Saint Lambert CLC
Students and families of the Saint Lambert area participated in a two-part workshop geared towards promoting the importance of healthy nutrition practices. An innovative aspect was that parents and students would be split into child-cooking and parent-nutritional info workshops and then brought back together near the end of the evening to integrate their learnings while parents enjoyed the outcome of the children’s workshop!
“We wanted to show our families that preparing healthy meals (together to strengthen their bonds as a family) does not need to be difficult.” - Natasha MacDonald, CLC Coordinator.
The first workshop entitled “Packing Healthy Lunches”, introduced students to healthy lunch alternatives, with a twist on the traditional tuna sandwich as well as introducing other healthy side alternatives such as sesame noodle salad and green salad.
The second workshop was entitled “How to Prepare Healthy Meals as a Family”. Students and their families were educated on healthy eating practices such as how to get full servings of all essential food groups. This was followed by strategies for preparing simple yet interesting meals they can take home and prepare with their families.
Students prepared chicken breasts wrapped in pancetta with leeks, and chicken breasts with asparagus and tomatoes to take home and cook as a family. This workshop was successful in helping children understand nutrition and how to ensure they maintain a healthy diet, along with some exciting twists on traditional dishes. But they also had the opportunity to bond with their parents creating a stronger sense of community. After the workshops students and their families left with their very own CLC Family Cookbook to continue the healthy trends learned with family.
The workshops were a huge success.
“You could literally see the excitement on the children’s' faces as they led their parents and grandparents into their cooking area, showing off all their hard work. The enthusiasm and sense of empowerment was very strong.”
Everyone’s efforts showed in their dishes and parents left understanding the need for attention to food preparation with families, as noted in several parent comments:
“I noticed I need to pay more attention to labels before I buy.”
“I learned that simpler can be better, and to eat less processed foods.”
“I'm re-inspired to eat properly again.”
Thanks goes to the diligent efforts of partners Sandra Power, Holistic Nutritional Consultant and Margaret Kassab of Simple Gourmet. Their efforts ensured that the workshops ran smoothly and effectively while providing students and their families with the know how to prepare healthy meals on their own.
St Lambert compiled a great list of documents for this project, including yummy smoothie recipies, a Family Nutrition Workshop and handouts for Packing Healthy Lunches and Cooking with Kids.
