Let's Cook Some Seasonal Soups Together!

The first Let’s Cook Together in person cooking demo of 2024 ended the older adult program’s February with a satisfying yum—and in a fun new, temporary location (aka Merrill Lynch, which is just down the hall)!

This session was headed by UW Med students Mark, Eliza, Chinenye, Kevin and Samantha who not only demonstrated the butternut squash soup as expected, but also brought two other soups—recipes included—for the crowd to sample. While the demonstration portion of the evening was hands off for the dinner guests, the simple recipe left ample time for the night’s presentation on Blue Zones.

What is a Blue Zone? Besides being a lifestyle brand and book (which are not associated with this session or blog post), Blue Zones are the areas of the world with the highest number of people over 100 years old who are also living independently. From these areas, explorer and journalist Dan Beuttner and his team derived The Power Nine Principals: 9 overarching lifestyle factors that each of the Blue Zones have in common.

The Power Nine principles are:

1. Natural Movement.
2. Having a life’s purpose.
3. Find rituals that reduce stress.
4. Stop eating when you’re 80% full (80% Rule).
5. Prioritize Plant Based Foods (Plant Slant).
6. “Wine” at 5 (or grape juice, resveratrol supplement).
7. Find your people.
8. Put your loved ones first.
9. Find a spiritual practice or sense of belonging.

The Power Nine Principals are more than just dietary habits. They're recommendations for moving through life on your terms for as long as you can! After the presentation was over, the group enjoyed asking questions and discussing how they saw each principal appears in their own lives.

Check out the recipes from the session for yourself!

• Instant Pot Vegan Chili
• Vegetable Barley Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This demonstration was a part of our older adult program’s Winter 2024 “Let’s Cook Together” virtual cooking class. A multi-week venture designed with two things in mind: connection and nurturing our relationships with food.

Participants can suggest recipes and topics for each week’s presentation, and chosen recipes are given out ahead of time, giving each person the time to prepare their home kitchen. Every session welcomes a new group of med students, opening up endless opportunities for multi-generational relationships.

Register for the spring session by contacting Gayle using the information below.

There’s always time to learn something new!