Sample two-week menus for long day care
Use these sample menus as a guide for developing a menu that tastes great and meets children’s nutrition needs. These menus are based on the Menu planning guidelines for long day care.
Download our sample menus inclusive of blank templates for you to print and fill using our guides.
The meals featured in the sample menu provide children over the age of one with all the foods and drinks they need to meet their nutritional needs.
Key information about the sample menu
Each two-week menu cycle includes at least:
- 4 red meat meals
- 2 pork or poultry meals
- 2 fish meals
- 1 vegetarian meal
Each day provides a child with
Fruit
- 1 children’s serve
Vegetables and legumes/beans
- 1–1½ children’s serves
Lean protein foods (poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes and beans)
- 1 children’s serve
Milk, yoghurt and cheese (or alternatives)
- 2 children’s serves
Grain (cereal) foods
- 2 children’s serves
For information about children’s serving sizes, please refer to the Menu planning guidelines for long day care.
The menu does not include any of the following discretionary foods or drinks:
- Chocolate, confectionery, jelly
- Sweet biscuits, high fat/salt savoury biscuits, chips
- Cream, ice cream
- Deep fried foods (e.g. hot chips) and pastry based foods (pies, sausage rolls, pinwheels and pasties)
- Most fast food and takeaway foods
- Some processed meats, (e.g. sausages, frankfurts/hot dogs, salami, Strasbourg, Devon, some commercial chicken nuggets and fish fingers)
- Soft drinks, fruit juice and fruit drinks, cordial, sports drinks, energy drinks, flavoured milk and flavoured mineral water
The menu is varied and considers special dietary needs
Infant and age-appropriate meals
- Infants over the age of 6 months are provided with iron rich foods. Meals and snacks offer progressing texture according to their age.
Allergies
- Children with allergies are provided with appropriate substitutes of foods and drinks, in line with the Menu planning guidelines.
Variety
- The menu includes a variety of meals from different cultures and a variety of tastes, colours, textures and flavours.
Thoughtful menu planning
- Main meals are not repeated in the two-week menu cycle and the main ingredient in a meal is not repeated on the same day each week.
For more information please phone 1300 22 52 88 or email heas@nnf.org.au
Except where otherwise indicated, the images in this document show models and illustrative settings only, and do not necessarily depict actual services, facilities or recipients of services. This document may contain images of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In this document, ‘Aboriginal’ refers to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. ‘Indigenous’ or ‘Koori/Koorie’ is retained when part of the title of a report, program or quotation. Copyright © State of Victoria 2016
Written and reviewed by dietitians and nutritionists at National Nutrition Foundation, with support from the Victorian Government.
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The Healthy Eating Advisory Service acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we operate. We pay our respects to them, their culture and their Elders past and present.
The Healthy Eating Advisory Service is delivered by experienced nutritionists and dietitians at National Nutrition Foundation, with support from the Victorian Government.
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