Basic Meal & Menu Planning

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Please consider this free-reprint article written by:

Kirsten Hawkins

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Article Title: Basic Meal & Menu Planning

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

Word Count: 691

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As a basis for meals and menu planning, refer to the pyramid

information mentioned earlier to make sure you have the basic

food requirements met for all family members. Then cross check

and plan by looking over basic food categories to target

healthy foods to fit the lifestyles and health of everyone. For

example, if someone has depression, add some foods mentioned

above to his or her dietary plans that aid in the healing and

prevention of depression.

Meal planning also depends upon several factors like the number

of people eating, meal times, special dietary concerns, budget,

available foods, recipes on hand and likes and dislikes of

everyone who will be eating. Begin by choosing foods and

recipes that you like and know how to prepare well and that fit

into everyoneÕs dietary plans. If one or more people have

special needs, like diabetics, plan ahead for substitutions

either in the food preparation or food substitution for that

individual or for those individuals.

There are a few things to note when making meal choices and

menu planning. First, some foods may be advertised a certain

way, but that doesnÕt mean you canÕt experiment. For instance,

eggs and sausage can be served for dinner, not just breakfast.

And waffles can be made from healthy wheat grains and eaten for

lunch with fresh fruits instead of sugary syrup and heavy butter

for breakfast.

Add variety, too. Have other family members jump in and prepare

meals some nights and on weekends. Kids enjoy making macaroni

and cheese, so host mac-n-cheese night on Wednesdays, for

example. Then alternate different vegetable combinations,

colors and textures to vary the menu on a weekly basis (no need

to let boredom take over on Wednesdays with the same routine!)

To help with family food budget concerns, clip coupons from

newspapers, weekend inserts, and any place you can find them.

Downloaded coupons from the Internet to save money, too, from

places like CoolSavings.com and CouponCart.com.

RefundingMakesCents offers an affordable subscription to a neat

print magazine for coupon deals, trades and lots more, with a

secret code to their website for Internet coupon-codes for lots

of online companies like Amazon.com (cookware) and and

Noble (cookbooks).

Also note seasonal food selections for savings. Create menus

and meals based upon whatÕs on special that week or month.

Hint: stock up and store or freeze special-priced items and

family favorites when possible and storage room and the budget

allows. But donÕt over do it. With convenience stores and

supermarkets for food shopping in practically every

neighborhood anymore, there is no need to hoard. An old saying,

ÒHaste makes wasteÓ might apply if you see a great buy, purchase

multiple items, then let them become outdated and have to toss

them out.

One fun way to save is by trading coupons and working out food

deals with friends, family, neighbors, your church group and

anyone else whoÕd like to join in. Food cooperatives and farm

markets available in your area may offer special pricing to

groups or large purchases. So team up for better purchasing

power and split everything up between group members. If youÕre

not into that much organization, go one-on-one with a neighbor,

other friend or relative. Buy a huge bag of potatoes, onions,

oats, and / or other foods, then share.

Here is one special item to note with regards to dietary

planning. ItÕs unfortunate, but fast foods, especially those

that are high in fat content (fried, greasy foods), are often

cheaper than good, healthy food choices. For example, lean beef

costs more than high-fat beef; cereals high in nutritional value

are often priced much higher than the low-cost, sugary brand

names. And low income and homeless people are particularly

victims of this situation, many times needing to turn to the

less healthier food choices for survival. So whenever possible,

your plans might want to include donating a portion to homeless

shelters and churches who would probably be more than willing

to take extras off your hands.

About The Author: Kirsten Hawkins is a nutrition and health

expert from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.popular-diets.com/

for more great nutrition, well-being, and vitamin tips as well

as reviews and comments on popular diets.

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For more free-reprint articles by Kirsten Hawkins please visit:

http://www.isnare.com/?s=author & a=Kirsten+Hawkins