Meal Calculator

:root {
–primary-blue: #004a99;
–success-green: #28a745;
–light-background: #f8f9fa;
–border-color: #dee2e6;
–text-color: #333;
–label-color: #555;
}

body {
font-family: ‘Segoe UI’, Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif;
background-color: var(–light-background);
color: var(–text-color);
line-height: 1.6;
margin: 0;
padding: 20px;
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
align-items: center;
}

.loan-calc-container {
background-color: #fff;
padding: 30px;
border-radius: 8px;
box-shadow: 0 4px 15px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
width: 100%;
max-width: 700px;
margin-bottom: 30px;
border: 1px solid var(–border-color);
}

h1, h2 {
color: var(–primary-blue);
text-align: center;
margin-bottom: 20px;
}

.input-group {
margin-bottom: 20px;
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
align-items: flex-start;
}

.input-group label {
display: block;
margin-bottom: 8px;
font-weight: bold;
color: var(–label-color);
font-size: 0.95em;
}

.input-group input[type=”number”],
.input-group input[type=”text”],
.input-group select {
width: 100%;
padding: 12px 15px;
border: 1px solid var(–border-color);
border-radius: 4px;
box-sizing: border-box;
font-size: 1em;
transition: border-color 0.3s ease;
}

.input-group input[type=”number”]:focus,
.input-group input[type=”text”]:focus,
.input-group select:focus {
outline: none;
border-color: var(–primary-blue);
box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px rgba(0, 74, 153, 0.2);
}

button {
width: 100%;
padding: 12px 20px;
background-color: var(–primary-blue);
color: white;
border: none;
border-radius: 4px;
font-size: 1.1em;
font-weight: bold;
cursor: pointer;
transition: background-color 0.3s ease, transform 0.2s ease;
margin-top: 10px;
}

button:hover {
background-color: #003366;
transform: translateY(-2px);
}

.result-container {
margin-top: 25px;
padding: 20px;
background-color: var(–success-green);
color: white;
border-radius: 4px;
text-align: center;
box-shadow: 0 2px 10px rgba(40, 167, 69, 0.3);
}

.result-container h3 {
margin-top: 0;
margin-bottom: 10px;
font-size: 1.4em;
color: white;
}

.result-container .value {
font-size: 2.2em;
font-weight: bold;
display: block;
word-break: break-all;
}

.explanation {
margin-top: 40px;
padding: 30px;
background-color: #fff;
border-radius: 8px;
box-shadow: 0 4px 15px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
width: 100%;
max-width: 700px;
border: 1px solid var(–border-color);
}

.explanation h2 {
margin-top: 0;
color: var(–primary-blue);
border-bottom: 2px solid var(–primary-blue);
padding-bottom: 10px;
}

.explanation p, .explanation ul {
margin-bottom: 15px;
color: var(–text-color);
}

.explanation ul {
padding-left: 25px;
}

.explanation li {
margin-bottom: 10px;
}

.explanation strong {
color: var(–primary-blue);
}

/* Responsive adjustments */
@media (max-width: 600px) {
.loan-calc-container, .explanation {
padding: 20px;
}

h1 {
font-size: 1.8em;
}

.result-container .value {
font-size: 1.8em;
}
}

Understanding Your Meal Costs

This Meal Cost Calculator is a simple yet powerful tool designed to help you understand the economic efficiency of your cooking. By inputting the total cost of ingredients for a meal and the number of servings it yields, you can quickly determine the cost of each individual portion. This is invaluable for home cooks managing budgets, small caterers, or anyone looking to make informed decisions about their food preparation.

How it Works: The Math Behind the Calculation

The calculation is straightforward:

• Total Ingredient Cost: This is the sum of the prices of all the ingredients you used to prepare the meal. Be as accurate as possible by checking grocery receipts or online prices.
• Number of Servings: This is the total number of portions the meal can be divided into.

The formula is:

Cost Per Serving = Total Ingredient Cost / Number of Servings

For example, if you prepared a lasagna that cost $25.00 in ingredients and it yields 8 servings, the cost per serving would be $25.00 / 8 = $3.13.

Use Cases for the Meal Cost Calculator:

• Budgeting at Home: Track how much each meal truly costs to prepare, allowing for better grocery shopping and meal planning.
• Small Business Catering: Accurately price dishes for catering menus, ensuring profitability.
• Recipe Development: Evaluate the cost-effectiveness of new recipes.
• Portion Control Awareness: Understand the cost associated with each portion size.
• Comparing Meal Strategies: Analyze whether cooking from scratch is more economical than buying pre-made meals.

By using this calculator, you gain financial clarity for your culinary endeavors, empowering you to cook smarter and more economically.

function calculateMealCost() {
var mealName = document.getElementById(“mealName”).value;
var servingsInput = document.getElementById(“servings”);
var totalCostInput = document.getElementById(“totalCost”);

var servings = parseFloat(servingsInput.value);
var totalCost = parseFloat(totalCostInput.value);

var resultContainer = document.getElementById(“result-container”);
var resultValue = document.getElementById(“result-value”);
var resultHeading = document.getElementById(“result-heading”);

// Clear previous error messages if any
resultContainer.style.display = “none”;

// Input validation
if (isNaN(servings) || servings <= 0) {
alert("Please enter a valid number of servings greater than zero.");
servingsInput.focus();
return;
}

if (isNaN(totalCost) || totalCost < 0) {
alert("Please enter a valid total ingredient cost (can be zero but not negative).");
totalCostInput.focus();
return;
}

// Calculation
var costPerServing = totalCost / servings;

// Formatting the result
var formattedCostPerServing = "$" + costPerServing.toFixed(2);

// Displaying the result
if (mealName.trim() !== "") {
resultHeading.innerText = "Cost Per Serving for " + mealName.trim();
} else {
resultHeading.innerText = "Cost Per Serving";
}
resultValue.innerText = formattedCostPerServing;
resultContainer.style.display = "block";
}