Aspen Community Living provides high quality support for community living services to individuals with developmental and physical disabilities in their own homes.  In an effort to provide clients with healthier meals, the Branch Manager of Aspen Community Living contacted the Kenton County Cooperative Extension Service’s Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Assistant.  She wanted her staff from Africa to be taught how to cook healthier meals because African culture and cooking is vastly different from American culture and cooking, not only in the types of foods used, but also in the ways foods are prepared.

The NEP Assistant led seven Aspen staff members through a seven-lesson series teaching them how to prepare healthy recipes for their residents.  The staff members learned the importance of planning meals in advance and shopping with a grocery list to save money.  They learned the proper way to thaw foods safely and to compare food prices before buying.  They learned to prepare recipes in healthier ways, rather than frying. They were able to sample simple, nutritious recipes which they could in-turn prepare for residents.  One staff member in the class said, “I made the French toast for my guys at home like we made in class with whole wheat bread.  They all loved it, and it was so easy.”  In some of the classes, the disabled adults were included and given the opportunity to help the NEP Assistant prepare simple recipes. They selected a task to do, and, as a result, managed to meet their own personal goals of learning new cooking skills.  They also enjoyed sampling the dishes they helped create.

At the end of the series, 100% of staff members were comparing prices before shopping.  Eight-six percent of them no longer thawed frozen foods at room temperature.  Staff members were given a master grocery list from their supervisors and were asked to select items from the list based on the needs of the residents in their home. The list contained several frozen and convenience foods that were not healthy choices. Several of the staff members recommended to the NEP Assistant, “You need to come help us rework our entire grocery list.  We need to make some major changes to be able to offer healthier options in our homes.”  The NEP Assistant contacted the Aspen Community Living Branch manager to do just that.