Edible at Home

Make Your Own Food Journal

A How-To Guide for Making Your Own Food Journal

What you’ll need to begin:

Paper/Notepad/Journal – Ideally some form of bound book so that it’s easy to keep track of and reference

Pen/Pencil – Use your favorite writing utensil

How and what to journal

This is your journal so be creative and have fun!

Below are some suggestions for how and what to journal:

  • Start by writing the date (Month/Day/Year, ex: 3/25/20)
  • Write down what you ate – the more details the better!
    • Include ingredients
    • Steps for making it
    • Suggestions/changes you would make for next time

Break down the meal by food groups

Fruits – Bananas, Apples, Berries, Oranges

Grains – Bread, Rice, Pasta, Oats

Vegetables – Peas, Broccoli, Spinach, Corn

Protein – Beans, Meat, Eggs, Fish

Dairy – Milk, Cheese, Butter, Ice Cream

 

Extra Ideas

  • Draw pictures/add photos
    • Use cut-outs from magazines or newspapers
  • Tell the story behind your meal
    • Is this Grandma’s famous rice pudding?
    • What is the history or the memories around this food?
  • Describe the meal using your 5 senses
    • Sight – How does it look?
    • Smell – How does it smell?
    • Touch – How does it feel? What is the texture?
    • Sound – How does it sound? Does it crack, fizzle, or pop?

Mr. Shey’s Food Journal (an example)

Monday, March 23 2020

Breakfast

  • Corn Flakes (grains) with milk (dairy) and blueberries (fruits)

Lunch

(We’ll use Mr. Shey’s lunch to go into more detail)

  • Canned tuna fish (protein) with crackers (grains)

 Ingredients:

  • 1-2 cans of Tuna
  • Mayonnaise
  • Salt/Pepper
  • Bowl
  • Spoon
  • Crackers

Steps:

  1. Open can(s) of tuna and drain excess liquid
  2. Pour tuna into bowl
  3. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to tuna bowl (season to taste)
  4. Mix all ingredients together until well blended
  5. Enjoy tuna over crackers

Other ways to enjoy:

  1. Tuna Melt – Put tuna between two slices of bread to create a sandwich. Add your favorite slice of cheese, then melt it in the microwave, or toast the entire sandwich in a pan over medium heat
  2. Spice it up – Dice and mix a jalapeno pepper (or any other hot pepper) into your tuna. You can also substitute with spices like cayenne or chili powder
  3. Tuna Pasta – Mix tuna into your favorite cooked pasta

Dinner

  • Curry chicken (protein), roti (grains), broccoli (vegetables), and Mandarins (fruits)

Enjoy and have fun, Chefs!