1. Module 5: Menu Management on a Budget
Cooking Matters for Child Care Professionals
Module 5: Menu Management on a Budget

2. Why Is Making a Food Budget Important?

3. The Importance of Menu Planning
Menu planning allows you to:
Stick to your budget
Create a shopping list
Use up foods you have on hand
Determine which ingredients you can buy in bulk or stretch across several meals

4. Other Ways to Stay Within Your Budget
Choose recipes with similar ingredients
Adjust recipes to use ingredients in season, on sale, or on hand
Make a shopping list
Compare prices
Shop smart
Other ideas?

5. Healthy Classroom Celebrations
Policies in your center?
Sweets or no sweets?
Family members or no family members?
Food or no food?
Photos or no photos?
Every birthday or once a month?

6. Healthy Classroom Celebrations
Source:

7. Healthy Classroom Celebrations
Martha’s Table, Washington, DC

8. Activity Veggie Superhero or Clown Faces
Rinse and cut fruits and veggies into pieces
Have the kids make superheroes or clown faces with their choice of fruits and veggies
See page 7 in Exploring Foods Together.

9. Goal Setting Complete the worksheet on page 45 Discuss in small groups
Food budgeting
How can I use why I learned in class in my work

10. Questions?
Cooking Matters forChild Care Professionals was developed with support from the Pritzker Early Childhood Foundation