On Thursday, September 5, Notre Dame School students shared their kitchen with Alex Snodgrass of The Defined Dish.  Alex is a well-known and highly followed food blogger who put her healthy pizza bites recipe to the test with the students of Notre Dame School.  And the results were devoured!  Alex arrived with par-baked bagels nestled into muffin pans.  Students topped the bagel crusts with sugar-free marinara sauce and organic mozzarella and pepperoni pieces. Mini pizzas were baked for 5 minutes, and then enjoyed.  Seconds, please!  This recipe came from her soon-to-be released cookbook (available for pre-orders now on Amazon and target.com). Alex creates healthy recipes that are pleasing to the palate, even that of picky teenagers.

“I haven’t had that much fun cooking in a long time,” stated Snodgrass.  “I love that Notre Dame School knows the importance of healthy eating and incorporates cooking into their weekly curriculum.  Getting kids into the kitchen and exploring new foods is important to creating healthy lifestyles as adults.”

Cooking is one of many daily living skills taught at Notre Dame School.  The School is equipped with three daily living skills classrooms which have full working kitchens complete with ovens, microwaves, dishwashers.  These classrooms also have Murphy beds and washers and dryers.  Teachers lead students in daily activities such as preparing simple meals, doing laundry and other household chores so they can be as independent as they are able.

Notre Dame School educates students with developmental disabilities and facilitates their integration into society.  As the only school in Dallas exclusively serving this student population, Notre Dame School is a unique educational resource in our city and provides special education to 163 students ages 6 to 22.  Notre Dame School is a Catholic school and is sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame.