Creating Cycle Menus for CACFP Child Care Centers by: Lori Muzquiz & Tarrah Moreno Texas Education Service Centers Class Outline Special Considerations for CACFP Menus Lunch & Supper Cycle Breakfast Cycle Snack Cycle Vegetable & Fruit Cycle CHOKING HAZARDS! Choking Hazard Example: Chicken Leg/Drumstick Raw Carrot Sticks Choking Hazard Solution: Diced Chicken Blanched Carrot Sticks Baked Carrot Sticks * Choking hazards should be strongly considered until children reach age 4 * Sample Menus and other Menu Resources should be evaluated closely to determine choking hazards that may be present * Choking Prevention Techniques present challenges in meal presentation **Solution** casseroles with bright pops of COLOR * Spinach *Kale *Greens Chicken Casserole Blues? Cycle some greens to add color & variety! *Chopped Broccoli A favorite that could be added once a week Example: **Mac & Trees** *Roasted Veggies Great Replacement for FRENCH FRIES! Sweet = Good Sour & Bitter = Bad Yogurt Greens Frozen Fruit Naturally Sour Often over-sweetened to hide sour flavor Examples: - Spinach - Kale - - Turnip & Mustard Greens - Sometimes Sour Picked Prior to Ripeness Mix 2 parts plain yogurt to 1 part vanilla yogurt to reduce sweetness & gradually introduce sour taste Naturally bitter Nutritionally Beneficial Excellent Palate Training Mix sour fruit with fully ripened fruit Bake & serve in hot cereal Add these to casseroles Sour & Bitter balance craving for unhealthy sweet flavors found in packaged foods. THE "OTHER" COMPONENT & CONDIMENTS Make your own salad dressing Use Healthier Oils Replace Margarine/Spreads with Butter Use Healthier Condiments Avoid products with artificial sweeteners or aspartame Fruit & Yogurt are good replacements for syrup Replace nuggets, meat fingers & fish sticks w/HM version Lightly brush meats with homemade BBQ sauce Introduce mustard Avoid Menu Items that Need Ketchup Infants Evaluate Regular Menu After parent decides 8-11 mos. Infant is ready for table food Is creditable to meet a component requirement in Infant Meal Pattern OR- Is NOT creditable but CAN be offered OR- Is NOT creditable and CANNOT be offered Determine if food item: When Baked Good Items are Menud Puree Fruit Spread on Crustless Bread Roll Tightly Bake Low Until Crispy When Whole Eggs or Egg Dishes Menud Scramble Egg Yolks and Serve Infants CANNOT have Whole Eggs, Honey, and/or Sugar Budget Mix creditable foods within a component to offer healthier alternatives & minimize costs Place Entrees, Breakfast Breads/Grains & Snacks into categories and distribute evenly to reduce risk of going over budget Homemade food could have lower food costs although higher labor costs but careful scheduling will help Frozen Blueberries mixed with Frozen Strawberries to meet full F/V Requirement M/MA Requirement of Fresh Pork Roast with M/MA of Beans/Legumes If beef is priced higher evaluate pricing for turkey or chicken for less expensive items Fresh bananas priced too high? Look at pricing for oranges and apples Fresh Fruit in season is a better buy but when out of season switch to frozen or canned If new to homemade, consider slowly implementing for better transition TIMING Coordinate Shopping/Delivery Days with Fresh Food Items on Menu Try to schedule less tasks on days that require ordering/shopping duties Days with less tasks should allow for extra time on menu items that require more prep work Seasonal Cycle Menus Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer Fall/Winter Cycle Menu Spring/Summer Cycle Menu Benefits Implementing Fresh Foods that are In Season Purposeful palate training Cycle Menu to accommodate changes in participations during certain times of year Considerations If havent implemented fresh foods in menu, become more familiar before adding seasonal menu List special menus for holidays/substitutions for menu items at bottom of working menu Working Cycle Menu with Substitutions Evaluation and Editing Process Page 2 ALL MEALS: 1.Replace juice with fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. 2.When possible, replace canned vegetable/fruits with fresh or frozen. 3.Replace Grains/Breads with Whole Grains. *Recommendation: Offer one Whole Grain/day. 4.Replace packaged foods with homemade foods when possible. 5.Implement a source of Vitamin C daily and a source of Vitamin A, at least, three times/week. See sources on pg Include food sources for the nutrients that are often lacking in childrens diets (pg.3). 7.Does the meal include various colors, tastes, and textures? 8.Make homemade food items that belong in the Other component. 9.Do not repeat the same or similar food items in a cycle week. 10.Replace or modify any possible food items that are choking hazards. Evaluation and Editing Process Page 2 LUNCH/SUPPER 1.Implement two vegetables (including legumes) at lunch/supper instead of two fruits or a fruit and a vegetable. 2.Implement homemade and possibly more expensive meats by including a legume or another M/MA for half of the required minimum portion for M/MA. BREAKFAST 1.Consider implementing a vegetable, such as spinach or okra, with eggs. 2.Use fresh or frozen fruits instead of juice. The fiber in whole fruits and vegetables is a necessary component of foods that is often lacking in childrens diets, and it slows the release of sugar into the blood stream. SNACK 1.Replace fluid milk with a Meat/Meat Alternate. 2.Increase the protein content in Grains/Breads by including recipes that include yogurt, ricotta cheese, or cottage cheese. 2 Menu Example I Page 4 Labeling Menu Items HM Homemade ** If Juice is on Menu indicate that its 100% Fsh Fresh WW Whole Wheat **Indicate types of Milk (Whole, 1%, Skim) Cnd Canned Frz Frozen **You may need to make other abbreviations for the sake of space WG Whole Grain Civil Rights & Required Funding Statement All menus must include the Civil Rights Statement, or at least the abbreviated Civil Rights Statement: This institution is an equal opportunity provider. The Authorized Funding Statement must be also be included: This product was funded by USDA. CE Name Implementing Change Page 6 Although tempting, pace any changes to your cycle menu List changes and then prioritize Schedule difficult changes when you will be available Changes to Make Priority #Due Date Cycle Menu Writing/Editing Process Lunch/Supper Cycle Brainstorm Evaluate & Edit Insert into Cycle Menu Breakfast Cycle Brainstorm Evaluate & Edit Insert into Cycle Menu Snack Cycle Brainstorm Evaluate & Edit Insert into Cycle Menu Vegetable/Fruit Cycle Brainstorm Evaluate & Edit Insert into Cycle Menu Lunch & Supper Cycle Page 7: Meat/Meat Alternate Create 5 meat categories Brainstorm all possible entrees in meat categories Try to make equal possibilities for each category ChickenBeefPorkFishTurkeyMeat Alt. Chicken Spaghetti Beefy Stroganoff Sausage Biscuit Tuna Salad Grilled Cheese Sandwich Teriyaki Chicken Spaghetti w/Meat Sauce Ham & Chz Sandwich Chicken Salad Sandwich Hamburger s (pre- made) Mac & Chz w/Ham Chicken Nuggets Steak Fingers Chicken & Rice Beef & Bean Burrito Casserole Chicken Penne Pasta Salisbury Steak Tater Tot Casserole Cowboy Beans Meat Loaf Sloppy Joes Evaluate lists and cross off foods that arent Best Practice Foods Include items that are rich in Vitamin A, C, Iron, Calcium Combine all entrees and divide by 5 = # weeks of cycle menu Categorize meats in 5 groups (chicken, beef, pork, etc.) Enter M/MA in daily categories to create cycle menu Enter G/B & Vegetables that are included in M/MA (bun in HM Beef Hamburger) Lunch & Supper Cycle Page 8: Meat/Meat Alternate Apply the menu evaluation and editing process (pg. 2) Remove and/or replace entres on TABLE I. A. based on the evaluation and editing process Lunch & Supper Cycle Page 8: Meat/Meat Alternate Enter entres into the Cycle Menu on pp Enter (on pp ) Grains/Breads and Vegetables when they are included in the entre Week 1 Monday Meat Category: Chicken Tuesday Meat Category: Beef Wednesday Meat Category: Fish & Pork Thursday Meat Category: Turkey Friday Meat Category: Meat Alternate M/MA Chicken Enchilada Casserole HM Hamburger s Pork Roast Turkey Casserole Egg Salad Sandwich F/V Spinach G/B Corn Tortillas WW Bun Pasta - Elbows WW Bread Milk Lunch & Supper Cycle Page 9: Grains/Breads Brainstorm all possible Grains/Breads currently being used Explore and record all Grains/Breads that your facility might try Consider Grains/Breads that contain sources of nutrients that are often lacking in childrens diets Page 3 Try to come up with at least 5 Grain/Breads to have one for each day of the week Current Grains/Breads Used Spaghetti/Egg Noodles/Macaroni White Rice Wheat Bread/White Bread Biscuit/Dinner Roll/Corn Bread Hamburger Buns Flour Tortilla Lunch & Supper Cycle Page 9: Grains/Breads Apply the menu evaluation and editing process (page 2) Remove and/or replace Grains/Breads on TABLE I. B. based on the evaluation and editing process Add Grains/Breads to the Cycle Menu on pp Do not repeat the same Grain/Bread within the same cycle week Breakfast Cycle Page 10: Grains/Breads Need 5 G/B categories per week Brainstorm all possible Grains/Breads currently being used Explore and record all Grains/Breads that your facility might try Consider Grains/Breads that contain sources of nutrients that are often lacking in childrens diets Try to make equal possibilities for each category Pancakes/ Waffles/ French ToastToasts Cold Cereals Homemade Breakfast Breads Hot Cereals Pancakes Cheese Toast Banana Bread Cream of Wheat Fr. Toast Sticks Cinn. Toast Oatmeal Waffles English Muffin Biscuit w/ jelly White Toast EXAMPLE Breakfast Cycle: Evaluate lists and cross off foods that dont follow Best Practices Combine all Grain/Bread items that you will use and divide by 5 = # weeks of cycle menu Enter Breakfast Grains/Breads onto working menu on pp Breakfast Cycle Menu Example Page 11: Week 1 Category: Pancakes/ Waffles/ French Toast Category: Toast Category: Cold Cereal Category: HM Breakfast Breads Category: Hot Cereal G/BWaffles WW Cinn. Toast WG Cereal HM/WW Banana Bread Oatmeal Snack Cycle Page 12: Categorize component categories Brainstorm all snack components excluding F/V components Include all items that your facility might try Consider sources that are rich in nutrients that are lacking in childrens diets Need 5-10 items per week that are not F/V Milk is an option but has already been offered in the days prior meals, consider G/B and M/Ma to pair with a fruit or vegetable instead Grains/Breads Meat/Meat Alternate Homemade Items to Try G/B or M/MA to try for Lacking Nutrients Other Crackers: Ritz/CheezIts/ Club Yogurt Cakes: Upside/Muffin Square Chz. Stix Cereal/Trail Mix Banana Bread Cookies: V. Wafers/G. Crackers/Fig Newtons/A. Crackers Donut Holes Snack Cycle Page 13: Consider best practices and cross off foods that you do not want to use Determine number of 2- component snacks excluding F/V Try to allow a F/V as one snack component 3 times a week or more Days that do not use a F/V, use a M/MA instead Categorize the snacks Snack Cycle Page 13: Week 1 Category: Crackers or carrots w/Cheese/ Bean dips/ Guacamole Category: Pretzels/ Dry Cereal Category: Cookies Category : Snack Crackers Category : Yogurt G/B WG Crackers Pretzels Vanilla Wafers Gold Fish F/V M/MA Cheddar Cheese Stix Yogurt Record snacks onto cycle menu excluding F/V page Try not to offer the same G/B on the same day (Breakfast Bread and Snack Cake on same day) Vegetable & Fruit Cycle Page 14: Write down current and possible menu items for Vegetables & Fruits Brainstorm enough F/V to have a different one each day of the week for each meal type Vegetable & Fruit Cycle Page 14: Vegetables: Write down all possible Vegetables Include vegetables that facility might try Use sources that are rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C Try to include vegetables that are high in nutrients that are lacking in childrens diets Vegetables Canned Vegetables Frozen Vegetables Fresh Vegetables to Try with Vitamins A & C Vegetables to try for Lacking Nutrients Tomato SoupBroccoliLettuce Green BeansMixed Sweet Potatoes Tater Tots WK CornHash Browns Black Eyed Peas Peas & Carrots Refried Beans Diced Carrots Broccoli Normandy Vegetable & Fruit Cycle Page 14: Fruits: Write down all possible fruits Include fruits that the facility might try Consider adding fruits that are rich in Vitamin A & C Try to include fruits that are high in nutrients that are lacking in childrens diets Fruits Canned Fruits Frozen Fruits Fresh Fruits to Try with Vitamins A & C Fruits to try for Lacking Nutrients Apples Bananas Pineapple Tidbits Pineapple, Crushed Apricots, Halved Applesauce Mixed Fruit Pears, Diced Peaches, Diced Oranges, Mandarin Vegetable & Fruit Cycle: Evaluate items considering Best Practices. Cross off items that you do not want to include in your menu. Add any items that are rich in nutrients that are often lacking in childrens diets Consider replacing canned vegetables with fresh or frozen Is juice able to be replaced with fresh or frozen fruit? Consider replacing canned fruit with fresh or frozen Insert Fruit/Vegetables into menu without repeating Are there any locations on the menu that a fruit can be replaced by a vegetable? Vegetable & Fruit Cycle Page 15: Record vegetables and fruits onto cycle menu page 18-19 Evaluate your menu to ensure that it: Meets the meal pattern requirements Has good taste appeal Is visually appealing Addresses choking hazard prevention Includes variety Is cost effective CACFP Cycle Menu Breakfast: Week 1 Category: Category: G/B V/F Milk Other Lunch/ Supper: Week 1 Monday - Meat Category: Tuesday Meat Category: Wednesday -Meat Category: Thursday - Meat Category: Friday - Meat Category: M/MA V/F G/B Milk Other Snack: Week 1 Category: Category: G/B F/V M/MA Other 18 19 Evaluated and Edited Menu Example 18 19 Additional Resources: Feeding Infants: A Guide for Use in the Child Nutrition Programs Menu Planning Tools for Child Care Providers https://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/menu-planning/menu-planning-tools/menu- planning-tools-child-care-providers https://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/menu-planning/menu-planning-tools/menu- planning-tools-child-care-providers Pass the Peaches, Pleaseresources/creating-positive-and-pleasant-mealtimes-schools-and-early-childhood- programshttp://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/state- resources/creating-positive-and-pleasant-mealtimes-schools-and-early-childhood- programs Recipes for Healthy Kids: Cookbooks for Child Care Centers and Schools