Cookin' and eatin'
Rankin prenatal cooking class just yummy

Marty Brown
Northern News Services

RANKIN INLET (Nov 11/98) - There was lots of laughing coming from the Wellness Centre in Rankin Inlet last Tuesday afternoon.

There were also some great smells coming from centre, as well as sounds of children playing. What was going on?

Welcome to the prenatal nutrition class for expectant mothers and mothers of babies six months old and under.

"The purpose of the program is to have healthy mothers and consequently healthy babies," said Myrna Michon, executive director of the Pulaarvik Friendship Centre which sponsors the group.

"At any one time there are 40 pregnant women in town."

The program is only in its third week, but already women are learning that cooking can be fun when there's more than one person in the kitchen. So far, caribou chili and caribou soup have been on the menu. After an afternoon in the kitchen, women and children sample the results.

Linda Maluk went faithfully to the prenatal cooking class in Baker Lake and liked it.

"I love to cook. And here the kids have a place to play and I can watch them while I'm in the kitchen," she said as she grated carrots to be used in a carrot and apple muffin recipe.

The program is used as an exchange of recipes for cheap, nutritious food focusing on country foods. Shopping tips are shared as well as general nutrition tips.

Malak has a recipe for caribou pockets -- buns filled with ground caribou meat and vegetables she will share. Not only is it nutritious and cheap, there's no dishes and kids love them, she said.

While moms measure and stir, they discuss the merits of using peeled apples for the muffins.

"Many of the apple's vitamins are right under the apple skins, but who wants apple peels in their food?" asked instructor Mora Kablalik. Just peel the apples very thinly was the advice.

Wendy Ukpatiku wants to learn how to make buns. Working with yeast has always been a little tricky for her and she feels this may be the place to learn how.

Meanwhile, the cook's children are having a great time playing with toys and other kids from the Moms and Tots program that runs consecutively in the same room.

Funding for this project comes from the federal government and prenatal cooking programs are run across Canada.