Success StoryCook Together Eat Together



Cook Together Eat Together

Author: Stephanie Caldwell

Planning Unit: McCracken County CES

Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General

Outcome: Long-Term Outcome

The McCracken County Cooperative Extension Service senior SNAP-Ed assistant partnered with Clark Elementary School Family Resource Center to present Cook Together Eat Together a program designed for parents with children to prepare healthy nutritious meals together at home. The FRC chose families that had expressed interest in CTET. 

The six families included single mothers, couples, uncles, and grandparents. The two-hour six-week sessions included a teaching portion, prepping, cooking, cleaning, and eating family style.

 

Over the six weeks participants improved with:

  • 86% making small changes to be more active, planned meals more often before shopping, thawed frozen foods less often on the counters and was using a meat thermometer more often.
  • 71% washed hands more often than before  
  • 57% ate more vegetables included more varieties when doing so along with comparing food prices more often and making a list for grocery shopping. 

 

During the six weeks one family stated “they had made the chicken stir fry recipe weekly while another participants child made dinner for the entire family with minimal help,” Many of the participants stated they were sad that the program was ending and said it had really made a difference in their meals and the ability  to spend more quality time as a family together weekly.






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