Classes dishing out tasty, healthy ideas

Like most mothers, Jessica Ruest wanted to provide her family with a tasty, home-cooked meal each night.

"I want both my children to like the healthy food I make for them, but I wasn't sure about a lot of healthy recipes," said Ruest, a Howell resident who attends Cooking Matters classes. "I didn't realize all of the healthy meals I could be cooking."

Ruest was one of the nine families who have been attending a six-week cooking course called Cooking Matters run by the Michigan State University Extension-Livingston County and the Great Start Parent Coalition in Livingston County. Launched in 1993, Cooking Matters classes have been providing families affordable and nutritional cooking classes nationwide.

"We are a community with the Great Start Parent Coalition for this class, but we are also currently partnering with others," including the Putnam Township Senior Center and Child Connect for Families in Howell, said Shelley Frazier, MSU Extension Cooking Matters instructor.

Cooking Matters has served more than 12,000 families each year across the country, helping them learn how to eat better on a budget.

"My kids don't even know it's healthy because the recipes we make are so tasty," Ruest said. "We made a turkey burger the other night, and it was so good."

Recipes are taught to the families during the six-week period, and they get to take home the ingredients of each meal made in class. A volunteer chef also attends and helps when needed. The MSU Extension provides the instructor, and the groceries are provided through a grant from the Livingston County Hunger Council.

Classes are held at the Livingston Educational Service Agency building, and child care is also provided from LESA.

"Not many programs like this offer child care, so we are very fortunate," Frazier said.

Some other items families are able to take home include a flexible cutting board and a can opener.

"We teach the families recipes that are $10 or less for a family of four, and we discuss what meals the group wants to makes," Frazier said. "MSU Extension also provides this service statewide."

Because food banks and the hunger council have noticed people choosing perishables and microwaveable items over produce and vegetables for homemade meals, the need for this service in the area was deemed necessary.

"Not everyone knows how to cook or will make something quick and easy, so these classes are here to offer some guidance when they are shopping," said Frazier, who has been teaching these classes in Livingston County and the surrounding area for three years now.

In order to attend the course, each family must be SNAP eligible, or qualify for food stamps. They don't actually have to use food stamps, just have to qualify, Frazier said.

Locally, Cooking Matters for Adults, Cooking Matters for Childcare Providers and Cooking Matters for Teens classes are offered

"It's a great way to show not only adults, but kids how to cook healthy food," Frazier said.

The two-hour-long classes not only teach the families how to cook, but they also pass along advice about nutrition and what items to purchase when shopping.

"This is something I enjoy about this service — learning all of the benefits to shopping and eating healthy," said Ruest, who has two young children. "These recipes are easy and family-style meals. They're just great classes."

Ruest's outlook on the program is exactly what keeps Frazier teaching.

"I want to help everyone understand the importance of healthy foods, because they are out there and they can be good," Frazier said.

For more information about Cooking Matters classes, Frazier can be reached at frazie60@anr.msu.edu.

Contact Daily Press & Argus reporter Abby Welsh at 517-548-7108 or at awelsh@gannett.com.