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Menu Planning In

Munch & Move

Childcare Services

A Resource for Cooks

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Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................... 2

Important background ............................................................................................... 3

Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia............................. 3 The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating ............................................................. 4 The Infant Feeding Guidelines ........................................................................... 5

Mandatory Responsibilities........................................................................................ 7

Assisting Childcare Menus Meet the Nutrition Checklist for Menu Planning .............. 8

Choosing Healthier Menu Items .............................................................................. 15

Nutrition Information Panel .............................................................................. 15 Health Star Rating (HSR) system .................................................................... 17

How to Modify a Recipe to be Healthier................................................................... 18

How to Calculate the Amount You Need ................................................................. 19

Food Allergies and Intolerances .............................................................................. 19

Food Safety and Hygiene ........................................................................................ 19

Feeding Fussy Eaters ............................................................................................. 20

Breastmilk and Formula .......................................................................................... 21

Healthy Food Ideas for Service Parties and Celebrations ........................................ 21

Appendix ................................................................................................................. 22

Fortnightly ‘Skeleton’ menu – Week 1 .............................................................. 22 Fortnightly ‘Skeleton’ menu – Week 2 .............................................................. 23 Meal and snack ideas ...................................................................................... 24

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Introduction

This resource has been produced to provide cooks working in childcare services with

relevant information so that they can plan a healthy menu that meets the dietary

guidelines for children in the Caring for Children’s menu planning guidelines, and the

childcare service’s responsibilities under the NSW Department of Community

Services Regulation 2004; endorsement of the Dietary Guide for Children and the

National Childcare Accreditation Council’s Quality Improvement and Accreditation

System.

Please note that this resource in no way replaces any other authoritative guide on

food preparation, safety or provision in childcare settings. However, we trust you will

find it useful.

Your local Munch & Move health contact or Maxine Molyneux can offer assistance

with menu planning or do a review of your current menu and provide feedback and

advise on any areas that may need to be modified. Maxine can be contacted by

phone on (02) 6639 9142 or email at maxine.molyneux@ncahs.health.nsw.gov.au if

you would like a menu review or any further information or menu ideas\ recipes.

Kind regards

The Healthy Children’s Initiative team

North Coast Health Promotion

NSW Health

December 2013

Updated January 2015

Reviewed and updated August 2017

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Important background

A healthy balanced diet is important as it provides our bodies with the necessary

nutrients essential for good health and development and can help reduce the risk of

chronic health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, some cancers and obesity.

Our dietary patterns are made up of the foods and drinks we have and it’s the types

and amounts we regularly eat that really matter for our health. The early years are

the time when lifelong food habits are developed. It is therefore important that the

food children are offered be nutritious and at the same time should help to meet their

social and cultural needs.

This service participates in the Munch & Move program. Munch & Move seeks to

embed and promote healthy eating, physical activity and limiting small screen

recreation across the whole service. The Munch & Move program has four key

messages related to nutrition which include;

Encourage and support breastfeeding

Choose water as a drink

Choose healthier snacks

Eat more fruits and vegetables.

Early education and care services are an important setting to be able to promote and

support these messages both within their service and to their families. The provision

of a nutritious menu is an important aspect of this.

The following Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia provide

advice on healthy eating for both the general public and health professionals working

in the field of nutrition. These, and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating can be

found on the Eat for Health website.

Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia

1. To achieve and maintain a healthy weight, be physically active and choose amounts

of nutritious food and drinks to meet your energy needs.

2. Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from the five food groups

2.1 Eat plenty of vegetables of different types and colours legumes and fruits,

2.2 Eat plenty of cereals (including bread, rice, pasta and noddles) preferably

wholegrain

2.3 Include lean meat, fish, poultry and/or alternatives

2.4 Include milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or alternatives

2.5 Choose water as a drink

3. Limit intake of foods containing saturated fat, added salt, added sugars and alcohol

(discretionary foods)

4. Encourage and support breastfeeding

5. Care for your food: prepare and store it safely

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The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (pictured on page 5) represents the recommended

foods for everyday consumption both in terms of type and quantity. The foods from the

‘plate’ are from the 5 food groups and represent the ‘everyday foods’. These include: fruits,

vegetables, grain foods (cereals) mostly wholemeal\whole grain, dairy, and lean

meat\fish\legumes\eggs.

The foods at the bottom of the page are known as ‘discretionary foods’ and are not a

necessary part of a daily diet. Discretionary choices should be used only sometimes and in

small amounts. They are usually high in either sugar, fat and/or salt and offer little or no

nutritional value. Discretionary foods and drinks include sweet biscuits, cakes, desserts and

pastries; processed meats and fattier/salty sausages; sweetened condensed milk; ice cream

and other ice confections; confectionary and chocolate; savoury pastries and pies;

commercial burgers with a high fat and/or salt content; commercially fried foods; potato

chips, crisps and other fatty and/or salty snack foods including some savoury biscuits;

cream, butter and spreads which are high in saturated fats; sugar-sweetened soft drinks and

cordials, sports and energy drinks and alcoholic drinks.

Key aspects of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating include:

It is recommended that breads, cereals, rice, pasta and noodles represent the largest

proportion of foods consumed everyday and that wholemeal\wholegrain varieties are the

preferred choice.

Vegetables and legumes represent the second largest proportion of foods consumed

everyday.

Fruit should be offered to children in smaller quantities compared to vegetables and

legumes.

Vegetables and fruits are separate food groups because they contain different vitamins

and minerals but are both essential for a healthy diet.

Most food intake should come from plant-based sources (breads, cereals, rice, pasta

and noodles; vegetables and legumes; and fruit) while smaller serves of milk, yoghurt

and cheese, and lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts and legumes complete a healthy

diet.

Added fats and sugars, savoury and salty snacks, sweets and chocolate, soft-drinks and

juice provide no essential vitamins or minerals that are not already contained in the

previously mentioned food groups. They also tend to be higher in energy per serve and

regular consumption may lead to excessive weight gain. Therefore, if they are eaten,

they should be chosen sometimes or in small amounts only and do not need to be

included in childcare services’ menus.

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Water is the best choice for a drink.

Full cream milk should only be served to children between 12 months and 2 years of age

while reduced-fat milk should be served to children over 2 years of age.

Childcare services’ menus should reflect these guidelines, both in terms of the type of foods

offered and their quantities.

The Infant Feeding Guidelines

Knowing when and how to introduce solids to infants can be both challenging and

rewarding. Advice about introducing solids is however more straightforward and less

restrictive than in the past.

A lot of very useful information about introducing solids to infants can be found in the Caring

for Children’s book. If additional information is required, you may find the Eat for Health

Infant Feeding Guidelines Summary of assistance.

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Mandatory Responsibilities

All childcare services have a responsibility for the nutrition of children in their care

whether the children bring all their own food or are provided with food prepared on

the premises. This is reinforced under the NSW Department of Community Services

Regulation 2004; endorsement of the Dietary Guide for Children and the National

Childcare Accreditation Council’s Quality Improvement and Accreditation System.

Healthy eating is also a mandatory requirement embedded within the National

Quality Framework under Standard 2.2 Healthy eating and physical activity are

embedded in the program for children. Element 2.2.1 under this Standard specifies

Healthy eating is promoted and food and drinks provided by the service are nutritious

and appropriate for each child.

It is therefore recommended that all childcare services obtain a copy of ‘Caring for

Children – Food, Nutrition and Learning Experiences, Fifth Edition (2014)’. This

resource provides practical information and best practice guidelines on healthy

eating and nutrition for the early childhood education and care setting and covers

everything from food and nutrition through to healthy eating learning experiences. It

will assist meeting the food and nutrition needs of children in care and provides

important details about planning a 2-week menu cycle to ensure children receive the

necessary variety and nutritional requirements to meet the Australian Guide to

Healthy Eating. If your service does not have a copy it can be downloaded from the

Healthy Kids website at:

http://healthykids.nsw.gov.au/teachers-childcare/food-and-nutrition/publications.aspx

Additional copies may also be available from your local Munch & Move health

contact person so please ask if you require one.

The information in this Resource for Cooks has been designed to complement the

Caring for Children’s guidelines. The following resources will also be used:

Healthy Eating for Children – Eat for Health

Ingredient Quantity Guide for NSW Early Childhood Education and Care

Services (Caring for Children’s)

How to include Iron containing foods (Caring for Children’s)

Creating a Healthy Non-Meat (vegetarian) Meal for Early Childhood Services

(Caring for Children’s)

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Assisting Childcare Menus Meet the Nutrition

Checklist for Menu Planning

The suggestions in this section are to be used in conjunction with the Nutrition

Checklist for Menu Planning, page 92, ‘Caring for Children – Food, Nutrition and

Learning Experiences, Fifth Edition’. They have been designed to give services

practical advice and ideas to help their menus meet the checklist requirements, and

provide some other general information that is important to consider when

developing or reviewing a menu. Please note that if your service has infants and\or

toddlers, you may like to refer to page 41 of the Caring for Children’s document for

ideas on how to meet the dietary needs of this age group.

In addition, a ‘skeleton’ menu is provided at the end of this resource as an appendix

following some requests from services for a structured menu example. This

‘skeleton’ menu provides a fortnight of morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea ‘themes’

which when followed will ensure a service’s menu meets the nutrition checklist; all

services have to do is decide on a menu item that fits the theme at each meal/snack.

Meal and snack ideas for each theme are also provided as an appendix. Recipes for

these and many other dishes are available upon request through your local health

service support person.

Ensure lean red meat is included on the menu at least 6 times per fortnight

(beef/lamb)

One serve of lean red meat is equivalent to 65 gr of cooked (90-100 gr raw) lamb,

beef, veal, port

Include lunch meals containing lean minced red meat, for example, spaghetti

bolognaise, lasagne, beef burgers, rissoles and meatballs, savoury mince and

nachos/burritos

Include lunch meals containing lean bite-size pieces of red meat, for example,

casseroles, curries, low-fat pies, stir-fries and soups

Include lean red beef or lamb on sandwiches (aim for 45 grams of meat on each

sandwich)

Ensure lean white meat is included on the menu up to 4 times per fortnight

(chicken/fish/pork/veal). (NOTE this criterion is to ensure white meat AND non-

meat meals are included up to 4 times per week so exact number of times they

appear can be anywhere up to 4 times. Non-meat meals are covered in the next

section)

One serve of lean white meat is equivalent to 80 gr cooked (100gr raw) chicken or

turkey or 100 gr cooked (115 gr raw) fish or one small can of fish

Include lunch meals containing lean minced white meat, for example, chicken or

fish burgers and pork rissoles

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Include lunch meals containing lean bite-size pieces of white meat, for example,

casseroles, curries, low-fat pies, stir-fries and soups

Include lunch meals containing salmon or tuna, for example sandwiches, salads

and rissoles

Include lean chicken, fish, pork, veal or turkey on sandwiches (aim for 45 grams

of meat on each sandwich)

Limit meals containing cured and/or processed meats

Cured meats should be limited to once/twice a month while processed meats should

be avoided completely to limit children’s exposure to sodium and saturated fat, and

avoid ‘normalising’ their taste buds to salty foods. Please note each list below:

Limit to once or twice a month Avoid completely

Ham

Lean bacon

Silverside/corned beef

Devon

Frankfurts/hotdogs

Processed chicken

Salami

Sausages (and sausage rolls)

Ensure non meat meals are included on the menu up to 4 times per fortnight

(see above note for white meat meals). Non-meat meals should be based on

eggs, cheese, tofu, chickpeas, red kidney beans, split peas, lentils or baked

beans.

One serve is equivalent to 2 eggs, 1 cup (150gr) cooked or canned legumes\

beans\lentils, 170gr tofu or 30 gr nuts, seeds, peanut or almond butter or tahini or

other nut\seed spreads.

Include lunch meals based on or containing egg including omelettes, boiled egg

sandwiches and salads, fried rice and quiche

Include lunch meals based on or containing cheese including sandwiches, pasta

bakes, mornays and salads

Include lunch meals based on tofu including stir-fries, fried rice, tofu burgers and

marinated tofu kebabs

Include lunch meals based on legumes including nachos/burritos/tacos,

minestrone soup and reduced-salt baked beans

Raw vegetables or fruit high in vitamin C are served with the non-meat meals.

The iron contained in some foods is not readily absorbed by our bodies. However,

Vitamin C improves iron absorption. Therefore, eating a fruit or vegetable high in

Vitamin C with non-meat meals will assist the iron contained in eggs, cheese, tofu

and legumes be better absorbed.

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Vegetables and fruits that are high in Vitamin C include broccoli, cauliflower, kiwi

fruit, mandarins, oranges, red capsicum, rockmelon and tomatoes

Suggestions could include:

- Add broccoli and cauliflower to fried rice and stir-fries

- Add capsicum/tomato to omelettes, sandwiches, salads, fried rice, stir-fries,

Mexican-style dishes

- Serve kiwi fruit/mandarins/oranges/rockmelon on the side with vegetarian

meals

- Add mushy tomato to scrambled egg/cheese/baked beans and toast soldiers

On each day that a red meat meal is served, ensure at least 1 other iron-

containing food is included on the menu through the day. On each day that a

white meat or non-meat meal is served at least 2 other iron containing foods

are included on the menu through the day.

It is important that children receive enough iron from foods. Lean red meat is one of

the best sources of iron however iron must also come from other foods especially on

days when red meat is not served. Other foods that are good sources of iron include

dried fruit, cereals, legumes, Milo, spinach and wholemeal bread. At least one of the

suggestions below should be used on days when lean red meat is offered and at

least two options should be used on days when white or non-meat meals are served.

A variety should be used over the fortnight:

- Serve dried fruit for morning or afternoon tea instead of a fresh fruit-based snack

- Serve raisin toast for morning or afternoon tea as a prepared fruit-based snack

- Serve reduced-salt baked beans and toast soldiers for morning or afternoon tea

as a prepared vegetable-based snack

- Serve Milo with milk at afternoon tea

- Include spinach as one of the vegetables in the lunch meal

- Serve wholemeal bread/toast with morning tea, lunch or afternoon tea

- Include Weet-Bix as an ingredient in cake or muffin recipes for morning or

afternoon tea

Ensure the menu includes at least 2 serves of vegetables daily

One serve of vegetables is equal to half of a cup of cooked vegetables or one cup of

salad.

Ensure all lunch meals feature vegetables or salads

Vegetables such as carrots of zucchinis can be grated and added to combination

dishes such as casseroles, bakes or soups

Vegetables can also be featured in morning or afternoon teas. Suggestions

could include:

- Vegetable-based cakes/muffins/pikelets/scones such as carrot cake and

pumpkin scones

- Fresh cheese, vegetable (capsicum, carrot and celery), avocado dip and

bread plates

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Ensure there is variety throughout the fortnight

Frozen and canned varieties are an acceptable option

Ensure the menu includes at least 1 serve of fruit daily

One serve of fruit is equal to one cup of diced fruit or one medium piece of fruit or

two small pieces of fruit.

Serve chopped seasonal fruit and bread plates or fruit-based

cakes/muffins/crumbles such as banana cake and apple crumble every day for

morning or afternoon tea

Ensure there is variety throughout the fortnight

Tinned fruit is an acceptable option but should be in natural juice (not syrup) and

should not have added sugar

The menu includes a total of 1 serve of dairy foods daily.

One serve of dairy is equal to 250ml (1 cup) milk, 40g cheese (about 2slices or 4

cubes), 200g (3/4 cup) yoghurt or 250ml of soy, rice or other cereal drink with at least

100mg of added calcium per 100ml.

The Nutrition Checklist for Menu Planning recommends that serving milk at morning

and afternoon tea may be an easy and reliable way to meet this requirement.

However, there are other ways to include dairy in the menu. Some suggestions that

equal one serve are below:

Serve fresh fruit with 200g yoghurt per child at morning or afternoon tea

Serve 200g low-fat custard per child with fresh fruit, prepared fruit-based snack

at morning or afternoon tea

Serve 40g cheese per child (approximately 4 cubes or 2 slices of cheese) with

fresh fruit or raw vegetable snack options at morning or afternoon tea

Serve 40 g cheese per child with prepared vegetable snack options for morning

or afternoon tea

Include 40 g of grated cheese per child on top of bake-style lunch meals or in

lunch meals that include white sauces

Fresh cheese and crackers

Grilled cheese toast soldiers

Creamed rice

Macaroni cheese

Smoothies

Please also note that full cream milk should be served to children between 12

months and 2 years of age while reduced-fat milk should be served to children over 2

years of age.

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The menu includes at least 2 serves of bread, cereal, rice or pasta foods

everyday

One serve of bread, cereal, rice or pasta is equal to 1 slice bread, ½ cup of cooked

porridge, 2/3 cup wheat cereal flakes, half cup of cooked rice, pasta, noodles, cous

cous or barley, 3 crispbreads or 1 small English muffin.

Serve bread/toast as a morning or afternoon tea ingredient on days when

sandwiches are not served at lunch

Serve cereal-based snacks at morning and afternoon tea

Combination main meals like lasagne, pasta bakes, stir-fries and curries either

already contain, or can be served with, pasta and rice

Sides of pasta salad or rice can be added to main meals consisting of individual

food items, like fish and vegetables

High fibre varieties e.g. multigrain, wholemeal, high fibre white are included

daily

Serve only wholemeal, multigrain and/or high-fibre white bread

Serve meals containing wholemeal pasta

Serve meals containing brown rice

Ensure morning and afternoon teas (mid meals) are planned on the menu as

part of the total day’s intake

Serve morning and afternoon tea daily, and if necessary, late afternoon

tea/supper everyday

Milk, cheese, yoghurt or custard is included in mid meals if necessary to meet

the recommended daily serve

See suggestions above in the dairy section

Bread/cereal based foods are included if necessary to meet the recommended

daily number of serves.

Examples include:

- Raisin toast

- Vegetable or fruit-based cakes, muffins, pikelets

- Breads/crackers with dips or toppings

- Cheese and toast soldiers

- Rice or bread pudding

- Creamed rice

- Breakfast cereals

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- Oats-based fruit crumble

- Crumpets

- Rice/corn cakes

Add bread/cereal to existing menu items. Such as:

- Add rolled oats to stewed fruit

- Add muesli to yoghurt or custard

Vegetables and fruit are included if necessary to meet the recommended daily

number of serves

See fruit and vegetable sections above

Ensure adequate variety in meals

There should be good variety in the ‘type’ of meals within each day. Aim for:

- ‘Wet’ lunches like spaghetti bolognaise or soup or curry, to be followed by a

‘dry’ afternoon tea like raisin toast or vegetable/fruit-based cakes, muffins,

pikelets

- ‘Dry’ lunches like meat and salad/vegetables, to be followed by a ‘wet’

afternoon tea like yoghurt with muesli, or fruit crumble and custard, or

creamed rice

There should be good variety in menu items day-to-day. Aim for:

- No repetition of the same morning tea/lunch/afternoon tea two or more days in

a row

- At least one day in between repeating a meal

- Limited repetition of ingredients or if they are served, alter how they are

presented, for example, fresh apple one day, apple crumble the next, apple

muffins the one after

- Seasonal variety

Considering children usually attend childcare on the same day(s) each week, it is

important to ensure weekly variety on each particular day. Aim for:

- Different menu items and ingredients on each particular day of the weekly

menu cycle, for example, red meat and salad on the first Monday, white meat

and vegetables on the second Monday, vegetarian combination dish on the

third Monday, and red meat sandwiches on the fourth Monday

There should be good variety in the colour of foods served at each meal. Aim

for:

- Different coloured foods to make-up a meal such as ‘white’ fish, ‘yellow’

pumpkin/potato mash, ‘red’ capsicum, and ‘green’ broccoli rather than ‘white’

fish, ‘white’ mashed potato, ‘white’ cauliflower and ‘red’ capsicum

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Ensure adequate sandwich variety

Serve all sandwiches using high fibre varieties e.g. multigrain, wholemeal, high

fibre white – except non-meat fillings which should be served on wholemeal

bread

Avoid serving spread-based sandwiches, for example cream cheese, honey, jam

and Vegemite unless in exceptional circumstances (when particular child(ren) will

not eat anything else)

Sandwiches should have no more than two or three fillings to make eating easier

on little hands and mouths

Every sandwich should include a protein source and a vegetable/fruit

Limit choices to three combinations from each column (see table below) to

prevent excessive choice and so the lunch meets either a vegetarian, lean red

meat or lean white meat meal requirement

Vegetarian Options^* Red Meat Options White Meat Options^

Cheese and beetroot Beef and tomato Chicken and avocado

Cheese and tomato Beef and cheese Chicken and coleslaw

Cheese and lettuce Beef and coleslaw Chicken and lettuce

Cheese and baked

beans

Corned beef and tomato Chicken and grated

carrot

Egg and lettuce Corned beef and coleslaw Chicken and tomato

Egg and beetroot Lamb and tomato Ham and cheese

Egg and tomato Lamb and cheese Ham and tomato

Lamb and coleslaw Ham and lettuce

Tuna and cucumber

Turkey, lettuce &

cranberry sauce

Pork, lettuce & apple

sauce

Key: ^ Serve on wholemeal bread only; * Serve with kiwi fruit, mandarins,

oranges and/or rockmelon on side

Meeting the nutritional requirements of children in care is difficult when serving

sandwiches as the main meal on most days or every day of the week. Services

that do this should ensure they meet a separate and specific sandwich menu

nutrition checklist on page 100 of ‘Caring for Children – Food, Nutrition and Fun

Activities, Fifth Edition’

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Choosing Healthier Menu Items

You will find some of your menu items may require packaged foods as either

ingredients (such as tinned tomatoes) or as standalone items (such as crackers). In

each case, it is best that you choose the healthiest option available for that food

type. In order to choose the healthiest menu items when using packaged foods, you

will need to become familiar with reading food labels and be able to identify the

nutrient content of the foods, particularly the sugar, fat, salt and fibre content. While

food labels can carry many different types of information, the main things to look at

when choosing healthy foods are in the Nutrition Information Panel. Understanding

the Health Star Rating is also important.

Nutrition Information Panel

The Nutrition Information Panel on a food label offers the simplest and easiest way

to choose foods with less saturated fat, salt (sodium), added sugars and kilojoules,

and more fibre. It can also be used to decide how large one serve of a food group

choice or discretionary food would be and whether it’s worth the kilojoules that are in

it per serve.

The first step is to use the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating to decide whether a

food belongs in the five food groups and is therefore an ‘everyday’ food for eating

regularly, or a discretionary food that is best eaten only sometimes or in small

amounts.

Once you have established this, then use the Nutrition Information Panel to compare

similar packaged foods to decide which product is the healthiest. The healthiest

option will provide the lowest saturated fat, salt (sodium), added sugars and

kilojoules per 100gm and the most fibre per serve.

The following image has some tips on using nutrition panels and they can also be

found on the Eat for Health website here.

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Health Star Rating (HSR) system

The Health Star Rating (HSR) system is a front-of-pack labelling scheme developed

for use in Australia and New Zealand to ‘provide convenient, relevant and readily

understood nutrition information and/or guidance on food packs to assist consumers

to make informed food purchases and healthier eating choices’. Health Star Ratings

should make it easier for you to make informed choices about which are the

healthier food options within food types.

The HSR on the front of food packages provides an ‘at-a-glance’ overall rating of the

healthiness of the food product (reflected as a star rating), as well as specific nutrient

and energy information. The more stars, the healthier the choice.

Generally, the HSR will provide the most useful source of comparison between

similar food products (e.g. comparing packaged breakfast cereals with each other). It

is important to note that you can only compare like products i.e. one cracker with

another cracker. You cannot compare a cracker with a breakfast cereal to work out

which is the best option. Where the nutrient icons are also displayed, they will

provide information about the energy content of a product, as well as the levels of

saturated fat, sodium (salt) and sugars, to help you make the best choice. In some

cases, a positive nutrient icon (e.g. fibre) may also be displayed to provide you with

additional information. Therefore, when selecting the healthiest packaged food within

a specific food type, the product with the highest Health Star Rating is the healthiest

option within that range.

At this stage, the HSR is a voluntary option so not all packaged products will have

one displayed. If there isn’t a HSR on the label, there are websites and mobile phone

apps available where you can find the HSR for a range of products such as

Foodswitch.

There is a lot of information on the Eat for Health website that you may find useful for

additional support.

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How to Modify a Recipe to be Healthier

Recipes can be easily modified to make them healthier. This is usually achieved by

including more fibre, more fruit and vegetables and less saturated fats, added sugar,

added salt and less kilojoules. The Eat for Health website has some great tips which

when followed, will help you to change a traditional recipe to better meet the Caring

for Children’s guidelines and increase the nutritional value of the meal. Some of the

modifications will help to keep the recipes more budget friendly as well.

Adding more fibre, more fruit and vegetables

Swap some of the meat or chicken for cooked or canned legumes.

Swap some of the meat or chicken for chopped or grated vegetables.

Add more vegetables to pasta and rice dishes and extra to soups.

Swap half of the refined white flour for wholemeal flour.

Swap white pasta for wholegrain pasta, white rice for brown rice or barley.

Add chopped or grated vegetables or fruit to pikelets, pancakes, scones and

muffins.

Using less saturated fat

Using less saturated fat will be good for heart health and also reduce the

kilojoules in the dish.

Swap butter for unsaturated margarine or oil in recipes.

Swap high fat ingredients for low fat alternatives such as using yoghurt

instead of sour cream in recipes.

Use reduced fat dairy products (for children over 2 years of age)

Use smaller amounts of high fat ingredients eg use less cheese and swap to

a reduced fat stronger parmesan cheese.

Remember that unsaturated fats, while better for heart health, are also high

in kilojoules so still use only small amounts, especially if trying to lose weight.

Use less sugars

Often the sugars in a recipe can be reduced by a third or even by half without

affecting the final product. Sometimes it works well to reduce the amount

gradually and let taste buds adapt more slowly.

Reducing the sugar content will also mean fewer kilojoules.

Adding fruit to a recipe can add sweetness and flavour and reduce the need

to add sugars.

It’s important to remember that honey, raw sugar, brown sugar and golden

and maple syrup are some of the alternate names for sugar and have similar

kilojoules to sugar.

Use less salt

Taste buds will adapt less salt added to recipes. Again, it will often work well

to reduce added salt gradually.

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As most of the salt in a recipe actually comes from the ingredients rather than

by adding table salt, it is important to use no added salt products when you

can for example no added salt tinned tomatoes and tomato paste

Read labels to compare products and choose the ingredient with less salt

(sodium)

Use smaller amounts of high salt ingredients such as sauces and add more

low salt flavours instead, such as herbs, spices, garlic or ginger.

How to Calculate the Amount You Need

It can be difficult to work out how much of an ingredient e.g. a vegetable, you will

need to include in a recipe to ensure each child receives one serve of that food type.

For example, if you are making a Beef & Vegetable Stirfry, what quantity of

vegetables will need to be in the whole meal for each child to receive one serve.

There is a fantastic guide to assist with working this out as part of the Caring for

Children’s document. Your Munch & Move health worker can provide you with a

copy of the ‘Ingredient Quantity Guide for NSW Early Childhood Education and Care

Services’.

Food Allergies and Intolerances

Food allergies and intolerances can be common in small children and need to be

taken seriously. Your service will have a policy or procedure for the documentation

and management of children with food allergies or intolerances. It is important that

you are familiar with these and follow any service guidelines.

Please also use the Food Allergies and Intolerances section within the Caring for

Children’s document (page 60) for detailed information on how to approach this

issue.

Food Safety and Hygiene

Whether your service provides meals or families pack lunchboxes, food safety and

hygiene is extremely important and the highest standards need to be met at all

times. Please see page 83 of the Caring for Children’s document for information on

this area.

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Feeding Fussy Eaters Toddlers grow more slowly than babies and therefore have irregular appetites. They

tend to be hungrier when going through growth spurts and their appetites can reduce

again when their growth slows. As a result, they can be fussy about the food that

they eat on a day-to-day basis.

It is your role as a cook to provide food, while it is the children’s right to decide how

much they will eat. Young children are much better than adults at knowing when

they have had enough to eat. If a child does not want to eat, they are probably not

hungry.

The following tips are relevant to all children, though should especially help

managing fussy eaters:

Offer new foods at the same time as familiar foods.

Continue to offer foods that have been refused in the past. Some children need

to be exposed to a new food numerous times before it becomes familiar enough

for them to taste it.

Ensure serving sizes of mid-meals are ‘snack’ only. Providing too much food at

morning tea can result in the children eating till full and then lunch being poorly

received because they are not hungry.

Limit the amount of milk served with meals to 100mLs (equal to one serve)

because milk is filling and can replace food if too much is provided.

Limit the number of food choices and stick to a core theme at each snack or

meal. Providing too many choices can ‘overload’ children and always providing

them with a familiar or preferred food choice does not encourage them to taste

new foods with different flavours and textures. For example, the following

provide sufficient variety but are focused on providing vegetables, red meat and

fruit respectively, while the other food choices are also healthy:

- Vegetable, bread and dip platter containing carrot, celery and red capsicum

sticks, flat bread and hummus

- Sandwiches containing roast beef and coleslaw, roast beef and tomato, and

roast beef and cheese

- Fruit, bread and cheese platter containing orange, banana and apple pieces,

raisin bread and low-fat tasty cheese cubes

Only specifically cater for individual fussy eaters as a last resort. Once a child

knows that they can demand what they want to eat, it will be difficult to not do

this every day that the child is in care.

Additionally, deconstructing a combination meal so fussy eaters can choose, for

example, to just eat pasta is not recommended. It is better to provide the

combined meal and let the child decide what they will and will not eat.

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Breastmilk and Formula

Services have an important role to play in supporting women to continue to

breastfeed while their child is in care. Some will not be able to ‘drop in’ through the

day to feed their babies and will provide expressed breastmilk to be given in a bottle.

Other babies will be receiving formula in a bottle.

Irrespective of what they are having, your service will have clear policies and

guidelines for the storage, safe handling and provision of breastmilk or formula via

bottles. If you are involved in the storage of breastmilk or formula, you are

encouraged to be familiar with these. You will also find additional information in the

Caring for Children’s document from page 11.

Healthy Food Ideas for Service Parties and Celebrations

There are many celebrations to mark in childcare services including birthdays and

holidays. Food is central to celebrating and traditional ‘party food’ has included

unhealthier options including cake, chips, ice-cream, lollies, party pies and sausage

rolls, and soft drinks. These foods contribute high amounts of sugar and fat and if

eaten too often, can contribute to unhealthy eating habits.

However, cooks can shift the focus for celebrations from unhealthy food to healthy

food with a few easy changes. Some ideas include:

Fruit smoothies

Fruit kebabs made with a variety of fruits

Melon balls

Rockmelon ‘smiles’

Frozen orange quarters (in summer)

Frozen fruit blocks

Fruit in Jelly

Apple slinkies

Little sandwiches

Spiral sandwiches

Slices of uniced fruit bun or loaf

Fruit or vegetable-based cakes, pikelets, scones or muffins

Little pizzas

Low fat yogurt parfaits with fruit and muesli topping

Low fat and salted popcorn

Serving healthy party foods with fun plates, napkins, cups or straws is another way

to mark an occasion.

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Appendix

Fortnightly ‘Skeleton’ menu – Week 1

MEAL MONDAY * TUESDAY ** WEDNESDAY * THURSDAY ** FRIDAY *

MORNING TEA - Fresh fruit-based

snack

- 125mL milk

- Prepared vegetable-

based snack

- 125mL milk

- Raw vegetable-based

snack

- 125mL milk

- Prepared fruit-based

snack

- 125mL milk

- Fresh fruit-based snack

- 125mL milk

LUNCH - Meal containing lean

red meat, vegetables,

and bread/pasta/rice

or other grain

- Meal containing eggs,

cheese, tofu or legumes,

vegetables, and

bread/pasta/rice or other

grain

- Ensure raw vegetables

high in Vit C included in

meal e.g. broccoli,

capsicum, cauliflower,

tomato OR serve with

kiwi fruit, mandarins,

oranges, rockmelon on

side

- Meal containing lean red

meat, vegetables, and

bread/pasta/rice or other

grain

- Meal containing white

meat, vegetables, and

bread/pasta/rice or other

grain

- Meal containing lean red

meat, vegetables, and

bread/pasta/rice or other

grain

AFTERNOON

TEA - Prepared vegetable-

based snack

- 125mL milk

- Fresh fruit-based snack

- 125mL milk

- Prepared fruit-based

snack

- 125mL milk

- Raw vegetable-based

snack

- 125mL milk

- Prepared vegetable-

based snack

- 125mL milk

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Fortnightly ‘Skeleton’ menu – Week 2

MEAL MONDAY ** TUESDAY * WEDNESDAY ** THURSDAY * FRIDAY *

MORNING TEA - Prepared vegetable-

based snack

- 125mL milk

- Raw vegetable-based

snack

- 125mL milk

- Prepared fruit-based

snack

- 125mL milk

- Fresh fruit-based snack

- 125mL milk

- Raw vegetable-based

snack

- 125mL milk

LUNCH - Meal containing white

meat, vegetables,

and bread/pasta/rice

or other grain

- Meal containing lean red

meat, vegetables, and

bread/pasta/rice or other

grain

- Meal containing eggs,

cheese, tofu or legumes,

vegetables, and

bread/pasta/rice or other

grain

- Ensure raw vegetables

high in Vit C included in

meal e.g. broccoli,

capsicum, cauliflower,

tomato OR serve with

kiwi fruit, mandarins,

oranges, rockmelon on

side

- Meal containing lean red

meat, vegetables, and

bread/pasta/rice or other

grain

- Meal containing lean red

meat, vegetables, and

bread/pasta/rice or other

grain

AFTERNOON

TEA - Fresh fruit-based

snack

- 125mL milk

- Prepared fruit-based

snack

- 125mL milk

- Raw vegetable-based

snack

- 125mL milk

- Prepared vegetable-

based snack

- 125mL milk

- Prepared fruit-based

snack

- 125mL milk

NOTE: Water should be provided at all meals and available to children at all times through the day

Key: * Include at least one other iron-containing food this day;

** Include at least two other iron-containing foods this day

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Meal and snack ideas

- Meals containing lean red meat (beef/lamb), vegetables and bread/pasta/rice or other

grain:

Spaghetti bolognaise containing plenty of vegetables

Lasagne containing plenty of vegetables

Beef burgers containing a range of salad vegetables

Rissoles or meatballs served with rice and salad vegetables

Savoury mince containing plenty of vegetables and served with rice

Beef tacos/burritos containing range of salad vegetables

Casseroles containing plenty of vegetables and served with rice

Curries containing plenty of vegetables and served with rice

Low-fat pies served with bread and range of salad vegetables

Stir-fries containing plenty of vegetables and served with rice

Soups containing plenty of vegetables and pasta

Beef or lamb sandwich combinations (see page 12) – aim for 45 grams of meat on

each sandwich; 1 sandwich per child

- Meals containing lean white meat (chicken/fish/pork/veal), vegetables and

bread/pasta/rice or other grain:

Chicken or fish burgers containing a range of salad vegetables

Fish cakes served with a range of salad vegetables and bread

Pork or salmon rissoles served with rice and a range of salad vegetables

Casseroles containing plenty of vegetables and served with rice

Curries containing plenty of vegetables and served with rice

Low-fat pies served with a range of salad vegetables and bread

Stir-fries containing plenty of vegetables and served with rice

Soups containing plenty of vegetables and pasta

Lean chicken, fish, pork, veal or turkey sandwich combinations (see page 12) – aim

for 45 grams of meat on each sandwich; 1 sandwich per child

- Meals based on eggs, cheese, tofu, chickpeas, red kidney beans, split peas, lentils or

baked beans, vegetables and bread/pasta/rice or other grain:

Omelette served with fried rice containing plenty of vegetables

Quiche served with a range of salad vegetables and bread

Cheesy pasta bakes served with a range of salad vegetables

Lentil or tofu burger containing a range of salad vegetables

Tofu stir-fries containing plenty of vegetables served with rice

Marinated tofu kebabs served with a range of salad vegetables and rice

Bean-based tacos or burritos served with a range of salad vegetables

Vegetarian sandwich combinations (see page 12) – aim for 45 grams of vegetarian

option on each sandwich; 1 sandwich per child

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Please note: Morning and afternoon tea (mid meals) must be planned on the menu and

contribute to children’s daily requirements. Mid meals should be used as an opportunity to

make up required daily serves of dairy (milk, cheese, yoghurt or custard), bread / cereal

based foods or fruit and vegetables. Following are some suggestion on how to incorporate

additional bread/cereal based foods or fruit and vegetables. Both raw and prepared

varieties have been included as options to match the entries in the skeleton menu above.

Make sure you monitor quantities to ensure at least one serve per child is provided.

- Raw vegetable-based snack

Platter containing a combination of raw vegetables (carrots, celery, capsicum, snow

peas) served with a dip (guacamole, tzatziki, white bean pate) and bread/cracker

(pita, lavash, Turkish or Lebanese bread, rice/corn cakes, wholemeal/wholegrain

crackers).

- Prepared vegetable-based snacks, such as:

Carrot, zucchini and date cake

Pumpkin scones

Carrot and Parsnip Muffins

Reduced-salt baked beans and toast soldiers

Bubble and squeak and toast soldiers

Bruschetta

- Fresh fruit-based snack, such as:

Platter containing a combination of fresh seasonal fruits or fresh fruit salad served

with bread/cracker (pita, lavash, Turkish or Lebanese bread, rice/corn cakes,

wholemeal/wholegrain crackers) – optional cheese cubes

Baked, poached or stewed fruit served with rolled oats or muesli

Baked, poached or stewed fruit served with yoghurt or custard (and sprinkle cereal

on top)

Dried fruit mixes served with bread/cracker (pita, lavash, Turkish or Lebanese bread,

rice/corn cakes, wholemeal/wholegrain crackers) – optional cheese cubes

- Prepared fruit-based snack, such as:

Orange and sultana cake

Banana cake

Apple or pear and rhubarb crumble

Pear and banana muffins

Sultana scones

Raisin toast

Banana toasties

We have a range of recipes for the above items and others that are freely available to

services. Just ask your local munch & Move health contact person and they will provide

them to your service.