Let's Get Cooking!

by Nicole Morrow, Healthy Choices Program Coordinator

    
Cooking is a passion of mine! I love the smell of spices and the feel of bread dough in between my fingers. I also love hearing from an inquisitive student, "Miss Nicole, what does it mean to dice peppers?"

Over this school year, the students at the KC Urban Youth Center have been spending lots of time cooking via our "Kids in the Kitchen" program. This 12 week program, coordinated by Harvesters, gives the students a weekly nutrition lesson and then an opportunity to cook a small meal or snack. Students are then given a recipe card so that they can make the recipe at home.

  

Teaching students how to cook in healthy and safe ways is important in our community where students sometimes find themselves at home caring for the food preparation of younger siblings. Incorporating fruits and vegetables and teaching the students healthy ways to prepare food is the foundation for the "Kids in the Kitchen" program and integrates perfectly into KC Urban Youth Center's Healthy Choices program. Healthy Choices has focused for over two years on nutrition education, gardening, and physical activity. Participating in "Kids in the Kitchen" program is just one more opportunity to keep our kids safe, help them be healthy, and equip them to be life-long learners.