Mastercook question....meal planning

[SHERRY]

Hello everyone! I have read past posts, and I do not believe this has been addressed before, so here I go:

I just got mastercook a couple of weeks ago and have been entering recipes like crazy. I am now wanting to start menu/meal planning and have a good start. However, what is the difference between the calendar on the meal plan page (brown) and the calendar at the bottom of the page (blue). How come when you make a meal plan for a particular day, it does not enter into the calendar. To have it on the calendar, it seems I am typing in the same weekly plan twice.

Do any of you use the meal planning, and what is the best way to go about it. I have read the book, and it explains how to enter things, no problems there, I am just confused about the calendar thing.

thanks http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[SHERRY]

Hello everyone! I have read past posts, and I do not believe this has been addressed before, so here I go:
I just got mastercook a couple of weeks ago and have been entering recipes like crazy. I am now wanting to start menu/meal planning and have a good start. However, what is the difference between the calendar on the meal plan page (brown) and the calendar at the bottom of the page (blue). How come when you make a meal plan for a particular day, it does not enter into the calendar. To have it on the calendar, it seems I am typing in the same weekly plan twice.

Do any of you use the meal planning, and what is the best way to go about it. I have read the book, and it explains how to enter things, no problems there, I am just confused about the calendar thing.

thanks

[ChefChris]

Wow, Kentgirl. Thank you sooo much for taking the time to enter all of that information. I am new to Mastercook and have not figured this out yet either, so I know it will help me too.

Chris

[ChefChris]

Alright, I wrote that and now I thought of a question. Do you download recipes from cookpacs or are you only working with what came on version 5? If you use cookpacs I am wondering how you go about correcting the nurtitional info so that it is correct when you are looking at your meals. I will go back and search again it seems to me someone mentioned the link button...


Thanks
Chris

[kentgirl]

Sorry ChefChris, I do not use Cookpac. I use the recipes that came with the software, I type my own, or I use the Import Assistant when I want to copy a recipe without typing it myself (like from the BB or the web).

I'm not sure what the problem is with Cookpac recipes and correcting nutritional information. When I type a recipe in myself from a CL magazine, the nutritional information is very rarely the same. It used to bug me at first, but as long as it's a reasonable difference, I don't worry about it. If the difference is way off, then I start looking at the nutritional information for each ingredient, and link a particular ingredient to another one. Sometimes this help.

Maybe somebody that uses Cookpac can answer your question more clearly.

[SHERRY]

KENTGIRL, http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gifThanks a bunch!!!
Wow, you really cleared up many of my concerns with mastercook. I now understand the meal/menu planning. Like you, I don't think I will be saving many plans, I like to try to many different things, but this will work well on a weekly basis. I really love my new software, especially being able to enter my own recipes(hate to see how much fat is in them though http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif) Thanks a bunch and happy cooking!

[lanie]

This is all getting a wee bit clearer, however, here is a really dumb question - how do you import recipes from this site to MC? Another thing, is there a way to 'transfer/export/import' from all the recipes I have in folders in my email without typing them all over again? I guess I mean transferring them??????

Thank you Kentgirl for all that info - going to print all that out - I am really having probs with this MC - I find it very frustrating - but then again, I have not had the patience to sit and read the book.
Lanie http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[kentgirl]

Lanie----here’s a couple of ways to import recipes from this site (or any other site) to MC – both use the Import Assistant. First determine if the recipe is in Mastercook format by looking for the words * Exported from MasterCook * at the top of the recipe. If it is--then here’s what you do:
1. Copy the recipe you wish to import from this site by highlighting the entire recipe (including the words * Exported from MasterCook * all the way to the bottom zeros at the end) and pressing CTRL-C.
2. In Mastercook, open a cookbook.
3. Open the Import Assistant by 1) pressing CTRL-G, 2) selecting Import Assistant from the Tools menu, or 3) right-click on the envelope symbol.
4. Paste the recipe in the Import Assistant window (CTRL-V).
5. Highlight the entire recipe you just pasted in. When you do this, the Auto-Fill button becomes active.
6. Click on the Auto-Fill button. You may get an Autofill message – say OK. At this point, the recipe will automatically be pasted in.
7. Click on the Done button to exit the Import Assistant window.
8. Check your recipe – you may need to tweak it a bit. Sometimes the ingredients don’t copy over correctly.
9. Save the recipe.

If the recipe is NOT in Mastercook format, then here’s what you do:
1. Repeat steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 above.
2. Separate each section by inserting a paragraph between the sections. Delete any headings such as “Ingredients” or “Directions”. Make sure each ingredient is in a line by itself. It’s Ok if the ingredient wraps to a new line as long as there isn’t a paragraph separating the lines.
3. Now you need to highlight each section by using your Previous Selection/Next Selection arrows at the bottom. I have problems highlighting the title – it must be a bug. But I have to hit the Next Selection button until I get to the ingredient list, then hit Previous Selection button to highlight the Title. But play around with it. Just remember….hit the Previous/Next buttons to go from one selection to another.
4. Once a section is highlighted, then click on the down-arrow in the box found under the Previous/Next buttons. Select where you want your highlighted section to be pasted. For example, if you have the Title section highlighted, then choose “Title” from the list. If you have the list of ingredients selected, choose “Ingredients” from the list, and so on.
5. Click on the Copy to Cookbook button to copy that section to the recipe editor window.
6. Repeat Steps 3, 4 and 5 until you’re done.
7. Click on the Done button to exit Import Assistant.
8. Check your recipe – tweak it, then save it. Sometimes you need to complete missing information, such as servings, notes, etc.

Now here’s how to Import a recipe without using Import Assistant. Your recipe MUST be in the Mastercook format.
1. Copy your recipes and save it as a text file. You can have several recipes in a single text file, just make sure each one is separated with a paragraph.
2. In Mastercook, open a cookbook.
3. Right-click on the envelope symbol on the right and choose “Import” to open the Mastercook File Importer window.
4. Using the top part of the window, find your text file, and select it. When you select the file, a list of all the recipes found in this file will be listed in the bottom window.
5. At this point, you can select one or all of the recipes. Then choose a destination cookbook. Click on the box if you wish to include categories, and make any other selections you wish to make. Do not click on the Use Simple MAPI box.
6. When you’ve made your selections, click on the Import button. The recipes will be imported and saved.
7. At this point, again open those recipes to check them and tweak them if necessary.

And finally, Lanie, you asked about importing recipes from your email. I don’t use this feature, but I understand that you have to Import the recipe (not use the Import Assistant), and you will have to select the MAPI box. Also, only certain programs support MAPI - Eudora, Outlook, Express, etc. You will have to determine if your email software supports MAPI. And finally, if your email service doesn’t support MAPI, then you have to follow the instructions that I outlined above to use Import Assistant, or you can copy the recipe to a text file and use the instructions for Import (if it’s in Mastercook format).

Whew! That’s it. Again, I hope this instructions prove helpful to you. And Lanie, please don’t get frustrated using Mastercook. It really is an awesome software program – I love it. Just hang in there---and if you get stuck, post your answer here. There are so many people on this BB that use Mastercook that you’re sure to get an answer!


[This message has been edited by kentgirl (edited 12-28-2000).]

[kentgirl]

Sherry: When you’re entering information on the “brown” calendar, which says Day 1 of 7, etc. you’re actually creating a meal plan that can be used later so you have to save it. You’re not assigning it to a particular date.

It took me awhile to learn meal planning in Mastercook, but I’ll share with you what I know. First of all, it is important to know the difference between a meal plan and a menu. A menu is a list of recipes and/or ingredients to be eaten at one meal. When you save a menu, it is not saved to a particular day. You are creating a menu that can be used again and again as you plan your meals. A Meal Plan is what you will eat for one or more days and you can include any of those saved menus, along with individual recipes and ingredients.

A typical menu can include a list of nothing but recipes, or a combination of recipes and ingredients. For example, your menu might include Shrimp Kebabs with Jalapeno-Lime Marinade (a recipe) and steamed asparagus (an ingredient), and chocolate cake for dessert (a recipe). There are directions in Help to create a menu, but here’s some quick instructions:

Here’s how to create a menu:
1. Select File, New Menu
2. Type a title in the Title box
3. Identify the property of each row by right-clicking on the row and selecting Ingredient, Recipe, Subtitle or Text.
4. Add your recipes and/or ingredients.
5. Categorize your menu (Breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc)
6. Make any menu notes.
7. Save the menu by selecting File, Save.

Now if you create a menu, and truly want to save the menu, then go ahead and create a menu. But think about whether you really want to do this. You don’t have to have a menu to do a MealPlan. In my opinion, I may serve a particular recipe many times, but I don’t necessarily serve it with the same side dishes. So I don’t find the need to save all my menus. But you decide what works best for you.

Now that you’ve created your menus, you will find them listed in the Menus tab in alphabetical order, along with a other menus that came with the software. When you double-click on one of the menus, you will see that menu displayed. Remember so far, all you’ve done is created menus. You have not done any meal planning.

Meal Planning
There are two ways you can plan your meals. The easiest way that works well for me is to simply click on any date in the calendar on the bottom left side of the screen. This is the date I want to plan my first meal. When you click on this date, a blue “calendar” is displayed in a weekly view. Regardless of the day of the week you selected, the calendar will start the meal plan on Sunday (or the day of the week you specified in your preferences). For example, if you want to plan a meal for next Tuesday, then you will see Tuesday’s date, but the scroll bar is halfway down. If you clicked on a Sunday, then the scroll bar would be at the top.

Now I plan my meals by simply click on a Dinner row or a Breakfast row and inserting recipes and ingredients (just like creating a menu). But now you’re on the “blue” calendar with a specific date attached to it. I also have the option of inserting menus. If you have a menu you created, then simply click on the menu and drag it to the date on the small calendar. As long as you’ve categorized your menu as breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack, Mastercook will automatically place your menu in the right slot. If you drag the menu to the large calendar, then YOU will have to drag it to the right spot. If you insert a dinner menu in the breakfast row, you will be prompted with a question.

Once you plan a meal for a particular day, then you’re done. You can view nutritional information for each meal or for the entire day. This is tricky—you have to actually click on the word Breakfast or Dinner, which will then automatically highlight every row for that meal. If you want to view nutritional information for the entire day, you have to click on the date (in weekly view or monthly view). To view the calendar in Monthly view (see icons at top of big blue calendar). The monthly view calendar will show what meals you have planned for each day.

Now here’s what took me awhile to figure out----you don’t have to save this meal plan. You can plan a meal for one day, one week or one month---you decide. Add ingredients to shopping list and go shopping. Mastercook will automatically purge your menus after 60 days or whatever you specified in preferences.

However, if you decide you want to save your meal plans and not have them purged, then you have to save them. You can save a meal plan which consists of one day or many days.

Here’s what I do if I decide I want to save a meal plan: I go to the monthly view of the calendar and click once to highlight the day I want to save. If you want to save more than one day, you can use your SHIFT key to highlight consecutive days or the CTRL key to highlight non-consecutive days. Then go to the File menu and choose Save Days as Meal Plan. When you do this, those Meal plans will be listed on the MealPlan tabs. There are no mealplans that came with the software.

Now comes the second way to plan meals. When you want to re-use any of the meal plans you saved, then drag that meal plan to a day of the week. If your meal plan consists of several days, then Mastercook will automatically insert them over the same period of days. That's it. It's simple if you use the same meal plans over and over again.

The small blue calendar will bold those dates that have a menu, recipe or meal plan attached to it. To delete a meal plan for a day, right click on that date in the small blue calendar, and select cut. Or click on the date to display it in weekly view (blue) and edit one row at a time---whichever you want.

This is a very long answer, but I hope it was helpful. Remember, if your big calendar is “blue”, it will be dated and you can switch from weekly view to monthly view and you are actually doing meal planning. A brown weekly view of the calendar means you are creating and saving “meal plans” to be used when you actually do meal planning. They are not assigned to a particular date – so the calendar will say Day 1 of 7, Day 2 of 7, etc.

If you have more questions, let me know. I will try to help.

p.s. I have Version 5.

[This message has been edited by kentgirl (edited 12-27-2000).]

[lanie]

Thank you so much Kentgirl - that was extremely kind of you to type all that info - I have copied everything that you have mentioned and am going to 'practice' right now - I do believe 'your' instructions are better than the book!

Once again, thank you so much for your help.
Lanie http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[lanie]

Sorry to be such a pain - but I am trying to copy Greek Style Scampi from this board to MC - have opened My Cookbook - I can only get to the point of typing in the title - then is goes 'beep beep - One Recipe Already Added.

I, by sheer miracle, added one of my own typing everything out - why is it stopping me at the title? Anyone have a clue as to what I am talking about - I so understand if no one wants to answer - very challenged here! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
Lanie

OK - now I went to new recipes - and while I was fiddling with this Greek Scampi - I called it 3 different things - not all of a sudden the 3 names pop up but it never allowed me to paste the recipe????????????????

Would anyone like a MasterCook free @#$%&#@%@##$$!

[This message has been edited by lanie (edited 12-28-2000).]

[kentgirl]

Lanie--I've never encountered a problem such as the one you described. When you say you get to the point of typing in the title, where exactly are you typing it in? Did you copy the recipe from this site, and then paste it in Import Assistant? Maybe if you describe the exact steps you're taking it would help me (or someone else) figure out what's wrong. Also remember my instructions are for Version 5. Is that the version you have?

Hang in there...keep your software just a little while longer. I just know you're going to love it eventually!!

[BethR]

kentgirl -- thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to type out these instructions! I have MC and use it tons for importing, exporting, and searching, but I never learned the mealplanning features well and have been a total klutz with them. Your instructions and tips are awesome -- finally I'll make full use of this great software.
Thanks again -- Beth

[lanie]

Have had a problem getting on here - something about a 'ban' what on earth does that mean?

Anyway - Kentgirl - you are soooooo helpful - and yes Version 5. Now here's another goodie for you/someone -I tried to send an email of a recipe - it was all gobbley-gook - and how do I export from MC????????? Have been doing fine with the recipes via your instructions - and thank you so much - if you have time - could you please maybe shed some light on what I am doing wrong with the emails - and how would I send a recipe to this site - being if anyone would ever trust me to do so???????????????????
Thanks Lanie http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

OK - just figured out how to send email - it was the 'text' button I didn't use - now how would I send a recipe to this site??????

[This message has been edited by lanie (edited 12-30-2000).]

[ginny177]

kentgirl - You're great !!! I bought MC ver.5 for CL 4 months ago. Struggled with it and finally figured out how to create a new cb & import recipes. I was working on how to print out recipes from it when I had a computer crash. Lost all the stuff I had painstakingly done. Now that I'm up & running again, I didn't have the heart to begin the CL ordeal again. But thanks to you & this board, I think I'll give it another try. I'd really LIKE to learn how to use it.
Your help is fantastic. Thanks, thanks , thanks !!! ginny

[kentgirl]

Lanie, it's very easy to post a recipe to this site. Here's what you do.
1-In MC, display your recipe.
2-In the Edit menu, choose "Copy Recipe". You don't have to highlight the recipe.
3-Go to this site, and in your reply box, press CTRL-V to paste it in. It's going to look a little funny, but don't make any changes. Once you submit it, it will look fine. Good Luck!

Ginny177, sorry to hear about your computer crash. I've been really bad about backing up my MC files---guess I better learn from your mistake, and back them up. Thanks!


[This message has been edited by kentgirl (edited 12-30-2000).]

[Karen from VA]

Kentgirl, what marvelous explanations of the meal planning and menu. Also, your instructions for importing recipes using Import Assistant. However, when importing recipes that do NOT have the *Exported from MasterCook* heading, I simply copy the recipe into the Import Assistant box, format the recipe by making certain there's a blank line between each section of the recipe, (i.e., Title, ingredients, directions). If the ingredients are written in two sections or if there are several paragraphs in the directions, I also make sure I've hit my space bar a few times in the blank line between those paragraphs which serves to keep them together (just as a totally blank line would serve to separate them). Then you can do a "Select All" and "Auto-fill" the entire recipe in one fell swoop. It is not necessary to do each section individually. Saves a lot of time.
Karen

[lanie]

Kentgirl - YOU are amazing - if you lived near I would take you out for dinner with lots and lots of wine! Thank you so much - you are so tolerant - everytime I ask you a question - I know it is a dumb one - after having followed your instructions - you are so kind and nice about it - thank you so much! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Lanie (let's see if I can get a star on my forehead) hahahahahah - here goes - and this btw is a very good recipe!


* Exported from MasterCook *

Grilled Shrimp Caesar Salad

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/4 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 anchovies chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
fresh ground pepper
12 large shrimp, peeled
1 head romaine lettuce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Puree cottage cheese, mayo, anchovies, lemon juice, Worcestershire, garlic and olive oil in food processor until smooth. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Season to taste. If dressing is too thick, thin down with a little warm water. Toss shrimps with 1/4 cup dressing. Marinate for 30 minutes. Tear romaine leaves removing the thickest part of the stem. Toss with remaining dressing.

Preheat broiler or grill pan on medium-high heat. Drain shrimps and broil or grill about 1 1/2 minutes per side, or until pink and slightly curled. Divide salad among 4 plates and top each salad with 3 shrimp. Garnish with parsley.

Description:
"From LCBO publishing"
Yield:
"4 "

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 452 Calories (kcal); 34g Total Fat; (63% calories from fat); 18g Protein; 28g Carbohydrate; 28mg Cholesterol; 561mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 4 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 6 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates

NOTES : Anchovies are optional. I would also make this with my regular caesar dressing.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

OMG - it worked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mommywannabe]

Thanx to everyone for the great posts! I just loaded my MC software today and am starting to play with it. I've been able to copy several recipes from the BB to my MC, with no trouble at all. Thanx again http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[kentgirl]

Lanie, thanks for the offer of dinner and wine...what a nice thought! I look forward to trying some of the recipes you'll be posting on this site! The Grilled Shrimp Caesar Salad sounds good. My husband and both my sons love shrimp. This is sure to be a winner

Karen from VA---what a great tip about using the Autofill button on non-mastercook recipes. This is sure to save me alot of time! I just tried it--and it works!

Thanks,

[Lauren]

You guy's are so awesome! I love the info. I find on this BB. I am certainly not a MC expert, but I did figure out a neat trick recently. I have MC 6.0, just in case it doesn't work for those of you with earlier verisons. When I import recipes into "My Cookbook" in MC on the left is a button that says "categorize." You can set up categories, like appetizers, crockpot recipes, main dishes, or whatever you want. By clicking on "modify" you can always add a category. Then when you import, you can file the recipe in the category you want. Hope this makes sense!

[kwormann]

YEA!! I did it! I wasnt sure how everyone was geing the post to say Exported from Masercook! I wanted to try it, so I posted my dinner for tonight (I am on a major Greek kick right now!)

Kim
* Exported from MasterCook *

Mediterranean Lamb Strudel

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cooking Light 1996 Lamb


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3/4 pound ground lean lamb
1/2 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup golden raisins
3/4 teaspoon beef-flavored, bouillon granules
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup couscous -- uncooked
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough -- thawed
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1/2 cup mango chutney

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine lamb and onion in a large nonstick
skillet; cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until lamb is browned and
onions are tender. Drain well. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel;
return lamb to pan. Add water and next 8 ingredients (water through black
pepper); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir
in couscous; cover, remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Cool to
room temperature. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface (cover remaining
dough to keep from drying); lightly coat with cooking spray. Working with
1 phyllo sheet at a time, coat remaining 7 phyllo sheets with cooking
spray, placing one on top of the other. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over
phyllo, pressing gently to seal sheets together; discard plastic wrap.
Spoon lamb mixture along 1 long edge of phyllo, leaving a 2-inch border.
Carefully indent the lamb mixture with the back of a small spoon; fill
evenly with chutney. Fold over the short edges of phyllo to cover 2 inches
of lamb mixture on each end. Starting at long edge with 2-inch border,
roll up jelly-roll fashion. (Do not roll tightly, or strudel may split.)
Place strudel, seam side down, on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking
spray. Score diagonal slits into top of strudel using a sharp knife.
Lightly spray strudel with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 30
minutes or until golden. Let cool to room temperature.

Source:
"Cooking Light, October 1996, page 132"
Copyright:
"© Cooking Light"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 292 Calories; 11g Fat (34.9%
calories from fat); 10g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 31mg
Cholesterol; 160mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 0
Vegetable; 1 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat.


Nutr. Assoc. : 3618 0 0 0 113 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5440 382