# Handout 01.14: Meal Planning Grid and Family Cards

Name: ______________________ Date: __________ Team: ______ Family card: ______

## Part 1: The six jobs of a family meal

Copy the six jobs from the board. A dinner is a good dinner only when it does all six.

1. ____________________ (the MyPlate groups)
2. ____________________ (what they like and will not eat)
3. ____________________ (allergies and food rules; safety first)
4. ____________________ (how long there is to cook)
5. ____________________ (how much money there is)
6. ____________________ (what is already in the house)

## Part 2: The Meal Planning Grid

Directions: Read your family card. Underline every rule. Then plan one dinner for this family. Fill one row per dish. Check the MyPlate box for each dish. Put a check in the pantry column if the family already has it. The cost column is a guess today: write under $10, $10 to $20, or over $20 for the whole dinner at the bottom.

| Dish | Fruits | Vegetables | Grains | Protein | Dairy | Who on the card eats it? | Time to make | In the pantry? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main: | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | | | [ ] |
| Vegetable or fruit: | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | | | [ ] |
| Grain (if the main has none): | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | | | [ ] |
| Second vegetable or fruit: | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | | | [ ] |
| Drink (water is free): | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | | | [ ] |

How many MyPlate groups did the dinner cover? ______ (goal: at least 4)

Does any dish break a rule on the card? Circle: yes / no. If yes, which dish and which rule? ____________________

Total cooking time: ______ minutes. Does it fit the card? Circle: yes / no.

My cost guess for the whole dinner: under $10 / $10 to $20 / over $20

Sentence starters:
- This family cannot eat ____________ because ____________.
- Our dinner fits this family because ____________.

## Part 3: Compare (after the share)

The other team planned ____________________ for the same family.

The dinner that fits this family better is ______ (ours / theirs) because of job number ______ (____________________). One sentence why:

________________________________________________________________

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## Page 2: The family cards (cut apart; one per team)

### Family A

**Two adults, a 13-year-old, and a 6-year-old.**
- The 13-year-old plays soccer four nights a week and comes home hungry at 6:30.
- The 6-year-old **will not eat foods that are mixed together.** Everything has to be in its own spot on the plate.
- **No allergies. No food rules.**
- **Time: 30 minutes** to cook on a weeknight.
- **Budget: $40** for dinner for four.
- **Already in the pantry:** rice, cooking oil, salt, pepper, ketchup.

### Family B

**One parent, a grandmother, an 8-year-old, and a 12-year-old.**
- The grandmother's doctor says **less salt.** No added salt at the table, and watch canned and packaged foods.
- The 8-year-old has a **peanut allergy.** Nothing with peanuts or made in a place with peanuts. Read every label.
- The 12-year-old will eat almost anything and likes spicy food.
- **Time: 45 minutes** to cook.
- **Budget: $40** for dinner for four.
- **Already in the pantry:** pasta, canned tomatoes, onions, garlic powder.

### Family C

**Two adults and 11-year-old twins.**
- The family **does not eat pork** (a religious food rule). Check sausage, pepperoni, and bacon bits.
- One adult works until 6:00. The twins start dinner at 5:45 and the adult finishes it at 6:00. **The twins cannot use the stove alone,** so the first 15 minutes have to be no-stove prep.
- One twin **does not like tomatoes** but will eat tomato sauce.
- **Time: 25 minutes** of cooking after 6:00.
- **Budget: $40** for dinner for four.
- **Already in the pantry:** flour tortillas, canned black beans, shredded cheese, hot sauce.

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## Teacher key

The six jobs: 1. nutrition, 2. likes and dislikes, 3. allergies and food rules, 4. time, 5. cost, 6. pantry.

There is no single right dinner. A "got it" grid has: at least four MyPlate boxes checked across the rows, no dish that breaks a bolded rule on the card, a total time that fits the card, and at least one pantry check.

Rule traps to watch for:
- Family A: a casserole, stir fry, or pasta with vegetables mixed in for the 6-year-old. Fix: same foods, served in sections.
- Family B: canned soup, jarred sauce, or deli meat without a "low sodium" note; a peanut sauce or a granola bar with peanuts; anything with a "may contain peanuts" label.
- Family C: pepperoni pizza, sausage pasta, or anything the twins would have to put on a burner before 6:00; a raw tomato salad for the twin who does not like tomatoes (sauce is fine).

The same three cards come back in Lesson 1.18 as the project scenario. Keep them.