Meal Planning

** All foods MUST be prepared in our House kitchen or delivery directly from a commercial kitchen. ** Dinner groups often ask for meal ideas when they cook at Ronald McDonald House. We welcome your own recipes, but look over the ideas below for inspiration. You’ll also find our recipe book online [link] as well as some sample menus from Gordon Food Services (GFS) [link]. Catered restaurant dishes and take-out/delivery meals as well as frozen entrees are permitted. (Our most frequently served meals are spaghetti, tacos, and lasagna. Please consider serving something different.) As a general guideline, please consider providing the following menu items:

Main dish with both a meat and vegetarian entrée

Starch, if not included in the main dish

Fresh green salad or vegetable salad and/or vegetable

Fresh fruit

Bread/rolls with butter

Dessert

Entrées chicken turkey pork beef low- fat casseroles chili , soup and stews salad, pasta or potato bar ribs roasts hamburgers/hot dogs Italian, Mexican or Chinese themed meals breakfast meats lunchmeats pancakes/French toast sandwich wraps Side Dishes

Green salads with assorted dressings

Vegetable salads: potato, pea, coleslaw, bean, pasta salad

Fruit: fresh, canned, salads, applesauce

Potatoes: mashed, scalloped, French fried or in casseroles

Rice: brown, wild or flavored

Pasta: macaroni and cheese, fettuccine or spaghetti, ravioli

Vegetables: raw, cooked, steamed, grilled, cheese covered, sautéed, stir fried or in casseroles

Beans and peas: barbecued beans, ranch-style beans, black beans, navy beans, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, green peas, or creamed peas

Breads and Rolls white or wheat sliced bread hamburger/hot dog buns bake and serve dinner rolls hoagie or submarine buns muffins croissants cornbread potato rolls biscuits garlic bread Italian or French bread corn or flour tortillas

pita bread Focaccia bagels muffins cinnamon rolls

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Condiments

assorted jellies

butter

coffee creamer

honey

ketchup

mayonnaise

mustard

pepper

salad dressing

salt

soy sauce

steak sauce

sugar

sugar substitute

syrup

Tabasco sauce

bacon bits

cheddar cheese, shredded

chives

crushed red pepper

guacamole

onions, diced or sliced

parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

salsa

sour cream

Desserts cheesecake carrot cake fruit sorbet dessert ravioli fruit cobbler ice cream cookies brownies assorted cakes or pies watermelon or cantaloupe yogurt parfaits fruit pizza cupcakes root beer floats strawberries and ice cream Try these websites for more recipe ideas!

bigrecipes.com deliciousdecisions.org homecooking.about.com recipegoldmine.com razzledazzlerecipes.com foodnetwork.com http://lotsofinfo.tripod.com/foodservicelist.html epicurious.com recipelink.com recipesource.com allrecipes.com

For an up-to-the-minute list of available meals, please check our online calendar at

www.rmhcincinnati.org/volunteer-meals.aspx. Only the meals listed are available. Contact me with the meal you’d like to provide, and I will reserve it for your group.

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Ronald McDonald House has teamed up with our local GFS stores to try to help make your meal planning and preparation a little easier! GFS stores provide the benefit of restaurant-quality products and friendly, knowledgeable service without a membership fee. You’ll find a wide selection of menu options including great homemade-tasting heat-n-serve meals, party-sized recipe ideas and more.

Try the Menu Wizard at GFS when planning your meal for the families living at Ronald McDonald House! It’s free and available at all GFS Marketplace stores. Menu Wizard helps you to determine:

How many servings are needed per item.

How much food to purchase so you don’t over-buy.

How much your menu will cost per guest. It’s quick, easy and convenient! Sample menus are available to get you started. You can even place your order and come back another day to pick it up. Your order will be packed up and ready to go when you are. GFS consistently stocks both GFS and national brand products. Take advantage of their FREE Express Order if you ever need items that they don’t have in stock. Want to sample their food? Stop in for free in-store tastings on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 to 4:00. Visit their website at gfsmarketplace.com for more information on store services or shop any Cincinnati area store:

Help support Ronald McDonald House when you sign up for the Fun Funds program.

Sign up is free and easy online, and participants will receive store coupons and incentives. Scan your membership card when you shop, and a percentage your sale goes back to our House.

Visit http://gfs.com/funfunds/home.page?OrgNumber=2452453 to get started.

Eastgate 830 Clepper Drive

Cincinnati, OH 45245 513-947-1222

513-947-0797 (FAX)

Fairfield 6805 Dixie Hwy

Fairfield, OH 45018 513-860-2470

513-860-2694 (FAX)

Florence 5885 Merchants

Florence, KY 41042 859-372-0240

859-372-0248 (FAX)

Kenwood 7696 Montgomery Rd. Kenwood, OH 45236

513-793-6789 513-793-6785 (FAX)

Mason 5201 Bardes Rd.

Mason, OH 45040 513-229-7650

513-229-7657 (FAX)

Western Hills 3825 Race Road

Cincinnati, OH 45248 513-574-0888

513-574-5651 (FAX)

Middletown 3520 Towne Blvd.

Franklin, OH 45005 513-705-6012

513-705-4360 (FAX)

All stores open Monday through Saturday 8 am – 8 pm and Sunday 12 pm – 5 pm

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Food Quantity Chart Soups and Stews Per Person Crowd of 75 Crowd of 125

Served as a first course 1 cup 5 gallons 7.5 gallons

Served as an entrée 2 cups 10 gallons 15 gallons Main Courses Per Person Crowd of 75 Crowd of 125

Bacon 2 slices 9 lbs. 15 lbs.

Casserole 1 cup 6 - 13 x 9 inch casseroles 15 - 13 x 9 inch casseroles

Chicken or turkey (with bones) ¾ to 1 pound 57 lbs. 95 lbs.

Chicken, turkey or duck (boneless) ½ pound 39 lbs. 65 lbs.

Chili, stroganoff 5 to 6 ounces 24 lbs. 40 lbs.

Fish 3 oz 60 lbs. 100 lbs.

Ground beef ½ pound 39 lbs. 65 lbs.

Ham 3 oz 14 lbs. 24 lbs.

Hot dogs 2 dogs 150 dogs 250 dogs

Lunch meats 1 oz 6 lbs. 10 lbs.

Meatballs 5-6 meatballs 24 lbs. 40 lbs.

Pasta 4 to 5 ounces 35 lbs. 35 lbs.

Pizza 2 slices 19 pizzas 32 pizzas

Pork Chops 1 chop 75 chops 125 chops

Ribs 1 pound 75 lbs. 125 pound

Roast (with bone) 16 ounces 75 lbs. 125 lbs.

Roast cuts (boneless) ½ pound 39 lbs. 63 lbs.

Sausage 2 links 15 lbs. 25 lbs.

Steak cuts 6 ounces 28 lbs. 47 lbs.

Turkey (whole) 1 pound 75 lbs. 125 lbs. Fruits and Vegetables/Salad Per Person Crowd of 75 Crowd of 125

Vegetables - cooked ½ c 15 pounds (approx) 25 pounds (approx)

Vegetables - Raw 3-4 pieces

Fruits ½ c

*Salad – side ½ c

*Salad – main entrée 1.5 c

Corn on the cob 1 ear 25 ears 125 ears

Casserole 1 cup 15 - 13 x 9 inch casseroles 25 - 13 x 9 inch casseroles

*not everyone will eat salad

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SIDE DISHES Per Person Crowd of 75 Crowd of 125

Pasta (cooked) 2 to 3 ounces 15 pounds 23 pounds

Potatoes and yams 1 (medium) 18 lbs. 30 pounds

Rice and grains (cooked) ½ c 38 pounds 62 pounds BREADS Per Person Crowd of 75 Crowd of 125

Croissants, muffins, rolls 1 per person 6 ½ dozen 11 dozen

French or Italian bread 6 - 18” loaves 10 – 18” loaves

Sandwich bread 2 slices 15 loaves (24 slices/loaf) 25 loaves (24 slices/loaf) DESSERTS Per Person Crowd of 75 Crowd of 125

Brownies or bars 1 to 2 per person 15 dozen 25 dozen

Cakes 2 inch wedge 6 - 9” cheesecakes 15 – 9” cheesecakes

Cobbler 1 cup 6 - 9 x 9 x 2 inch pans 10 - 9 x 9 x 2 inch pans

Cookies 2 to 3 9 dozen 15 dozen

Pie 3 inch wedge 6 – 9” pies 10 – 9 pies

Pudding, trifles and the like 1 cup 3 gallons 5 gallons

Sheet cake 2 x 2 inch piece 1sheet cake 3 sheet cakes