Whitley County works with 21st Century Clubs at various schools. We began a healthy eating adventure with this after school group. They youth learned knife safety, how to build their plate with the My Plate layout, and got to cook the delicious Stuffed Bell Peppers recipe (https://www.myplate.gov/recipes/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/stuffed-bell-peppers). The Healthy Eating Index Score shows that Americans do not align their eating choices with the Dietary Guidelines, the score is 59, on a scale from 0-100. (USDA, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 2017)

Initially, 1 in 3 youth that participated in the after school program had cooked at home. All participants planned to help prepare meals at home more often. We also prepared homemade salsa while sharpening their knife skills cutting up tomatoes, onions and cilantro. After completing the recipe 100% of them tried something new and 88% of them plan to try new foods more often. 

 Practicing Knife Skills

Learning Importance of Meat Temperatures

Finished Product: Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers