Meal Planning
Meal Planning
• Meal:
– grouping of food often served or eaten at
regular times of the day
• Meal Pattern:
– list of general groups of foods used to guide
for a specific menu
• Menu:
– group of food planned for a particular meal,
restaurant etc.
• Meal Appeal:
– combination of appearance, flavour, texture,
temperature etc.
• Meal Planning:
– management of resources (money, food,
time) to create meals that appeal to and are
good for those eating them.
Meal Patterns
Continental
Light
Medium
Heavy
• juice
•Rolls
•Beverages
•Fruit/juice
•Egg/cereal
•Toast
•Beverage
•Fruit/juice
•Egg
•Bacon
•Toast
•Beverage
•Fruit/juice
•Cereal/fried
potatoes
•Egg
•Bacon
•Toast
•Beverage
Lunch
•One main
dish (salad or
sandwich)
•Beverage
•Two main
dish
(salad/soup/s
andwich)
•Beverage
•Two main
dishes
•Dessert
•Beverage
•One main
dish
•Vegetable
•Salad
•Bread/rolls
•Dessert
•Beverage
•Often a light
meal.
•In
restaurants,
must have
quick service
(min 1 hr)
Dinner
•Main dish
(meat, fish, or
poultry)
•2 veg.
•Bread/rolls
•Beverage
•Main dish
•2 veg.
•Salad
•Bread/rolls
•dessert
•Beverage
•Appetizer
•Main dish
•2 veg
•Salad
•Bread/rolls
•Dessert
•Beverage
•Appetizer
•Soup
•Main dish
•2 veg
•Salad
•Bread/rolls
•Dessert
•Beverage
•Usually the
heaviest meal
of the day
Breakfast
Very Heavy
Notes
•Pancakes,
waffles or
French toast
may be the
main dish.
•Sweet rolls
may replace
toast
• Why do we want to
share meals in
families?
– Communication
– Share events,
memories
– company
• Factors to consider…
– Schedules
– Likes & dislikes
– Allergies
– Stages – e.g. childhood vs. teens
– Special diets – e.g. vegetarian
– Activity levels
– Religious/dietary laws
Principles
• 1. Try to have
foods from all
four food
groups in each
meal
• 2. Each day you should meet Canada’s Food
Gide:
Teens
Males
Females
Grains
7
6
Vegetables & Fruit
8
7
Milk & Alt.
3-4
3-4
Meat & Alt.
3
2
• 3. Meals should be attractive: consider…
– Colour
– Flavour & aroma
– Texture
– Shape & size
– temperature
• 4. Cost:
– Try to use foods in season
E.g.
– What are some early summer foods?
– What about late summer foods?
– Fall?
• 5. Consider Cooking Ability
• 6. Consider time available
• 7. Consider cooking method
– E.g. oven, BBQ
How to Time a Meal.
1. Decide on times the meal is to be served
•
E.g. Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner
2. Write out the menu
•
•
Appetizers? Main course? Beverages?
Write out the cooking time for each food
3. Make up a timetable for the meal
–
–
Food/preparation time/cooking time/total time
E.g. groceries, slicing/cutting, cooking
4. Make up a work schedule
–
–
–
List work in the order in which it is to be done
Begin with the foods that take the longest
Set the table first, if possible