By Chad Feehan / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The City of Mount Pearl is offering a life skills slow cooker class, focusing on how to cook nutritional meals on a budget.
Councillor Isabelle Fry pointed out the need for the program and the importance of eating well on a budget, given the cost of groceries in recent years.
The first session will cover topics such as food skills and why they matter, how to read food labels, shelf life, and how to cook a pulled pork sandwich.
The second session will focus on cooking beans, lentils, and the protein that they offer, as well as useful tips for websites, flyers, and apps.
Councillor Jim Locke noted that while the registration cost is $10, the nutrition levels of many seniors, due to a variety of factors, are not always being met.
“I’m sure if the money is an issue for any seniors we could certainly reach out to the City and certainly, certainly help seniors if that is an issue here,” he said. “I would like to reach out to the seniors as an educational process, let them know at their particular age, the important nutrients for males and females, and what foods they could target to get the essential nutrients and vitamins.”
Locke then segued into an additional seniors issue, noting the thousands of seniors in the city who are not a part of the very active Mount Pearl Seniors Independence Group, which has hundreds of active members.
“I would like to take some initiatives to reach the thousands of seniors who are not as active, or as engaged, or as informed,” he said.
Registration for both winter sessions opened this week, but two more sessions will be open for registration in the spring on March 26 at 5:00 p.m. and March 28 also at 5:00 p.m. on the City’s website.
