Freshly chopped broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini were stewed in tomato sauce, and Katrina pulled back the lid of the frying pan and stirred it with spiral pasta.
“People eat with their eyes,” Katrina said, noting the bright contrast of red, white and green in Italian vegetable dishes in winter.
In the Cooking Arkansaw class, Katrina and fellow participants meet every Thursday night in March to learn practical skills for healthy eating, nutrition and saving money at the grocery store.
This class is sponsored by the Extended Food and Nutrition Education Program at the University of Arkansas Systems Division Agricultural Cooperative Extension Service Crawford County Office (Van Buren).
This program covers households eligible for Supplementary Nutrition Support Program Benefits (SNAP), Special Supplementary Nutrition Program (WIC) for women, toddlers and children, free or discounted school meals, headstarts, or other nutritional support. Intended for adults.
“This program has actually been in operation for 53 years,” said Keith Creek, an extended food and nutrition education program in the Agricultural Cooperation and Dissemination Services Division at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. “For every $ 1 the government spends to offer our program, we can save $ 10 to $ 15 in medical costs.”
Over the past few years, people have begun to pay more attention to what their food contains and have become more interested in practical dietary preparation, according to Creek.
Students prepared the ingredients in the second class of the month and learned how to use the information displayed on the nutrition label before stirring a delicious meal.
Creek and Chelsea White, Program Assistants to the Extended Food and Nutrition Education Program at the University of Arkansas Agricultural Cooperative Extension Services, led the group to discuss meal planning, unit price calculations, and other strategies for saving money. ..
“Meal planning-it will save you time and your money,” White said. She also recommended finding alternatives to materials that may not be on the store shelves and making a list before stepping into the store.
“Another good tip is that you might think that buying in bulk can save you money, but that depends on the situation,” White said. “… maybe cheaper, but would you like to use them all? If you don’t use them all, it’s not worth the bulk purchase.”
From store layouts to advertising, it’s difficult for families to choose the options that are most useful for their health and budget. Both educators and participants complained about the additional difficulties caused by inflation and product shortages.
Creek explained how inflation affects every part of the food system, from businesses to consumers.
When fuel prices are high, “it costs a lot to bring goods to the store, so we have to give the price to the consumer,” says Creek.
Food costs have risen dramatically over the past 12 months, with meat, chicken and fish increasing by 13%, dairy products by 5.2% and fruits and vegetables by 7.6%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Food Price Index. did.
One participant said he saw the price of egg cases go up by more than $ 5.
After practicing knife skills and safety and learning about composting, the group split into two teams. One makes fried rice with chicken and the other makes Italian vegetables for winter.
Each team collected materials and equipment from the back of the room and brought them to their respective stations. After that, the participants sliced the vegetables together, warmed the rice, cooked the eggs and cooked the meal.
Kena and Katrina shared how their friends enjoy cooking in class by putting chopped vegetables in a frying pan to make pasta dishes.
“It’s something for us to do, learn and spend time together,” Katrina said, learning a lot in class while working as a cook.
Eventually, the smell of delicious food drifted, and the group returned to enjoy their work with a white apple salad.
The Cooking Arkansas class is one of many services offered by the Cooperative Extension Service Crawford County Office, including workshops on nutrition, finance and canning.
For more information on programs and resources, please visit www.uaex.uada.edu / counties / crawford or call 479-474-5286.
