veggie Wraps, Carrot Raisin Salad & Strawberries
Cold Roastbeef, Macaroni Salad, Sliced tomatoes & Banana
Peanut Butter Banana Dogs, Apple / Carrot Salad & Melon slices
Tuna Salad in a Pita, Cheese & Tomato, Sweet Pickles & Apple
Chicken on a Bun, Cold Pea & Carrot Salad & Kiwi
Turkey on a Bun, Pasta Salad & Mango
Meat / Cheese Tray, Coleslaw, Rice Crackers & Mixed Fruit
Cobb Salad,Crackers, Strawberries
Sanamoa Chicken Salad with Garlic toast

Winter Lunch Ideas

Chicken Rice Casserole, Mixed Vegetables & Pineapple
Sloppy Joes, Cheese & Tomato, French Fries & Orange
Fish Sticks, Sweet Potatoes, Corn & Fruit
Meat & Cheese Pizza’s, Raw Veggies & Dip & Applesauce
Penne with Turkey Sausage, Caesar Salad & Peaches
Chicken Nuggets, Mashed Potato, Corn & Red Applesauce
Tuna Melts On English Muffin, Vegetable Soup & Pears
Franks & Beans, Toast, Vegetables & Pineapple
Turkey Stew, Peas / Carrots, Bread / Bun & Mixed Fruit
Vegetarian Chili with Nacho Chips, Vegetable Sticks & Fruit Salad
Homemade Soup, Ham Sandwiches & Apple
Pork Chops, Rice, Vegetables & Pineapple
Veggie Filled Lasagna, Garlic Bread & Oranges
Beef Stew, Potatoes, Carrots & Fruit
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches & Vegetable Soup & Pears
Ham, Scalloped Potatoes with Onions & Oranges
Swedish Meatballs with Rice, Broccoli & Pineapple
Tuna, Noodle & Cheese Casserole, Stewed Tomatoes & Banana
Shepherd’s Pie, Mixed Veggies, Bread & Butter & Apples
Cheeseburger Macaroni casserole , Stewed Tomatoes & Banana
Mexican Bean Pie, Rice, Salad & Pineapple
Tuna Melts, Cheese & Tomato, Sweet Pickles & Apple
Chicken on a Bun, French Fries, Corn & Kiwi
Greek Pizza, Veggies & Tatzikki Dip & Applesauce
Ravioli with Meat Sauce, Tossed Salad & Peaches
Thai Turkey Stir-fry, Egg Noodles & Mango
Tuna Rice Casserole, Peas / carrots & Pears
Sausage, Pancakes, Broccoli & Red Applesauce
Pork Chops, Peas / Carrots, Sweet Potatoes & Mixed Fruit
Cabbage Roll Casserole, Garlic Bread, Grapes
Chicken Carbanera with Caesar Salad and fruit

PM snacks one option plus a fruit or veggie serving

Mexican Pinwheel Wraps
Cream Cheese and Cucumber Wraps
Homemade Cookies …. Oatmeal raisin, PB, Ginger snap Cookies, Hermits, Macaroons, etc.
Cheese cubes and crackers
Pita triangles & Pate
Pita triangles & Hummus
Fruit kabobs and yogurt dip
Deviled Eggs and Apples
Mini muffins … cranberry lemon, Zucchini carrot, Banana Chocolate chip, Cherry Oatmeal surprise
Mini cheesecakes …. Graham wafer and flavored cream cheese with raspberries stuck on top
Rice Crisp Squares and fruit puree
Mini Ice- cream Cones with banana sliced into cone
Vanilla pudding and mandarin oranges
Homemade Bits and Bites
P&B crackers and Apple slices
Ants on a log
Veggies and various Dip
Pretzels and spinach dip
Peanut butter banana dogs
Nachos with salsa
Popcorn
Ambrosia Salad - cottage cheese, yogurt, coconut, pineapple, mandarin oranges, cherries, marshmallows
Monkey Bread - homemade bread dough cubed tossed with cinnamon, sugar, pecans and baked
Pickle & Cheese trays
Baked Fruit crisps with Whip Cream (Apple, Strawberry Rhubarb, Mango)
Pumpkin Custard
Chocolate Avocado pudding

[Momof4]

Ok, well, I don't have a menu template. I started with a menu when my daycare was new but none of the parents paid any attention to it and it caused me stress to try to stick to it to the letter day by day. Sometimes our days are crazy and that isn't possible. I like the freedom of serving something quicker some days when we have been outside too long. My dc clients trust me to serve nutritious food to their children. Everything is home cooked with a minimum of prepackaged foods at my house.

I serve a couple of things for breakfast snack, one type of fruit with a grain serving like a pancake or croissant or a protein serving like bacon or breakfast sausage. For lunch I always serve a protein like chicken, pork, beef, fish, with a veggie or two and a grain serving and fruit. Then for afternoon snack I serve two things again such as nacho chips and cheese, yogurt and fruit, crackers and ham chunks, lots of different combinations, but always simple and quick.

I have very picky eaters, always have so I can't serve fancy dishes. They won't even eat dips for pete sake.