Ideas for Objectives and Assessment of Cooking to Save Money Cooking to save money may target participants with little or no cooking skills, who lack a vocabulary of cooking terms, are on a budget or using federal safety net programs (i.e. SNAP or WIC), or accessing emergency food sources (i.e. food pantry, commodity distribution). Participants may not have access to internet and may have limited computer skills. Keep in mind that the cheapest food does not always have the greatest nutritional value. Foods high in fat and sugar are often less expensive. Also, buying a product or preparing a recipe that a family will not eat is a poor use of resources. Making healthy lifestyle choices on a budget is challenging with no exact right or wrong answer. Encourage participants to analyze, formulate, and compare products, recipes, and choices. Objective Identify basic kitchen tools (i.e. knives, mixing equipment, measuring equipment). Demonstrate correct use of small kitchen equipment. Define or demonstrate a cooking term or technique. Create a menu. Conduct a Skill-a-thon to identify small equipment. Complete a Super Star Chef activity for knife safety. Complete use of equipment as a recipe is prepared (i.e. recipe in a jar using a variety of measuring tools). Skill-a-thon where participants select correct equipment to complete task. Complete a Super Star Chef activity using two or more cooking terms (i.e. dice, slice). Plan one or more menus that include a variety of foods (three or more food groups). The plan can be written or use food models to illustrate color in the menu. Match pictures of kitchen tools and equipment with names. Create multiple choice or matching questions with the cooking terms and techniques used in the lesson. Write a menu for breakfast that has at least one serving from three different food groups.
Analyze or evaluate a menu. Calculate the estimated cost of a menu. Plan a food budget. Estimate the cost to purchase and prepare each item in the menu. Categorize each food item in the menu by food group and portion size. Using food labels, determine if the menu for that meal meets 1/3 of the nutritional needs for that day in all food groups. Present participants with different food models. Ask each person to defend the nutrition of his/her item. Compare it to the item that the previous person discussed. Use grocery store advertisements to estimate the cost of the meal(s). Share menus and estimates and rank them as good, better, or best for nutritional density and low cost. Use grocery store advertisements to estimate the cost of preparing one or more meals. Use a calendar to plan the menus and grocery list for one week. Complete activities in NEP-208 lesson A Guide to Planning Meals that Meet the Family s Needs. You are late for work or school. As you run out the door, which item would you select from the refrigerator to eat on the go? a) Apple b) Cheese stick c) Cold pizza Why? Which item is the most costeffective for your family and why? a) Canned chicken b) Chicken parts c) Deboned chicken breasts d) Whole chicken In the winter months, which item is most cost-effective? a) Canned peas b) Fresh peas c) Frozen peas
Use a shopping list. Evaluate the value of coupons. Compare the cost and value of food items. Cut up a chicken. Prepare a grocery list for a recipe or menu. Complete activities in NEP-208 lesson A Guide to Planning Meals that Meet the Family s Needs. Complete the activities in Couponing 101. Using a grocery store flyer, determine the cost per pound of ground beef, a beef roast, and a steak. Cut up a whole chicken into parts. Write a grocery list including the items you will need to prepare today s recipe at home. Do you use a grocery list: a) Always b) Most of the time c) Sometimes d) Never I have a $1.00 off coupon for brand-name sealable plastic bags if I buy two or more. The price of the brand-name sealable bags is $2.99. The store brand is $1.99. Which is the better buy? Why? has the lowest cost per pound. A) Chicken breasts B) Chicken parts C) Whole chicken The nutrition in ground beef is the same as the beef roast. A) True B) False A pound of ground beef is $2.99 and provides five servings. A pound of dried beans is $1.10 and can make as many as twelve servings. Which would you select for your family? Why? (Keep in mind that if the family does not eat the new food, they have not saved money.)
Plan for utilizing leftovers. Plan a meal on the go. Recognize food-safety practices when eating away from home. Prepare two or more recipes from ingredients left over from another meal such as turkey or ham from a holiday. Plan a meal with the items onhand in a pantry or from a group of grocery items given to each group. Use the Wellness in Kentucky lesson Fat Facts activity Weighing the Facts about Fat. Participants visit websites of national food chains to determine the nutritional value of favorite food items. You purchased five pounds of ground beef for a family of four. List five or more recipes that can be prepared over the week utilizing the ground beef. You prepared a roast on Sunday and still have about ½ of it remaining. List three other recipes that could be prepared with the remaining meat. Your children have practice immediately after leaving school and will not arrive home until after 7 p.m. List items for a meal on the go that your child will eat that has variety (three food groups or more) and appropriate calories for age, gender, and activity level. Is a salad always the best choice when eating away from home? A) True B) False Why? List three ways to control calories when eating out. What is the temperature danger zone for protein foods? How long can protein foods be without refrigeration and still be safe to eat? Plan a meal that has a variety of foods (three or more food groups) that do not require refrigeration. List three ways to keep food safe when on the go.
Taste a new food. Prepare a recipe from scratch. Compare the cost (money, time, energy, and difficulty) and quality of scratch cooking to partial scratch cooking (using mixes or processed ingredients) to ready-made. Evaluate the flavor, texture, and appeal of scratch, partial scratch cooking (using mixes or processed ingredients) and ready-made foods. Set a personal goal. Provide a sample of food items (i.e. fruits and vegetables) that may be new to your family or prepared in a new way. Allow participants to prepare a recipe. Provide two or more examples of foods/recipes that are commonly prepared from scratch, with a mix or kit, or purchased from fast food venues. Compare the cost. Items might include: fruit and yogurt parfait, brownies or cookies, coleslaw, chicken, beef and noodle casserole, Caesar salad. Provide samples and pricing information for scratch, partial scratch cooking (using mixes or processed ingredients) and ready-made food items. Determine which is the better value (consider price, flavor, time to prepare, and nutritional value). Have each person share an idea(s) for personal goals that relate to a specific lesson such as: eat breakfast at home each day, use a shopping list, try a new fruit or vegetable, eat one or more meals at home, eat one less fast-food meal per week, pack a safe lunch. Would you eat the food item again? Would you purchase and prepare the food item at home? Would you tell a friend about the food item? Follow-up question: Since the last program, have you prepared a recipe from scratch? The recipe for 15 (six-ounce) fruit and yogurt parfaits includes 1 box of sugar-free vanilla pudding ($.50), 2 cups of skim milk ($.80), 2 cups of low-fat vanilla yogurt ($2.00), 20 tablespoons of granola ($1.50), and 20 tablespoons of thawed strawberries and blueberries ($2.50). What is the price per serving? Is it more or less than the cost of a fruit and yogurt parfait at the local fast-food restaurant? The ready-made individually wrapped brownies sell for $1.00 per dozen. The brownie mix sells for $1.00 and makes 18 brownies but you have to add eggs and oil. Which would you select for your family and why? Set a personal goal to change one or more behaviors related to food choices, food resource management, or food safety.
Complete personal goal. Write a personal food-resource management goal. Share the personal goal or progress toward the goal that was achieved since the last program. Follow up questions: Did you make progress toward your goal? Did you reach your personal goal? Did you make a change in food choices? Managing your food budget? Change a food safety practice? Sample Impact Statements County conducted # programs related to beneficial lifestyle choices and accessing nutritious foods for # participants. Participants practiced preparing recipes from scratch, food resource management skills (i.e. menu planning, creating shopping lists, not running out of food before the end of the month), and food safety (i.e. washing hands correctly, storing protein foods at correct temperatures, not leaving protein foods at room temperature for more than one hour). %_ of participants reached a personal goal(s) related to preparing healthy meals for their families while on a budget.