Welcome back everyone, todays theory work is going to be about meal planning for six, and how I would choose to enhance a meal in appetizing

and nutritious ways!

MEAL PLANNING

GETTING STARTED Hello everyone, welcome back! Today’s topic we’re going to go over is meal

planning. Now I am going to go over meal planning for six people, but you can always down size if you need to, or maybe even add! Each of these recipes serves six. When cooking for others, such as friends or family, you generally want to impress them, which means not only tasty but nutritious. There are two things I always use when hosting a dinner night, or when I feel like my family or friends deserves a nice nutritious treat. Soup and sauces. Two weapons of dinner destruction are what I like to call them.

Starting off the night, a starter salad is expected but I like to throw out a surprise with giving them a light creamy soup. Giving them something light and warm in color for the starter is a great way to begin the night off, helping them look forward to what’s coming next. I have chosen one of my favorite light filling and full of flavor soup, and I’m hoping you'll like it just as much as I do.

CHEDDAR CAULIFLOWER SOUPIngredients

• 1 head cauliflower, finely chopped

• 1 med. onion, finely chopped

• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped

• 1 C. flour

• 1 C. butter

• 8 C. chicken broth

• 1 pt. cream

• 1 1/2 C. sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded

• salt and pepper, to taste

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Directions

Melt butter and add celery and onions. Saute until slightly tender. Add flour and stir. Cook 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and cauliflower and simmer for 30 minutes. Add cream, cheese, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 10 minutes more, stirring often .

MAIN DISH Now onto your main course, with having a sweet yet tangy salad starter, you are

going to want to give your guests or your family something more filling. With the main dish you generally want something less sweet but still filled with lots of flavor and nutrients, that’s why I like to give them a side salad and then the main dish.

The main dish is the main focus of the meal, and after giving them starter soup I’m sure they’ll want something they can get their bite on with. That’s why I chose to recommend one of my favorite chicken recipes, with a bit of a spicy sauce, contrasting the sauce on the spinach salad. If you feel like giving them the salad will be to filling, then you do not have to serve it, but it is something I feel is not only great in taste but great to include on a dinner party, or just your average night at home with your family.

BLUEBERRY-BASIL DRESSING ON SPINACH SALAD Now this sauce I find best fits on spinach salad, and you can always throw in some nuts or maybe other berries.

Ingredients;

Baby spinach

Blueberries (or other berries)

Walnuts (or toasted almonds, maple-vanilla candied nuts, etc.)

{For the Blueberry-Basil Dressing}

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1/8 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 1/2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. agave/honey

Pinch of salt

Directions;

In a blender or food processor, add all dressing ingredients and blend until relatively smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. (Salt/pepper if needed, more agave/honey for sweetness, more vinegar for tang, etc.)

Assemble salad on a plate, and drizzle desired amount of dressing on top.

PANKO PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN WITH WASABI TOMATO SAUCEIngredients

For the chicken:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, about 150g each

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 150g plain flour

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 100g panko crumbs or unseasoned dry bread crumbs

• 100g grated Parmesan

For the spicy tomato sauce:

• 500ml tinned or jarred tomato sauce

• 2 tsps wasabi paste

• 2 tsps sugar

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped

METHOD ON THE MAIN DISH Method

How to make Panko Parmesan crusted chicken with wasabi tomato sauce;

1) Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2) Place the flour in a shallow dish and pour the beaten eggs into a separate shallow dish. Combine the panko crumbs and Parmesan in a third shallow dish.

3) Season both sides of each piece of chicken with salt and pepper and then dip first in flour, then in the egg and then in the panko crumb mixture.

4) Transfer the chicken pieces to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.

5) While the chicken is cooking, in a small saucepan combine the tomato sauce, wasabi paste, sugar, chilli powder, and cumin. Set the pan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer, cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and reserve 160ml of the sauce.

6) Serve 4 of the chicken breasts with the tomato sauce spooned over the top. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Use the remaining chicken pieces and the reserved sauce for calzone.

DESERT After serving such a nutritious meal, one of the best ways to end the night off is

with a little treat, still being healthy, just maybe a little less. I have chosen something everyone who likes mint chocolate will love. And even better its basically a brownie. Serving with this you can always give them some light steamed milk, or whatever you feel is best fitted with this desert. And you can always refrigerate this, and making it one day a head of your dinner party will help you with time managing, which means you get a little bit of you time before you have to begin cooking.

CHOCOLATE-MINT BARS IngredientsBOTTOM LAYER:

• 4 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup egg substitute

• 1/4 cup butter, melted

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs, beaten

• 1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup

• Cooking spray

MINT LAYER:

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 1/4 cup butter, melted

• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk

• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

• 2 drops green food coloring

• GLAZE:

• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• 3 tablespoons butter

METHOD TO THE CHOCOLATE-MINT BARSPreparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare bottom layer, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt; stir with a whisk. Combine granulated sugar, egg substitute, ¼ cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons water, vanilla, eggs, and chocolate syrup in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until blended. Pour batter into a 13 x 9 inch metal baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

3. To prepare mint layer, combine powdered sugar, ¼ cup melted butter, and next 3 ingredients (through food coloring) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread mint mixture over cooled cake.

4. To prepare glaze, combine chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 20 pieces.

REASONINGThere are various reasons on why one would choose these recipes, they are

filling, tasteful and full of nutrition. When hosting a dinner party you want to impress your guests or family with dishes all would enjoy. Serving light soup with light sodium and low saturated fat for a starter keeps your family or friends still hungry, but with a warm stomach. As for the salad, who doesn’t like blueberries? And adding it to something so dull in flavor, but high in nutrients makes it ten times easier to eat. There are plenty pros that come with eating blueberries, such as fighting of disease and maintaining your brain. The taste of the sauce on the spinach salad contrasts the topping wasabi sauce on the chicken. Chicken has many health benefits, and if cooked right can be filled with juicy flavor. Some of the benefits of eating chicken is it is high in protein, natural anti-depressant and a metabolism booster, so if you can give a fraction of that in your dishes, then why not do it?

You do not have to serve these specific dishes, or these specific sauces. These are just things I would personally serve if I were meal planning for six people. But like I said in the earlier slides I believe soups and sauces are the weapons of dinner destruction and I highly recommend making dishes similar to these given the health benefits they provide.

REFERENCES• http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2014/07/blueberry-basil-dressing-on-spinach.html

• http://www.recipe4living.com/recipes/cheddar_cauliflower_soup.htm

• http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes/panko-parmesan-crusted-chicken-with-wasabi-tomato-sauce-5699.html

• http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-mint-bars