Home

Local Food in Schools

Farm Field Trips

Nutrition Education

School Gardens

Educators

Lesson Plans

Children's Literature

Kids' Writing

Resources

Articles & Research

Links

Farmer's Tool Kit

Child Nutrition Director Tool Kit

Events Calendar

Get Involved

Farm to School Committee


Growing Minds is a program of

Donate to ASAP

Buy Local!
View the Local Food Guide

Nutrition Education

With the loss of connection to where food comes from, there has also been a disconnect with preparing food and healthy eating. The nutrition component of Growing Minds consists of cooking demonstrations and classes to help students learn to enjoy preparing and eating healthy fresh foods.

 

Carrot and Kohlrabi stew?! What first or second grade student would eat that? Even ASAP staff were surprised when students were eating up this stew, but of course - they made it themselves. The term "nutrition education"' often brings to mind fruit and veggie coloring books and the food pyramid. Today ASAP's Growing Minds program is moving with the trend to involve kids in both growing and preparing fresh healthy foods. Maybe it is the pride of making it themselves or knowing what they are eating, but having students participate in cooking classes has been a successful way to get students to eat healthier.

 

As families rush to fit everything into overwhelming schedules, time for home cooking has fallen by the wayside. Convenience and fast foods are much more a reality for today's generation than coming home to the smell of dinner in the oven. Completing the connection between who grows our food and healthy eating, Growing Minds has organized and sponsored cooking classes and demonstrations at several schools in western North Carolina. Eat Better, Learn Better is a parent group at Isaac Dickson that was inspired by ASAP's work with school gardens and farm fieldtrips. Writing their own grant and working with Growing Minds, this group now coordinates weekly cooking classes with local chefs and monthly cooking demonstrations in the school cafeteria. ASAP purchased a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share for this school to use in cooking classes, demonstrations and in the cafeteria. Using locally grown food as part of nutrition demonstrations is yet another way to tie our food back to farms.

 

 

Do you have a favorite healthy recipe for cooking with kids?

We would love to add your favorites to our page. Please send recipes (and pictures if you have them!) to molly@asapconnections.org

 

Resources

Chef Fest Training Manual


Cooking with Kids Safety Rules

 

Vermont FEED Taste Test Guide

 

Links

 

Recipes

Appalachian Apple Chips

Apple Squash Bake (also in spanish)

Bean Wraps (part of CHANGE curriculum, grade 1-3 or 4-5)

Berry Good Summer Smoothie      

Cabbage Salad Roll-ups (part of CHANGE curriculum, grade 1-3 or 4-5)

Carrot Jicama Salad (part of CHANGE curriculum, grade 1-3 or 4-5)

Chard and Sesame Salad (part of CHANGE curriculum, grade 1-3 or 4-5)

Cucumber Soup by Vickie Leigh Krudwig (also in spanish)

Flying Cloud Recipe

Fruit Kebabs (part of CHANGE curriculum, grade 1-3 or 4-5)

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich

Herbed Baby Eggplant

Indian Style Okra

Pesto

Plant Part Salad (part of CHANGE curriculum, grade 1-3 or 4-5)

Mashed Potatoes and Me

Mexican Cauliflower Soup

Salad Dressings

Tomatillo Salsa – Salsa Verde
  

More recipes...

Farmers' Market Recipes by Juliette

Recipes from Puget Sound Farms

   

 

Send comments or suggestions to Emily@growing-minds.org
©Copyright 2003 Growing Minds.
Growing Minds is a program of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP).
ASAP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Join the ASAP E-mail List serve.
729 Haywood Rd., Suite 3, Asheville, NC 28806
Phone: 828-236-1282

Google
Search growing-minds.org Search WWW