Each meal and snack should follow the My Plate Guidelines and 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines discussed in Lesson 5. So be sur

Steps

1. Each meal and snack should follow the My Plate Guidelines and 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines discussed in Lesson 5. So be sure to watch the video and read the content from Lesson 5 – L05 How Can I Eat More Healthfully  https://youtu.be/e4MjHoLGTYo before starting. 
2. Determine a food budget. Decide how much money do you have to spend on food each week.
3. Plan out 3 days of balanced meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 snacks) for you and your family members.
   • You will determine a food budget and plan 3 meals and two snacks for three (3) days for yourself/family/roommate.
     • Pick what is most relevant to your life.
     • You may want to include 2 weekdays and one weekend day if your schedule is different for these days. 
   • Here are some resources you can use to create your plan.
     • Weekly Meal Plan Template (Links to an external site.)https://www.allformtemplates.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Weekly-Meal-Planner-1024×741.png
     • Meal Plan Budget Worksheet Template (Links to an external site.)https://i.etsystatic.com/15468435/r/il/01d073/2546697002/il_794xN.2546697002_imol.jpg
     • You can use an online resource if you wish.
   • Additional Resource: You may want to review a one-day plan of breakfast lunch and dinner and snacks from the Sample Menus (Links to an external site.) https://www.eatgathergo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2WeekMenusAndFoodGroupContent.pdfresource for ideas.
4. Create a shopping list.
   • After you have planned your 3 days of meals, write down the foods you need, the quantity of food you need, and the price and total for each item.
   • You may already have some ingredients on hand such as spices, oils, condiments, etc. so those items do not need to be included on the list.
   • Use this worksheet  (Links to an external site.)https://i.etsystatic.com/15468435/r/il/01d073/2546697002/il_794xN.2546697002_imol.jpgas a guide to determine the item, quantity, and cost per item, and/or total cost.
5. Put your plan into action. Ready to shop and put your plan into action!
   • Here are a few tips for food shopping.
     • Eat before you shop.
     • Shop alone, if possible.
     • Stick to your shopping list and avoid buying extras.
     • Buy only food items at the grocery store.
     • Be flexible with your shopping list (for example, if you have corn planned for tomorrow’s supper but carrots are on special, you can buy the carrots instead).
       • Buy store brands or no-name brands.
     • Look up and down for cheaper items (the most expensive items are often stocked on eye-level shelves).
     • Use coupons for items you buy.
6. After completing the worksheets and your shopping, reflect on your meal budgeting experience.
7. Write responses to the following questions in a document.
   • How much money did you allot for your 3 days of 3 meals and 2 snacks?
     • Did you budget enough money?
     • Respond and explain.
   • After completing the meal plan and budget, what were your Strengths with this exercise?
     • Identify 2.
     • Why were they strengths?
   • What Improvements can be made to your budget?
     • How would you make these improvements?
     • What barriers did you face?
     • What strategies can be used to overcome these barriers?
   • What Insights or discoveries did you gather after creating a budget?
     • Was it easier or more difficult than you imagined it to be? Explain.
   • What Plan would you establish for future meal planning on a budget?
     • Describe.
     • How might this apply to other areas of financial budgeting?
8. Submit your reflection and the Meal Plan and your Shopping List to this assignment by the due date.