Hey girl, today let's chat about the most amazing daycare lunch menu ideas that your kids will want to eat.
Are you struggling when it comes to creating and maintaining the best daycare lunch menu? Girl, don’t worry, I have been in your shoes!
As a home daycare provider for the last 9 years and a mom of 4, I am going to give you my top daycare lunch menu ideas that my kids go nuts over.
You are going to learn about all of the items that you need to include with every lunch and tons of ideas to keep your kiddos interested in lunch.
After hearing about all of these fantastic daycare lunch menu ideas, you will easily be able to create a menu that you know works best for your kids.
Let's jump into the best daycare lunch menu ideas that every daycare provider should know about.
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Best Daycare Lunch Menu
Hey there, daycare mama! I see you. Yes, you! You are so busy being that go-to person for all of your daycare kids and you are rocking it!!! Keep up the great work.
But with being so busy, the last thing that you should be struggling with is a daycare lunch menu.
Below you are going to find so many amazing meals to include in your daycare lunch menu that I have tried out and adjusted over the last 9 years. And girl, let me tell you 9 years is a ton of lunches.
This post is a spin off from another post I did but you will find many more ideas below.
Daycare Lunch Menu
Essential Kitchen Supplies
These are the kitchen supplies that I highly recommend you invest in. They are all well worth your money!
1. Jelly Roll Pans
You are going to love these jelly roll pans.
Yes, you should get 2 and no you work regret it.
They are such a great size for cooking anything and everything in large amounts.
2. Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer
A Kitchen Aid Mixer has the perfect size bowl for whipping up anything from cookie dough to shredding chicken.
I got mine in 2008 and have used it constantly since. It is still running like a top.
There are so many attachments you could get for it but I don’t have any of the extras and get along just fine.
3. Flexible Cutting Mats
You are going to love these flexible cutting mats. I love them so much; I started gifting them to all my mom friends.
They have a non-slip back and are dishwasher-safe.
There are 2 different sizes but I only use the smaller ones.
4. Pyrex
Using Pyrex dishes will allow you to prep food ahead of time and stack it in the fridge.
I have a wide variety of these dishes and use them all the time!
5. Pizza Cutter
You know, a pizza cutter can be used to cut up so many other things besides pizza.
And this guy can go right in your dishwasher, helping make clean up easier for you.
6. Food Processor
Whether you are shredding up veggies or wowing your kiddos by making homemade peanut butter, this food processor is there to help you out.
I hemmed and hawed about getting this because I wasn’t sure if it would be used enough, but girl let me tell you. It gets used!
Daycare Lunch Menu Tips
Pre-Prep
Do any food prepping you can do on the weekends and in the evenings. You will quickly discover that it makes lunchtime more of a breeze for you.
This could include things like cooking meat, assembling a meal and putting it in the fridge, or getting the fruit and vegetables all ready.
It is incredibly helpful!
Let Your Kids Help
If your kids want to help you with lunch, let them.
You can easily assign all of them who are old enough to help get lunch ready, and this includes setting the table.
Make Things Easy
The best way to make things easier for yourself is to have a lunch menu and get any food ready ahead of time that you can.
Daycare Lunch Menu
Food Waste
Hey friend, if you haven’t figured it out by now, there will be wasted food.
It hurts my heart every time I have to throw food away because a kiddo isn’t hungry or they don’t like what is on their plate, especially with the cost of food right now.
There are ways you can try and help diminish food waste though.
Give the kids options when it comes to fruits and vegetables.
If something on your menu is a bomb with most of your kids, take it off your menu.
And serve everything with the option of having a dip to go with it. Who knows why, but kids go bananas for a dip.
Daycare Lunch Menu
To set up the best daycare lunch menu, you need to set up a meal plan. Yep, a meal plan and it is going to rock your world!
Lunchtime becomes easier along with grocery shopping when you have your meal plan in place.
There are blank calendars on Google Images that you can print off.
And after you fill it out, put it right up on the fridge or another easy-to-see spot in your kitchen so your kiddos can see what is in store for them. Trust me, they all love being in the know.
You can set up a rotation how you want and you are going to want to. Why try to find a new meal every day for the whole year? That is just exhausting. Try a 6 or 8 week meal rotation and then repeat it.
If there is a meal that isn’t working for your kiddos, cross it out and replace it the next time around.
You are going to love creating and using this meal plan so much that you are going to want to create one for supper with your family too. I know I sure have.
Daycare Lunch Menu
What You Need with Every Meal
With every single meal, you need to be offering your kiddos healthy options. Fruits and Vegetables are at the top of this list.
Kids like to eat some fruits and vegetables plain but for the rest, I have noticed that pairing them with a little dip goes a long way.
Also, try to make these foods in different ways. Don’t always have them raw.
One huge tip is that you should eat what the kids are eating. If you are trying it, then they may want to try it too.
Vegetables
Let me know in the comments below which vegetables are your favorite and how you like them prepared.
I love cooked French-cut green beans with pepper on them.
- Green Beans
- Carrots
- Tomatoes
- Snap Peas
- Bell Peppers
- Corn
- Peas
- Pumpkin
- Squash
- Asparagus
- Zucchini
- Eggplant
- Mushrooms
- Cucumbers
- Potatoes
- Celery
- Broccoli
- Sweet Potatoes
- Cauliflower
- Leafy Greens
Fruits
Let me know in the comments below which fruits are your favorite and how you like them prepared.
I love raw peaches.
- Peaches
- Grape Fruit
- Oranges
- Mandarin Oranges
- Bananas
- Plums
- Pears
- Apples
- Apple Sauce
- Strawberry Applesauce – all my kids are nuts over this
- Kiwi
- Pineapple
- Honeydew Melon
- Cantaloupe
- Watermelon
- Avocado
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
Daycare Lunch Menu
I love to do "theme days". For example, Monday we have a chicken dish, Tuesday is Tex-Mex day, Wednesday is Pasta, Thursday is Soup and Sandwich Day, and Friday is Pizza Day.
Before becoming a daycare provider, I didn’t realize all the different ways you could create a pizza dish. I love learning new amazing recipes.
If you have any questions about what something is below or which recipe I use, give me a shout in the comments below.
Breakfast for Lunch Ideas
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Muffins
- Coffee Cake
- Waffles
- Pumpkin Bread
- Banana Bread
- Pancakes
- French Toast
- Egg Bake
Sandwiches and Wraps
- Peanut Butter and Jelly
- Grilled Cheese
- Deli Meat Sandwich
- DIY Lunchables
- Deviled Egg Salad
- Chicken Salad
- Tuna Salad
- Meat and Cheese Wrap
- Shredded Beef Sandwich
- Pulled Pork Sandwich
Pasta
- Mac and Cheese
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Chicken Alfredo
- 3 Cheese Chicken Alfredo
- Shrimp Linguini
- Tortellini either with Alfredo or Spaghetti Sauce
- Baked Penne (a hit with everyone who has tried it)
- Lasagna
- Hamburger Helper
Tex Mex
- Tacos
- Nachos
- Quesadillas
- Enchiladas
- Taquitos
- Stuffed Pepper Casserole
From the Freezer
- Mozzarella Sticks
- Chicken Patty
- Corn Dog
- Chicken Nuggets
- Chicken Strips
- Fish – Fillets, Sticks, Salmon, Shrimp, and so much more
Pizza
- Pizza
- Pizza Subs
- Pizza Burgers – can be on hamburger buns or English muffins
- Pizza Bites – made on Ritz crackers
- Pizza Rolls
Comfort Food
- Tator Tot Hotdish (I am from the upper Midwest, a hotdish is a casserole)
- Mashed Potato Bowl
- Wild Rice Hotdish
- Cheeseburgers
- Potpie
- Meatloaf
- Individual Meatloaves
- Hotdogs and Baked Beans
- Brats
- Pork Chops
Soup
- Chili
- White Chicken Chili
- Corn Chowder
- Fish Chowder
- Creamy Wild Rice Soup
- Southwest Corn Chowder
Bread Sides
- Buttered Bread
- Biscuits
- Rolls
- Crescent Rolls
- Garlic Toast
- Cheesy Garlic Toast
- Corn Bread
- Muffins
This post was all about the best daycare lunch menu ideas.
Let me know in the comments below what your daycare kids love to eat.
I look forward to hearing from you and thanks for stopping by.