Senior Recipe Club classes offer new ways to prepare food

February 12, 2015

By Gwen Guerke, Communications Coordinator

Some common perceptions may not be a reality, such as senior citizens know how to prepare healthy, nutritious and economical meals.

Sure, they may have prepared meals for their families, but living with a downsized household and a limited income can create frustrating challenges.

The Food Bank of Delaware launched a Recipe Club, sponsored by the Palmer Home Foundation, to meet the needs of Kent County seniors who want to prepare and enjoy healthy and appealing meals.

In Milford, Asia Thurston, one of our community nutrition educators, offered an entertaining, engaging and educational hour-long class for the half dozen seniors gathered around the conference room table.

This class was the first in a series of four hands-on, nutrition classes hosted by the SNAP-Education department; classes are designed to help participants make healthy food choices on a limited budget.

Since most people use a recipe to prepare, Asia started with the basics: what is a recipe? This class is not just about telling; it’s also about doing with students participating in informal quizzes.

The recipe for the day was individual pizzas cooked in an electric skillet. Asia handed out a whole-grain sandwich round, then students passed around the tomato sauce for the next layer. They were offered a variety of toppings, including turkey pepperoni, green pepper, and pineapple, in addition to the cheese.

The students laughed and joked and exchanged pleasantries while the pizzas cooked. Of course, they enjoyed eating their fresh and healthy pizzas toward the end of class.

As they departed for the day, each student received a box of food that includes fresh produce and bread, in addition to shelf-stable menu items.

Students will complete the four-week program on Feb. 26. In addition to learning food safety and some new recipes, each student goes home with a recipe book and Mobile Pantry food box of non-perishable food.

In addition to the Recipe Club, the Food of Bank of Delaware will also host a two-part free senior cooking class in March at the Food Bank’s Milford site. Chef Tim Hunter will lead the class, and participants will learn to make easy-to-prepare recipes using common, everyday items.

The hour-long classes are at 3 p.m. March 19 and 26. There are still openings for Kent County seniors over age 60. Students must commit to both days.

For more information or to sign up for these senior programs, call Missy Holochwost at (302) 444-8129 or email mholochwost@fbd.org.