Do You Color Coordinate Your Meals?

[mum4jenn]

This is what most nutrition sites and info will tell you to do because it is more appetizing. There are websites devoted to you eating your colors everyday. It gets in different vitamins and minerals by doing so and at the very least it looks good on the plate. www.dole5aday.com and www.5aday.com put emphasis on having a colorful plate. As a school lunchroom manager it just makes the meal look so much better with varied colors. Our director usually leaves it up to us as to what fruit we have and I try to pick out something that is a color we don't have already. Today for example we had Pizza(reddish),Corn(yellow),Mini Carrots(orange),and a grape juice bar(purple).It made a nice looking plate. At home I try to do the same thing but some times it does not happen. My dh will also and if there is not enough color to our meal he will slice a tomato to add some color.






For those that plan on complaining about serving pizza: The Pizza was a whole wheat crust pizza with part skim mozz. cheese and reduced fat pepperoni. It counts as 2-3 oz protein and a bread serving,the corn is a veggie as well as the carrots(and they provide needed vitamins as required). The juice bar is the requirement for one additional 1/2 cup serving of a fruit or veggie during the week.

 

[Renysmom]

I barely have time to color coordinate my clothes and now this

I'v never heard of this before but will have to take notice if I actually do without thinking.

 

[totalia]

*blinks* Umm. Why would anyone do that? Its food. Its going in your stomach anyway.

 

[mum4jenn]

I really do not understand why people think this is funny.

 

[Mishetta]

I color coordinate too!

Not only that but I take it one step further.....I try to make it look as pretty as possible, even if it means running outside to get some more basil leaves or mint leaves & garnishing the dishes with the leaves! (Unless I'm in a big hurry that is!) My Mom used to always tell me that the eyes ate before the mouth did so make it as eye appealing as possible & if it just is a little bland or something's a little off, no one will really notice! I guess it works because my DH always thanks me after each meal, my DS3 keeps saying "mmm....delicious" after each bite & my DS10 tells me that I'm the best cook in the whole world!

 

[wide awake]

ITA w/ Kermit and Mum2Jenn...nothing ickier than a monocolor meal...or monotemp or texture either...I'm also extremely careful about how the serving dishes are placed on the table...make the most of the colors, shapes, and temps. All of this is basic nutrition...and one of the reasons Home Ec should be required in school...that this is a novel idea amazes me !!!

 

[Sparx]

I thought I was the only one that did that! lol

 

[Blondy876]

I try to do a meat/starch/veggie too, but most of the time my family is just so happy I cooked something instead of offering cereal they don't notice.

 

[disykat]

I don't understand why people think it's funny either - I bet if they think about it they do it too.

 

[ZachnElli]

I try too. If it's chicken I try to make a green veggie. But like tonight, fresh sweet corn (local) and bbq chicken, it just goes! But the BBQ sauce made the chicken reddish! Also, fried chicken, mashed taters, and corn, it just goes too! Plus a bisquit, all blah in color, but oh so good to the tastebuds!

 

[KelNottAt]

I don't understand why people think it's funny either - I bet if they think about it they do it too.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Cindy B]

I try to always do this as well. No monochrome dinners at our house. I try to always serve a green veggie or even better two veggies!

 

[aprilgail2]

Wow....I don't have that much time on my hands where I can think about what color food to make that night LOL....I get home from work, throw some food on the stove (whatever happens to come into my hand veggie wise from the freezer or fridge) and serve it...I could care less if its yellow squash, yellow corn and chicken or any other color. Last night I made yellow and green squash, corn on the cob, spinach and garlic bread..that was the whole meal...not even meat, fish or poultry.

 

[jrydberg]

Well, I think it's pretty darn funny and no, I don't do it in the slightest. I don't care what color it is. If that's what I want for dinner, it goes on my plate.

Color coordinating food... surely not something you'll find on the "guys only thread"

 

[mum4jenn]

Well maybe it is just the terminology that was just used that is making some laugh. And I would feel certain if a MAN cared about what he was feeding his family he would like the meal to look appetizing as well instead of a plate full of white food.I am also certain that any chef around would make sure the meal had eye appeal. Sure at home there are times when there might not be every color represented but it just does not look good to eat a bland looking meal. I work 5 days a week also but my dh helps with the meal on his days off. At the very least if I have a meat and potatoes I make sure there is a green veggie or mixed veggies or like I said before my dh will cut up a tomato to add color. Some have said they add a green veggie also so guess what????? You DO color coordinate!!!!!!!!!!!!! All the OP was wanting to know basically was do you serve colorful meals that are appetizing with varied colors. I still do not see what the terminology of color coordinating your meal has to do with laughing on the floor smilies.

 

[dcgrumpy]

I don't understand why people think it's funny either - I bet if they think about it they do it too.

Nope, I definitely don't. I make things that I think taste good together. If could be chicken, rice and cauliflower one night.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Tonight, when I had to choose a vegetable to go with dinner, I opted for green beans instead of corn, because I felt I already had too many dishes in the yellow/tan range.

Am I the only one who does this?

WEll often I look at say a Weight Watchers frozen dinner whose main pakage color is red and then I try to find something in a red package to feed the rest of the family . Usually it is something Perudue or Tyson b/c they both have lots of red on the package.

 

[Laurajean1014]

I would never of even thought of doing this...... ?

 

[jrydberg]

Well, I still don't color coordinate or base any judgment whatsoever on color in my dinner preparation, nor do any guys I know. I don't care if everything's all white (as long as it's supposed to be white). If it tastes good, that's what matters to me. Yes, I do care about what I feed myself and my daughter. But I assure you color is not a consideration.

 

[kelljacques@aol.com]

in order to do this I would have to cook!! so nope!!