The five basic menu planning principles are...
1. Strive for
balance.
2. Emphasize
variety.
3. Add contrast.
4. Think about
color.
5. Consider eye
appeal.
Menu Planning
Principle # 1
Strive for balance
As you work to plan
meals that are nourishing, appealing, and taste good, you will want
to strive for
balance in a number of ways. As you select and combine foods:
!
Balance
flavors in appealing ways.
Make sure individual
foods, when served together, make a winning combination.
Too many mild
flavors make a meal too bland.
2
Too many strongly
flavored foods make a meal unacceptable to children. For
example, a lunch or
supper menu with sausage pizza, Cajun potatoes, coleslaw,
brownie, and milk
has too many strong and spicy flavors
!
Balance
higher fat foods with ones that have less fat.
Avoid having too
many higher fat foods in the same week. In other words, do not
include sausage
pizza in a week’s menu if you are already planning to serve hot
dogs and fried
chicken.
Look for ways to use
lowfat side dishes to balance a higher fat entrée. For example,
with a grilled
cheese sandwich, serve carrot and celery sticks.
Menu Planning
Principle # 2
Emphasize variety.
Serving a variety of
foods is important because no one food or group of foods can give
us everything we
need for a healthy diet. Variety also makes menus interesting and
appealing. To add
variety:
!
Include
a wide variety of foods from day to day. Avoid planning the
same
form of food on
consecutive days, such as meatballs with spaghetti on Monday and
homemade meat
ravioli on Tuesday.
!
Vary
the types of main courses you serve. For example, serve
casseroles one
day, soup and
sandwiches the next, or perhaps a main dish-salad.
!
Include
different forms of foods, and prepare them in a variety of ways.
For instance, some
vegetables are good eaten raw. If you usually serve a particular
vegetable cooked,
serve it uncooked if it is good that way. Or cook it but use a
different recipe or
seasoning. In any case, be sure the “different way” of serving is
as appealing as the
“usual way.”
!
Include
a surprise item or a small amount of a new or unfamiliar food
periodically. For
example, try adding cauliflower, red cabbage, or spinach to a
salad.
Menu Planning
Principle # 3
Add contrast.
3
Strive for contrasts
of texture, flavor, and methods of preparation.
!
Think
about the texture of foods as well as their taste and appearance.
For added appeal,
serve a green salad or raw vegetable with spaghetti. Serve a
crisp fruit or
vegetable with a burrito, and crisp steamed carrots and broccoli with
meatloaf. Pair
toasted garlic bread and cold broccoli salad with homemade cheese
ravioli.
!
Avoid
having too much of the same type of food in the same meal. A lunch
with too many
starches or too many sweets lacks contrast as well as balance. So
does a meal with too
many heavy foods. If you are serving a hearty casserole, plan
to serve a vegetable
or fresh fruit.
!
Use
a pleasing combination of different sizes and shapes of foods. Within a
meal, present foods
in several different shapes, such as cubes, mounds, shredded
bits, and strips. A
meal with cubed meat, diced potatoes, mixed vegetables, and
fruit cocktail needs
more contrast in size and shape foods.
Menu Planning
Principle # 4
Think about color.
Use combinations of
colors that go together well, and strive for contrast and maximum
color presentation.
A good rule of thumb is to use at least two colorful foods in each
menu for visual
appeal.
!
Avoid
using too many foods of the same color in the same meal. A meal
with turkey, rice,
cauliflower, white bread, pears, and milk would lack color contrast.
A better combination
would be turkey and cranberry sauce, green peas, wholewheat
bread, orange
slices, and milk.
!
Remember
that vegetables and fruits are great for adding natural color to
side dishes as well
as entrées. A slice of tomato really brightens up a potato
salad. A fresh
sliced grape or strawberry livens up a dish of diced pears or peaches.
!
Use
colorful foods in combination with those that have little or no color.
Serve broccoli
spears with whipped potatoes, for example. Add pimento or green
pepper to corn.
Serve a bright red apple and green lettuce with a hamburger,
baked beans, and
milk. Serve green peas, apricots with oven fried chicken, mashed
potatoes, and milk.
!
And
don’t forget spices. It’s easy to sprinkle on a dash of cinnamon
to canned
fruit or a little
paprika on vegetables and potatoes for added color.
4
Menu Planning
Principle # 5
Consider eye appeal.
Your children’s
first impression will be how a meal looks. Make sure what you serve
looks good as well
as tastes good.
!
Think
of the total presentation.
As you plan for
color, consider the color of the dishes, plates, or trays to be used as
well as the colors
of the foods.
!
Plan
the way you will place the menu items on the tray or plate. Visualize
how the food will look when served and
decide on the most attractive arrangement.
