At lunch, preschoolers ages 3 to 5 should have one serving of milk which is equal to ¾ cup of fluid milk. They should also have two servings of fruit or vegetables. This is equivalent to ½ cup of juice, fruit or vegetables. Preschoolers should also have one serving of meat or meat alternative which consists of 1.5 oz. meat, poultry, fish, meat alternative or cheese, ¾ cup eggs, 3/8 cup beans or ¾ oz. of nuts. One serving of grains is also recommended, which is the equivalent of half a slice of bread, 1/3 cup cereal, ¼ cup pasta or a half serving of a biscuit, roll or muffin.
A sandwich is a convenient main course for a preschooler's lunch. Use a cookie cutter to cut the sandwiches into imaginative shapes. Vary the sandwich fillings each week to expose children to a variety of flavors and textures. For variety, use whole wheat tortillas to make sandwich wraps. Top with lean meats, veggies and low-fat cheese for a savory wrap. For a healthy but sweet wrap, add reduced fat cream cheese and veggie slices or dried fruits. Roll up the tortilla and slice to create pinwheels. Alternatively, put sandwich fillings between two large crackers or spread crackers with toppings like cream cheese, peanut butter or cottage cheese.
Mini pizzas are an appropriate main course dishes for preschoolers. Slice an English muffin in half. Toast half of the English muffin in a toaster. Top the English muffin with marinara sauce and then layer on sauteed or fresh vegetables, grilled chicken breast or mini meatballs and reduced fat mozzarella. Broil the English muffin under an oven broiler until the cheese has melted.
Fruits and vegetables make great side dishes. Appropriate vegetable side dishes include celery sticks, baby carrots, bell pepper slices or carrot sticks cut lengthwise down the middle to minimize choking hazard. Serve these vegetables with dips like hummus or salsa. Also, consider coleslaw with low-fat mayonnaise, baked eggplant slices, sugar snap peas and butternut squash. Serve fruits like melon wedges, orange slices, sliced bananas, unsweetened apple sauce and berries. Combine several fruits to create a fresh fruit salad