Meal Planning Tips

Its dinner time does your family . . . Stop at a restaurant on the way to wherever you need to be next. Pick up food at the grocery store or deli on the way home. Pull an “emergency” meal from the freezer and reheat it. Serve a meal from the slow cooker. Whip up something from a well-stocked pantry. Any of the above, depending on how much planning has been done. Every choice has a cost in hours and minutes, dollars and cents, and impacts your health.

Why Plan Meals? Healthier meals and snacks Save Time Save Money Includes foods from all food groups Uses healthier methods of preparation Use less sugar, sodium and fat Include more high fiber foods Save Time: Fewer trips to the grocery store. Favorite menus will be repeated. Repeating menus can make meal planning easier. Prepare foods for several meals at a time (More information on “Planned Over” slide). Save Money: Less likely to buy items not needed. Better use of coupons/grocery ads. Less likely to eat out/take out. Add more variety to meals: Meals are more appealing if there is variety in color, texture, temperature and flavor. Color: Color combinations of food help to make meals more attractive and enjoyable. Use restraint with artificial coloring so foods appear natural. Texture: Texture refers to softness, crispness, smoothness, dryness or moistness. A meal becomes more palatable when there is some contrast of texture. Temperature: Meals are more appealing if there are a variety of temperatures. Flavor: Combine foods that are strong in flavor with some that are mild.

Aesthetic Guidelines for Meal Planning Color More color—More Nutrition Texture Crisp, crunchy, smooth, chunky, & tender Temperature Choose some cold foods, some served at room temperature, and some hot Size & Shape Flavor (flavors of the meal should compliment each other) Food Presentation (plating) Avoid placing food on the rim Avoid overfilling the plate—allow for white space Avoid the use of non edibles on the plate Odd numbers are more pleasing than even numbers

What’s wrong?

Not enough color Too much protein Needs some veggies Add gravy for texture and flavor Add a salad for texture and color Add vegetables for different shapes and color

Which One would you choose?

Which One is more appealing?

What’s wrong with these menus? Baked Potato Soup, Fresh Baked Dinner Rolls, & Hot Chocolate Pudding Hamburger, Fries, Chocolate Milk Shake Spicy Beef Enchiladas, Sweet Red Beets, Lime Rice, Chocolate Cake Which aesthetic guidelines are they missing?

Meal Planning Tips Stock up on the Basics and then plan meals around what you have in your refrigerator, freezer and cupboards Canned tomato products Canned soups Canned beans Canned broth Canned tuna and salmon Bouillon Pasta Grains – rice, grits, oatmeal Flour and baking mixes Salad dressings and sauces Canned fruits and pie fillings Dry beans and peas Nuts Condiments Boneless chicken breasts Cooked meatballs Vegetables Juices Milk Yogurt Cheese Eggs Minced garlic Potatoes Onions Fresh vegetables Fresh fruit

Meal Planning Tips 1. Use MyPlate to plan nutritious meals and snacks.  Healthy foods give you more value for the dollar. Start with breads, cereals, rice and pasta. You need the most servings of these foods each day. They are naturally low in fat and provide protein and complex carbohydrates for energy. Add fruits & vegetables for vitamins & minerals. Finally, choose low fat servings from the milk group and the meat group for protein, calcium and iron.

Meal Planning Tips 2. Check newspaper ads for special sales. Specials and seasonal foods can help save money. Compare advertised prices among stores Be sure that the items you select are things you need and will use. Plan your menus around sale items, especially more expensive purchases, such as meat

Meal Planning Tips 3. Consider food preferences. When you serve popular foods, you increase eating pleasure and avoid waste. Make a collection of economical, nutritious recipes that your family likes and serve them often.  4. Consider your schedule. Determine how much time you will have for food prep this week. Consider pre-preparing meals Consider using convenience foods to make a balanced meal

Meal Planning Tips 5. Make a grocery list. For convenience, place items on the paper in the order in which they are located in the store. Include quantity or sizes needed for your recipes.  Saves money and helps you not make impulse purchases

6. Create a Time Work Schedule A detailed list of tasks that need to be completed during meal preparation Lists a specific time and specific task to be completed at that time

More Tips Save your Menus Clean as you Go Keep a list of items that you have in the freezer and storage room List items on a grocery list as you run out of them Try once a month cooking Planned-Overs

Meal Plan Project For Home cooking assignment #3 you will be asked to do a meal plan project. You will be in charge of planning a healthy meal for you and some of your family members (at least 2 besides you). You will need to think about food preferences of those you are cooking for and create the following courses:

What courses to include in your meal Appetizer OR Dessert Main Dish 2 Side dishes Beverage (can just be water) Once you’ve decided on your meal, collect recipes needed and begin making a grocery list based on how many people you will be cooking for. (so if you need potatoes and you will be cooking for 5; you need to make sure you write 5 potatoes on your list).

Lets practice… Get out a piece of paper. You have decided on the following meal: Spaghetti (main dish) Garlic breadsticks (1 side) Canned corn (1 side) Milk (beverage) Japanese cheesecake (dessert)

You are cooking for 5 people. You have collected recipes and now you need to make a grocery list. Assuming you don’t have anything, write down everything we need to buy to make this meal. You are cooking for 5 people. Note: you don’t need a recipe for the canned corn. Use the following recipes to make your list.

On a piece of paper, write down everything we would need to buy at the grocery store (assuming we had nothing)

Now that your grocery list is done… Think of a sample menu that you would like to do for your assignment. Record this on the back side of your grocery list. Make sure your name is on the paper and turn into the basket!