Adding/Editing a Template

Clicking the Add New Template link or the Edit link from the View Template screen takes you to the Menu Plan Template Editor. This page enables you to add or update the menu template information and add or update the template items.

Info
The Info pane contains top-level information concerning your menu plan template.

Template Name
Enter a name for your template. You should establish and follow a standard naming convention for your templates based on whether you create them by cycle day or by entrée. For example, if you create templates by cycle day, you might name a template "Week 2, Day 2 Lunch Elementary – Taco Bar." If you create them by entrée, you might name it "Hamburger Template." Following this practice will make it easy to find templates and to identify what they include and how they are used.

Menu Type
Use the Menu Type drop-down menu to select the menu type to which this template applies. The template will use the grade range from the selected menu type.

School Menu Description
Enter the menu description for this template. The description you enter here will display on the School Menu Calendar when the template or cycle is published to a site.

Notes
Enter any notes that pertain to this template in the Notes field.

Print
Click Print to print the current template information for your records.

Menu Plan Template Items
Add items to the template by entering the Item ID or Description in the Item ID/Description field. Click the magnifying glass button or press Enter to look up the item. If you entered the description, select the appropriate item from the search list. Once added, you can enter the portion being used for the menu plan by entering a quantity under Qty and selecting a unit of measure under Unit. Use the up and down arrow buttons to change the order the items are listed; you can also do this by clicking and dragging an item from one part of the list to another. Click the red X to remove an item from the template.

Know As You Go
Use Know As You Go to monitor nutrients and costs as you create your template. This will provide USDA nutrient information.

Nutrient Search
Use Nutrient Search to find items that contain needed nutrients.

Nutrients by Item
Use Nutrients by Item to analyze nutritional information for individual items on a menu plan. This analysis will open in a new window. You can view it either using the Report Viewer or as a PDF.

Nutrient Standards
Select a grade range from the drop-down menu and click Nutrient Standards to run an analysis of nutrients present in the listed menu items.

Meal Pattern Analysis
Select a grade range from the drop-down menu and click Meal Pattern Analysis to run a report that compares the meal component contribution amounts in the listed items with what is expected of reimbursable meals.

Reimbursable Meals
This section displays the reimbursable meals that are found based on the items being offered in the meal session's menu plan. Reimbursable meals are used for Meal Pattern Analysis. Reimbursable meals can be defined using the Reimbursable Meals link under Setup.

Add ReimbursableMeal
In addition to adding items individually, you can also add all the items from a reimbursable meal at once by using the Add Reimbursable Meal search field. Type the name of the reimbursable meal; when the reimbursable meal appears in the results below the field, click the meal name. The meal will appear in the Reimbursable Meals pane, and all of the items that make up the reimbursable meal will be added in the above list of items.

Save
Once you have finished updating the template, click Save.