Forget fast food and BPA-laden food storage containers for good! Joyce Lande, certified nutritionist and Kitchen coach introduced some new ideas to Sun City residents in her class presentation “Mason Jar Food Fun.”
“I want to ensure nutritional meals for families. And I will show you with Mason jars some quick and easy meals snacks and desserts,” she said.
Lande introduces individuals and families to the Mason jar concept, demonstrating at Dinner Parties, Public Libraries, and in-home Kitchen Coaching.
Nutritionist and kitchen coach Joyce Lande demonstrates creative meal prep in mason jars at a recent presentation in Sun City. (Photos by Christine Such/Sun Day)
“As a kitchen coach, you get one-on-one assistance,” she explained. “I just recently worked with a couple who made a decision to move to a vegetarian lifestyle.”
She worked with them to ensure that had all the supplements that they needed were included in their meals. When they finished planning and preparing the meals, Lande said, “They invited me to stay for dinner!”
Lande has hosted six other nutritional educational classes in Sun City but states, “My favorite is Mason Jar Mania.”
Lande worked with a Ballet Studio with 40 dancers, “Creating and emphasizing the need for nutritional snacks.” She presented each of the dancers with a 4-oz. Mason jar container of trail mix that she mixed herself.
According to Lande, mason jars are versatile and keep food fresher for longer than plastic containers. Here, she displays her Candy Corn Parfait.
“The benefit of doing it yourself is that you can put what you want it that mix and it is much less that purchasing pre-made trail mix,” she said.
The class handout included a “Trail Mix N Match” paper that highlighted the nutritional value.
Mason jars are all the rage these days, and they have become increasingly popular in the home and craft world.
“You can take what’s in your fridge and make yourself a salad, soup or meal,” Lande emphasized. “It’s quick and easy.”
Lande presented ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Not only do the filled jars looked so attractive, but they also last longer in the fridge than if stored in a plastic container. Lande created a breakfast called “Mason Jar Oats,” a salad layered in the jar, a “Candy Corn Parfait,” and even an apple pie in a Mason jar!
Lande showed how versatile the jars are and how they can be used for so many different projects. The artsy world is at your fingertips when you hold a Mason jar in your palm and begin to imagine what it can become. She illustrated this with some beautiful Mason jar votives.
Elaine Cassata, a participant in the class said, “She has wonderful ideas and not only that tell you where to get all that you need!”
You can check Lande’s website for her recipes and ideas at happyandhealthylifestyles.com or sign up for her next class in Sun City in November “Solo Cooking.”
