Each meal and snack should follow the My Plate Guidelines and 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines discussed in Lesson 5. So be sure to watch the video and read the content from Lesson 5 – L05 How Can I Eat More Healthfully https://youtu.be/e4MjHoLGTYo before starting.
Determine a food budget. Decide how much money do you have to spend on food each week.
Plan out 3 days of balanced meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 snacks) for you and your family members.
You will determine a food budget and plan 3 meals and two snacks for three (3) days for yourself/family/roommate.
Pick what is most relevant to your life.
You may want to include 2 weekdays and one weekend day if your schedule is different for these days.
Here are some resources you can use to create your plan.
Weekly Meal Plan Template (Links to an external site.)https://www.allformtemplates.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Weekly-Meal-Planner-1024×741.png
Meal Plan Budget Worksheet Template (Links to an external site.)https://i.etsystatic.com/15468435/r/il/01d073/2546697002/il_794xN.2546697002_imol.jpg
You can use an online resource if you wish.
Additional Resource: You may want to review a one-day plan of breakfast lunch and dinner and snacks from the Sample Menus (Links to an external site.) https://www.eatgathergo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2WeekMenusAndFoodGroupContent.pdfresource for ideas.
Create a shopping list.
After you have planned your 3 days of meals, write down the foods you need, the quantity of food you need, and the price and total for each item.
You may already have some ingredients on hand such as spices, oils, condiments, etc. so those items do not need to be included on the list.
Use this worksheet (Links to an external site.)https://i.etsystatic.com/15468435/r/il/01d073/2546697002/il_794xN.2546697002_imol.jpgas a guide to determine the item, quantity, and cost per item, and/or total cost.
Put your plan into action. Ready to shop and put your plan into action!
Here are a few tips for food shopping.
Eat before you shop.
Shop alone, if possible.
Stick to your shopping list and avoid buying extras.
Buy only food items at the grocery store.
Be flexible with your shopping list (for example, if you have corn planned for tomorrow’s supper but carrots are on special, you can buy the carrots instead).
Buy store brands or no-name brands.
Look up and down for cheaper items (the most expensive items are often stocked on eye-level shelves).
Use coupons for items you buy.
After completing the worksheets and your shopping, reflect on your meal budgeting experience.
Write responses to the following questions in a document.
How much money did you allot for your 3 days of 3 meals and 2 snacks?
Did you budget enough money?
Respond and explain.
After completing the meal plan and budget, what were your Strengths with this exercise?
Identify 2.
Why were they strengths?
What Improvements can be made to your budget?
How would you make these improvements?
What barriers did you face?
What strategies can be used to overcome these barriers?
What Insights or discoveries did you gather after creating a budget?
Was it easier or more difficult than you imagined it to be? Explain.
What Plan would you establish for future meal planning on a budget?
Describe.