Food and Wine
Healthy, kidfriendly cookbook Jim Burke Education Foundation’s Dream Builders assemble recipes the entire family will enjoy
By Paola Becerra
W
Photos by Greg Nichols
ith easy recipes for strawberry-banana smoothies and tasty meals like turkey tacos, the “Recipes & Tips” cookbook compiled by a team of local teens is a must-have for households with youngsters. The Dream Builders’ Team Bank of the Sierra — a Jim Burke Education Foundation program for high school seniors whose focus is civic responsibility, life skills and leadership development — partnered with the Get Fit Club!, a community outreach program at Mercy and Memorial Hospitals to promote healthy lifestyles for children ages 8 to 14, and their parents. The goal is to educate kids on living healthy with teachings about nutrition and physical fitness. The students put together a unique cookbook complete with children’s illustrations to get families cooking not only healthy, but also affordable meals and snacks. This cookbook includes tips on shopping, planning and making healthy meals as well as activities and games for children. It’s a nice way for kids to eat well and stay active. All 30 recipes are in both English and Spanish, which helps bring some families together for a fun time in the kitchen. Most of the recipes in the book are pretty straightforward and geared toward children to make on their own, while others may need parental supervision. A few of the recipes don’t even require an 36
Bakersfield Life
April 2012
Dream Builders Team Bank of the Sierra member Annie Berry, left, helps Evelyn Sandate and Melindi Rocha prepare a recipe.
oven or microwave to cook the food, so it’s easy to create a fast and healthy snack. These simple snacks such as peanut butter balls, sweet potato fries, orange soda (made with orange juice), taco popcorn and broccoli salad can keep kids from grabbing unhealthy snacks, plus parents get to spend quality time with their child. Laura Wiener, team adviser for the Dream Builders, said, “The recipes are great. We were blessed to work with incredibly talented students.” The project was started last September, Smoothie said Mikie Hay, vice 1 ripe banana president of affairs for 2 cups frozen strawJim Burke Ford. The berries teens were looking 8-ounce carton of yogurt for needs in the 3/4 cup milk community, so 2 to 3 cubes of ice they decided to Directions help families Peel the banana and work on staying cut it into chunks. Put healthy. banana chunks, strawberries, yogurt and Teddi milk into a blender. Pierce, a senior Blend until mixture is at Bakersfield smooth, and pour it into glasses. High School,