Two women wielding sharp knives can seem a bit scary, except when they are the Chop-Chop ladies. LJA students call them Miss Z. and Dr. Simmons. Miss Z. is the principal of Lubbock Junior Academy and Dr. Simmons is LJA’s full-time certified teacher volunteer. Both have a passion for living a healthy lifestyle and to pass that passion on to their students.

The North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists started Adventist InStep For Life, to promote a life-long exercise plan. The Chop-Chop ladies encourage LJA students to log an hour of exercise for five days out of every week. In addition, they demonstrate healthy, plant-based recipes on most Fridays as a part of the Adventist Youth (AY) program.

One Friday, the Chop-Chop ladies chopped a half dozen apples and tossed them into a mixture of chopped walnuts and light mayonnaise. Students were served a small cup of apple salad and most gave the recipe a thumbs-up. Recently, the Chop-Chop ladies made a sandwich spread of tofu cream cheese, chopped dates, crushed walnuts and a bit of soymilk. This was spread on a saltine cracker. It was an instant hit! The students were pleasantly surprised to realize they were eating a truly plant-based spread. You may pick up a copy of the Date Sandwich Spread recipe from the LJA bulletin board in the church foyer.

Susan Zimmermann