Healthy cooking can be fun — and taste good, too.

That was the message Wednesday night at Great Grains Market & Café during the first of a series of cooking classes put on as part of the AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project.

Teaching a class of about 20 students, mother-daughter team Pam and Laura McKinley of Michigan demonstrated how to make four vegan recipes, while also sharing personal stories about how good health has benefited their lives.

Pam McKinley said 13 years ago she weighed 120 pounds more than she does currently and she ended up losing her gall bladder. That’s when things changed.

“We made some radical changes in our lives, and we found we didn’t want to go back to the way it was,” she said.

She and her family went from eating three meals a day with their heaviest meal at the end of the day. They followed many of the typical American food habits, so making a switch to a healthier lifestyle took a lot of time, diligence and effort, she said.

They switched from eating a lot of processed foods to now making everything from scratch. And they’re eating more food than they ever have before.

“I eat more now than when I was over 200 pounds,” the mother said. But the key is that she’s eating more whole foods.

Pam McKinley said the family members now eat two meals a day with their heaviest meal at breakfast. They don’t snack and they only drink water.

“Does that sound strange?” she asked the class members.

The mother said if people can change their addictions to sugar, fats and salt they can change their habits permanently.

While the family, of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, follows the health principles of the church, they’ve also learned the truth behind those guidelines through applying them to their lives.

Laura McKinley said she used to not enjoy cooking, but now that has changed.

She said she likes to spend one long day in the kitchen to prepare for the rest of the week.

The following are some of the recipes taught in the class, including commentary from the McKinleys:

Triple berry crisp:

1/4 c. oil

1/3 c. honey

1/2 c. nuts

1/2 c. flour

2 c. quick oats

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix crisp ingredients together and put aside.

In a bowl, mix 6 lbs. of frozen fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries) and one, 12-oz. can of apple juice concentrate with 1/2 can of water.

Bring to a boil and then add arrowroot or cornstarch solution (3 Tbsp. arrowroot or cornstarch in 1/2 c. cold water, stir to dissolve.)

Place in a 9X13 deep baking dish and place crisp on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.

Laura McKinley said this recipe was one of her family’s favorite recipes. She noted she likes to double the crisp topping.

Pam McKinley said they make the berry crisp more often now for breakfasts and even birthdays, instead of having cake.

The equivalent of applesauce can be substituted for the apple juice concentrate.

Scrambled tofu

6 lbs. fresh water-packed tofu

turmeric

onion powder

garlic powder (without baking soda in it)

salt

olive oil

Sautee tofu then add seasonings to taste. Turmeric will turn a bright yellow.

Laura McKinley said she doesn’t have the exact measurements on the different spices used. She just tastes the food as she goes along to see what needs to be added.

French toast

3 boxes Mori Nu tofu, extra-firm

non-alcoholic vanilla

non-alcoholic almond extract

2 quarts soy milk

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or blender and make French toast.

Pam McKinley stressed the importance of the breakfast meal. It sets a person’s metabolism for the rest of the day, she said.

Great Grains Market & Café owner Norah Nainani said she came across the McKinleys through a lifestyle center with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Nainani said she wanted to have the cooking class at her store and cafe, not only because of the Vitality Project, but because of community outreach as well.

She will have several other cooking classes there this summer and hopes to add other types of classes, such as a depression recovery, as well.

For more information about the classes, which are through Albert Lea Community Education, visit http://albertlea.revtrak.net/tek9.asp?pg=Community_Ed&sess=ce1141a075e4d94a0097ccac65dbdb47.

Great Grains will have its official grand opening on Monday at 9 am. During that time, there will be 25 percent off everything in the store, free food samples, among other things, Nainani said.