Children's Center Preschool Serving the Los Feliz, Hollywood, Silverlake , Atwater communities » Weekly Snack Menu

The Sugar Question

Deborah — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 11:41:03 +0000

Sugar is a topic that inevitably comes up when parents are trying to make good health decisions about their children and it did last week in a parent coffee. Ind our discussion, I shared how we treat this issue.

As a preschool, we are very mindful of the nutrition we provide our children. We serve organic fruits and vegetables and buy good quality food. In order to make an informed decision about what we serve and when, we have researched how the body responds to the food it takes in and what the implications are for our children’s health and well-being.

Here is what our research has shown. All food has to be broken down in the digestive system into a form that can be absorbed into the blood stream and utilized by the body. The different nutrients of sugar, carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins and minerals, are not all digested or absorbed into the blood stream at the same rate. A variety of those foods eaten at one sitting will provide hours of different nutritional benefit.

Refined sugar such as cupcakes and dried fruit is broken down almost immediately and provides quick energy to the body. The quick energy can be a lift for children in the very short term and even help them to cope better. But when sugar is eaten without other foods or in big quantities, there comes a crash in energy and good spirits as the sugar quickly leaves the blood stream.
Carbohydrates take longer to break down and the more complex the carbohydrate, the longer it takes and the more sustained energy it will provide. Carbohydrates consist largely of fruits and vegetables, bread, rice, beans, and pasta.
Protein take the longest time to break down and is absorbed into the body as amino acids which are very sustaining.

Our daily snacks are created to provide two forms of carbohydrates and a protein. As a vegetarian school, we offer a fruit or vegetable carbohydrate, a complex carbohydrate such as whole wheat crackers, and a protein such as strong cheese or hummus. Our goal is to provide food that offers near-term, mid-range, and long-term nutritional benefit to our children.

Occasionally, we offer a small birthday treat or some ice cream that we make together that does contain refined sugar. Small is the key word. However, we are careful to offset the sugar effect that would occur if we only gave the children the cupcake on its own; we serve it after a full snack. With the other foods providing a steady stream of nutritional benefit and maintaining a healthy blood sugar level, the children are fine.

My mother was one of the parents who often said, “all things in moderation.” I agree with my mom but would add that in the case of sugar, “ in moderation and combination with healthy, sustaining food.” Then our kids can truly have their cake and eat it too.

Snack and New Tastes

Deborah — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 03:37:23 +0000

We love introducing children to new tastes; to date, we have served 16 kinds of fruits. This week features a variety of cheeses two of which are new to the children. They will be trying goat cheese and queso fresco. We will also be expanding the range of melons as there are so many great ones these days; honeydew, crenshaw, tuscan, golden kiss and cantaloupe are just a few. Eating is lots of fun at snack time, and expanding children’s taste is a great way to open them up to the world of possibilities. This fall, we are looking forward to exploring the foods of the different cultures represented in our school’s diverse group and hopefully the children’s open-mindedness will extend to these new opportunities.

Snack Menu

July 25- 29th

Monday morning

Wheat sandwich thins with cheddar cheese and oranges

Monday afternoon

Strawberries and blueberries, String cheese, wheat thins

Tuesday Morning

Whole wheat bagels and goat cheese and watermelon

Tuesday Afternoon

Yogurt and honey, blackberries, granola bars

Wednesday Morning

Almond butter sandwiches and watermelon

Wednesday Afternoon

Guacamole, tortillas, queso fresco, and clementines

Thursday Morning

Yogurt and fruit parfaits, and Wh. Wheat English Muffins

Thursday Afternoon

Watermelon, string cheese, and sandwich thins

Friday Morning

Fruit salad, string cheese, and crackers

Friday Afternoon

Fruit yogurt and granola

Snack menu and fruit parfait recipe

Deborah — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 04:12:02 +0000

Summertime brings us back to one of the children’s favorite recipes- Berry and Yogurt Parfaits. We will be making them this Friday and then freezing some yogurt mixed with the fruit for frozen treats next week.

1. Mix plain yogurt with a bit of honey. Stir until smooth.

2. Prepare the berries by gently washing and drying them; this week we are using strawberries so the children will cut them into small pieces.

3. Break up Oat and Honey granola bars into little pieces.

4. Using a clear glass or cup, layer the fruit, yogurt, and granola twice, ending with the granola.

Enjoy this healthy and yummy treat. Fruit mixed in yogurt also makes wonderful frozen treats. Simply mix the yogurt, a touch of honey, and the berry of your choice and freeze them with good sized sticks in them. We use tongue depressors to ensure every one comes out.

Snack Menu

July 11- 15^th

Monday morning

Wh. wheat lavash with hummus and melon

Monday afternoon

Grapes, String cheese, wheat thins

Tuesday Morning

String cheese, whole wheat muffins, and sugar snap peas

Tuesday Afternoon

Yogurt and honey and plums, granola bars

Wednesday Morning

Quesadillas and watermelon

Wednesday Afternoon

Hummus, chips, and peaches

Thursday Morning

Almond butter, rice cakes, and clementines

Friday Morning

Yogurt and Strawberry parfaits- child made- granola topping

Friday Afternoon

String cheese, Wheat Thins and fruit salad

Snack and Cooking

Deborah — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 04:35:56 +0000

COOKING WITH OUR CHILDREN

Children love to eat what they make. The children are going to be cooking twice this week. We will gather around the round table and take turns adding the ingredients step by step. Even the pickiest eaters enjoy mixing and stirring.

This week, we will make whole wheat waffles with fruit and bread pudding with a bit of raspberry jam. I suspect they will be big hits.

Snack Menu

March 28th- April 1st

Monday Morning

Apple slices, cheddar cheese, sandwich thins

Monday Afternoon

Pears, wheat thins, string cheese

Tuesday Morning

Sugar Snaps peas, cream cheese and crackers

Tuesday Afternoon

Apple slices, child made Waffles with butter and syrupWednesday Morning

Plain yogurt “parfaits” with oats and honey bar and strawberries

Wednesday Afternoon

Clementines, almond butter and Wheat Thins

Thursday Morning

Pears, child made bread pudding

Thursday Afternoon

Applesauce, black beans, whole grain tortilla chips

Friday Morning

Sugar snaps, crackers and cream cheese

Friday Afternoon

Apples slices, cottage cheese and veggie sticks

Nutrition and Enjoyment at CCP

Deborah — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 23:51:06 +0000

Food is something we take seriously at Children’s Center Preschool. This attitude comes both from a belief about children and their eating as well as from my husband’s and my love of cooking. We are foodies; we haven’t met a country’s food we haven’t liked.

Food is not only nourishing, it is satisfying, interesting, and infinitely varied.

We all know that children should eat 5 to 7 fruits and vegetables a day for their health. We find that serving a variety of fruits and vegetables provides lots of opportunities for children to find fruits and vegetables they like; summer is the easiest time of course. We have tried over 16 kinds of fruit and over 10 kinds of vegetables, from strawberries to a variety of apples.

The garden has really helped to introduce them to carrots, sugar snaps peas, sweet 100 tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, and green beans.

I have also found that children need to have a good source of protein every couple of hours to be at their best. When their blood sugar level drops, their coping skills and ability to get along with others is compromised. We enjoy serving yogurts, cheeses, hummus, beans, almond butter, and smoothies.

We combine the fruits and vegetables and protein source with complex carbohydrates, usually from whole wheat bread sources, to provide the best nutrition we can.

Most of all, we try to enjoy good food and talk with each other while we eat together at our snack tables.

Snack Menu

March 21-25 th

Monday Morning

Pears, cheddar cheese, Bretano carckers

Monday Afternoon

Cara Cara oranges, tortellini, string cheese,

Tuesday Morning

Sugar Snaps peas, cream cheese and crackers

Tuesday Afternoon

Clementines and Guacamole with whole grain tortilla chips

Wednesday Morning

Plain yogurt “parfaits” with oats and honey bar and strawberries

Wednesday Afternoon

Celery and Almond butter, Wheat Thins

Thursday Morning

Pears, string cheese, and veggie sticks

Thursday Afternoon

Applesauce, Waffles with butter and syrup

Friday Morning

Sugar snaps, crackers and cream cheese

Friday Afternoon

Apples slices and bean and cheese burritos

Snack March 7- 17th

Deborah — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 03:08:10 +0000

Our garden is now regularly giving us radishes. Children have been eating them at school or opting to take them home and sharing them with their family. When we pull out the radishes it creates more space for the carrots that are planted next to them.

Snack Menu

March 7-11th

Monday Morning

Pears, blueberry yogurt, Bretano carckers

Monday Afternoon

Cara Cara oranges, string cheese, veggies sticks

Tuesday Morning

Clementines and tortellini

Tuesday Afternoon

Sugar Snaps peas, flatbead with hummus

Wednesday Morning

Plain yogurt and kiwi “parfaits” with oats and honey bar

Wednesday Afternoon

Clementines, cheddar cheese and wheat thins

Thursday Morning

Pink Lady apples and Sandwich thins with almond butter

Thursday Afternoon

Applesauce, English muffins with melted jack cheese

Friday Morning

Sugar snaps, crackers and cream cheese

Friday Afternoon

Pears, yogurt and multigrain cheerios

Snack Menu

March 14- 18^th

Monday morning

Clementines, cheddar cheese and wheat thins

Monday afternoon

Snap peas, Sandwich thins with almond butter

Tuesday Morning

Strawberry yogurt “parfait” and granola

Tuesday afternoon

Pears, flatbread and hummus

Wednesday morning

Cara Cara oranges , Wheat thins with cream cheese

Wednesday afternoon

Applesauce, English muffins with melted jack cheese

Thursday morning

Fruit salad with oranges, pears, apples, and bananas and plain yogurt,

Thursday Afternoon

Apples slices, string cheese and crackers

Snack Menu 2/7- 2/11

Deborah — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 04:10:26 +0000

We are enjoying the oranges from one of our parent’s trees as well as clementines. The children also have shown a fondness for Mexican food, especially guacamole, black beans and refried beans. So this week, they are all on the menu.

We are hopeful that radishes will be pulled from the garden this week. They have grown these amazing big leaves and the radishes are now popping up above the ground and they are getting redder every day.

Monday Morning

Sugar snaps, Guacamole with corn tortilla strips, mango juice

Monday afternoon

Clementines, wh. wheat crackers with almond butter, grape juice

Tuesday Morning

Pink Lady apples, oats and honey bars, string cheese, blueberry- pomegranate juice.

Tuesday Afternoon

Edamame, tortellini , mango juice

Wednesday Morning

Pears, cream cheese on flat bread, apple juice

Wednesday Afternoon

Tangerines, hard-boiled eggs, wheat thins, apple juice

Thursday Morning

Pears, Sandwich thins with Sunflower seed butter, cranberry-Raspberry juice

Thursday Afternoon

Apples, veggies sticks with hummus, apple Juice

Friday Morning

Pears, yogurt, wheat thins, pomegranate- blueberry juice

Friday Afternoon

Sugar Snaps, black beans and wh. wheat torillas, mango juiceTweet

Snack Menu 1/17-21

Deborah — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 19:46:15 +0000

We learned a lot about our kids likes and dislikes last week and it is reflected in this week’s snack menu. Firstly, rainbow tortellini are a big hit; everyone seemed to like them. Secondly, they loved hard-boiled eggs; they were wizards at peeling them, which is great small motor practice. Egg salad, however, was not a hit at all. One of the children announced and the others agreed, “We don’t like smashed eggs”.

So this week we are having more tortellini and hard-boiled eggs. We will save the smashing for mashed potatoes.

Tuesday Morning

Pears, Sandwich thins with cream cheese, grape juice.

Tuesday Afternoon

Oranges, oats and honey bars, string cheese, mango juice

Wednesday Morning

Apples, Tortellini with cheese, mango juice.

Wednesday Afternoon

Tangerines, English Muffins with melted jack cheese, apple juice

Thursday Morning

Pears, hard-boiled eggs, wheat thins, grape juice

Thursday Afternoon

Clementines, Flatbread with hummus, apple Juice

Friday Morning

Apples, yogurt, oats and honey bars, cranberry juice

Friday Afternoon

Pears, Sandwich tins with almond butter, mango juiceTweet

Snack and Cooking Menu 1/10-14

Deborah — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 03:12:33 +0000

Snack menu January 10-14th

We now have a third teacher who has joined us and we can do more cooking with the children. This group loves cooking and, I might add, eating. We are noticing they are willing to try new things. This week we will be making egg salad and tortilla crisps; veryone loves the cinnamon in the crisps.

We are also starting the seeds for our herb garden. We hope by the spring that we will be able to add them to our creations. The seeds of the vegetable garden are growing and the peas are starting towards the trellis. With the upcoming sunny week, the children will have a chance to see the beets, lettuce, carrots, and radishes really grow.

Monday morning

Apples, Tortellini with cheese, mango juice

Monday afternoon

Tangerines, Cheddar cheese, Flat bread, apple juice

Tuesday Morning

Pears, Sandwich thins with cream cheese, grape juice.

Tuesday Afternoon

Oranges, oats and honey bars, plain yogurt with honey, apple juice

Wednesday Morning

Applesauce, child-made tortilla crisps, string cheese, mango juice.

Wednesday Afternoon

Tangerines, English Muffin with melted cheddar, apple juice

Thursday Morning

Sugar Snap Peas, Flatbread with child-made egg salad , grape juice

Potluck Parent Dinner

Thursday Afternoon

Clementines, Wheat thins, Cheddar cheese, apple Juice

Friday Morning

Apples, strawberry yogurt, crackers, cranberry juice

Friday Afternoon

Pears, hard boiled eggs, crackers, mango juiceTweet

Holiday week snack menu

Deborah — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 02:34:27 +0000

Snack menu Dec 13-17th

This is a great week for festive food. Monday, we will be having Lucia buns and gingerbread in honor of St. Lucia Day, a Swedish holiday. We will also be doing our first bread baking and having sourdough rolls at the end of the morning. Wednesday and Thursday will include cookie decorating; the Winter Sing on Thursday night will have wonderful appetizers and desserts, including the cookies we made.

Monday morning

Apples, String Cheese, Wheat Crackers, Apple juice

St. Lucia Day breads and Sourdough bread we made

Monday afternoon

Tangerines, Cheddar cheese, Flat bread, apple juice

Tuesday Morning

Pears, plain yogurt with honey, multigrain cheerios, apple juice.

Tuesday Afternoon

Grapes, black beans, cheddar cheese, whole wheat tortillas, apple juice

Wednesday Morning

Applesauce, whole wheat English muffins, string cheese, cranberry juice.

Decorate holiday cookies

Wednesday Afternoon

Tangerines, English Muffin with melted cheddar, apple juice

Thursday Morning

Sugar Snap Peas, Flatbread with hummus, grape juice

Decorate holiday cookies

Thursday Afternoon

Clementines, Wheat thins, Cream cheese, apple Juice

Thursday Evening- Winter Sing

Potluck appetizers, desserts, and our holiday cookies

Friday Morning

Apples, strawberry yogurt, crackers, cranberry juice

Friday Afternoon

Tangerines, Oat and Honey bars, string cheese, mango juiceTweet