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2WHAT’S COOKING AT WECA3WHAT’S COOKING AT WECA W isconsin Early Childhood Association is committed to advancing food systems support to enhance the health, nutrition, and food-related activities of young children and families through the lens of tools for early care and education programs. The initiatives are designed to connect young children in early care and education settings with fresh, locally sourced foods and aim to foster healthy eating habits, support local agriculture, and enhance educational opportunities for children, families, and caregivers. WECA’s Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network (WEESSN) promotes the consumption of fresh, nutrient-dense foods among young children to encourage lifelong healthy eating habits and integrates food-related activities into curriculum to provide hands-on Farm to ECE learning experiences about growing, preparing, and eating nutritious food. It also supports local farmers and producers by creating a consistent demand for their products, thereby strengthening the local economy. WECA has long administered its Food Program , which is a federally funded voluntary program that helps pay for the cost of serving healthy meals and snacks to participants in qualifying child care facilities. WECA is one of six sponsors of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) in Wisconsin and is eligible to serve family child care programs from all 72 counties and all Tribal nations. Center-based programs have access to resources through the Department of Public Instruction. Joining the WECA Food Program highlights a commitment to high-quality care, professionalism, and the healthy nutrition of young children while providing an important economic benefit to providers. We created this first-ever WECA cookbook to celebrate the delicious and nutritious foods Wisconsin-based ECE programs serve young children. The recipes are tried-and-true favorites from child care programs across the state. We hope this cookbook will inspire your menu planning and bring new ideas to your meals as you support the health and nutrition of young children, families, and your communities through your important work. Thank you for your commitment to early care and education! The Team at Wisconsin Early Childhood Association4WHAT’S COOKING AT WECA5WHAT’S COOKING AT WECA TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Kids Eat Food They Grow or Prepare Themselves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Encouraging Children to Try New Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Tips for Serving Local Foods on a Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8 Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11 Veggie Egg Bites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13 Fruit Rainbow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15 Parmesan Green Beans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17 Quinoa with Tomato Sauce . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19 Refried Black Beans with Greens . . . . . . . . .20-21 Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad . . . . . . . . . . 22-23 Easy Cucumber Sandwich Bites . . . . . . . . . 24-25 Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese . . . . . . . 26-27 Vegetable Soup with Chicken . . . . . . . . . . 28-29 Taco Soup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30-31 Flourless Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins . . . . . . 32-33 Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34-356WHAT’S COOKING AT WECA KIDS EAT FOOD THEY GROW OR PREPARE THEMSELVES Children are more likely to try food when they are involved in growing or preparing it. Starting between ages 2 and 3, many children are ready to help, both in the garden and in the kitchen. Tasks 2- and 3-year-olds can help with in the garden and kitchen: • Dig to prepare gardens for planting or to incorporate compost into the soil • Plant pea, bean, or nasturtium seeds into holes made by an adult • Water plants using a small cup or watering can • Scrub freshly harvested vegetables in a dish bin with water and a scrub brush • Mash avocados for guacamole, or bananas for fruit-sweetened recipes • Cut soft-skinned fruits and vegetables with a wooden chopper or wavy chopper • Help stir ingredients • Place muffin liners into pans • Assemble foods, such as placing ingredients on bread for sandwiches, or plating vegetables Tasks 4- through 6-year-olds can help with in the garden and kitchen: • Plant various seeds using a seeding tool or direct seeding by hand • Weed garden beds • Snap beans and peas • Peel vegetables with a vegetable peeler • Chop vegetables with a wavy chopper • Measure ingredients for recipes • Whisk batter Children 7 and older can perform most tasks in the garden and kitchen with guidance and training.7WHAT’S COOKING AT WECA ENCOURAGING CHILDREN TO TRY NEW FOODS • Try using neutral language. Avoid using positive or negative language about the food, but help the child learn about it by describing its characteristics as you taste it and look at it. • Enjoy the food yourself. Children learn best through imitation. • Serve new foods in micro portions. A large helping of an unfamiliar food can feel overwhelming to a small child. • Serve the food many times. It might take quite a few appearances on their plate before a child will try it. They may wish to look at, smell, or even feel the food with their fingers before they will consider eating it. TIPS FOR SERVING LOCAL FOODS ON A BUDGET Serving local foods in child care settings can be both beneficial for the children’s health and supportive of the local economy. Here are tips to help you navigate budget constraints while offering nutritious meals: Seasonal Menu Planning • If you are new to local foods, start small. Consider featuring one local item on your menu. • Base your menu around seasonal produce. Fruits and vegetables are often more abundant and less expensive when they’re in season. Partner with Local Farmers and Producers • Establish partnerships with local farmers, farmer’s markets, and food cooperatives. Buying directly from them often can result in lower prices compared to supermarkets. You may be able to find better pricing on organic products from local sources (see more information about organic options on page 35). • Explore options for bulk purchasing or negotiating discounts for buying in larger quantities. Use Minimally Processed Whole Foods • Choose whole foods, such as grains, beans, and legumes, which are often more affordable and versatile than processed foods. • Purchase whole chickens or larger cuts of meat and portion them in-house to reduce costs.8WHAT’S COOKING AT WECA Preserve the Harvest • Freeze food when it’s abundant to extend the use of seasonal produce. This allows you to buy in bulk when prices are low and use it throughout the year. • Pickle foods to extend their shelf life. Many fresh vegetables can be made into refrigerator pickles and will last longer than the produce would alone. DIY Cooking and Baking • Make items from scratch whenever possible. Use cooking tools like an electric pressure cooker or slow cooker to save time. • Engage children in age-appropriate cooking activities to instill healthy eating habits and appreciation for locally sourced foods. Grow Your Own • Start a garden on-site or partner with a nearby community garden. By following organic growing practices, you can provide fresh, healthy produce for your child care program while involving children in the gardening process. Join the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) • Produce grown in the garden can be used as part of the reimbursable meal and for nutrition education activities. • CACFP funds can be used to purchase items for gardens such as seeds, watering cans, rakes, compost, and more if the produce grown in the garden will be used as part of the reimbursable meal and for nutrition education activities.9WHAT’S COOKING AT WECA THE RECIPESNext >