Making healthy decisions at the grocery store and in the kitchen can be challenging, especially for busy individuals and families. Teaching healthy eating habits at a young age can yield lifelong benefits, but it’s never too late to start learning about nutrition and making healthier choices.
Two programs at the Moshannon Valley YMCA, supported by Centre Foundation, are giving participants from ages 8-80 more experience in the kitchen.
The Kids Cooking Class is offered weekly for month-long sessions and teaches basics like kitchen tools and safety, basic nutrition, and how to make easy, healthy, and yummy meals that kids can make on their own.
“The goal is to expose kids to the kitchen environment and show them they are capable of making a few simple meals,” said Executive Director Sydney White who will lead the class.
Parents join their kids for the class, which Sydney hopes will inspire families to cook together and think outside of the box for recipes. “We’ll be making homemade pizzas, taco quesadillas, and French toast roll-ups. I hope it will demonstrate how you can change up ingredients or the way you use them to add some variety to your meals.”
While the class will address good nutrition and healthy habits, Sydney said she is focused mostly on fun. “I love cooking and working with kids, so it will be just as much fun for me,” she said.
Sydney also has a passion for health and wellness, which she’s bringing to Meal Prep Monday, another class she hosts once a month for adults at the YMCA.
“This class aims to show that healthy meals can be delicious,” she said. “I love using interesting and unexpected ingredients to create meals that are healthy and taste great.” Her latest secret ingredient is cottage cheese, which can add protein and, when blended, a smooth creaminess to sauces for her buffalo chicken wraps and alfredo pasta dish.
“I keep the focus in the class on the health benefits and versatility of foods that have traditionally been considered ‘diet foods.’ When people taste these foods used in a different way, it motivates them to try more new ingredients they might have passed over before,” she said.
Programs like these make the Moshannon Valley YMCA an important community resource. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Y strives to help children, adults, and families maintain a healthy spirit, mind, and body through a wide variety of opportunities.
Most notably, parents in the community rely on the Y’s early learning program, before- and after-school care, and summer camp to provide a safe, enriching, and fun environment for their children. From toddlers to school age, kids of all ages have a place to learn, grow, and thrive, thanks to the generosity of Centre Gives and all who donate to their organization.