Research shows that preparing and eating meals at home can have positive impact on families by strengthening family ties and leading to better physical and mental health.  In an effort to encourage more families to make family mealtime a priority, Family & Consumer Science Agents in the Wilderness Trail Area organized and conducted a Wilderness Trail Area Holiday Cooking School focused on family meal preparation.  250 participants from the eight counties from the Wilderness Trail Area attended the cooking school.  Each participant had the opportunity to sample recipes enabling participants to try new ways to prepare food.  Participants also observed a presentation on cooking techniques, a presentation on family traditions and received a cookbook of all recipes.  As a direct result of the program in a written evaluation:

• 95% learned new cooking techniques
• 95% learned simple ways to set a beautiful table
• 99% learned new recipes that they plan to use at home

As a follow up to Holiday Cooking School and to reinforce participants doing more family meals, the Laurel County Family and Consumer Sciences staff offered a 12 Family Mealtime classes.  Food preparation classes were taught in stir fry, making meals ahead, and more.  111 people attended the 12 classes and a written evaluation was given.  As a direct result of the program:

• 100% learned planning tips to help them include family mealtimes as part of their weekly schedule
• 100% learned why family mealtime is important
• 100% learned how to reduce meal costs
• 100% learned faster meal preparation
• 100% planned to have family mealtime more often
• 100% plan to use the recipes provide

Participants stated that some of the things they learned were how to cook once for several meals, how to convert slow cooker recipes to oven recipes, freezing tips, to incorporate beans or lentils in order to use less meat,  and different cooking techniques.