Meal Planning for the Family

Follow Food Guide Pyramid Recommendations Bread, cereal, rice & pasta group * 6 - 11 servings Fruit group *2 - 4 servings Vegetable group *3 - 5 servings Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs & nuts group *2 - 3 servings Milk, yogurt & cheese group *2 - 3 servings (teenagers - 3 - 4 servings) Fats, oils & sweets *use sparingly

Understand aesthetic guidelines of meal planning color texture flavor temperature size and shape preparation method nutritional variety

Seven items that you need to look at before planning meals. The circumstances, values, and ways families manage their resources from house to house are very different in terms of meal preparation.

Family Size: This affects the amount of money needed, the preparation time, and the style of table service preferred.

Age: Babies, children, teenagers and parents need different foods and don’t eat the same amount.

Activity Level: With more exercise, the body requires more energy.

Food Preferences: All families don’t like the same kinds of foods because of culture and traditions.

Time: Recipes vary greatly in preparation time required. When there is little time, fix foods requiring little time.

Special Diets: Health considerations such as diabetes, high blood pressure, lactose intolerance, ulcer, stroke, and heart problems influence what people eat. What are some examples of foods some people must limit and why?

Food Budget: If money is limited, foods from basic ingredients prepared from scratch may be a better choice than fast food or convenience foods. Some families don’t realize this and the fact that they could help themselves out of a trying financial situation with their food budget.

Time Management Organize kitchen Assemble all ingredients before beginning Work on several items at the same time (dovetail) Clean up as you go Implementing time-saving shopping strategies Preparing larger quantities of food at one time and freezing some for later Evaluate the use of convenience foods to save time; may increase expense and lower quality At times the time saved may be of greater value than the additional expense

Budgeting and Shopping Strategies to Meal Management prepare a shopping list - group similar foods together to be efficient check cupboards/pantry to avoid duplication familiarize yourself with the store layout comparison shopping - compare unit prices and cost per serving avoid damaged goods and frozen packages with ice crystals on outside check dates on the package plan meals around store specials check ads for loss leaders

Budgeting and Shopping Strategies to Meal Management stick to the list to avoid impulse buying shop alone avoid shopping when hungry or tired limit shopping trips - the more trips to the store the more money spent purchase what you can use and store quantity buying can benefit if the item is used frequently take advantage of sales of frequently used items; case lot sales buy foods in season for best prices using a calculator while shopping can help keep track of money spent while shopping

Eating Out more and more meals are eaten outside the home or prepared and brought into the home greater variety of types of foods are available; keep in mind the food pyramid and dietary guideline fast food meals often are higher in fat and salt than home-prepared meals portion sizes may be larger which often encourages overeating on a limited budget reducing the amount of food eaten out can save money