Feeding our children for health!

Feeding our children for health!
Impact that Lasts a Lifetime.

Jenni Murtaugh, BSBA Cacfp Manager for Tippecanoe County Child Care, Inc. - 6 child care programs that utilize CACFP, and Home Sponsorship for 73 Family Day Cares. Not for Profit Administrator and child care provider for 13 years. Mom for 10 years. My personal story regarding healthy living.

Healthy Menu Planning IS Important! Child Care Programs are homes away from home for nearly three quarters of children age 3 to 6. Young children typically consume half to three quarters of their daily energy while in childcare. Young children are more likely than older children to be influenced by adults in an eating routine. Food habits and patterns of nutrient intake acquired track into adolescence and adulthood. Journal of the AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION, April 2011, Volume 111 Number 4

Where can I start? ChooseMyPlate.gov Half of the plate is Vegetables and Fruits! Notice there are more Veggies than Fruits

Think Red, Orange and Green when choosing vegetables and fruits! Vitamin A – Boosts Immunity Vitamin C – supports blood vessels and bones Carrots Sweet potatoes Cantaloupe Squash Spinach Broccoli Bell Peppers Citrus Fruits Kiwi Leafy greens Cauliflower Strawberries

CACFP Requirementsfor Fruits & Vegetables

Breakfast Ideas Fruit for Breakfast Let them chew their fruit – eliminate juice! Juice should only be occasional (promotes tooth decay) or not at all. Fresh is best – shoot for 3 times per week! Canned fruit is quick and easy, but use products that use water or juice to pack it. Orange Slices Kiwi halves with spoon for pre-k Strawberries and Yogurt for dip

Let Kids Have Hands On FUN! Apple Bites A delicious, incredibly easy way to dress up fresh apples. 1 medium apple ½ teaspoon cinnamon (or more/less – how you prefer) 1. Cut up apple into bite sized chunks. 2. Put the chopped apple into a container with a lid (ex. an empty margarine container). 3. Sprinkle on the cinnamon, put the lid on the container, and gently shake so cinnamon covers apple. 4. Eat and enjoy immediately. Try serving with low fat vanilla yogurt as a dip. Children can help with this recipe. Place the prepared apples in Ziploc bags. Add the cinnamon and let the children shake the bag. (What about rainbow sprinkles?)

A Vegetable for Breakfast! You can prepare a dish like this the night before fairly easily and pop it in the oven for breakfast or snack the next day! Superman Sweet Potatoes 3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound) 3 Tbsp. brown sugar 1/8 tsp. ground ginger 8 oz. can peach slices in water, drained 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine Cook fresh sweet potatoes, covered, in enough boiling water to cover for 25 to 35 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool slightly. Peel and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices. Mix brown sugar and ginger. In a 1-quart casserole, layer half of the potatoes, half the peach slices, half of the brown sugar mixture and half of the butter. Repeat layers. Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes until potatoes are glazed. Spoon liquid over potatoes twice during baking. Yield: 10 servings Serving Size: 1/4 cup is one serving of fruit/vegetable for a 3-5 year old at lunch supper. Credit: NDSU Extension

Lunch and Dinner Serve at least one – but try two vegetables at lunch and dinner! Kids eat more vegetables when they are fresh and colorful! Frozen are the next best option Romaine with orange bell pepper and steamed cauliflower Steamed frozen asparagus and baby carrots with veggie dip (recipe). Spaghetti squash with Italian seasoning and leafy greens with vinigarette

“Our children will never eat that!” EATING vegetable needs to become familiar for healthy children. Consider family style meals to model healthy eating. Communicate with and educate parents too! Using menus and notes!

Parent Involvement Dear Mom and Dad, Today at day care we tried MANGOS!! Can we have it together some time at home? Trying new foods helps me learn to like them. Love, Aiden This is why we post menus! So that parents can see what their children are being served! Make sure your menus are posted in a place where parents almost HAVE to see them!

What is Next? ChooseMyPlate.gov Half of the plate is Vegetables and Fruits! Next is the Grains!

Find Products That Work for YOU! Aim to make at least half your grains whole grains. Whole grains provide more nutrients, like fiber, than refined grains. Substitute whole grain items for breads, crackers, and pasta. Look for the words “100% whole grain” or “100% whole wheat” on the food label. Read the ingredient list and choose products that name a whole grain ingredient first on the list. Look for these on labels to indicate a true whole grain product: whole wheat brown rice bulgur buckwheat oatmeal whole-grain cornmeal whole oats whole rye wild rice

Choose Breakfast Cereals Carefully Avoid cereals that show sugar as the first ingredient listed. Choose cereals that have 9grams of sugar or less per serving. Choose cereals that have at least 2 grams of fiber per serving. Look for cereals that have a “whole grain” listed as the first ingredient

CACFP Requirementsfor Grains

Oatmeal-Yogurt Pancakes To serve, stack the pancakes as high as you dare, and garnish with butter or additional Greek yogurt and fruit. 1 2/3 cups/190 g white whole-wheat flour2/3 cup/55 g old-fashioned rolled oats2 tbsp granulated sugar1 1/4 tsp baking powder1/4 heaping tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp fine sea salt or iodized salt1 cup/240 ml Greek yogurt, plus more for garnish1cup/240 ml milk 4 tbsp/55 g unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan 2 large eggs Instructions To make the pancakes: 1. Whisk together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda/bicarbonate of soda, and salt in a large bowl. 2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, the melted butter, and eggs. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and whisk in the wet ingredients until well incorporated. The batter should be thick, with little tiny bubbles on the surface. 3. Heat a cast-iron or nonstick griddle or heavy frying pan over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles when splashed on the pan. Brush the griddle lightly with melted butter. 4. Drop about 1/3 cup/75 ml of batter per pancake onto the hot griddle, leaving about 1 in/2.5 cm or so between pancakes. When bubbles form around the edges of the batter, gently lift and flip the pancakes with a flexible spatula. Cook on the other side until the pancakes are golden brown around the edges, about 2 minutes. Don’t worry if the first one doesn’t come out perfect—just adjust your heat as needed and nibble on the practice pancake while you stack up a plate of beauties. 5. Repeat, adding more butter to the pan as needed until all the pancakes are cooked. P.S.: If you like light, evenly golden brown pancakes, go light on the butter in the pan, and keep the heat on your griddle nice and low. If you prefer a pancake with a crisper exterior and a golden rim, cook pancakes at slightly higher heat, using enough butter to sizzle and foam in the pan between each batch. Recipe courtesy of Sarah Copeland at Edible Living, from her book "The Newlywed Cookbook"

Think Outside the Box When Choosing Grains! There are more than just crackers and bread when selecting foods to serve for the grain component! Brown Rice Quinoa Oats Wild Rice Barley Buckwheat Bulgur http://wholegrainscouncil.org/

How Do I Prepare These New Grains? This is a Rice Cooker. It gently boils the contents and senses when the fluid is absorbed. Don’t Be Intimidated by New Grains! Cooking most grains is very similar to cooking rice. You put the dry grain in a pan with water or broth, bring it to a boil, then simmer until the liquid is absorbed. http://wholegrainscouncil.org/recipes/cooking-grains-with-your-rice-cooker This type of small kitchen equipment CAN be purchased with CACFP dollars!

Quinoa Tabbouleh Tabbouleh is an Arab salad Yield: 18 – half-cup servings 8 cups cooked quinoa 2 cups diced plum tomatoes 1 tsp Kosher salt 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (chive, mint, parsley) 1. Combine all ingredients. Flavors will be best if salad is allowed to sit for at least 1 hour before serving. Submitted by Princeton Day School, New Jersey

Buckwheat and Cottage Cheese Casserole The savory combination of buckwheat and cottage cheese shows up in many traditional Russian cookbooks, and creates the kind of dense, comforting pudding that satisfies hungry little tummies. Ingredients 1/3 cup rye flakes (rolled whole rye berries) or old-fashioned rolled oats1 1/2 cups buckwheat groats1 1/2 tsp. dried dill1 tsp. salt1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper1 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for preparing pan1 1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese2 large eggs, lightly beaten3/4 cup sour creamabout 1/8 tsp. sweet paprika Instructions 1. Set a rack in the center and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Coat the bottom and halfway up the sides with the rye flakes. Set aside.2. In a heavy 2-quart Dutch oven or saucepan, combine 2 3/4 cups of water with the buckwheat, dill, 1/2 tsp of the salt and the pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the butter. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the buckwheat is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in another 1/4 cup of water if the mixture gets dry before the buckwheat is tender. 3. Transfer the cooked buckwheat to a medium bowl. Stir in the cottage cheese, followed by the eggs and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt. 4. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan. With a rubber spatula, spread the sour cream in a layer on top. Dust with the paprika. Bake until the edges are firm and the center is set, 45 to 50 minutes.5. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife along the edges and cut into 8 portions. Use a spatula to remove the pieces from the pan.Lorna Sass is the author of "Whole Grains for Busy People." For more recipes, please visit www.LornaSass.com. makes: About 8 servings

Meat or Meat Alternate for Protein! ChooseMyPlate.gov Half of the plate is Vegetables and Fruits! Next is the Grains! Protein is essential to HEALTH!

Keep your Meat Component LEAN! Consider serving a meat alternative at least once a week for lunch or dinner! AVOID or ELIMINATE processed meats! Instead use chicken, turkey, fish, and 90% lean or greater beef. Cheese or Cottage Cheese Eggs Yogurt Beans

CACFP Requirementsfor Meat

The Beauty of BEANS! Beans are inexpensive! Beans are delicious! Beans FULL of protein AND FIBER! Beans are fat free! Beans are filling! There are a wide variety of sizes, colors, textures and flavors from which to choose! You can buy them canned or dried! Count as either a vegetable or a meat. Diets Including Beans Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease and Certain Cancers. Shoot for serving beans at least twice per month at lunch or dinner!

The List of Legumes Black Beans Black-eyed Peas (mature) Garbanzo Beans (a.k.a. Chickpeas) Great Northern Beans Kidney Beans Lentils (VERY high in fiber ) Lima Beans (mature) Navy Beans Pink Beans Red Beans Split Peas Soybeans (mature)

Keep It Simple at Lunch and Dinner Remember the basics. Prep and planning help simplicity Don’t forget the slow cooker is your friend Combination foods can only count for two components at mealtime. Whole grain tortillas great. Lentil Soup Recipe attached Bok Choy Wrappers Recipe attached

Snack Ideas Dips should only be used occasionally, should be nutritionally impactful, and should be used to encourage children to try new, healthy veggies. Cottage Cheese Dip 1 (24 oz.) container of cottage cheese 1 pkg. dry ranch dressing/dip mix milk, to thin dip if needed Blend cottage cheese to desired consistency. Stir in dip mix and refrigerate. Serve with raw vegetables. Yield: 24 servings Serving Size: 1 serving as a meat alternate (1 oz.) at snack for a 3-5 year old. Credit: Stacey Wixo, Area Coordinator

Very Easy Hummus “Pureed chickpeas” may not sound that appetizing. But a traditional Middle Eastern spread, hummus, based on exactly that, has become a hot food trend. 2 (15 Ounce) cans of Garbanzo Beans (drained with fluid reserved) 2 cloves of garlic 4 teaspoons of ground cumin ½ teaspoon of salt 1 ½ Tablespoons of olive oil Directions 1.In a blender or food processor combine garbanzo beans, garlic, cumin, salt and olive oil. Blend on low speed, gradually adding reserved bean liquid, until desired consistency is achieved. Refrigerate. Serve as a dip for Veggies like bell peppers, celery, carrots, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, etc. Spread on sandwiches to add moisture and flavor in place of mayonnaise.

Mini-Mexican Pizza Adaptable to serve at Lunch or Dinner with increased Portion considerations. 2 English Muffins, preferably whole wheat 1/2 cup fat free refried beans salsa chopped onion, optional black olives, optional ½ cup shredded cheese shredded lettuce Split muffins; toast lightly. Spread beans on toasted muffin halves. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted about 2 minutes. Garnish with salsa, olives, onion and shredded lettuce. Yield: 4 servings Serving Size: One serving is a meat (1/2 oz.) and a grain/bread for a 3- 5 year old at snack. Credit: Team Nutrition

When Improving Menus….. Start from where you are. Consider variety, color, temperature, texture. Look at the bigger picture - a week or month vs. a day. Determine what is available that meets requirements – shop around and read labels. Determine what is affordable. Start with what you can. Keep WORKING toward improvement.

Work It! Work to remove all juice. Eliminate fruit canned in any type of syrup. Work up to serving fresh fruit at Breakfast 3 times per week. When buying canned veggies, choose reduced sodium. Work up to serving fresh vegetables as much as possible. Work to Serve whole grains half the time Work up to serving a new fresh fruit or vegetable once a week. Eliminate processed meats. Work up to serving beans at least twice per month. Work to limit salt and fat.

How can this menu go from Good to GREAT??!!!

Links To HELP You! USDA http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ http://www.teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/r4hk_childcare.html National Food Service Management Institute http://www.nfsmi.org/Templates/TemplateDivision.aspx?qs=cElEPTc= Whole Grain Council http://wholegrainscouncil.org/ Indiana Department of Education http://www.doe.in.gov/student-services/nutrition/indianas-cacfp-award-program http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/nutrition/menu-cost-comparisons_0.pdf http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/nutrition/sample-menus-recipes_0.pdf

Feeding our children for health!