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Meal Pattern Minute

Looking for quick tips on some of the CACFP's hottest topics? Our nutrition education specialist, Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS, RDN, LD, is here to help! Be sure to follow us on Instagram or on Facebook for more tips, recipes and resources! You can also find our Meal Pattern Minute Playlist on YouTube.

Meal Pattern Minute: Top 9 Food Allergens

What are the top nine most common food allergens?

Meal Pattern Minute: Meal Counts During Family Style Dining

When serving a meal family style in the CACFP, when are meal counts taken?

Meal Pattern Minute: Reimbursement for Family Style Dining

Can a family style meal be reimbursed if a child does not serve themself all of the food components offered?

Meal Pattern Minute: Preparing Children for Family Style Dining

What can you do outside of meal service to prepare children for family style dining?

Meal Pattern Minute: Family Style Dining

What is family style dining in the CACFP?

Meal Pattern Minute: Shelf-Stable Yogurt

Is shelf-stable yogurt reimbursable in the CACFP?

Meal Pattern Minute: Quiche

What is needed to serve quiche as part of a reimbursable meal?

Meal Pattern Minute: Soy Milk Beverages

Are all soy beverages creditable in the CACFP?

Meal Pattern Minute: Cheese Products

What is a cheese product, and is it creditable?

Meal Pattern Minute: Disability-Accommodated Food from Home

If a parent of a child with a disability provides all food components for a meal, can the provider be reimbursed for the meal?

Meal Pattern Minute: Tomato-Based Pizza Sauce

Can you credit tomato-based pizza sauce as a vegetable component?

Meal Pattern Minute: Crediting Bean/Pea Noodles as Meat/Meat Alternate

How can you credit pasta noodles that are made from beans or peas?

Meal Pattern Minute: Lactose-Free Milk

Is lactose-free milk also dairy free?

Meal Pattern Minute: Sugar in Muffins and Sweet Crackers

The CACFP has sugar limits for breakfast cereals and yogurt – what about other foods that can be high in sugar, like muffins and sweet crackers?

Meal Pattern Minute: Tomato Soup

Can store-bought tomato soup be credited as a vegetable in the CACFP?

Meal Pattern Minute: Ounce Equivalency for Meat

When determining ounce equivalency of meat, is that done before or after it is cooked?

Meal Pattern Minute: Substituting Cheese By Volume

If you had a recipe that called for one cup of shredded cheddar cheese, could you replace it with one cup of Parmesan cheese and have the same ounce equivalency?

Meal Pattern Minute: Goat’s Milk

Can you serve goat’s milk in the CACFP?