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Vegetables are a good source of water in the diet. They also provide

necessary bulk, which aids in digestion and elimination.

One important plus is that vegetables are low in calories while providing

needed fiber.

Eating different vegetables is an easy way to add variety to the diet. While

some cannot be singled out as important sources of one particular nutrient,

they all help build the day’s quota of vitamins and iron.

The tremendous variety of recipes found in magazines, plus the dozens of

new ones we are giving you in this guide, leave little excuse for poorly

planned, uninteresting meals.

One of the most important goals of menu planning is variety. When meals

become dull and monotonous, this is reflected in your child’s attitude towards

mealtimes and food in general.

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Variety stimulates the appetite as well as an interest in foods!

When planning for variety, consider the kinds of foods, color, size and shape,

texture, flavor and methods of preparation.

Although it may look like a very complicated subject to the beginning cook,

following the basic guidelines eventually develop a common-sense approach

for what foods make good combinations.

Advance menu planning can save money, too. The advertised food specials

are a good starting point for planning the week’s menus. Planning ahead also

allows for preparing foods for more than one meal at a time.

The following list of ideas should help you plan a balanced meal with

vegetables:

A. Balance heavy with light. Heavy foods usually contain large

amounts of fat and/or sugar.

B. Avoid repetition of a food as much as possible. Don’t, for example,

serve ambrosia, ham with sliced pineapple and pineapple-

upside-down cake all in the same meal.

C. Serve foods from all, or as many of the Basic Four Food groups as

possible. This automatically helps provided variety in flavor and

texture.

D. Avoid serving several slow-digesting foods in the same meal.

E. Colorful, attractive meals are more appetizing. Think about how the

food colors will go together. Avoid combinations based on only

one or two colors.

F. Select garnishes to add color and appeal.

G. Avoid serving foods together that are all very small, such as peas,

beans and corn or foods with the same general shape, such as

fish sticks, French fried potatoes and bread sticks.

H. Strive for balance between soft and more solid foods. Also consider

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smooth versus crisp, chewy versus crunchy and dry versus

moist.

I. Avoid having more than one chopped, mashed or creamed dish in

one meal.

J. Plan for a harmony of flavors. Generally the main dish should be

selected first and then the accompanying foods chosen to

enhance it.

K. Avoid serving more than one strongly flavored food in one meal

(e.g., onions, cabbage, and turnips).

L. Choose a balance of sweet and acidic foods. Generally acidic foods

should start a meal because they stimulate the appetite, while

sweet foods have a dulling effect and are therefore usually

served at the end. If a meal is relatively “heavy” (high in

fat/sugar), a tart dessert would probably be the most pleasing.

M. Avoid repeating the same kind of food or flavor in the same meal.

N. You should compile a list of the many different ways to prepare

foods. The list might include fried, baked, broiled, braised,

barbecued, stuffed and mashed.

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Children and Snacks

Nearly everyone snacks at some time or another. Snacks are fun and

they can give you energy (if you need it).

Snacks should be selected to keep your child healthy.

You should choose foods from all 4 foods group every day. Meals and

snacks should contribute to your child’s total food needs.

The calories in all foods selected should

meet daily requirements – not more – not

less. The nutritional needs should be

satisfied, AND the calories should be

enough to maintain your child’s health.

Whatever foods you serve your child,

make sure it adds up to the nutritional

requirements for the day. Basically, the

foods that one child needs are the same as those of other age groups

– only the amount will vary.

Merely to count the customary “three meals a day” is not enough.

What’s missing is the intake of food between meal breaks.

For nutritional planning, therefore, you should include in each day’s

food plan all the food totals, whenever the food is consumed.

No single food supplies all the nutrients necessary to maintain good

health. That’s why children must eat something from each of the four

basic food groups each day.

Snacks alone don’t come anywhere close to supplying the nutrients

that your child needs.

Each six ounces of carbonated beverage contains as many calories as

an eight-ounce glass of skim milk or buttermilk.

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The carbonated beverage contains nothing but calories for food

energy, whereas skim milk and buttermilk provide the valuable

calcium, riboflavin and protein that every child needs.

Since snacking is a part of your child’s life, try to select snacks from

the four food groups and according to his or her need for energy

(calories).

Vegetable Snacks

Raw vegetables; carrots, celery, cucumber, green peppers, raisins,

applesauce, tomato juice.

Fruit Snacks

Apples; oranges, pears, bananas.

Fresh squeezed fruit juice.

Peanuts.

Meat Group Snacks

Luncheon meat slices.

Milk Snacks

Cheese wedges.

Milk shakes.

Ice cream.

Chunks of cheese.

Pudding (made with milk).

Cream soups.

Bread/Cereal Snacks

Cookies (made with peanut butter, applesauce, or oats).

Toast with honey or jelly.

Rice pudding with milk.

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Hot or cold cereal.

Graham crackers.

Other Great Snacks

Peanut butter on crackers.

Sliced hard-boiled eggs.

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Low Calorie Snacks.

Less than 25 calories:

Carrots

Celery.

Cucumber.

Green pepper strips.

Tomato wedges.

Radishes.

25 – 50 Calories

½ grapefruit.

½ cantaloupe.

1 plum, tangerine, or peach.

6 ounces – tomato juice, vegetable juice.

1 cup plain popcorn.

50 – 100 calories:

1 cup strawberries, grapes, or cubed watermelon.

1 orange, apple, pear, or banana.

1 hard cooked egg sprinkled with pepper.

1 cup skim milk or buttermilk.

1 cup soup.

1 slice whole wheat toast (no butter).

6 ounces orange juice.

Higher Calorie Snacks

100 – 200 calories:

6 crackers and peanut butter (1 tablespoon).

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1/8 – inch segment of a 14 – inch pizza.

2 cookies.

¼ cup peanuts.

200 – 300 calories:

1 cup ice cream.

1 cheese sandwich.

300 – 400 calories:

1 piece of frosted cake.

4 pieces of candy.

25 potato chips.

Hamburger on a bun.

Sugar Free Snacks

Milk Group

All types

Cheese – all varieties

Meat Group

Nuts

One egg, hard cooked or deviled

Cold of turkey, chicken, ham or frankfurters cut into strips.

Fruit and Vegetable Group

”Fruitsicles” – freeze unsweetened fruit juices in ice cube trays.

Tomato juice.

Fresh vegetables in cubes or on sticks.

Fresh fruits in cubes or on sticks.

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Bread and Cereal Group

Whole wheat breads, rolls, crackers.

Dry, unsweetened cereals.

Others

Pizza, Poor Boy Sandwiches

Cream cheese balls rolled in chopped nuts or wrapped in strips of dried

beef.

Celery stuffed with cheese.

Vegetables and dip.

Snack Suggestions

Serve foods in season and vary from day to day to acquaint your child with

new foods.

For variety, crackers, serve whole wheat bread and butter and vegetable

juice with raw vegetables.

Graham crackers may be served with fruit juices or raw fruit.

Cheese cubes or slices make excellent snacks for children.

Save the juices from fruit and use in preparing Jell-O or combined with fruit

juices for drinking.

Place one marshmallow on a graham cracker and broil the graham cracker

long enough for the marshmallow to melt.

There should be at least 1 ½ hours between snacks and the main meal. Give

small servings at first, let child have seconds.

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Meal Preparation Suggestions

Creative menu planning calls for originality, imagination and a spirit for

adventure. You should plan menus that are appealing, economical and suited

to the particular age groups of the children you are about to serve.

Variety is the key to appetizing meals for both children and adults alike. The

food you serve should have variety in form, size and shape.

Remember to serve food to small children in sizes they can easily handle,

such as bite-sized pieces.

Try to include foods with contrasting colors.

Fruits and vegetables with natural red, green

and orange coloring have eye appeal and should

be used in combination with those which have

little color.

In a hot meal, try to include at least one cold

food. In a cold meal, try to include at least one

that is hot.

Use crisp, firm foods in combination with soft,

creamy ones. Use a combination of mild flavors with strong ones.

Strong-flavored vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and Kale, may not be

popular with young children. Serve these vegetables only occasionally and in

small amounts.

To reduce sugar intake, decrease the amount of sugar called for in a recipe.

You can usually decrease a recipe by up to ¼ cup of sugar without affecting

the recipe.

Sometimes, adding extra vanilla flavoring will compensate for lessening the

stated amount of sugar.

Bake your own cookies, substituting whole-wheat flour for half of the white

flour, or use all whole-wheat. By substituting whole-wheat flour, you are

increasing the nutrients.

If you cut fresh fruit before it was time to serve, dip the cut part of the fruit

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in any type of citrus juice, such as lemon, orange, or grapefruit. This

prevents the fruit from turning brown.

Dipping fruit in salted water or vinegar will also prevent the fruit from turning

brown.

Balance heavy with light. Heavy foods usually contain large amounts of fats

and/or sugar.

Avoid repetition of a food. Don’t, for example, serve Ambrosia, ham slices

with pineapple and pineapple upside down cake all in the same meal.

Serve foods from all or as many of the basic four food groups as possible.

Avoid serving several slow-digesting foods all in the same meal.

Colorful attractive meals are more appetizing.

Avoid serving foods together that are all very small, such as peas, beans and

corn (except for mixtures like succotash served as a single vegetable) or

foods with the same general shape, such as fish sticks, French fried potatoes

and breadsticks.

Strive for a balance between soft and more solid foods. Also, consider

smooth versus crisp, chewy versus crunchy, dry versus moist.

Avoid having more than one chopped, mashed or creamed dish in one meal.

Plan for a harmony of flavors. Generally, the main dish should be selected

first and then the accompanying foods chosen to enhance it.

Choose a balance of sweet and acidic foods. Generally, acidic foods could

start a meal because they stimulate the appetite, while sweet foods have a

dulling effect and are therefore usually served at the end.

If a meal is relatively heavy (high in fat/sugar), a tart dessert would

probably be the most desirable.

Generally, when the main dish is served with a sauce, the vegetables should

be served relatively plain.

One creamed or creamy dish per meal is the guideline.

Serve cooked, mashed peas with meat loaf, meatballs, etc. This adds

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nutrition and does not impair the flavor or texture of the finished product.

The mild flavor of the peas is completely hidden by the stronger seasoning.

Do not force a child to eat all of the food that is on his or her plate in order to

have additional foods, but insist that the child try all the foods instead. This

will cultivate a taste for un-liked or unfamiliar foods.

Cut oranges in half. Cut halves into wedges almost through, so small children

can pull the wedges apart and eat more easily.

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Tips for Buying Food

Buying food has always been a major problem for all families, no

matter how much money they have to spend. Food prices are usually

lowest at a large supermarket because you can find several brands of

the same item at different prices on their shelves.

It pays to compare prices of different brands and you will find that the

store brand is often just as good or better than the nationally

advertised one and less expensive.

Most meat graded in retail markets will be U.S. Choice or U.S. Good

Grade. Either grade, when properly prepared, will be tender and of

good flavor.

It is important to buy meat that is “U.S. Inspected”. The round

inspection stamp means that the meat was safe to eat at the time of

inspection.

The less tender cuts, such as plate, chuck, brisket and bottom round,

are just as nourishing and tasty as the more expensive cuts.

They should be cooked slowly and in moist heat. A good method is to

cook slowly in a covered pan, with some liquid – water, vegetable

juice, or canned tomatoes.

Supermarkets usually carry three kinds of ground beef. Hamburger is

the least expensive; ground chuck costs more; and ground round is

the most expensive.

Hamburger will often contain more fat than chuck or round, but it may

be an economical choice for preparing meatloaf, stuffed peppers,

spaghetti and meatballs or other meat dishes.

Pork is not usually graded by the government. You should choose a

piece with as much lean meat as possible. Fresh pork should always be

cooked thoroughly before eating.

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Liver, kidney, and heart (pork, beef or lamb) are all good buys. They

are very nutritious, have little waste, and are reasonably priced.

Fish and poultry are high in food value and often very economical.

Eggs, cheese, dried beans and peas and peanut butter can be used in

place of meat. When serving dried beans and peas, include some other

protein food such as eggs, milk or cheese in the meal.

A small piece of leftover meat can be combined with other foods into a

main dish such as chop suey, chili or stew.

Potatoes, rice, spaghetti, macaroni and many other vegetables

combine well with meat.

A 1-dish meal might include:

• 1 or 2 cups diced cooked or canned meat.

• 1 or 2 cups drained cooked or canned vegetables.

• 1 or 2 cups potatoes, rice, spaghetti or macaroni.

• 1 or 2 cups gravy or canned, condensed cream soup,

seasoned to the taste.

The group can suggest various flavorful mixtures. This one dish meal

can be cooked slowly in a covered pan on top of the stove or baked in

a moderate oven (350 degrees F).

Some prepared and partially-prepared foods costs more than the same

dish made from scratch. You should compare the costs of some of

these “convenience foods” with the cost of the same dish prepared at

home.

Some of the commercially prepared foods have less nutritional value

than those prepared at home.

Compare the costs of fresh, canned and frozen orange juice. The

different forms( fresh, frozen, canned) are similar in nutritional value.

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All are rich in vitamin C.

Orange drink should not be substituted for orange juice.

Orange drink, whether diluted orange juice or artificial orange-flavored

juice or orange soda (even with added vitamin C) is not as nutritious

as orange juice.

Nonfat dry milk can be used several ways. Instant dry milk dissolves

quickly. When using the fine milk powder, sift it into the water to

hasten the dissolving action.

Vegetables and most fresh fruits are plentiful and least expensive

when in season.

Kitchen gardens and the use of homegrown fresh vegetables should be

encouraged wherever feasible.

When prices of fresh vegetables are high, canned ones are usually less

expensive. Fresh vegetables, frozen or canned have similar food

values.

Some of the food value in canned vegetables is in the liquid and it may

be added to soup.

Potatoes are high in food value, combine well with other foods, and are

generally favorably priced.

As many as ten or more different forms of potatoes can be found at

the store. The average price per pound varies widely.

To keep vegetables’ colors bright, flavors fresh, and food values high,

vegetables should be covered and cooked quickly in as little water as

possible.

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Healthy Storage and Processing

Food must be stored properly to keep fresh and wholesome.

Proper storage starts at the store.

Good shoppers unpack and put away their groceries as soon as they

get back home.

They buy only foods that can be stored satisfactorily. Otherwise, foods

may spoil and be a waste of money.

Vegetables, like potatoes, carrots and onions need a cool, dry place. If

such storage is limited, buy in small quantities, perhaps enough for a

week.

If refrigerator space is limited, it’s important to decide what to store

there.

Nonfat dry milk will keep well in a tightly covered container.

Unopened cans of evaporated milk can be stored without refrigeration.

All cans of food that have been opened should be stored in the

refrigerator.

Orderly shelves make it easy to know what food is on hand.

Foods that are alike should be stored together; for example, canned

foods in one place and cereals in another.

Foods are best protected by storing in tightly covered jars.

Wiping up spills right away will discourage roaches and ants.

Scraping and stacking dishes beforehand saves time and space.

Line garbage cans with a tightly covered trash bag. Empty garbage

cans daily and wash them often. Wash dishes in a dishpan of hot,

sudsy water. Rinse them well with hot water and air-dry them.

Launder all cloths and towels frequently

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Food Freezing Tips

Having a home freezer can pay off handsomely when it comes to buying

and/or preserving food.

Benefits of a freezer include the ability to buy food in bulk which saves

money on the amount bought each time and for gas because you drive back

and forth to the grocery store less often.

Frozen foods can be enjoyed all year round.

If you raise a garden, the benefits become obvious. A home freezer allows

you to store all of the food you grow in one central location.

One thing that you must remember abo