# Share Your Plan

Part of the Cooking Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/cooking/guide/index.md)

*4. Cooking at Home*

> **4c.** Share and discuss your meal plan and shopping list with your counselor.

Before you start cooking, you need to walk your counselor through your entire plan. This is not just a formality — it is your chance to get feedback, catch any gaps, and make sure your plan is solid before you spend money and time executing it.

### What to Bring to Your Discussion

Gather all of your planning materials and organize them so you can present them clearly:

**Counselor Meeting Prep** — Have these ready before your meeting

- [ ] Your three-day menu plan showing every meal (3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners, 1 dessert)
- [ ] The food groups covered by each meal (mapped to MyPlate)
- [ ] The cooking methods you plan to use (at least five different methods from Req 3a)
- [ ] Complete recipes for each meal
- [ ] Your shopping list organized by store section with quantities
- [ ] Cost breakdown per meal
- [ ] Equipment and utensils list
- [ ] Notes on any food allergies or special needs of the people you are serving
- [ ] Your food safety plan (how you will prevent cross-contamination, safe cooking temperatures)

### What Your Counselor Is Looking For

Your counselor will review your plan with several questions in mind:

- **Is it nutritionally balanced?** Does each day cover all five food groups in reasonable proportions?
- **Is it realistic?** Can you actually prepare these meals with your current skill level and available equipment?
- **Is it safe?** Have you thought through food storage, cross-contamination prevention, and cooking temperatures?
- **Does it show variety?** Are you using at least five different cooking methods across your meals? Are you varying your proteins, grains, and vegetables?
- **Is the budget reasonable?** Did you calculate costs accurately?

> **Tip**
>
> Practice explaining your plan out loud before meeting with your counselor. Being able to walk through your menu, point to each food group, name the cooking method, and explain your food safety approach shows that you truly understand your plan — not just that you wrote it down.

### Be Open to Feedback

Your counselor may suggest changes — a different cooking method, a food safety step you missed, or a nutritional gap. This is exactly what the discussion is for. Take notes on their feedback and adjust your plan before you start cooking.

Remember: this requirement is about **planning**, not perfection. Your counselor knows you are learning, and they want to help you succeed. The more preparation you do now, the smoother your cooking will go in [Req 4d](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/cooking/guide/req4d/).

![A Scout sitting across from a merit badge counselor at a table, showing a meal plan notebook while the counselor reviews it and points to a section](https://ik.imagekit.io/doulacoop/tr:w-800/mbu-assets/merit-badges/cooking/guide/counselor-review-plan?v=606012ce)

[MyPlate Kitchen](https://www.myplate.gov/myplate-kitchen): Reference this USDA recipe database during your counselor discussion to verify nutritional balance of your meals.

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- Previous: [Recipes & Shopping](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/cooking/guide/req4b/index.md)
- Next: [Cook & Serve](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/cooking/guide/req4d/index.md)