Recipe Builder question

earlnabby
earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Am I missing it or is there a way to include one recipe from my recipe builder as an ingredient in another recipe? The reason I ask is because I do not like salty foods so I often make my own things like taco seasoning or some sauces that normally are high sodium in their commercially prepared versions (also saves money because I typically have all the separate herbs and spices in my cupboard). I enter them as a recipe and save them for reference.

I thought of it because I am making a Tex-Mex quinoa chili that calls for corn. Last summer I prepared and froze 6 dozen ears of corn off the cob and used a little sugar and butter. I would like to add 1 cup of that corn into the dish and there would not be an equivalent in the database. I do have it in my recipe builder.
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Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    edited November 2021
    You'll have to add it to the FOOD diary as a separate line item. Then if you want, you could make a "Meal" out of the entire thing so you can edit portions...I think. I haven't done it in a while.

  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited November 2021
    cmriverside wrote: »
    You'll have to add it to the FOOD diary as a separate line item. Then if you want, you could make a "Meal" out of the entire thing so you can edit portions...I think. I haven't done it in a while.

    I prefer to use the recipe builder instead of entering ingredients as line items. Easier to repeat and I import recipes I find online so I have the link to the instructions.

    I have copypasta'd the ingredients from the original recipe into each recipe that I use it in as I build that one. Unfortunately for the corn the recipe made 14 2 cup freezer bags so I will need to redo it to figure out the nutrition per cup instead of the entire thing. Easy but still a nuisance.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    edited November 2021
    Since you already have the recipe for the taco seasoning, couldn't you use the nutritional information from that recipe to create a new food called Earlnabby taco seasoning (or whatever)? Then you can use that taco seasoning "food" when you create the chili recipe using that taco seasoning? It's one extra step, but if you use that same seasoning in multiple recipes, it seems like it would definitely save you time in the long run.


    Edited to correct typo.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    Since you already have the recipe for the taco seasoning, couldn't you use the nutritional information from that recipe to create a new food called Earlnabby taco seasoning (or whatever)? Then you can use that taco seasoning "food" when you create the chili recipe using that taco seasoning? It's one extra step, but if you use that same seasoning in multiple recipes, it seems like it would definitely save you time in the long run.


    Edited to correct typo.

    How would I do that?
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    No, there isn't and it is a bit annoying. But for something like seasoning (assuming that's just spices and a bit of sugar/salt) you could just build a recipe for your seasoning, work out how many calories it is for the amount you're going to use, and substitute in a seasoning with a similar profile in your recipe.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    You'll have to add it to the FOOD diary as a separate line item. Then if you want, you could make a "Meal" out of the entire thing so you can edit portions...I think. I haven't done it in a while.

    I prefer to use the recipe builder instead of entering ingredients as line items. Easier to repeat and I import recipes I find online so I have the link to the instructions.

    I have copypasta'd the ingredients from the original recipe into each recipe that I use it in as I build that one. Unfortunately for the corn the recipe made 14 2 cup freezer bags so I will need to redo it to figure out the nutrition per cup instead of the entire thing. Easy but still a nuisance.

    Yes.

    So, you have a Recipe. When you enter it on that day's FOOD, it shows up as, "Taco seasoning." You then add to that day's food, "Freezer corn" (which is also a recipe) and, maybe other stuff too. So save that as a Meal, and name it "Corn taco seasoning casserole Recipe" or whatever.

    The really good part about Meals is that they are searchable from the Add Food page (they show in the database.) I've stopped using "recipes" unless it's a sauce or a dish that I don't alter ever. Naming Meals as "recipe" in the naming just ticks all the boxes. There's no other way to embed a recipe in a recipe.

    It's just a way better system for ease of use.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    You'll have to add it to the FOOD diary as a separate line item. Then if you want, you could make a "Meal" out of the entire thing so you can edit portions...I think. I haven't done it in a while.

    I prefer to use the recipe builder instead of entering ingredients as line items. Easier to repeat and I import recipes I find online so I have the link to the instructions.

    I have copypasta'd the ingredients from the original recipe into each recipe that I use it in as I build that one. Unfortunately for the corn the recipe made 14 2 cup freezer bags so I will need to redo it to figure out the nutrition per cup instead of the entire thing. Easy but still a nuisance.

    Yes.

    So, you have a Recipe. When you enter it on that day's FOOD, it shows up as, "Taco seasoning." You then add to that day's food, "Freezer corn" (which is also a recipe) and, maybe other stuff too. So save that as a Meal, and name it "Corn taco seasoning casserole Recipe" or whatever.

    The really good part about Meals is that they are searchable from the Add Food page (they show in the database.) I've stopped using "recipes" unless it's a sauce or a dish that I don't alter ever. Naming Meals as "recipe" in the naming just ticks all the boxes. There's no other way to embed a recipe in a recipe.

    It's just a way better system for ease of use.

    Recipes in the recipe builder are also searchable from the "Add Food" page. It looks like we are both doing the same thing, just parking the recipe in a different list. I have never had a problem altering a recipe in "My Recipes". I do it almost every time I make it again since the exact weight of the protein is likely to change.

    Thank you for answering my original question. I was hoping there would be a way to embed a recipe or "meal" into a new recipe. Sometimes I ask too much of MFP.

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