Creating Cycle Menus for CACFP Child Care Centers

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 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 Hazard Example: Choking Hazard Solution: • Chicken Leg/Drumstick • Diced Chicken • Raw Carrot Sticks • Blanched Carrot Sticks • Baked Carrot Sticks

* Choking Prevention Techniques present challenges in meal presentation Cycle some greens to add color & variety! A favorite that could be added once a week Example: **Mac & Trees** *Roasted Veggies Chicken Casserole Blues? *Chopped Broccoli * Spinach *Kale *Greens **Solution** casseroles with bright pops of COLOR Great Replacement for FRENCH FRIES!

FLAVORS Sweet = Good Sour & Bitter balance craving for unhealthy sweet flavors found in packaged foods. Sour & Bitter = Bad Yogurt • Naturally Sour • Often over-sweetened to hide sour flavor Mix 2 parts plain yogurt to 1 part vanilla yogurt to reduce sweetness & gradually introduce sour taste Greens Examples: - Spinach - Kale - Turnip & Mustard Greens - • Naturally bitter • Nutritionally Beneficial • Excellent Palate Training Add these to casseroles Frozen Fruit • Sometimes Sour • Picked Prior to Ripeness Mix sour fruit with fully ripened fruit Bake & serve in hot cereal

THE "OTHER" COMPONENT & CONDIMENTS Use Healthier Condiments Fruit & Yogurt are good replacements for syrup Avoid Menu Items that Need Ketchup • Make your own salad dressing • Use Healthier Oils • Replace Margarine/Spreads with Butter • Avoid products with artificial sweeteners or aspartame • Replace nuggets, meat fingers & fish sticks w/HM version • Lightly brush meats with homemade BBQ sauce • Introduce mustard

Infants After parent decides 8 -11 mos. Infant is ready for table food • Evaluate Regular Menu Determine if food item: • 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 Infants CANNOT have Whole Eggs, Honey, and/or Sugar • When Baked Good Items are Menu’d • Puree Fruit – Spread on Crustless Bread – Roll Tightly – Bake Low Until Crispy • When Whole Eggs or Egg Dishes Menu’d • Scramble Egg Yolks and Serve

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 ½ M/MA Requirement of Fresh Pork Roast with ½ 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? 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 Look at pricing for oranges and apples

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 Considerations If haven’t implemented fresh foods in menu, become more familiar before adding seasonal menu Cycle Menu to accommodate changes in participations during certain times of year 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. 3. 6. Include food sources for the nutrients that are often lacking in children’s 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 children’s 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 Fsh Homemade Fresh **Indicate types of Milk (Whole, 1%, Skim) WG WW Whole Grain ** If Juice is on Menu – indicate that it’s 100% Cnd Whole Wheat Canned Frz Frozen **You may need to make other abbreviations for the sake of space

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: Chicken Meat/Meat Alternate • Create 5 meat categories • Brainstorm all possible entrees in meat categories • Try to make equal possibilities for each category Beef Chicken Spaghetti Beefy Stroganoff Teriyaki Chicken Pork Sausage Biscuit Fish Turkey Meat Alt. Tuna Salad Grilled Cheese Sandwich Spaghetti Ham & Chz w/Meat Sauce Sandwich Chicken Salad Sandwich Hamburgers (pre-made) Mac & Chz w/Ham Chicken Nuggets Steak Fingers Chicken & Rice Beef & Bean Burrito Casserole Chicken Penne Salisbury Pasta Steak Tater Tot Casserole Cowboy Beans Meat Loaf Sloppy Joes

Evaluate lists and cross off foods that aren’t Best Practice Foods Enter G/B & Vegetables that are included in M/MA (bun in HM Beef Hamburger) Include items that are rich in Vitamin A, C, Iron, Calcium Combine all entrees and divide by 5 = # weeks of cycle menu Enter M/MA in daily categories to create cycle menu Categorize meats in 5 groups (chicken, beef, pork, etc. )

Lunch & Supper Cycle – Page 8: Meat/Meat Alternate • Apply the menu evaluation and editing process (pg. 2) • Remove and/or replace entrées on TABLE I. A. based on the evaluation and editing process

Lunch & Supper Cycle – Page 8: Meat/Meat Alternate • Enter entrées into the Cycle Menu on pp. 1819 • Enter (on pp. 18 -19) Grains/Breads and Vegetables when they are included in the entrée Wednesda y Thursday – Friday – Meat Category: Fish & Meat Pork Turkey Alternate Monday Meat Category: Chicken Tuesday Meat Category: Beef M/MA Chicken Enchilada Casserole HM Hamburgers Pork Roast Turkey Casserole Egg Salad Sandwich F/V Spinach G/B Corn Tortillas WW Bun Pasta - Elbows WW Bread Week 1 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 children’s 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. 18 -19. 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 children’s diets • Try to make equal possibilities for each category EXAMPLE Pancakes/ Waffles/ French Toast Cold Cereals Toasts Pancakes Cheese Toast Fr. Toast Sticks Homemade Breakfast Hot Breads Cereals Banana Bread Cream of Wheat Cinn. Toast Oatmeal Waffles English Muffin Biscuit w/ jelly White Toast

Breakfast Cycle: Evaluate lists and cross off foods that don’t 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. 18 -19

11:

Breakfast Cycle Menu Example – Page 11: Category: Week 1 G/B Pancakes/ Waffles/ French Toast Waffles Category: Toast WW Cinn. Toast Cold Cereal WG Cereal Category: HM Breakfast Breads Hot 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 children’s 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 Meat/Mea Grains/Breads t Alternate Crackers: Ritz/Cheez. Its/ Club Homemade Items to Try G/B or M/MA to try for Other Lacking Nutrients 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: Category: • Record snacks onto cycle menu excluding F/V – page 18 -19 • Try not to offer the same G/B on the same day (Breakfast Bread and Snack Cake on same day) Category: Categor y: Crackers or carrots w/Cheese/ Week Bean dips/ Pretzels/ 1 Guacamole Dry Cereal Cookies Categor y: Snack Crackers Yogurt G/B WG Crackers Pretzels Vanilla Wafers Gold Fish F/V Cheddar Cheese Stix Yogurt M/M A

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 children’s diets Vegetables to Try with try for Vegetables Vitamins Lacking A & C Nutrients Canned Frozen Fresh Tomato Soup Broccoli Lettuce Green Beans Mixed Sweet Potatoes Tater Tots WK Corn Hash Browns Black Eyed 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 children’s 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 children’s 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

CACFP Cycle Menu • 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 Breakfast: Week 1 G/B V/F Milk Other Lunch/ Supper: Week 1 M/MA V/F G/B Milk Other Snack: Week 1 G/B F/V M/MA Other Category: Category: Monday Meat Category: Tuesday – Meat Category: Wednesday Thursday -Meat Category: Friday Meat Category: Category: Category:

Evaluated and Edited Menu Example

• Additional Resources: • Feeding Infants: A Guide for Use in the Child Nutrition Programs http: //www. fns. usda. gov/tn/feeding-infants-guide-use-child-nutritionprograms • Menu Planning Tools for Child Care Providers https: //healthymeals. nal. usda. gov/menu-planningtools/menu-planning-tools-child-care-providers • Pass the Peaches, Please http: //healthymeals. nal. usda. gov/stateresources/creating-positive-and-pleasant-mealtimes-schools-and-earlychildhood-programs • Recipes for Healthy Kids: Cookbooks for Child Care Centers and Schools http: //www. fns. usda. gov/tn/recipes-healthy-kids-cookbook-child-carecenters-0