Community Corner
Frankfort Woman Wins National Recipe Contest
Erin Burns submitted a kid-friendly taco recipe, which she modifies to meet the nutritional needs of her son, Dean, who has cystic fibrosis.
Frankfort resident Erin Burns was recently named one of three winners in the nationwide 2012 CFChef Back-to-School contest for her recipe for “Fun Taco Boats.”
CFChef is an Abbott-sponsored online nutrition resource that allows people touched by cystic fibrosis to share recipes, receive nutrition tips and access an online cookbook with more than 50 meals and snacks.
Burns’ fourth child, Dean, who is two years old, was born with cystic fibrosis.
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“There’s 30,000 people in the U.S. that have this disease,” said Burns. “This is the way that I felt like I could share the word a little bit.”
Dean’s diagnosis led to a lifestyle change for the entire family. Burns describes the process as both a challenge and a learning experience.
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The cystic fibrosis causes a thick, sticky mucus to form in Dean's digestive tract, making it extremely difficult for his body to digest fat. People with cystic fibrosis often require 110-200 percent of the typical calorie recommendation for someone their age and gender. At age two, Dean must consume 1,900 calories each day.
For Burns, who works part time in addition to raising her four children, adapting family meals to meet Dean’s needs necessitates a reliance on easily modified recipes, including Fun Taco Boats.
The boats contain the healthy fats Dean requires, in ingredients like cheese, sour cream and guacamole. Because the recipe also includes lentils, it’s simple to adapt for Erin’s vegetarian husband.
Burns also said that the recipe is fun to make and offers an opportunity for her children to help out in the kitchen.
Suzanne Michel, a registered dietician who specializes in cystic fibrosis treatment, evaluated the submitted recipes.
“Visually, it looked beautiful,” said Michel. “But it also contains every food group you could imagine.”
The wining recipes were determined by nutritional value, flavor appeal, creativity and the story behind the recipe.
As one of the contest winners, Burns’ picture and recipe were featured on CFChef. She also received a nutrient calculating scale.
To read Burns' winning recipe, visit the CFChef website.
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