Course: FOODS 11/12Gold
Unit: MEAL PLANNING
Curriculum Outcomes:
It is expected that students will:
- demonstrate organization and co-operation in partner and group work, including integration ofplanning skills
- devise plans and implement effective strategies for task sequencing and time management inco-operation with partners and groups
- use a variety of cooking methods to prepare food
- select recipes and apply cooking principles to prepare healthy dishes and multi-course meals,incorporating presentation and budgetary considerations
Rationale:
One of the best ways to make sure you eat well is to plan your meals ahead of time.
Planning ahead can help you:
get enough of all four food groups
add variety, so you’re not eating the same things day after day
save money by buying only what you need
use up foods that you already have on hand, and
save time by shopping less often
This unit started when I surveyed students on the types of foods that they prepare at home, how much food prep they are responsible for, etc… A lot of my students are quite involved in their family’s food prep, but I found that the majority of the students that take my classes (and their families) eat a very monotonous diet. They don’t use recipes at home, they only cook what they are familiar enough with to cook without instructions (not just the students but often the parents too). So I really wanted to try to get students to actually use the recipes from school at home, and also use what resources they have at home to add some VARIETY to their diets. This unit started out with me hoping to teach them how to use a cookbook (assuming that most families have some sort of cookbook in their home, even if they don’t use it). I was hoping to encourage students to be creative with what ever resources they had available and inspire them to cook more than the Kraft dinner, meat and potatoes, or spaghetti sauce from a jarthat they are used to. Every year it amazes me how few students have had basic homemade tomato sauce!
The focus of this unit is more on skill development than on problem solving or creativity, but for the first unit of the course and for the particular group of students I always seem to get in my classes this is what really works well for me. What is the experience of Home Economics teachers around the province? I think we are all trying to take a group of students who say “I JUST WANT TO COOK!” and teach them more about food than just cooking.
Is planning an aesthetically pleasing and time efficient menu the most important/top criteria? For this unit, Yes! Are these goals more important than nutrition? Of course not. At this point though (1st week of the course) I think it’s a great place to start. With the prevalence of cooking shows and the increased popularity of restaurant meals, students are very familiar with the importance of visual appeal and presentation of food. Of course nutrition is more important than aesthetics, and will be highlighted throughout the entire course, but there is a lot of background knowledge and experience that goes into planning meals with nutritional criteria. We have a simple discussion about including the four food groups and planning a balanced meal. At this point in the course I really want students to take some ownership and responsibility for their food habits (and monotonous family dinners!) I hear teachers complain about students getting more and more apathetic, not taking responsibility for their education, their own learning…. Well, I think, they haven’t had to; they’ve been told what to do all along. Planning a menu might seem too simple, but this personalized approach seems to work. Students are obviously encouraged by a trust in their ability to choose their own recipes. It sets a great tone for the rest of the course.
Number of Days Required:
as first unit 9-10
TIMELINE:
Monday
TuesdayLesson 1: Introduction and Menu Analysis
WednesdayLesson 2: Menu Planning Discussion and Criteria
ThursdayLesson 3: Chicken Dumpling Demonstration
Friday 3 cont. Chicken Dumpling Lab
Monday 2 cont. Menu Planning Grocery Order
TuesdayLesson 4: Recipe Prep
Wednesday 4 cont. Menu and sample sharing
Thursday 4 cont. Recipe Prep
Friday 4 cont. Menu and sample sharing
Lesson 1: COURSE INTRODUCTION AND MENU ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT
Purpose
Inspire students to cook and learn about food by flipping through food magazines.
Objectives
Students should be able to appraise a menu and express what appeals to them.
Materials
~12 food/cooking magazines, MENU ANALYSIS and MEAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS
Procedure
Part 1: (~1/2 the class time)
Your own course outline, room, group organization, introductory discussion, etc….
Part 2: Complete MENU ANALYSIS Handout using magazines.
In partners, have students flip through the magazines you have placed at each table to find a menu with suggested recipes. One year I flagged a menu in each magazine ahead of time, but I found that they didn’t bother looking through the rest of the magazine. When I have left the magazines untagged, students are actually much more enthusiastic about the activity. A few groups needed help to find an article with a planned menu rather that just focusing on a particular food or cooking technique. Have one menu flagged ahead of time to show as a sample. Relate your sample to the handout and notes that they should complete (see MENU ANALYSIS handout): Canadian Living Magazine, Dinner menu, Mediterranean style, “A hearty meal with lamb and lots of fresh vegetables and herbs”, serves 6….
Ask students to think carefully about what appeals to them about the food…certain ingredients, colors, combinations…. Ask each pair to share their answers to this question and make notes on your board or overhead projector. Do any trends develop? Try to group their answers to outline the aesthetic aspects of food: color, texture, arrangement, temperature, and taste. Then handout the MEAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS HANDOUT and discuss with students.
Evaluation
I find evaluation of their notes easiest to accomplish while students are working on the activity, rather than having to go back and find the right magazine to compare with their notes. I give a completion mark for their written work while the magazine is still open.
Reflection
Is this group excited about food, or reluctant to cook?
Lesson 2: MEAL PLANNING DISCUSSION AND CRITERIA DEVELOPMENT
Purpose
Use a cookbook from home to plan an aesthetically pleasing and time efficient menu.
Objectives Students should be able to:
- incorporate aesthetic guidelines in their meal planning.
- plan a schedule that takes into account the coordination of ingredient preparation and cooking times for several recipes.
Materials
2 sample menus and preparation schedules in handout.
~12 cookbooks (as back up)
Some Recommendations (Canadian books with both measuring systems):
Simply HeartSmart Cooking by Bonnie Stern
Anne Lindsay’s New Light Cooking
The New Canadian Basics by Carol Ferguson
The Complete Canadian Living Cooking by Elizabeth Baird
Bonnie Stern’s Essentials of Home Cooking
Cook Great Food by The Dieticians of Canada
Procedure
Day 1: MEAL PLANNING Assignment
Sample Menu Discussion > Criteria Development
A WEEK OF MEALS ASSIGNMENT Steps 1 & 2.
Day 2: A WEEK OF MEALS Steps 3, 4, 5 (choose favorite, type recipes, grocery order).
Note: see timeline. Day 2 of this plan could be done consecutively but we always do our theory day and grocery order on Mondays, so my timeline reflects that routine.
I also really like to get students actually cooking during the first week of school so I use the Chicken Dumpling recipe (Lesson 3) to set up our lab procedures and routines – and set the tone with a somewhat complex and detailed recipe.
If you supervise effectively while they are planning their menu, you will be familiar with their choices and able recommend which recipe you think will work out best in the class time available (and suit their skill level). I generally find students are extremely cooperative and excited about choosing their own recipes. I also usually try to ensure variety when students are selecting the one recipe they will actually make. Try to avoid having every single group choose their dessert recipe. It usually seems to work out quite well. If you do end up with several outstanding dessert ideas, try to separate them over the two prep days. (I also try to avoid recipes that are identical to something I have planned for later in the semester). I am always very careful to help students adjust the amount of their recipe to make just enough for a tiny taste for everyone. It still ends up looks like a long shopping list, but if you’re careful it’s actually not too costly.
This year our week looked something like this:
Days 1 & 2: Unit 1 partners J & BStuffed Mushroom Caps
Unit 2 partners A & DPasta with Tomatoes & Ricotta
Unit 3 partners M & ERaspberry Chocolate Layer Cake
Unit 4 partners E & R & TTeriyaki Steak
Unit 5 partners D & GPotato Salad
Unit 6 partners Z & ACreamy Chicken Pasta
Days 3 & 4:Unit 1 partners M & SChicken Sandwich with Charmoula Mayo
Unit 2 partners D & KLemon & Fresh Blueberry Tart
Unit 3 partners V & D & EVegetarian Indian Curry
Unit 4 partners B & MHarvest Vegetable Soup
Unit 5 partners L & BChocolate Fondue
Unit 6 partners L & NPork Roast with Plum Glaze
Evaluation
Our Criteria usually look something like this:
- Weeknight should include 2-3 recipes, Weekend should include 4-5 recipes
- Tidy, Easy to read layout
- Reasonable description of simple side dishes
- Balanced meal that respects aesthetic aspects and includes all food groups
Lab Participation
Reflection
How many students brought the requested cookbook?
Our mix of senior students that have taken several foods courses allows me to use this unit at the beginning of the semester. If your students are not as skilled this unit might be better later on in your course. I like to play with this at the beginning of the semester to really get to know students’ tastes and skill level.
Lesson 3: CHICKEN DUMPLINGS
Purpose
First lab demonstration, Sample Menu discussion
Objectives Students should be able to:
- write recipe instructions while watching the demonstration.
- prepare dumplings and sauce following recipe and demonstration example
Materials
Ingredients, menu & recipe handouts
Procedure
Day One: Demonstration
In the handouts that I give to students I always remove the instructions. If I am not demonstrating a recipe then I have students copy the instructions from an overhead on a theory day. If I am doing a demonstration then I have students take notes of my instructions during the demonstration. We prepare ½ this recipe for a group of four. I often include full recipes but then have students reduce for class (the same when they select their own recipes – photocopy the full recipe for the class, but reduce what we cook). I also try to always include metric and imperial measures – I know they should be capable of translating the amounts on their own, but students seem to be much more successful with repeating the recipes at home if I help them out with this.
Discussion ideas:
- Chinese menu – discuss other recipes included in the sample menu
- Prep schedule if making all the recipes – what can be done ahead of time?
- What are some typical or unique Asian ingredients?
- Where can these be purchased? Local stores?
- Aesthetic aspects of this menu
- Filling variations
- What is a dumpling anyway?
- Dumplings around the world – perogies, gyoza, empanadas, samosas….
- Ground chicken vs other ground meats – cost, fat content…
Day Two: Student Lab
There are many different ways these dumplings can be shaped. These are my favorites:
Recipe Check Points:
When students are sealing the dumplings they need just the right amount of egg. Too much egg – they will seal, but they will be a bit messy and they won’t hold a crimp. Too little egg – they won’t seal and will tend to crack at the edges.
The sauce ingredients need to be measured accurately, and don’t overcook the sauce, either way it becomes gluey.
Evaluation
Written recipe instructions
General Lab Evaluation
Reflection
How many students actively participated in discussion during demonstration?
Lesson 4: CHOICE RECIPES
Purpose
Students prepare their selected recipes and share their menu plans with the class.
Objectives
Students should be able to cooperate to prepare selected recipe.
Materials
Ingredients & a copy of each favorite menu for all members of the class
(Ideally students’ recipes will all fit on one page so that it will be easy to photocopy for the whole class. When computers are available, I have students type the recipes.)
Procedure
Day One: Recipe Prep
One pair of students from each group will have selected their recipe for today – they are in charge of the prep, their other two group members will be their assistants. Remind students that they will be eating the product tomorrow (definitely something to keep in mind when you are helping students select their recipes). As much prep as possible should be done on this first lab day so that the next day all they have to do is quick last-minute cooking or re-heating their product, or simply serving in the case of most desserts.
Day Two: Menu and Sample Sharing
You could have students present their menus and sample recipe, but I have had better success (especially if you are using this unit at the start of a semester) introducing the students and their product myself. I generally introduce the students by name and then I explain a bit about their menu – which cookbook the recipes are from (show the book), the style of food, discuss with the class whether the menu is well balanced, does it meet the criteria they helped develop, what are it’s strongest points…etc… Then show their product and get students to highlight that recipe on their menu handout, discuss a bit about the techniques, or cooking methods, or food safety issues related to that particular recipe while students sample the product.
Day Three: Recipe Prep (same as above)
The second pair is now in charge of the prep for their recipe today.
Day Four: Menu and Sample Sharing (same as above)
Evaluation
See A WEEK OF MEALS ASSIGNMENT handout
Lab evaluation as per your normal routine
Reflection
Were students willing to share?
Would you organize the lab time differently next time?
CHOICE RECIPES
BLOCK:
Unit 1:Group Members –
Recipe:
Unit 2:Group Members -
Recipe:
Unit 3:Group Members -
Recipe:
Unit 4:Group Members -
Recipe:
Unit 5:Group Members -
Recipe:
Unit 6:Group Members -
Recipe:
MENU ANALYSIS
Magazine:
Meal: (Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner…..)
Theme or Style:
One sentence that describes the Menu:
Number of People:
Number of Food Items: (List Recipe Titles)
What makes this menu appealing?
Aesthetic Aspects of Food:
MEAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS
Many people know that it is important to plan a meal when they entertain. They set aside the time and enjoy the process. But these same people often find it tedious planning everyday meals. However, if you apply the same principles and give yourself even a short amount of time to organize, soon it will become second nature.
Taste and Texture Try not to repeat ingredients.
You obviously wouldn’t serve a shepherd’s pie topped with mashed potatoes with potatoes as a side dish, or potato soup right before the shepherd’s pie. A more interesting first course might be a light vegetable soup or salad that doesn’t repeat a major ingredient in the main course and balances the heaviness of the main dish.
Colour and Arrangement Picture the finished recipe in your mind.
It is important to consider the colour, shapes and texture of each dish and plan for variety. A colourful combination of foods also usually means you are getting a variety of vitamins and minerals
Temperature
Varying the temperatures of the food can make a meal more interesting too.
Cooking Methods
Having all your dishes ready at the same time is very important and requires planning and practice. If you serve three stir-fried dishes that all have to be made at the last minute, it will be difficult to have everything ready at the same time. But if you serve something baked, something made-ahead, and something stir-fried, you will have a much better chance of achieving your goal. Varying your cooking methods adds interest to your menus and reduces your chances of running out of pots or room on the stove. You can also plan make-ahead dishes, so that you are not doing too many things at the last minute. Also, it’s important to write out a work plan, however brief, to help you know when to cook what, and what order to cook it in. This way you won’t be waiting around before starting something else.