Eating on the Run - Quick and Easy Meals at Home

Time is a commodity that everyone has in the same amount, but each uses it in a different way. Families seem to be busier than ever. When women began to work outside the home, time seemed to be reduced for them. Much of what women did when they stayed home now has to be done after they get home from work. Time used to plan and prepare meals has become a premium.

Everyone arrives at home at the same time and is ready to eat, but no one wants to wait an hour or more for dinner. Many evening meals are not planned until on the way home from work, so it is a rush to the grocery store or a stop at a fast food restaurant or you pick up food on the way home. Hence more families eat out or pick up food on the way home.

Eating out can ruin a budget, especially for limited resource families, as well as being less nutritious for the family in general. Planning meals this way will be more costly.

It is worth the time to plan ahead for meals and how you will prepare the meals, such as the equipment to be used. You can plan the main course of the meal to be prepared in a crock pot which can be cooking while you are at work, or you can do some preparation for one night’s meal while preparing this night’s meal, such as chopping enough onions, bell peppers, carrots, and celery for salads, casseroles or stir-fry, which can save you time in the kitchen.

The purpose of this lesson is to allow busy families to eat more meals at home and eat more nutritious meals to save money.

• Make copies of handouts and skits for Eat Better for Less Showcase.
Handout 1 • Handout 2 • Handout 3

When people are in a hurry, they do not think of eating a healthy meal or even consider the cost. They are only thinking about getting something quick to eat to satisfy their hunger. Take a look at the three shoppers in the following activity. Each shopper was given the same menu for one day’s meals, but showcased in "The Price Is Right." The activity compares the shopping habits of the three shoppers: Penniless Pam, Frivolous Fran and Super-Value Sue.

Activity

Materials needed:

Scripts for each shopper

Items for each character (shopping list)

Costumes, such as three different hats (optional)

Eat Better for Less Showcase

Procedure:

1. Ask for three volunteers to be the "contestants."

2. Read the scripts for Super-Value Sue and show her purchases. Ask the first "contestant" to make a bid on the amount of money she thinks Super-Value Sue spent on her purchases.

3. Read Frivolous Fran’s script and show her purchases. Ask the second "contestant" to bid on the value of Frivolous Fran’s script and show her purchases.

4. Read the script for Penniless Pam. The third "contestant" is asked to bid on Penniless Pam’s purchases. As in the "Price Is Right," the person who comes closest to guessing the correct price without going over is the winner.

Discussion:

1. Which shopper can you identify with?

2. Did you expect there to be as much difference in the cost of foods?

3. What other costs may be involved? (Time, gas, etc.)

Materials adapted from the Family Nutrition Program Training Curriculum, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service.

Hand out shopping lists for the shoppers -- Super-Value Sue, Frivolous Fran and Penniless Pam. Note: The presenter will need to check the cost of the items on the shoppers’ lists for prices in their local area.

This activity demonstrates that meals prepared at home can be much cheaper, offers more variety and more nutritional benefits. Each shopper served similar meals, but the cost and nutritional benefits were quite different.

Activity

Materials needed:

10-lb.bag of potatoes

Canned potatoes

Box of mashed potatoes

Box of scalloped potato mix

Bag of potato chips

Frozen French fries

Table tents with prices on them for the cost per serving

The Price Is Right

Procedure:

1. Display 5 or 6 different food items and table tents with prices; ask a volunteer to correctly identify which price goes with which product – note: prices should be given as cost per serving.

2. The presenter needs to get the cost of the food items in advance and determine the cost per serving for their location. (Cost will vary from area to area).

3. Audience participation is permitted.

Materials adapted from the Family Nutrition Program Training Curriculum, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service.

This activity allows participants to compare the prices of various foods in order to evaluate the cost of convenience and to evaluate personal priorities when comparing cost versus time.

Save Time and Money Planning Meals by Preparing Menus and Shopping Lists of Family’s Favorite Meals

Menu planning, grocery shopping, food preparation and clean-up can make meals a real chore. Planning ahead and sharing the responsibility can make your life a little easier.

• For a quick start in the morning, set out nonperishable breakfast items the night before: dry cereal, fruit, bowl, spoon and a glass for juice.

• Keep your pantry and freezer stocked. Some basics might include milk, eggs, bread, tortillas, pita bread, canned beans, jars of spaghetti sauce, rice, pasta or noodles, potatoes, onions, canned soups and broth, margarine, cooking oil, frozen vegetables and ground beef.

• Make a list of quick family favorites and keep the needed ingredients on hand.

• Keep mealtime simple and easy during the week. Set aside a "cooking day" where you prepare doubled or triples recipes – freeze the extra meals for later use.

• Save leftovers in serving sizes and freeze for lunches to take to work or school.

• When doing preparation for one meal, do extra for another, such as chopping a whole onion, bell pepper or carrots instead of just what the recipe calls for, or cook more chicken than the recipe calls for and use the extra chicken in salads, soups, or casseroles.

• Plan ways to use leftovers as planned-overs in the next few days, such as using leftover chili over rice or baked potatoes.

Activity

Materials needed:

Index cards (10 per participant)

Top Ten List

Procedure:

1. Hand each participant ten index cards and a pen or pencil.

2. Instruct participants to write their families’ top ten favorite meals (one per card) on the back of each card.

3. On the flip side of the card, write a complete grocery list for each meal.

Discussion:

When it is time to plan a meal, choose a card, check off what you need to buy and take the card to the store. The rest of the meal can be easy; serve a ready-made salad, a serving of canned fruit, bread and milk.

Materials adapted from the Family Nutrition Program Training Curriculum, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service.

The purpose of this activity is to assist participants to save time in meal planning as well as to help them make a grocery list.

When there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day, then convenience foods can come to the rescue. Sometimes the convenience foods will cost more. Then you need to decide if the convenience is worth the extra money and if it fits into your budget.

Ask family members to assist in the preparation of the meal, which can reduce the time spent in the kitchen. For example, have children set the table and get out the utensils that you will need in food preparation, wash the vegetables and, if older children, they may be able to chop or grate the vegetables for the meal preparation. Someone can help by washing the dishes as you do the preparation and someone does the shopping.

Get two or three meals out of one – When preparing food for one meal, try to make it work for another meal. For example, roast a whole chicken or two. What would you do with the leftovers? Suggestions: chicken and noodles, chicken salad, chicken tacos, chicken quesadillas, chicken tetrazinni, chicken pot pie, chicken sandwiches, chicken chili, chicken stir fry, chicken a la king, chicken and biscuits, chicken fajitas, etc.

Leftover chili is another example. Chili is delicious on top of a baked potato, a bowl of rice, or a hot dog or try rolling it up in a tortilla.

Pasta and sauce keeps well – up to three months in the freezer. Pasta sauce can also be used as pizza sauce; spread it on ready-made pizza crust, English muffins, or bagels, top with low fat cheese and vegetables, then broil a few minutes for a quick pizza. You can also add leftover chopped peppers, onions and mushrooms to add some vegetables.

Planning meals ahead of time and keeping staple food items stocked is the secret to making something grand from what’s on hand. A skillet meal can be made using leftover items or staples you have on hand. Four different food groups can be included in your skillet meal, making it a nutritious meal for your family. Try and see if you can come up with a few ideas for combinations in the following activity.

Activity

Materials needed:

Pick-A-Meal Cards

Scissors

Handout:

"Making Something Grand from What’s on Hand"

Pick A Meal

Procedure:

1. Provide each participant with one food card.

2. Form groups by calling out for a volunteer from each color until everyone is in a group.

3. Ask groups to share the combination they created.

Variation:

Use the Pick-A-Meal cards as playing cards and create various combinations with the individual.

Materials adapted from the Family Nutrition Program Training Curriculum, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service.

Food Demo

Beef Mixture

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)

Directions:

1. In a large pan or electric skillet, brown beef thoroughly (no pink color should remain).

2. Drain fat off meat or put meat in a strainer and rinse with hot water.

3. Return meat to pan, add chopped onions, salt, pepper, garlic powder and a small amount of water.

4. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Package into plastic storage bags or plastic containers. Put enough in each bag so that you can have a "meal’s worth."

6. Freeze until needed.

Chili for the Beef Mixture

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups seasoned beef mixture

1 quart tomato juice

2-3 tablespoons chili powder

1 quart canned tomatoes

1 can chili beans

Directions:

1. Warm ground beef mixture in a pot.

2. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat, cover pot and simmer 20-30 minutes.

This food demonstration shows that the beef mixture can be done on a "cooking day" and frozen for later use. This is one way to reduce the time in meal preparation.

References: Nutrition Family Program Training Curriculum, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, 1997.

Pictures of chickens, flowers, wheat, a boy looking through a magnifying glass, irrigation pipe, soybean pods, and fruits and vegetables.	Cooperative Extension Service





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2003 Volunteer Leader Training Guide Eating on the Run - Quick and Easy Meals at Home

2003 Volunteer Leader Training Guide
Eating on the Run - Quick and Easy Meals at Home