pLANNp PLANNING MEALS

PLANNING MEALS Meal management involves using resources of skills, money, and time to put together nutritious meals. A meal manager must plan well-balanced menus; shop for healthful, economical foods; and prepare meals in the time available.

Planning meals How do you plan great meals? Cookbooks Magazines Food sections of newspapers Recipe collection

Meals Five factors when you plan meals Nutritious and appealing Suit your cooking skills Food budget Available preparation time Foods you eat provide your body with carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, and water.

Using a pyramid meal pattern A meal pattern is a guide that outlines the basic foods normally served at a meal. Currently pattern is: Grains 6 oz. Vegetables-2 ½ c Fruits 2c Milk 3c Meat/bean-5 ½ oz.

Using a Pyramid Meal Pattern Use a meal pattern based on the Pyramid. This will help you make sure you get your total recommended number of servings each day. Write down everything you ate yesterday. Then evaluate whether or not your meals and snacks followed the meal pattern described in Pyramid Meal Pattern.

Nutrition Do you eat enough vegetables? What are some ways you could work more vegetables into your diet? Fruit drinks and punches are not the same as fruit juice. They may contain much more sugar.

Variety in Meals Color, flavor, texture, shape, size, and temperature are important points to consider in planning meals with variety. Attractive meals Delicious Choosing foods that appeal to the senses (sight, smell, and taste) will make meals enjoyable.

Variety in Meals Color adds eye appeal to meals Garnishes can add color and variety to a meal Vary the flavors of food items to avoid repeating one flavor Flavor of foods should complement each other Use well-liked combinations of foods that taste good together

Variety in Meals Plan to include foods that differ in temperature as part of the meal plan Use your creative flair to combine a variety of shapes and sizes in your meals Texture of foods should offer variety. Crisp, tender, soft, creamy, smooth, crunchy, and chewy Serve three textures

Variety in Meals Variety in colors, flavors, textures, and shapes plays a role in foods of all cultures Culture and society have been influencing people’s food choices Regional and cultural influences

When You are the Meal Manager Cooking skills Food budget Energy cost Preparation time Eating schedules Convenience food are food products that have some preparation steps done to them Frozen dinners

15-2 Shopping for Food

Planning and organize a shopping list Shopping for food is an important part of meal planning Must decide what to buy, where to shop, and how much will meet you needs Must be able to evaluate the quality of food product Shopping list is a detailed list of the kinds and amounts of food you want to buy. Save three valuable resources time, energy, and money

Preparing a Shopping List Write shopping list before you go grocery shopping Review all the recipes you are planning to prepare Use store ads to write a shopping list that will save you money by taking advantage of advertised specials Organizing your shopping list according to the grocery store’s layout

Deciding Where to Shop Most common types of food stores Supermarkets Discount supermarkets Specialty stores Convenience stores Supermarkets sell a wide range of food and household products Lower prices Services offered check cashing, home delivery

Shopping Discount supermarket warehouse supermarkets sell foods and household items at discounted prices Less variety and fewer customer services Specialty stores specialize in carrying one type of food items Seafood store Bakery

Shopping Convenience stores offer convenient locations, longer hours, and fast service Selection is limited, and prices are higher Conveniences are worth the cost Does the store offer courteous service and helpful employees? Is the store clean and well maintained? Are meats, produce and dairy products always fresh?

Shopping Does the store stock a variety of foods in various package sizes to meet your needs? Is the checkout fast and efficient?

Deciding How Much Food to Buy Food budget Three other factors you will want to consider are: Serving sizes Storage space Shelf life how have some supermarkets included “specialty stores” within their stores? Why do you think they do this?

Recognizing Quality in Foods To be a good shopper, you must be able to recognize quality One way to select the best value in meats is to compare quality. Look for the quality best suited to your needs Wise buying includes knowing which quality is best suited to your needs

Quality Foods National brands are often advertised nationwide High quality Cost more House brand are brands that are sold by a store or chain of stores Quality is similar to national brand Generic products have plain labels containing only the names of the products and other required label information

Quality foods Products are nutritionally equivalent to national and house brands Often cost less than branded products Damaged packaging can affect the quality of any food product For best quality avoid buying damaged packages Generic products are characterized by their plain labels

15-3 Buying Information

Buying Information Resources available to help you get the most for your food dollars Resources Unit pricing Open dating Package labeling Unit pricing shows the cost per standard unit of weight or measure Unit pricing labels are usually posted on the shelves beneath food items

Unit Pricing Open dating this dating process gives you information about the freshness of foods Four forms Pack date tells you when the food was processed Pull date is often used on dairy products and cold cuts Is the last day a sore should sell the product Freshness date the end of the product’s quality peak, product can be used beyond this date

Unit pricing Expiration dates appear on products such as yeast or baby formula Is the last day a product should be used or eaten Unit pricing allows you to compare prices of various products

Food Labeling Food label must include Can learn a great deal about the foods you buy by reading labels. Food label must include The common name of the product and its form, such as whole, sliced, or diced The net contents or net weight The name and address of the

Food Label Manufacturer, packer, or distributor A list of ingredients Ingredients must be listed in descending order by weight Storing, or packaging Additives must be proved safe for their intended uses Food additives are substances that are added to food for a specific purpose added during any phase of producing, processing

Nutrition Facts Panel Designed to help consumers choose healthful diets Serving size Servings per container Calories per serving and calories from fat Nutrients per serving, including total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, sugars, and protein Percent Daily Values of nutrients based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Universal Product Code This is a group of bars and numbers that contains price and product information Other Sources of Information FDA USDA Extension agent FACS teacher Web sites

15-4 Storing Foods

Storing Foods Storing food properly is just as important as selecting it. Types of foods you buy will determine the proper storage method Refrigerator Freezer Shelf

Storing Foods Most foods kept in the refrigerator should be packaged in airtight wraps or containers Frozen foods should be labeled and dated so they can easily identify them and avoid storing then too long

Storing foods Food rotation store the freshest food at the back of the shelf, use the oldest foods stored at the front of the shelf first Retort packaging foods are sealed in foil pouches and then sterilized Shelf-stable entrees Shelves for up to six months Aseptic packaging in this type of packaging, foods and containers are sterilized separately then the food is packed in the container in a sterile chamber