Applying Life Skills ©2010

Chapter 17: Meal Planning

Chapter Summaries

Food choices depend upon a person's taste and personal needs. Many families have hectic or conflicting schedules that affect their food choices. Snacks can be an important part of a healthful food plan. You can use the elements of color, shape, flavor, temperature and texture to increase the appeal of a meal or snack. Meal patterns may vary, but all meals and snacks can be nutritious. A variety of food preparation strategies can help you save time in the kitchen. If well chosen, meals eaten away from home can be just as nutritious as those prepared at home.

Planning your work in the kitchen is important to successful meal preparation. Whether you are working in a food lab or at home, you will need to have effective time management and teamwork skills. Dovetailing tasks can help you save time in the kitchen. Cleaning up after preparing food is a necessary part of food preparation. If you clean as you go, you will save time in the long run. To improve your meal planning and preparations skills, you should always evaluate the results of your work. Taste, presentation, nutritional value, and efficiency in the kitchen should all be considered