Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) may help ease economic and time constraints of cooking, helping low-income households prepare healthier meals. Increased frequency of home-cooked meals among SNAP participants is strongly associated with improved dietary outcomes among adults and may be beneficial simply by replacing fast food intake. In an effort to encourage older adults living on fixed incomes to cook more at home, the Kenton County Extension agent offered the program “Cooking through the Calendar” to the residents of two senior housing apartment buildings in Covington and participants at the Elsmere Senior Center. The monthly series focused on building skills related to meal planning, budgeting, nutrition, and safe food preparation. The five part series introduced the recipes from the 2022 Food + Nutrition Recipe Calendar: One pot Italian Tortellini, Egg Roll in a Bowl, No Fuss Oven Frittata, Strawberry Sorbet, and Apple Spinach Salad. Participants learned how to prepare the recipes, proper food handling such as washing and chopping techniques, budgeting basics, and the importance of increasing fruit and vegetable intake. A combination of 58 seniors participated in one or more of the sessions taught at the three locations.

The recipes were a huge success in that they introduced the participants to new, easy to prepare, and budget friendly recipes. One participant revealed each month that she prepared the recipe for her daughter or shared it with a friend. Overall the favorite recipe that was introduced was “Egg Roll in a Bowl.  When asked why, the participants relayed it was the easiest to prepare, most budget friendly, did not require a lot of ingredients or cooking skill, had surprisingly good flavor, and there was little cleanup.  As a result of the multiple sessions: 15 seniors have prepared at least one of the recipes introduced, 45 have shared the recipe and or nutrition information with a friend, and 50 participants said they tried at least one new fruit or vegetable.