There are many benefits of planning menus ahead: saves time, fewer trips to
supermarket, saves money, mealtime is more relaxed, tend to eat a greater variety of
foods, and meals are more nutritious.
Nutrition of Meals
- Nutritious meals provide foods from "A Pattern for Daily Food Choices" (see
"Nutrition How To" handout). Most meals need to include 1 to 2 servings of
bread/cereal, 1 to 2 servings of vegetables, 1 serving of fruit, 2 to 3 ounces of lean
meat or alternate, and a serving from the milk group. Optional items such as condiments,
sauces, margarine, etc. add sensory appeal and need to be within each person's limit for
fat, sugar, and sodium.
- The booklet, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 1995 provides helpful ideas on how to
lower fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol in your meals. There is also guidance about
consuming sugar and sodium in moderation. Eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grain
products ensures adequate complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber.
Sensory Factors of Food
- Food is judged first by its appearance and aroma. Then, a person's sense of taste and
mouth feel evaluates the food. Sensory appeal needs to be planned on the basis of
contrasts. Flavor, taste, texture, color, form, temperature and method of preparation all
influence sensory appeal.
- Flavor - strong, mild, distinct
- One distinctly flavored food in a meal is recommended. A meal made up entirely of mild
flavored foods lacks zip. Different flavors in a meal are usually appreciated rather than
repeating the same flavor.
- Taste--bitter, salt, sour, sweet
- Foods need to be tasty. A meal pleases most when all taste sensations are perceived.
- Texture --hard or soft, moist or dry, crisp or wilted, smooth or lumpy
- A variety of textures in meals is usually preferred. Some textures such as smoothness,
crispness and moistness are pleasant while lumpiness, dryness or stringiness are not.
- Color
- The psychological effect of a colorful combination of foods makes meals more appetizing.
Combine a colorful vegetable such as green beans with white potatoes. Avoid overcooking
vegetables to retain their natural colors.
- -- Dishes and tablemats or cloths can compliment the food you serve. A white dessert
will look best served on a colorful plate.
- Form or Shape --round, diced, sliced, wedges, strips
- A meal made up of foods with different sizes and shapes will be more interesting than
one of foods with similar forms. Vary the shapes of vegetables. Carrots can be cut in
circles, strips, chunks, halves or left whole. Limit the number of mixed dishes in a meal
- serve a combination dish with a plain fruit or vegetable.
- Method of Preparation -- boiled, creamed, fried, broiled, baked
- Vary the method of preparation to add interest. Use lowfat cooking methods such as
boiling, broiling, roasting or baking.
- Temperature -- piping hot, chilled
- For maximum appeal, serve hot foods piping hot and cold foods well chilled. Some foods
are best when served at room temperature. Generally include both hot and cold foods in one
meal.
Putting It All Together: The Dinner Menu
- Taking into consideration nutrition, sensory appeal, time and money, choose the main
dish of the meal first. Plan the rest of the menu around the main dish. Try to keep meal
preparation time to 45 minutes or less.
- Planning menus as a family can be a helpful learning experience for children. Plus, if
they have helped plan, they are more likely to eat the meals. If your school publishes the
lunch menus, check them first so you don't serve the same foods for dinner that your child
ate for lunch.
Shopping for Food
- As the menus are planned, a shopping list can be made. This can be done weekly. Keep a
running grocery list on the refrigerator, too. When something is gone, whoever uses it up
puts it on the list.
- Take kids shopping; teach them how to use unit pricing, look for sale items, stock up on
frequently used sale items, use coupons, read labels, select produce, and stick to the
shopping list. Then, when they leave home, they'll know how to shop for food.
- Plan ahead for how to handle your children's request for products not on your shopping
list. Discuss the rules before you go to the store. One idea is to allow each child to
choose one special snack item. Another idea is to give each child a job - one will push
the cart and one will mark items off the shopping list as they are placed in the cart.
Meal Preparation Planning
- How do you prepare a meal so that all menu items are done at the same time?
- First, list the menu items and table setting on the left side of a sheet of paper. Then,
record the total time each item will require to a) prepare for cooking, b) cooking and c)
prepare for serving. Then arrange the items in decreasing order of total time required.
This will give you an idea of total meal preparation time and the order in which items of
the menu need to be prepared. Often a meal may be prepared and the table set in the time
it takes to prepare and cook the longest menu item.
Table Setting
- Here's an example of a typical family style table service. (Not available)
