Where can you learn eye-opening nutrition facts and a simple approach to cooking? Community Servings, of course! Participants in our Kitchen Talk workshops learn to prepare budget-friendly meals that improve health AND taste great. These monthly classes began in August 2009 as part of our initiative to expand how we use our nutrition expertise beyond client meal preparation. In each hands-on lesson, participants discover healthy eating habits through label reading activities, taste tests, and recipe modifications.

But each class is more than a great learning experience; it is a place for sharing. Participants discuss memories of comfort food and ideas for making them more nutritious, barriers to healthy shopping and ways to overcome them, and then encourage one another to practice cooking at home. As one student commented after several spoonfuls of Butternut Squash Chili, "Preparing your own meals can be fun and healthy for you!"

The reach of this exciting workshop goes beyond the classroom and directly touches our clients who are unable to come to class. The nutrition and cooking skills taught in class as well as the recipe of the day are shared in our monthly nutrition newsletter. Each client receives the newsletter as part of their meal delivery to provide nutrition education and reinforce the message that someone cares. We look forward to next month and homemade granola!

For more information about upcoming classes or nutrition education, please contact Loni Zelfon at (617)522-7777, ext 223 or lzelfon@servings.org