By Callum Ludwig
Prepping school lunches can be arduous and stressful, sometimes even requiring multiple weekly trips to the supermarket to keep up the supply of school snacks.
The ADRA Redwood Centre in Warburton is helping to prepare parents for each school week a little better with a free cooking class from Community Cooking Connection.
Local chef Nina Hallicar will be hosting the class and said the Healthy Lunchbox and After School Snack is designed to create awareness about the potential dangers of eating too many pre-made processed foods.
“It offers participants the opportunity to learn how to make easy, healthier alternatives at home. During the two-hour workshop, participants will learn how to prepare and make three healthy lunchbox items – Rice paper Rolls, Honey Popcorn and Green Smoothies,” she said.
“Participants will also learn some handy kitchen time saving techniques and prepare and cook foods using seasonal, healthy and affordable ingredients. “
At the end of the session, everyone will be able to sit, while sharing their thoughts about the food and their cooking experience.
Administrative Assistant at ADRA Redwood, former teacher and mother Keren Wakefield said what kids are eating at school and before dinner is incredibly important.
“As a former teacher, I could see the difference in children once they have eaten something unhealthy, and they came back inside from lunchtime with a sugar rush, and by late afternoon they can struggle to concentrate,” she said.
“Everybody’s time-poor these days, if you can learn how to make simple, fast, easy, but healthy snacks, then you can feel confident you’re sending your kid off to school with something nutritious that doesn’t have to take too long to prepare.”
The class at the ADRA Redwood Centre will take place on Tuesday 28 February from 4pm to 6pm.
Ms Wakefield said she thinks there’s a misconception that grabbing the packaged stuff off of the shelf is cheaper.
“It might be more convenient, but if you’re smart about things, purchase all the right ingredients, use portion control and make it ahead of time, you can actually do it on a much cheaper budget,” she said.
“My tip would be to have it all organised by the start of the week, so you have it all at the ready and aren’t tempted to grab something from a packet because it’s easy.”
To book your place for the Redwood session or organise your own class for your home, at your local community group, school or social gathering, contact Ms Hallicar at communitycookingconnection@proton.me or 0493 662 644.
