| Every night when you go home, you have to make a | | | | • Nutrients are lost |
| decision about what to have for dinner. For the most | | | | • They become visually unappealing |
| part, we would like to eat nutritious food, but many of | | | | • Harder to cook successfully |
| us didn't grow up learning how to cook healthy meals. | | | | • Loss of flavor! |
| If you're watching your health, eating out is not the best | | | | Step 2: Select the freshest ingredients when you shop |
| option, so most people look in their cookbooks for | | | | Be aware of what you're choosing, even if you shop |
| recipes. This isn't always the best solution, because | | | | at the local produce stand or farmers market. Some |
| recipes lie. But, if you know the right way, it's very | | | | items may still be fresher than others and the most |
| easy to cook nutritious food every night of the week. | | | | nutritious, healthy food is the freshest. You have to be |
| This is the process that many people go through: | | | | even more aware if you shop at the local mega |
| 1. You come home from work, and have to start | | | | grocery. |
| planning dinner. | | | | In understanding how to cook healthy, you need to be |
| 2. You've already cooked the 5 things you know how | | | | able to understand the difference between fresh food |
| to cook this week. | | | | and food that has been ripened artificially or is not ripe |
| 3. You need more ideas, | | | | at all. Do you know how to tell a fresh orange or |
| 4. You look through the pantry, consider calling for | | | | grapefruit? Did you know that color is NOT an |
| pizza... | | | | indicator of freshness in peaches? |
| It's not only exhausting, but you have to re-educate | | | | Step 3: Storing Fresh Ingredients |
| yourself every single night. It's not going to get you the | | | | For maximum shelf life, nutritional preservation and |
| results you want or deserve for yourself and your | | | | budget savings, there are three issues in storing fresh |
| family. If you're looking to cook more nutritious food at | | | | ingredients: |
| home, save time and have endless cooking ideas, | | | | 1. Moisture |
| you're in the right place. | | | | 2. Air circulation |
| There are 5 simple steps to cooking with fresh | | | | 3. Temperature |
| ingredients. | | | | Not everything can be thrown in to the drawer in the |
| Step 1: Get Fresh Ingredients | | | | refrigerator and preserve their freshness. In fact, some |
| • The first step for using fresh, seasonal | | | | things will suffocate in a plastic bag. Other produce will |
| ingredients is to actually GET some. | | | | need to be wrapped tightly to retain moisture. Other |
| • This could be the most difficult step for many of | | | | items will need to be kept cold, while others will |
| you that are used to the huge mega-mart grocery | | | | degrade under the cold. |
| store. | | | | Step 4: Master a few basic cooking techniques |
| There are alternatives. My eyes were opened to | | | | At the very least, master the following techniques: |
| more alternatives during my trip to Paris, France. The | | | | 1. Understanding the transfer of heat |
| food culture in Paris is so much different from where I | | | | 2. Saute method |
| live in the US. There were very few corporate "chain" | | | | 3. Know how to make sassy sauces |
| restaurants there. | | | | But there are so many more. All of the basic methods |
| Many of the restaurants were small, 10 table places | | | | in cooking are covered in my live cooking classes. |
| where there were three people on staff, the chef, the | | | | Giving you the tools to understand these basic |
| maitre d' and the dish washer. They had their service | | | | methods is what makes my approach to teaching |
| each night and went home. Each time I asked why | | | | cooking so unique and why people rave about my |
| their food tasted so good, they all had the same | | | | Web Cooking Classes. Web Cooking Classes |
| answer. And, not a single person bragged about their | | | | empowers you with a thorough understanding of basic |
| recipes. | | | | methods which allows you to cook and create without |
| Instead, I was told that I needed fresh, simple | | | | a reliance on recipes. Pure freedom! |
| ingredients. I discovered that I needed to examine | | | | Step 5: Finishing the Process with Fresh Herbs |
| where my food is coming from. This doesn't mean | | | | This is the number one question I get during my live |
| simply the store where you shop, but what is the | | | | cooking classes: |
| country of origin for your food. Think about how you | | | | Q: "Which herbs to use and how much to use?" |
| feel about your money going to another country when | | | | A: "Use the ones you like." |
| there are farmers in your community that need your | | | | Seriously! Use your nose to see what it reminds you |
| help. Now think about how long ago that vegetable | | | | of, use the ones that you like and use as much as you |
| was harvested in the far away country, and what | | | | like. |
| happened to it during its travels. | | | | You want to know my number one herb secret? |
| It might be inconvenient to drive past dozens of | | | | Herbs go last! Fresh herbs should not be cooked. In |
| mega-marts to find a farmers market. But you may | | | | fact, just the heat of the finished dish is enough to |
| find that there's a local produce roadside stand near | | | | release the aromas of fresh herbs. |
| you that you've avoided. In my case, I signed up for | | | | These are the secrets that chefs know about how to |
| "The Produce Box" which delivers fresh community | | | | cook healthy which are so easy to incorporate into |
| supported agriculture to my doorstep. Fresh is | | | | your every day cooking. You can cook nutritious food |
| important because fruits and vegetables degrade as | | | | that you want to eat for your health and for how |
| soon as they're picked. | | | | wonderful it tastes. |