Author: Amanda Wilson
Planning Unit: McCracken County CES
Major Program: Promoting Healthy Homes and Communities (general)
Plan of Work: Nutrition, Physical Activity, Food Security and Obesity Prevention
Outcome: Initial Outcome
Eating healthy, and saving money are two major topics in society. With “unhealthy” options more affordable, people are searching for ways to eat healthy and still be frugal. The McCracken County Cooperative Extension office offered a class under the umbrella of our “#Adulting” series entitled “Cooking on a Budget”. Chef Guy Brown spent the evening preparing meals that were not only healthy, but inexpensive. In fact, 99% of ALL of the ingredients AND utensils were from the Dollar Tree. Chef Guy showed the audience how items such as lasagna in a jar, homemade pizza crust, sponge cake, mesquite salmon, teriyaki turkey tenderloins, and many other dishes could be prepared healthy and fast. Many of the dishes were prepared in single servings This step is helpful in reducing the amount of wasted food, thus throwing away money. The audience consisted of young adults to senior citizens. Majority of the audience primarily cooks for no more than 2 people, and were interested in quick meals for the weekday. The evening also included basic cooking techniques and safety tips. Chef Guy demonstrated the proper use of butcher knives, and introduced the audience to several items that could be cooked in a microwave. Information was given about different heat sources, the importance of using the correct heat source for the item your cooking, baking and how to make ice cream from scratch, and other kitchen skills that are useful in everyday cooking. Participants were given the opportunity to taste test each items that was made. Participants really enjoyed the items, and reported a desire to utilize the information give. A recipe packet was given so the dished from that evening could be duplicated. The topic of “Cooking on a Budget” always draws a great crowd, and it gives new ideas on how to stretch a dollar.
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