October 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 59

The careful combination of all these
program ingredients resulted in each
Super Chef camper creating their own
food plate, as well as learning how to
properly serve a meal, dining etiquette
and cooking and kitchen etiquette.
The total time for meal preparation
was approximately 35 minutes, but the
Super Chef lunch was an hour-long celebration of healthy eating. In addition
to their park heroes, Super Chefs also
invited staff from the city manager's office, city council and park board to join
the special lunch and celebrate healthy
eating. Guerra stated that one Super
Chefs program goal was " to serve a
well-balanced meal that would provide
as many vitamins, minerals and whole
foods as possible. "
The invited guests enjoyed a menu of
veggie kabob appetizers, Latin lettuce
tacos with Southwestern black bean salad as the main course, and strawberry
graham delight as dessert. The veggie
kabobs, both low in carbs and calories,
incorporated lots of vegetables and provided an excellent source of minerals
and vitamins. The Latin lettuce tacos
served as a lower-carb alternative using
lettuce as a wrap instead of a flour- or
corn-based tortilla. Complex carbs were
provided by the Southwest black bean
salad - the beans, along with chicken,
added lean protein to the meal. Avocados were added for texture and healthy
fats, while low-fat graham crackers kept
the dessert course light. Super Chefs
also learned that strawberries are packed
with antioxidants - they not only taste
sweet and delicious, but they also help
the body fight disease.
At the conclusion of the program,
for their participation and accomplishment, each Super Chef received a
golden spoon and certificate signed by
Grand Prairie's Director of Parks, Arts
and Recreation, Rick Herold.

A Healthier Future
The Super Chefs learned that their overall
wellness depends on their commitment to
stay physically active and eat healthy foods.
Summer camp staff taught the youth that
the fitness activities in which they participated, in addition to the healthy eating lessons, were all part of learning how to live
a healthier lifestyle. GP-PARD's Summer
Fitness Initiative included all campers taking part in physical activity for 30 minutes
twice a week and a benchmark assessment
every four weeks.
This assessment included activities such
as recording the number of frog jumps or
shuttle runs campers could complete in 30
seconds. The goal of the initiative was to
quantify the effects of organized fitness on
the campers' overall fitness levels. To celebrate their fitness accomplishments, a Superhero Run/Walk was held just for sum-

mer campers, during which they celebrated
with some of their favorite superheroes.
Campers learned the basics of the wellknown 80/20 rule of fitness: 80 percent
nutrition and 20 percent exercise. Teaching the campers the basics of nutrition
and exercise is part of GP-PARD's essential ingredients for a healthier future for
all Grand Prairie residents. GP-PARD
works to teach all summer campers and
their families the value of a healthy diet
that will have countless long-term benefits. In Grand Prairie, recreation center
staff members teach youth and families
that making healthier food choices and
staying physically active directly affects
overall well-being. In Grand Prairie, Super Chefs are our superheroes!
Mariana Espinoza is the Senior Recreation
Supervisor for the Grand Prairie Parks, Arts and
Recreation Department (mespinoza@GPTX.org).

DO YOU HAVE SPACE FOR A

SOCCER CENTER?
SOCCER5 USA creates, delivers and operates Soccer 5 centers,
the nation's premier state-of-the-art, small-sided soccer
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is suitable for a P3 small sided soccer development.

Please join us October 5th at the NRPA Conference
(Room 230) in St. Louis by registering for our session
More Spaces to Play, More Places to Learn

Constructive 4 is a leading consulting group with
20+ years of national experience in parks soccer
planning and development, and Soccer 5 USA is one
of the nation's leading small sided soccer operators.

Consulting and Development:
alan.georgeson@constructive4.com | 305 393 5230
Soccer 5 Operation:
scott.georgeson@soccer5usa.com | 305 965 9855

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Parks & Recreation

October 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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