Photo Karen Graham.
Come and learn how to prepare healthier foods as a New Year’s gift to yourself. Through hands on learning, this free program helps community members of all ages and stages learn how to prepare healthy meals as they learn new skills, try new foods, practise new cooking methods and learn how to purchase healthy food items on a budget.
The program consists of a series of two hour sessions over a four or five week period led by Peterborough Public Health Community Workers who have a love of healthy food and want to share their expertise. Participants start at the beginning, developing menus, planning their shopping, sharing favourite meals and learning how to store, thaw, prepare and reheat foods safely.
Meal planning follows Canada’s Food Guide to Health Eating, and participants prepare home cooked meals to take home with them along with a grocery store gift card at the end of each class so that they can afford to try the meals at home.
Research indicates that preparing meals at home and eating together as a household improves many aspects of a person’s health and well-being, and learning new recipes makes meal times more interesting.
Last May, the Peterborough Public Health program was offered at St. Thomas Anglican Church in Millbrook, and Millbrook Manor resident Grace Thoms who had just turned 100 earlier that month, was one of the program participants. An enthusiastic student, this was her third time through the program, which has also been offered at the Lions’ Den. She highly recommends the program, saying each course provided new ideas, recipes and lots of fun in the kitchen.
The program is helpful to anyone who wants to learn to prepare different menus, from young new mothers to widows like Grace who want to change their cooking habits and learn some new recipes. Transportation and child care is provided.
Come Cook With Us is offered throughout the year in different locations in the County as well as in the City of Peterborough. For more information or to register, call 705-743-1000 ext 316. KG
