Farmington Hills Family Tests New Kid-Friendly Cooking Videos

A new website designed to encourage more Michigan families to eat well has earned a big "thumbs up" from a Farmington Hills family. 

Susan Greenbaum says her four children – Gillian, 15, Max, 13, Louis and Victoria, almost 11 – have enjoyed browsing through the Cook eKitchen™ video program from HAP (Health Alliance Plan), a Michigan-based non-profit insurance provider. The family was asked by Amy Strauss, who edits HAP's Wise Woman magazine, to give the site a look.

"They love the animation, it grabs them and it makes them want to watch it," Greenbaum said. "I think it gives them good ideas for things they can eat after school, especially when I'm not home." 

A new family favorite is a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies that they've modified into granola bars. They're also looking forward to trying a more healthful version of fettucine alfredo, a creamy Italian pasta dish.

"Those are the things that excite my family the most, things that are rich," Greenbaum said. "As (the children) get older, we've stressed being more health conscious."

The videos are directly aimed at the younger set. HAP is encouraging families with children aged 8 to 14 to take advantage of Cook eKitchen’s educational and entertaining content to help them cultivate healthy eating habits.

“Childhood obesity is threatening the health and well-being of our communities, and we’re excited to introduce this wonderful, engaging resource to our youngest community members,” said Terri Kachadurian, director of HAP's Worksite Health and Wellness Programs.

Gillian Greenbaum, a sophomore at , said her first reaction to the videos was "wow, this is something really cool." As she watched the young, hip chefs preparing snacks and meals, she said, "my mouth watered. A lot of the things are my favorite foods." 

Gillian said she likes that the videos are easy to understand and all of the directions are written in simple language, rather than culinary jargon. The nutritional information published with each recipe also interests her, as do the simple tips for eating better, like using whole wheat pastas and whole wheat flour in recipes.

"Those tiny little changes make it so much healthier," she said. 

Along with healthy twists on favorites like oatmeal raisin cookies, brownies and chicken parmesan, Cook eKitchen features videos of young chefs demonstrating useful tricks for food preparation, such as slicing up sweet potatoes and whipping up buttermilk.

The website also promotes the 5-2-1-0 winning formula from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which HAP endorses. The simple message for kids is: eat 5 fruits and vegetables daily, have 2 hours or less screen time (TV, videos and computer), get 1 hour physical activity a day and consume 0 sweet drinks.

Cook eKitchen is available to the public, not just HAP members.