Cooking Merit Badge MENU PLANNING Requirements 5 6

Cooking Merit Badge MENU PLANNING (Requirements 5, 6, and 7)

Is this what your meals will look like ? ? ?

Menu Planning – BE AWARE ! • You’ll have lots of menus to plan for Home, Camp, and on the Trail – Breakfasts – Lunches – Dinners – Desserts • And, you have to actually prepare some of these meals at Home, Camp, and on the Trail, too !

Menu Planning - TOPICS • Review Cooking Merit Badge Requirements for menu planning – Planning meals – Preparing and serving selected meals • My. Plate Food Guide • Ideas for meals • Additional tips for planning a menu

Menu Planning - requirements Plan complete menus for: • HOME – Meals for you and at least one adult • CAMPING TRIP – Meals for you and your patrol (up to 8 people) • BACKPACKING – Backpacking meals for you and a small group (2 to 4 others)

Menu Planning - requirements • Meals for HOME – 3 breakfasts – 3 lunches – 3 dinners – 1 dessert

Menu Planning - requirements MEALS TO PREPARE For meals at home, you must prepare and serve one each of your planned meals using five of the different cooking methods • • Breakfasts Lunches Dinners Desserts Seven Cooking Methods – Must Use FIVE of These ! Baking Simmering Boiling Microwaving Steaming Grilling Pan frying

Menu Planning - requirements • Meals for a camping trip – 5 meals – 1 snack (or dessert)

Menu Planning - requirements MEALS TO PREPARE For meals on a camping trip, prepare and serve 2 of your planned camping trip meals: – Use either a stove or ‘low impact’ fire – Use a different cooking method for each meal Reminder – Here are the Seven Cooking Methods Baking Simmering Boiling Microwaving Steaming Grilling Pan frying

Menu Planning - requirements MEALS TO PREPARE In addition, for meals on a camping trip, prepare and serve: – 1 of your planned camping trip meals using either a dutch oven, foil pack, or kabobs – Your snack (or dessert)

Menu Planning • Meals for a backpacking trip (on the trail) – 1 breakfast – 1 lunch – 1 dinner – 1 snack

Menu Planning - requirements MEALS TO PREPARE For meals on a backpacking trip, prepare/ serve: – 2 of your planned backpacking meals • At least one must be cooked over a fire or trail stove – Your snack (or dessert)

Menu Planning - requirements • For all meals, you will need to – Follow the My. Plate food guide – Show your shopping list and quantities • 1 x lb box of pasta • 1 x 32 oz jar of spaghetti sauce • 1 x 12 oz bag of salad mix – Show the cost to purchase ingredients for the meal – List equipment and utensils needed to prepare and serve your meals

Menu Planning Use The “My. Plate” Chart as a GUIDE: Half your plate – Fruits – Vegetables Other half of your plate – Grains – Protein Side of Dairy

Menu Planning - “My. Plate” Chart Fruits • Canned – Fruit cocktail – Sliced peaches, pineapples, etc • Dried – Raisins – Mixed dried fruit • Frozen • Fresh (available in-season, usually summer and fall) – – Apples , pears, peaches, cherries Oranges, clementines Grapes, cherries, strawberries, blueberries Melons (ie- watermelon, cantaloupe, etc) • Juices – Orange, apple, grape

Menu Planning - “My. Plate” Chart Vegetables • • Green beans Brocoli Peas Squash Corn Potatoes Salads – Lettuce, spinach, cucumber, carrots , celery, etc

Menu Planning - “My. Plate” Chart Grains - whole and refined • • • Bread Pasta Oatmeal Breakfast cereals Tortillas Rice (brown or white)

Menu Planning - “My. Plate” Chart Protein • Meats – beef, pork • Poultry – chicken, turkey • Seafood – Shellfish (shrimp, clams, scallops) – Finfish (cod, haddock, flounder) – Canned fish (tuna, sardines) • Beans and peas – Chick peas, lentils, black beans, split peas • Eggs • Nuts and seeds • Processed soy products – Tofu, tempeh, veggie burgers

Menu Planning - “My. Plate” Chart Dairy • Milk (fat-free skim, 1% low fat, 2% reduced fat, whole) • Milk-based desserts – Pudding – Frozen yogurt – Ice cream • Cheese – Hard cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella) – Soft cheeses (Ricotta, cottage cheese) – Processed cheeses (American) • Yogurt

Menu Planning - requirements After you have prepared and served each meal: – For All Meals • Those you served then evaluate your meal • You also evaluate your meal ! – What you learned – Adjustments that could have improved or enhanced your meals – How planning and preparation help ensure successful meals

Menu Planning - requirements After you have prepared and served each meal: – For meals cooked at Home and on a Camping Trip • Explain how you kept perishable foods safe and free from cross-contamination – For meals cooked on a Backpacking Trip • Explain how you used safe food-handling practices • Clean up utensils and campsite • Dispose of dishwater and pack out garbage

Menu Planning Ideas for BREAKFAST menus for Home or Camp: French Toast Bread slices Eggs Milk Cinnamon Toppings such as pineapple, strawberries, whipped cream, margarine

Menu Planning Ideas for BREAKFAST menus for Home or Camp: Eggs & English Muffin Sandwich Eggs Sliced ham Toasted English muffins Include a serving of fruit (fresh apple / orange, or canned peach or fruit cocktail)

Menu Planning Ideas for BREAKFAST menus for Home or Camp: Cold cereal Top a bowl of dry cereal with a can of fruit Add milk Accompany with orange juice

Menu Planning Ideas for BREAKFAST menus for Backpacking: Instant hot cereals Breakfast bars Granola Powdered milk Dried fruits

Menu Planning Ideas for LUNCH menus for home or camp: Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches Sliced ham Sliced mozzarella or swiss cheese Put ham and cheese between two slices bread Butter the outside of the bread, fry, and eat Accompany with a noodle soup and a dish of fresh carrots

Menu Planning Ideas for LUNCH menus for Backpacking: Bagels Hard crackers Peanut butter and jelly Summer sausage or beef jerky Cheese Dried fruit Fig bars or other cookies Granola, cereal, or energy bars Nuts Trail mixes

Menu Planning Ideas for DINNER menus for home or camp: Tacos Cook ground beef, adding taco sauce to spice Put into taco shells and top with shredded lettuce, grated cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, more taco sauce, and sour cream

Menu Planning Ideas for DINNER menus for Home or Camp: Shish Kebob Skewer Cubes of beef Green peppers Onions Cherry tomatoes Pineapple rings Serve the meal with instant rice or baked potatoes

Menu Planning Ideas for DINNER menus for Home or Camp: Steak & Potatoes Grilled steak with steak sauce Bake potatoes Roast corn-on-the-cob or boil-in-the-bag precooked veggies Salad lettuce tomatoes cucumbers dressing

Menu Planning Ideas for DINNER menus for Home or Camp: Foil Dinners Hamburger patty Butter or margerine Carrots Potatoes (thinly sliced so they will cook fast) Onions The fire should not be a high flaming fire, but more like coals - charcoal works nicely too

Menu Planning Ideas for DINNER menus for the Trail: Packaged meals Pasta Instant rice Ramen noodles Instant soups and sauces Instant stuffing Instant potatoes Foil packs of tuna or chicken Spices such as onion, garlic powder, basil, oregano

Menu Planning Ideas for DESSERTS and SNACKS: Note – use your judgment as to which are best for home, camp, or backpacking ! Pudding Jello Ice cream sundaes Cookies baked from frozen cookie dough “No-bake” cookies and cake mixes Brownies Graham cracker pie crust / pie filling Cold fruit (ie- watermelon, pineapple) Baked apples Popcorn S’mores Trail mix

Menu Planning Ingredients: • 2 cups sugar • 1/2 cup milk • 1 stick butter • 4 Tbsp cocoa “NO BAKE” COOKIE SNACK Put ingredients in a saucepan & boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat / add: 1/2 cup peanut butter 3 cups oatmeal (‘quick’ oats only) Optional ingredients include – raisins or nuts – 1 cup coconut Drop heaping spoonfuls onto wax paper and let cool !

Menu Planning Remember, It’s one thing to plan a menu… It’s another thing to actually prepare, serve, and then clean up from the meal !!!

Menu Planning Considerations for Trail (Backpacking) meals: • With no refrigeration, fresh foods are only good for 1 -2 days. Carrots can sometimes last longer. Consider using freeze-dried or dehydrated foods (pasta, noodles, instant rice, soup mixes, drink mixes) which are light and take up minimal space inside a pack. • Smaller cans of food (ie- less than 15 oz) can be brought along if the trip is short. Tins of fish or other canned meat products can be a nice toss-in item with a pot of rice or noodles. The weight and bulk of larger canned foods just isn’t worth it, and don't even think about carrying glass bottles. • Bring a spice kit, which could include pepper, garlic powder or salt, basil, cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, cumin, crushed red pepper, cinnamon or whatever else you like to use. • Powdered drink mixes are a nice treat. Take note that the caffeine in coffee and tea is a ‘diuretic’, which counteracts your efforts to keep yourself hydrated. • For winter camping, bring extra food to rebuff any chance of hypothermia. Carry your readyto-eat items close to your body during the day so they are not frozen solid when you want to eat them.

Menu Planning And, finally, a few more things to think about when planning menus: • How much time will you have to prepare the meal ? • How much help will you have for prepping, cooking, and cleaning up ? • What time of year is it ? What kinds of fresh foods are available to you ? • What kind of weather are you expecting ? When is sunset ? – Summer heat and winter cold each present their own limitations • What kind of cooking equipment will you have ? • Will drinking water be available, or will you have to treat your water ? • What kind of facilities are there for cleaning up ? • What’s your food budget ? • Any allergies or food ‘dis-likes’ in the group ?

Thank You, It’s been a pleasure… Best of Luck with your Cooking Merit Badge BON APPETIT !!!

Appendix Menu Planning – Rqm’t 5 (HOME) 5. Using the My. Plate food guide or the current USDA nutrition model, plan a menu for three full days of meals (three breakfasts, three lunches, and three dinners) plus one dessert. Your menu should include enough to feed yourself and at least one adult, keeping in mind any special needs (such as food allergies) of those to be served. List the equipment and utensils needed to prepare and serve these meals. Then do the following: a. b. c. d. e. f. Create a shopping list for your meals showing the amount of food needed to prepare and serve each meal, and the cost for each meal. Share and discuss your meal plan and shopping list with your counselor. Using at least five of the seven cooking methods from requirement 4, prepare and serve yourself and at least one adult (parent, family member, guardian, or other responsible adult) one breakfast, one lunch, one dinner, and one dessert from the meals you planned. * Time your cooking to have each meal ready to serve at the proper time. Have an adult verify the preparation of the meal to your counselor. After each meal, ask a person you served to evaluate the meal on presentation and taste, then evaluate your own meal. Discuss what you learned with your counselor, including any adjustments that could have improved or enhanced your meals. Tell how better planning and preparation help ensure a successful meal. Explain how you kept perishable foods safe and free from cross-contamination. * The meals for requirement 5 may be prepared on different days, and they need not be prepared consecutively. The requirement calls for Scouts to plan, prepare, and serve one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner to at least one adult; those served need not be the same for all meals.

Appendix Menu Planning – Rqm’t 6 (CAMP) 6. Using the My. Plate food guide or the current USDA nutrition model, plan a menu for your patrol or a similar size group of up to eight youth, including you) for a camping trip. Include five meals AND at least one snack OR one dessert. List the equipment and utensils needed to prepare and serve these meals. Then do the following: a. b. c. d. e. f. g. Create a shopping list for your meals showing the amount of food needed to prepare and serve each meal, and the cost for each meal. Share and discuss your meal plan and shopping list with your counselor. In the outdoors, cook two of the meals you planned in requirement 6 using either a lightweight stove or a lowimpact fire. Use a different cooking method for each meal. ** The same fireplace may be used for both meals. Serve this meal to your patrol or a group of youth. In the outdoors, cook one of the meals you planned in requirement 6. Use either a Dutch oven, OR a foil pack, OR kabobs. Serve this meal to your patrol or a group of youth. ** In the outdoors, prepare a dessert OR a snack and serve it to your patrol or a group of youth. ** After each meal, have those you served evaluate the meal on presentation and taste, and then evaluate your own meal. Discuss what you learned with your counselor, including any adjustments that could have improved or enhanced your meals. Tell how better planning and preparation help ensure successful outdoor cooking. Explain how you kept perishable foods safe and free from cross-contamination. **Where local regulations do not allow you to build a fire, the counselor may adjust the requirement to meet the law. The meals in requirements 6 and 7 may be prepared for different trips and need not be prepared consecutively. Scouts working on this badge in summer camp should take into consideration foods that can be obtained at the camp commissary.

Appendix Menu Planning – Rqm’t 7 (TRAIL) 7. Using the My. Plate food guide or the current USDA nutrition model, plan a menu for trail hiking or backpacking that includes one breakfast, one lunch, one dinner, and one snack. These meals must not require refrigeration and are to be consumed by three to five people (including you). List the equipment and utensils needed to prepare and serve these meals. Then do the following: a. b. c. d. e. Create a shopping list for your meals, showing the amount of food needed to prepare and serve each meal, and the cost for each meal. Share and discuss your meal plan and shopping list with your counselor. Your plan must include how to repackage foods for your hike or backpacking trip to eliminate as much bulk, weight, and garbage as possible. While on a trail hike or backpacking trip, prepare and serve two meals and a snack from the menu planned for requirement 7. At least one of those meals must be cooked over a fire, or an approved trail stove (with proper supervision). ** For each meal prepared in requirement 7 c, use safe food-handling practices. Clean up equipment, utensils, and the site thoroughly after each meal. Properly dispose of dishwater, and pack out all garbage. After each meal, have those you served evaluate the meal on presentation and taste, then evaluate your own meal. Discuss what you learned with your counselor, including any adjustments that could have improved or enhanced your meals. Tell how better planning and preparation help ensure successful trail hiking or backpacking meals. **Where local regulations do not allow you to build a fire, the counselor may adjust the requirement to meet the law. The meals in requirements 6 and 7 may be prepared for different trips and need not be prepared consecutively. Scouts working on this badge in summer camp should take into consideration foods that can be obtained at the camp commissary.