YOU INn[.[. LEARN ,,.

Ways that the elements of meal appeal impactmeal planning.

How meal patterns and resources impact mealplanning.

Ideas for planning quick meals and snacks.How to work efficiently and safely in thekitchen.

TERNS TO LEARN...convenience foodsdovetailgrazemeal pattern

... that you've just come home from school, and you're starving. Fortunately, your morn

stocked up on groceries yesterday. You can pop popcorn, munch an apple, have a cup of

yogurt or even a piece of pizza. There's also a pan of brownies your sister, justmade for the cheerleaders' bake sale. Would they miss just one?

° Which snack would you choose? Why?What might happen if you helped yourself toa brownie?

° Does it bother you to eat certain foods at an

unusual time, like cereal at 8 p.m.?

485

IT'S TNNE T0 EAT!

Bagels are low fat andversatile for a quick,easy meal.

See Chapter 29 formore information

about the DietaryGuidelines.

Think of the foods you like to eat. Do you like thembecause they taste good? Surveys have shown that the mainreason people choose one food over another is--youguessed it--taste[

Today's family life is often hectic. Classes at school, sportpractice, job responsibilities, volunteer work, and even trav-el cut into family mealtime. Dinner at your house maymean buying take-out foods at the supermarket and eating

at home. You might order a pizza and make a salad

to solve a mealtime problem. Or you or some-one else in the family may cook a full meal onthe spur of the moment. Somehow your family" finds inventive ways to make meals work, even

:ÿ when everyone's schedule seems impossible.

Did you know the number of meals people eat awayfrom home increases every year? According to one sur-

vey, the average American eats out at least four times a

week. Since you usually have lunch at school, the number

of meals you eat away from home is probably even higher.Even though families usually have some type of menus

planned, you have the responsibility to select foods thatyou like and that are healthy for you when you're not athome. The Dietary Guidelines and food pyramid can beyour personal guide for malting healthful food choices.

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One or more family members may be responsible forplanning and preparing meals and snacks at home. Some of

the time it may be your responsibility entirely. How are yougoing to rate yourself?

Planning Neal Appeal

The smell of good food is hard to turn down. The appear-ance of food and the way it looks on the plate are alsoimportant. Have you ever heard the remark that people eatwith their eyes?

486 UNIT 9 Working in the Kitchen

PREPARING NEALS AND SRACES

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Think of a meal you especially like. Does it have foods

with different colors, shapes, flavors, and textures? All ofthese elements paint a picture. Does the picture look goodenough to eat? When you're putting a meal together, think

about some of the following elements:o Color. Try combining different colors together in a meal.

Green lettuce, orange carrots, yellow corn, brown ham-

burgers, and red strawberries add color contrast.Shape. Carrot strips, bow-tie pasta, and round peas offer

contrasting shapes.o Flavor. Experiment with different flavors in a meal. A

baked potato with sour cream, corn-on-the-cob, and bar-

becued chicken combine different flavors together.Texture. Crunchy foods contrast with soft ones. Visualizethe contrast of a green salad and mashed potatoes.

NeaU Pa erns

Presentation of foodmakes eating morepleasurable, What canyou do to perk up thelooks of a meal?

How do you and your family organize yourmeals? Do you have three meals a day or doyou graze, or eat several mini-meals through-out the day? Do you eat a light lunch and abig evening meal--or the reverse? Over time,most people establish a mea]l pattern, orway of grouping daily food choices into mealsand snacks.

There's no one way to eat smart. As you

decide on what to eat, keep the DietaryGuidelines in mind. Try eating more wholegrains and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Are you a meal skipper? What are yourexcuses--not hungry, no time, no food, noth-

ing interesting? Skipping meals once inawhile can happen, but skipping meals as a habit isn'thealthy. You pay the price with fatigue, poor concentra-

tion, and being physically run down.When people skip meals, they often overeat later. They

may omit foods from some food groups. If you skip a meal,try to make up for it with a healthy snack or small meal

iii later. Guard against going overboard on foods high in fatand SUgar.

appear-are also

aople eat

sible forSome ofr are you

Eating breakfast pro-vides energy that helpsyou feel better every day,Some high school cafe-terias offer nutritionalbreakfast productsbefore school.

CHAPTER 38 Quick Meals and Snacks 487

Here are some quick tips

for packing a fresh, safelunch:

o Wrap sandwiches well or

use an airtight container.

* Try freezing sandwiches

(exceptÿ those with rawveggies, mayonnaise, or

eggs). Pack the frozen

sandwich in your lunch to

keep other foods cold.

Pour steaming hot soups

into a vacuum bottle and

seal the bottle tightly.

Poyr chilled beveragesinto a chilled vacuum

bottle and seal tightly.

Pack dairy products, such

as chilled yogurt, in air-

tight containers.

Use an insulated lunch

bag with a freezer gelpack to keep foods colduntil you're ready to eat.

Nleal Tips

Over time, families have found ways to make mealtimeeasier on everyone. Spending the day in the kitchen isn't aluxury most families have anymore. Many families stillemphasize good food and good nutrition, but have foundways to save time and energy. Would any of the followingideas be helpful to your family?, Keep easy-to-fix foods handy. Possibilities include rice,

pasta, frozen foods, canned foods, prepared pasta sauce,salad ingredients, bread, dell meats, cheese, and yogurt.

o Buy convenience foods, or prepared or partially preparedfoods. These are real time savers. Possibilities includewashed salad greens, precut stir-fly vegetables, chickenand beef strips, and grated cheese. One drawback to pre-pared foods is their higher cost.

* Use fast-cooldng methods such as microwaving, stir-fry-

ing, and broiling. Cutting food in small pieces also helpsit cook faster.

* Create one-dish meals. Try a chef's salad. Stuff a pita pocket

with tuna fish and chopped vegetable salad. Wrap chick-en, beef, or pork in a soft taco for a fajita.

Try assembling ingredients for a make-your-own meal.Sandwich ingredients with a store-bought salad or fixingsfor quick English-muffin pizzas are possibilities.

, Make extra servings of food when you do cook. Pastasauce freezes well. Chicken and many meat dishes tastegood warm or cold.

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Snack Attacks

" Omelets can be stuffedwith leftover meats, orvegetables. They canmake a quick, nutritiousmeal any time of day.

488 UNIT9 Workingin the Kitchen

When you hear the word snack, wnat comes tomind? Snacking has become part of our lifestyle.Think of how often you see people eating icecream at the mall, dropping coins in a food vend-

ing machine, and buying a quick snack fix at aconvenience store.

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Snacking can be both a healthy habit and an unhealthyone. It's unhealthy when soda always replaces milk. It's also

unhealthy when snacks high in fat and sugar replace mealshigh in complex carbohydrates and other nutrients.

Snacking is good if you're an active teen who sometimes

needs extra energy. When snacking comes to mind, consid-er this idea: When you eat isn't as important as what andhow much you eat.* Build snacks into your personal meal plan. Think

about them as part of the food groups in the Food GuidePyramid, especially those found at the pyramid base.

o Eat snacks only when you're hungry. Substitute

another activity for snacking when you're bored. Take

the dog for a walk. Exercise. Practice basketball lay-ups.

° Munch snack-size portions. Snacks aren't meant

to replace an entire meal. Match snacks to your calo-rie needs. If you're active, higher calorie snacks are

okay. If you're less physically active, try lightersnacks.

¢n meal.

or fixings

ok. Pastashes taste

* Plan ahead for snacks. Try to keep nutritious snack

foods (fruit, air-popped popcorn, low-fat cheese andcrackers, fruit juice, snack-size carrots) on hand.

° Substitute fresh fruit or fÿuit juice for candybars and soda. Try crackers and peanut butter with fruitjuice.

The best kinds of snacks are tasty and nutritious. Whatother good snacking tips would you add to the list above?

BUDGETING FOR FOODWhether you're buying snacks or food for a meal, you'll

probably have to watch your spending. Food costs can eatup a large part of a family budget. By making wise choices,you can buy foods that make tasty, nutritious meals with-out overspending.

One way to save money is to plan for leftovers.Sometimes they're called "planned-overs." Leftover meatcan be used the next day to make sandwiches. You can heatup leftover pasta for a second meal. Extra rice can be turnedinto fried rice. Planned-overs save time and money, and

reduce food waste.

comes tor lifestyle.aating iceood vend-:k fix at a

)-Your teen years are an

important period of peakbone mass formation.Eating foods high incalcium will help youbuild the strongest bonespossible. What foods doyou eat that have a highcalcium content?

CHAPTER 36 Quick Meals and Snacks 489

>- Teamwork saves timeand allows for betterorganizational skills.

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to Lloÿwere a

cooldI

SHARUNG KKCHEN SPACEMost of your work in the school's food lab is in groups.

Working with others gives you a chance to learn aboutteamwork. Each person in the group is important. You'reeach responsible for certain jobs. When one member of the

team doesn't do a job correctly or on time, everyone else isaffected. Success results when groups work together.

Planning ahead ensuresyou'll have the ingredientsneeded to prepare a meal.Take time out to list theitems you'll need to pur-chase for your menu.

All groups need a plan. Each part of the plan is impor-tant. For example, your teacher may ask you to list theingredients and the amounts of the foods you need. Your

supplies will be added to the total grocery list for thelab. If your list isn't accurate, your group may not havethe needed ingredients.

When you're in a food lab, you'll often work against theclock. Lab times are usually short, so you'll have to plan touse time wisely. Work out a schedule by listing major jobsin the order they need to be done. Estimate how long it willtake to do each job.

Be sure your schedule allows time for getting ready tocook. Before you begin making the recipe, you will need to:o Wear a clean apron, tie back long hair, roll up dangling

sleeves, and wash your hands.

o Set out all the ingredients and equipment you'll need.

490 URI$ 9 Working in the Kitchen

Nanning Y0ur Wark

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"I'll just watch you two cook," Bert said

to Lloyd and Donna. The three classmateswere assigned to make fajitas in the schoolcooking lab.

"That's what you think," Donna said,

laughing. "While I'm preparing the stuffing,you wash and dry the frying pans, andgrease them."

.eed.

eady to.leed to:

angling

inst theplan tojor jobsLg it will

. impor-

list the.ÿd. Your

for theot have

"What's the point? This is one big waste

of time."

"Hey, hold on," Lloyd said, chopping veg-

etables. "One day you just might have a

family. And the more you learn now about

how to cook, the more prepared you'll be.""That's right," said Donna, "and to make

sure you're prepared, after you grease the

pans, you can wash these utensils, garnishthe plates, and set the table."

Bert made a face.

"Believe me," said Donna, "one day you'll

thank me."

cti0 1. How do you think learning to cook in a group could improve

your adult life?2. Would you rather cook a meal or do the preparation work and

cleanup? Why?

° Complete tasks you need to do before combining ingredi-

ents. These may include preheating the oven, greasing

baking pans, measuring ingredients, peeling or choppingfoods, heating water, or melting fat.

After you've listed all the tasks, decide who'll do each job.Divide the work fairly so that everyone shares responsibility.

Carrying Out Vour PlaaWhen you go into the lab, know your assigned job. Post

the time plan where it can be seen. Follow rules aboutdress, behavior, and lab procedures for your safety.

CHAPTER 38 Quick Meals and Snacks 491

When you complete your work, volunteer to help some.one else who's behind. If you see something that needs to bedone, do it.

Cleaning Up

Cleaning up as you go along helps you at the end of class.If food spills on the counter or floor, wipe it up right away.Have a sink of warm, sudsy water ready. When you finishusing a utensil, soak it in water (except for sharp knives).Whenever you have a few minutes while waiting for some-thing to cook, wash and rinse the utensils.

Remember to wipe off tables and counters and sweep thefloor. Leave the food lab clean and ready for the next groupl

UN]I 9492

Evaluation is an important part of the lab experience.

When you evaluate your work, you judge its quality. Yourteacher may have you use a rating sheet. You can also eval-uate your teamwork by asking yourself some importantquestions: Did everything work as planned? What did wedo well? How could we have improved? Your answers buildon your success in future labs.

Working in Your HOme Kitchen

In many ways, preparing food at home is similar to work-ing in the food lab. In both situations, you probably havelimited time.

At home as well as at school, it helps to ÿwiLc out a timeplan or schedule. Allow a little extra time for unexpecteddelays. Often two or more family members work together.Decide how you'll divide tasks.

When you work alone, you can still be efficient. Look forways to dovetail tasks. Dovetaill means fitting tasks togetherto make the best use of time. For example, wash salad greensduring the time it takes water to boil for cooking noodles.

Working in the Kitchen

EvaJaating Your Work

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Timing is everything, especiallyat mealtime. With some thought andpractice, the meals you prepare willbe "timely." The following plan is anexample of how to organize a simplemeal using convenience foods.

rience.

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Pasta with Tomato Meat SauceGreen Salad Italian BreadCanned Fruit Packaged CookiesMilk

6:00

6:10

6:20

Assemble utensils and ingredi-ents. Set table.

Brown ground meat and drainfat. Add bottled tomato sauce.Simmer on low heat.Put pasta water on to boil.Wash and dry salad greens.

6:35

6:50

6:55

Assemble salad in bowl. Putsalad bowl in refrigerator.Slice bread. Warm in oven.Cook pasta to al dente.Put fruit in bowls and cookieson plate.Drain pasta and toss withsauce.

Serve meal. Enjoy!

Here are some tips to keep in mindas you work in the kitchen:

First, put out the utensils and foodsyou'll need.

° Begin by working on the recipesthat take the longest to prepare.

Dovetail tasks whenever possible.

° Allow a few extra minutes in yourtimetable for the unexpected.

Planning a schedule is especially important when you'repreparing an entire meal. You want all the food to be readyat the same time. Begin your schedule with the foods thattake the longest to prepare and cook. It may take 20 min-

utes to put a casserole together and another 45 minutes tobake. If you were also having a canned vegetable and atossed green salad, you'd need to begin the casserole first.

With more experience, you may not need to write out a

schedule every time.Family meals don't just happen. They require planning

and preparation. Being organized can give you more time

to eat well and to enjoy yourself.

CHAPTER 36 Quick Meals and Snacks 493