How many calories are in your party?

PictureHow many calories are in this dish?
Now that you have learned how to graph calories and decipher which foods are best to eat in local fast food restaurants, it's your turn to feed your guests.

Imagine now that you are hosting a party at your home or catering for an elite social function and you have to present a menu which features a meal with an Appetizer, the Main Dish, a Side Order, and a Dessert.

However, the people would like to eat something great without feeling the guilt of consuming too many calories. Can you prepare a dish that is healthy, low in calories, while earning the reputation as a great Chef?

Where is the venue?

The venue is the location of the party. Here's a list of places where you can host the party...

The Menu

Now that you have the location, it's time to develop the menu. For your party, you need to give people options to choose from, starting with:
  • Appetizer, followed by the ...
  • Main Dish, with a Side Order, then finally a...
  • Dessert
Your task is to choose meals that are not too high in calories, but yet can be enjoyed by everyone. The entire meal should NOT go beyond 2300 calories. An average adult needs this for the entire day, but being tonight a festive occasion, we believe people will dance and burn off a few calories.

The Task

Research is the key to becoming a great Chef. But what information do you need? In essence, you need to create a meal which is not only delicious, but also healthy.

The health factor is important because you need to make decisions of the ingredients.

But what is considered healthy? Here's what most health professional agree is considered the best amount to eat in a day:

According to personal trainers, nutritionist, and doctors, the average adult weighing around 155 lbs. needs the following in order to have a healthy daily diet:
  • 2,100 - 2,500 Daily calories
  • 200 - 300 Grams of Carbohydrates (Carbs)
  • 67 - 93 Grams of Fat
  • 55 Grams of Protein

    Of course, the person's daily activity (exercise) makes an impact on the person's overall health. But as a professional Chef, you need to teach your guests that great tasting meals can be healthy as well.

Open your book of recipes

As the Chef, you need to be aware of the guest's needs. Everyone loves a great tasting meal; however, some people need to be careful of what they eat due to a lifestyle change, medical reasons, or simply to try out something different.

Additionally, as a Chef, you need to be conscious of the health benefits of your meals; therefore you need to make decisions of the ingredients such as  sugar, carbohydrates, salt, butter, oil, eggs, and meats. Every single food you eat will affect your body in someway, and so as a chef you need to make sure you make the best decisions for your guests. 

Your recipe "book" (in this case, the website) is www.FatSecret.com. Click here to see all the information for your meals.

The Project

Follow these simple steps to complete the project

Step 1. Download the MS Excel Dinner Party Planner
Step 2. Visit FatSecret.com to see the recipes
Step 3. Using the website's information, you will fill in the information in the Planner.

The Rubric