FREE PRINTABLE MEAL PLANNER FOR KIDS HOW TO
FREE PRINTABLE MEAL PLANNER FOR KIDS PLUS
FREE PRINTABLE MEAL PLANNER FOR KIDS FREE

Serve picnic friendly foods that transport easily to outdoor parks.Grill extra burgers or chicken breasts during your weekend cook-out and reheat during the week for the kids!.Minimize how much you use the oven to keep your home cooler.The four seasons can influence how and what you cook for your child care crew. One perk to making seasonal menus is finding fruits and vegetables that are at peak freshness and don’t cost a fortune.

Use it to pencil in your weekly daycare meals for breakfast (B), lunch (L), and snack (S).Īs mentioned earlier, I find it advantageous to make a menu cycle for each of the four seasons. This version has been created for you, the provider.

FREE PRINTABLE MEAL PLANNER FOR KIDS FREE

Click on the image below for your free printable daycare menu template. Some providers prefer to use an Excel spreadsheet or a cute fill-in-the-blank template. Using a daycare menu template will encourage an organized approach to your planning and allow you to see the entire week or month at a glance so that you are sure to serve a variety of foods.įind a template that works for you. While some people find delivery services to be pricey…others are surprised by how much money they save when they don’t step foot into a store! Impulse purchases can add up quickly and when shopping for groceries online you can watch your budget by watching the total add-up in your virtual shopping cart and stay within your budget.

Test out grocery delivery service to see if it saves you money.

This will make them last much longer! Use a colander too for easy straining and rinsing. Rinse well and return to their original container and place in the fridge.

Soak berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries) in a bowl of water & vinegar (about 8 cups of water to a 1/2 cup of vinegar.

Save frozen veggies or a jar of unsweetened applesauce (buy in bulk!) for later in the week.

Serve fresh fruits & vegetables at the beginning of the week while they’re fresh.

For me it was whole grain crackers, ground turkey and cheese.

Buy in bulk…but be careful not all things you buy in bulk are a good deal.

Check the ads (or cartwheel if you shop at Target) to see what is on sale.

Check your fridge and freezer for inspiration! What could you stand to use up? Add those elements to your meal choices for the week!.

Use the following tips before and during your shopping trip to save money on this business expense: If you run your own family child care program, you know how quickly the cost of food can attack your bottom line.

FREE PRINTABLE MEAL PLANNER FOR KIDS HOW TO

How to Save Money When Creating a Child Care Menu If this option is feasible in your setting…consider taking your meal outdoors a few times a week! You’ll be surprise by how much time you save on clean-up.

FREE PRINTABLE MEAL PLANNER FOR KIDS PLUS

Serve breakfast for lunch! Kids love this change up, plus it’s economical! Pancakes or scrambled eggs or french toast are popular choices.

For example, if ground turkey is on sale, serve up tacos, sloppy joes, and turkey burgers in the same week. Shop the ads and build your menu accordingly. Meals that reheat well are: casseroles, mini meatloafs, lasagna, soups or chili! Double your family’s recipe over the weekend and save the leftovers in the fridge for your child care crew come Monday. Serving the same thing on Fridays, cuts out one day of meal planning. My favorite Friday meal was a ‘picnic lunch’ that consisted of a sandwich, carrot sticks w/ hummus, and apple slices. To do this, use meal components that hold up longer in the fridge. In order to feel like you’re winning at the whole ‘lunch lady’ role…consider the following tips:

Allergies for a child or children in your group require mindfulness in menu choices and reading the labels.ĥ TIPS TO MAKE LUNCH MENU PLANNING EASIER.

Parental preferences and request can complicate what you may offer to the children (food dye, vegetarian options, gluten free…etc).

Child care providers are expected to supervise the children which makes preparing a meal for a group of children challenging.

Sleep schedules may prevent you from having a full-group meal time when all of the children are present.

Toddlers and infants can’t always eat the same things as preschoolers.

Here are a few reasons this part of the job is difficult…can you relate? Transforming into the “Lunch Lady” was never a favorite part of my job but feeding the children comes with the territory so I was always looking for ways to make it easier yet still feed my crew healthy food options. Especially when those bellies housed by tiny humans of various ages: infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Add meal planning, grocery shopping and meal prep to the list and you’ve got yourself one busy person.įeeding 6-10 hungry little bellies is a lot of work. WHY MEAL PLANNING IN CHILD CARE CAN FEEL OVERWHELMINGĪ child care provider has a seemingly never-ending list of to-do’s each week.

Free printable meal planner for kids