Healthy Kitchens and Cooking for Nutrition

Seeds for a Future's clean kitchen classes are not just about hygiene and pathogen avoidance, we also offer new ways to use vegetables and nutritious greens.  Participating women and members of our staff share recipes and cooking ideas, all in an atmosphere of fund and mindfulness about maintaining hygienic processes. 

One the best results of these cheerful sessions has been the preparation of a recipe book for tasty and nutritious beverages that mothers can serve their children in place of commercial soft drinks.

Many of these "frescos" are made with vegetables, such as beets (shown above) or carrots, as well as the many fruits readily available in rural Guatemala.  Shown below is a favorite recipe, with an English translation:

FRESCO DE PAPAYA

La papaya contiene vitaminas del grupo B que son vitales para el sistema de defensa del organismo. También cuenta con vitamina E.  

Ingredientes para 8 vasos:

    1 papaya mediana

    8 vasos de agua segura

    Azúcar al gusto

Preparación:

    Lavar la papaya, luego pelarla y cortar en trozos pequeños.

    Licuar en dos vasos de agua segura.

    En un recipiente limpio agregar el jugo y azúcar al gusto.

PAPAYA DRINK

Papaya contains vitamins from the B group, which are important to the immune system, as well as Vitamin E.

Ingredients for 8 glasses:

    I medium papaya

    8 glasses (8oz ea) of clean water

    Sugar to taste

Preparation:

    Wash the papaya, peel it and cut it into small pieces.

    Liquefy the papaya pieces with 2 glasses of the clean water

    In a clean container, combine the juice with the remaining water and add sugar to taste.

* * * * * * * 

You can see that the basic recipe is simple, the instructions include reminders about kitchen hygiene, and the result will be tasty and refreshing, and much more healthful than commercial soft drinks -- as well as much less costly!  Because many women may not be able to afford a blender or may not have electricity, when our team leaders demonstrate these recipes for groups of participating women, they always make a "low-tech" batch by finely chopping the papaya or other fruit or vegetable and then press it through a sieve, getting the same delicious result with only a little bit more effort.

Here’s a link to the entire recipe book, so you can see the pictures and the wide variety of nutritious and delicious fruits, greens and vegetables that are included, Frescos Y Atoles.

Seeds for the Future need your continuing support, so our local team can continue to make all these great things happen, including printing enough copies so each participating woman has one for her kitchen. 

We also use your support to pay the staff that makes the follow-up visits, to fund the field days and group education meetings, and to make sure rural families are learning how to protect themselves against malnutrition and give their children a good start in life!

Thank you for your support!