This document provides information on menu planning for the Cooking Merit Badge. It outlines requirements to plan menus for meals at home, on a camping trip, and for backpacking. Examples are given for breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus that could be used for each setting. Considerations for trail meals are also discussed, such as using dehydrated foods. The document emphasizes following food safety practices and getting feedback to improve meal planning skills.

1. Cooking Merit Badge
MENU PLANNING
(Requirements 5, 6, and 7)

2. Is this what your meals will look like ???

3. Menu Planning – BE AWARE !
• You’ll have lots of menus to plan for
Home, Camp, and on the Trail
– Breakfasts
– Lunches
– Dinners
– Desserts
• And, you have to actually prepare some of these
meals at Home, Camp, and on the Trail, too !

4. Menu Planning - TOPICS
• Review Cooking Merit Badge Requirements for
menu planning
– Planning meals
– Preparing and serving selected meals
• MyPlate Food Guide
• Ideas for meals
• Additional tips for planning a menu

5. Menu Planning - requirements
Plan complete menus for:
• HOME
– Meals for you and at least one adult
• CAMPING TRIP
– Meals for you and your patrol (up to 8 people)
• BACKPACKING
– Backpacking meals for you and a small group (2 to 4
others)

6. Menu Planning - requirements
• Meals for HOME
– 3 breakfasts
– 3 lunches
– 3 dinners
– 1 dessert

7. Menu Planning - requirements
MEALS TO PREPARE
For meals at home, you must prepare and serve
one each of your planned meals using five of
the different cooking methods
• Breakfasts
• Lunches
• Dinners
• Desserts
Seven Cooking Methods – Must Use FIVE of These !
Baking Simmering
Boiling Microwaving
Steaming Grilling
Pan frying

8. Menu Planning - requirements
• Meals for a camping trip
– 5 meals
– 1 snack (or dessert)

9. Menu Planning - requirements
MEALS TO PREPARE
For meals on a camping trip, prepare and serve
2 of your planned camping trip meals:
– Use either a stove or ‘low impact’ fire
– Use a different cooking method for each meal
Reminder – Here are the Seven Cooking Methods
Baking Simmering
Boiling Microwaving
Steaming Grilling
Pan frying

10. Menu Planning - requirements
MEALS TO PREPARE
In addition,
for meals on a camping trip, prepare and serve:
– 1 of your planned camping trip meals using either
a dutch oven, foil pack, or kabobs
– Your snack (or dessert)

11. Menu Planning
• Meals for a backpacking trip (on the trail)
– 1 breakfast
– 1 lunch
– 1 dinner
– 1 snack

12. Menu Planning - requirements
MEALS TO PREPARE
For meals on a backpacking trip, prepare/ serve:
– 2 of your planned backpacking meals
• At least one must be cooked over a fire or trail stove
– Your snack (or dessert)

13. Menu Planning - requirements
• For all meals, you will need to
– Follow the MyPlate food guide
– Show your shopping list and quantities
• 1x lb box of pasta
• 1x 32 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
• 1x 12 oz bag of salad mix
– Show the cost to purchase ingredients for the meal
– List equipment and utensils needed to prepare and
serve your meals

14. Menu Planning
Use The “MyPlate” Chart as a GUIDE:
Half your plate
– Fruits
– Vegetables
Other half of your plate
– Grains
– Protein
Side of Dairy

15. Menu Planning - “MyPlate” Chart
Fruits
• Canned
– Fruit cocktail
– Sliced peaches, pineapples, etc
• Dried
– Raisins
– Mixed dried fruit
• Frozen
• Fresh (available in-season, usually summer and fall)
– Apples , pears, peaches, cherries
– Oranges, clementines
– Grapes, cherries, strawberries, blueberries
– Melons (ie- watermelon, cantaloupe, etc)
• Juices
– Orange, apple, grape

16. Menu Planning - “MyPlate” Chart
Vegetables
• Green beans
• Brocoli
• Peas
• Squash
• Corn
• Potatoes
• Salads
– Lettuce, spinach, cucumber, carrots, celery, etc

17. Menu Planning - “MyPlate” Chart
Grains - whole and refined
• Bread
• Pasta
• Oatmeal
• Breakfast cereals
• Tortillas
• Rice (brown or white)

18. Menu Planning - “MyPlate” Chart
Protein
• Meats
– beef, pork
• Poultry
– chicken, turkey
• Seafood
– Shellfish (shrimp, clams, scallops)
– Finfish (cod, haddock, flounder)
– Canned fish (tuna, sardines)
• Beans and peas
– Chick peas, lentils, black beans, split peas
• Eggs
• Nuts and seeds
• Processed soy products
– Tofu, tempeh, veggie burgers

19. Menu Planning - “MyPlate” Chart
Dairy
• Milk (fat-free skim, 1% low fat, 2% reduced fat, whole)
• Milk-based desserts
– Pudding
– Frozen yogurt
– Ice cream
• Cheese
– Hard cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella)
– Soft cheeses (Ricotta, cottage cheese)
– Processed cheeses (American)
• Yogurt

20. Menu Planning - requirements
After you have prepared and served each meal:
– For All Meals
• Those you served then evaluate your meal
• You also evaluate your meal !
– What you learned
– Adjustments that could have improved or enhanced your
meals
– How planning and preparation help ensure successful meals

21. Menu Planning - requirements
After you have prepared and served each meal:
– For meals cooked at Home and on a Camping Trip
• Explain how you kept perishable foods safe and free
from cross-contamination
– For meals cooked on a Backpacking Trip
• Explain how you used safe food-handling practices
• Clean up utensils and campsite
• Dispose of dishwater and pack out garbage

22. Menu Planning
Ideas for BREAKFAST menus for Home or Camp:
French Toast
Bread slices
Eggs
Milk
Cinnamon
Toppings such as pineapple, strawberries,
whipped cream, margarine

23. Menu Planning
Ideas for BREAKFAST menus for Home or Camp:
Eggs & English Muffin Sandwich
Eggs
Sliced ham
Toasted English muffins
Include a serving of fruit (fresh apple /
orange, or canned peach or fruit cocktail)

24. Menu Planning
Ideas for BREAKFAST menus for Home or Camp:
Cold cereal
Top a bowl of dry cereal with a can of fruit
Add milk
Accompany with orange juice

25. Menu Planning
Ideas for BREAKFAST menus for Backpacking:
Instant hot cereals
Breakfast bars
Granola
Powdered milk
Dried fruits

26. Menu Planning
Ideas for LUNCH menus for home or camp:
Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
Sliced ham
Sliced mozzarella or swiss cheese
Put ham and cheese between two slices bread
Butter the outside of the bread, fry, and eat
Accompany with a noodle soup and a dish of fresh
carrots

27. Menu Planning
Ideas for LUNCH menus for Backpacking:
Bagels
Hard crackers
Peanut butter and jelly
Summer sausage or beef jerky
Cheese
Dried fruit
Fig bars or other cookies
Granola, cereal, or energy bars
Nuts
Trail mixes

28. Menu Planning
Ideas for DINNER menus for home or camp:
Tacos
Cook ground beef, adding taco sauce to spice
Put into taco shells and top with shredded
lettuce, grated cheddar cheese, diced
tomatoes, more taco sauce, and sour
cream

29. Menu Planning
Ideas for DINNER menus for Home or Camp:
Shish Kebob
Skewer
Cubes of beef
Green peppers
Onions
Cherry tomatoes
Pineapple rings
Serve the meal with instant rice or baked potatoes

30. Menu Planning
Ideas for DINNER menus for Home or Camp:
Steak & Potatoes
Grilled steak with steak sauce
Bake potatoes
Roast corn-on-the-cob or boil-in-the-bag precooked veggies
Salad
lettuce
tomatoes
cucumbers
dressing

31. Menu Planning
Ideas for DINNER menus for Home or Camp:
Foil Dinners
Hamburger patty
Butter or margerine
Carrots
Potatoes (thinly sliced so they will cook fast)
Onions
The fire should not be a high flaming fire, but more like
coals - charcoal works nicely too

32. Menu Planning
Ideas for DINNER menus for the Trail:
Packaged meals
Pasta
Instant rice
Ramen noodles
Instant soups and sauces
Instant stuffing
Instant potatoes
Foil packs of tuna or chicken
Spices such as onion, garlic powder, basil, oregano

33. Menu Planning
Ideas for DESSERTS and SNACKS:
Note – use your judgment as to which are best for home, camp, or backpacking !
Pudding
Jello
Ice cream sundaes
Cookies baked from frozen cookie dough
“No-bake” cookies and cake mixes
Brownies
Graham cracker pie crust / pie filling
Cold fruit (ie- watermelon, pineapple)
Baked apples
Popcorn
S’mores
Trail mix

34. Menu Planning
“NO BAKE” COOKIE SNACK
Ingredients:
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 stick butter
• 4 Tbsp cocoa
Put ingredients in a saucepan & boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat / add:
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups oatmeal (‘quick’ oats only)
Optional ingredients include
– raisins or nuts
– 1 cup coconut
Drop heaping spoonfuls onto wax paper and let cool !

35. Menu Planning
Remember,
It’s one thing to plan a menu…
It’s another thing to actually prepare, serve, and
then clean up from the meal !!!

36. Menu Planning
Considerations for Trail (Backpacking) meals:
• With no refrigeration, fresh foods are only good for 1-2 days. Carrots can sometimes last
longer. Consider using freeze-dried or dehydrated foods (pasta, noodles, instant rice, soup
mixes, drink mixes) which are light and take up minimal space inside a pack.
• Smaller cans of food (ie- less than 15 oz) can be brought along if the trip is short. Tins of fish
or other canned meat products can be a nice toss-in item with a pot of rice or noodles. The
weight and bulk of larger canned foods just isn’t worth it, and don't even think about carrying
glass bottles.
• Bring a spice kit, which could include pepper, garlic powder or salt, basil, cayenne pepper,
lemon pepper, cumin, crushed red pepper, cinnamon or whatever else you like to use.
• Powdered drink mixes are a nice treat. Take note that the caffeine in coffee and tea is a
‘diuretic’, which counteracts your efforts to keep yourself hydrated.
• For winter camping, bring extra food to rebuff any chance of hypothermia. Carry your ready-
to-eat items close to your body during the day so they are not frozen solid when you want to
eat them.

37. Menu Planning
And, finally, a few more things to think about when planning menus:
• How much time will you have to prepare the meal ?
• How much help will you have for prepping, cooking, and cleaning up ?
• What time of year is it ? What kinds of fresh foods are available to you ?
• What kind of weather are you expecting ? When is sunset ?
– Summer heat and winter cold each present their own limitations
• What kind of cooking equipment will you have ?
• Will drinking water be available, or will you have to treat your water ?
• What kind of facilities are there for cleaning up ?
• What’s your food budget ?
• Any allergies or food ‘dis-likes’ in the group ?

38. Thank You,
It’s been a pleasure…
Best of Luck with your
Cooking Merit Badge
BON APPETIT !!!

39. Appendix
Menu Planning – Rqm’t 5 (HOME)
5. Using the MyPlate food guide or the current USDA nutrition model, plan a menu for three full days of meals (three
breakfasts, three lunches, and three dinners) plus one dessert. Your menu should include enough to feed yourself
and at least one adult, keeping in mind any special needs (such as food allergies) of those to be served. List the
equipment and utensils needed to prepare and serve these meals. Then do the following:
a. Create a shopping list for your meals showing the amount of food needed to prepare and serve each meal, and
the cost for each meal.
b. Share and discuss your meal plan and shopping list with your counselor.
c. Using at least five of the seven cooking methods from requirement 4, prepare and serve yourself and at least
one adult (parent, family member, guardian, or other responsible adult) one breakfast, one lunch, one dinner,
and one dessert from the meals you planned.*
d. Time your cooking to have each meal ready to serve at the proper time. Have an adult verify the preparation of
the meal to your counselor.
e. After each meal, ask a person you served to evaluate the meal on presentation and taste, then evaluate your
own meal. Discuss what you learned with your counselor, including any adjustments that could have improved
or enhanced your meals. Tell how better planning and preparation help ensure a successful meal.
f. Explain how you kept perishable foods safe and free from cross-contamination.
* The meals for requirement 5 may be prepared on different days, and they need not be prepared
consecutively. The requirement calls for Scouts to plan, prepare, and serve one breakfast, one lunch, and one
dinner to at least one adult; those served need not be the same for all meals.

40. Appendix
Menu Planning – Rqm’t 6 (CAMP)
6. Using the MyPlate food guide or the current USDA nutrition model, plan a menu for your patrol or a similar size
group of up to eight youth, including you) for a camping trip. Include five meals AND at least one snack OR one
dessert. List the equipment and utensils needed to prepare and serve these meals. Then do the following:
a. Create a shopping list for your meals showing the amount of food needed to prepare and serve each meal, and
the cost for each meal.
b. Share and discuss your meal plan and shopping list with your counselor.
c. In the outdoors, cook two of the meals you planned in requirement 6 using either a lightweight stove or a low-
impact fire. Use a different cooking method for each meal.** The same fireplace may be used for both meals.
Serve this meal to your patrol or a group of youth.
d. In the outdoors, cook one of the meals you planned in requirement 6.Use either a Dutch oven, OR a foil pack,
OR kabobs. Serve this meal to your patrol or a group of youth.**
e. In the outdoors, prepare a dessert OR a snack and serve it to your patrol or a group of youth.**
f. After each meal, have those you served evaluate the meal on presentation and taste, and then evaluate your
own meal. Discuss what you learned with your counselor, including any adjustments that could have improved
or enhanced your meals. Tell how better planning and preparation help ensure successful outdoor cooking.
g. Explain how you kept perishable foods safe and free from cross-contamination.
**Where local regulations do not allow you to build a fire, the counselor may adjust the requirement to meet
the law. The meals in requirements 6 and 7 may be prepared for different trips and need not be prepared
consecutively. Scouts working on this badge in summer camp should take into consideration foods that can be
obtained at the camp commissary.

41. Appendix
Menu Planning – Rqm’t 7 (TRAIL)
7. Using the MyPlate food guide or the current USDA nutrition model, plan a menu for trail hiking or backpacking that
includes one breakfast, one lunch, one dinner, and one snack. These meals must not require refrigeration and are
to be consumed by three to five people (including you). List the equipment and utensils needed to prepare and
serve these meals. Then do the following:
a. Create a shopping list for your meals, showing the amount of food needed to prepare and serve each meal, and
the cost for each meal.
b. Share and discuss your meal plan and shopping list with your counselor. Your plan must include how to
repackage foods for your hike or backpacking trip to eliminate as much bulk, weight, and garbage as possible.
c. While on a trail hike or backpacking trip, prepare and serve two meals and a snack from the menu planned for
requirement 7. At least one of those meals must be cooked over a fire, or an approved trail stove (with proper
supervision).**
d. For each meal prepared in requirement 7c, use safe food-handling practices. Clean up equipment, utensils, and
the site thoroughly after each meal. Properly dispose of dishwater, and pack out all garbage.
e. After each meal, have those you served evaluate the meal on presentation and taste, then evaluate your own
meal. Discuss what you learned with your counselor, including any adjustments that could have improved or
enhanced your meals. Tell how better planning and preparation help ensure successful trail hiking or
backpacking meals.
**Where local regulations do not allow you to build a fire, the counselor may adjust the requirement to meet
the law. The meals in requirements 6 and 7 may be prepared for different trips and need not be prepared
consecutively. Scouts working on this badge in summer camp should take into consideration foods that can be
obtained at the camp commissary.