Overwhelmed by Healthy Cooking? Start Here!
Pasta Is Done When You Throw It Against The Wall . . . And It Sticks
Hungry for a baked potato? Stab some holes in a spud and microwave for 10 minutes. How about some blueberry muffins slathered in margarine for dessert? Grab a box from aisle five.
If you’re wondering, I’m summing up my culinary education from birth to eighteen for you here. Ahem.
Learning to cook real food was not something that happened gradually for me. One day I can’t even look at the bones from the my extra spicy Wingstop order, the next I have fish heads in my cabinet . . . and they are looking at me!
But Oh, I Had Motivation
Tens little finger and ten little toes to nuzzle and squeeze and kiss and coo over. I wanted a BABY. . . and a baby was the last thing I could have. Blood tests revealed that years of lowfat dieting had lowered my cholesterol to nearly undetectable levels – lower than those long distance runners who don’t get periods. It’s embarrassing to admit now, but when I first heard the numbers I thought it was a good thing! Um, no. Cholesterol is necessary for producing the hormones that sustain a pregnancy, she told me. Fine, then. I went home and drank 8 oz of olive oil straight. (Do not ever do this! You will puke for 10 hours!)
I wanted cholesterol. I wanted a baby. I wanted my horrible acne, acid reflux, anxiety and chronic exhaustion to just GO AWAY. I wanted all of those things and more, but what I NEEDED was real food. So, with Nourishing Traditions in hand, I hacked away at my old food habits until every single one was gone. No one else I knew was eating this way and honestly I kind of felt like the unibomber while concocting ferments in my kitchen. It was hard. And frustrating. And because of all the failures I had to throw out, it was expensive too.
And If I Were On That Journey Today . . .
It would be totally unnecessary.Truth is, the nourishing lifestyle is NOT complicated, but making the transition on your own can be. As much as I would like to invite each of you into my kitchen and show you firsthand what a rich experience traditional cooking can be, I simply can’t. Maybe if we get our dream house I can invite some of you, but not the ones that live in Belgium ; – )
If you’re muddling through the transition to real food and don’t want to wait for my new kitchen, Jenny at Nourished Kitchen is enrolling now for her updated and fully revised How To Cook Real Food eCourse complete with 45 video tutorials, over 100 recipes, worksheets to help you develop your own recipes, tips for sticking to your budget and lifetime access to all teaching materials. This is the most comprehensive Nourishing Traditions-style cooking course I have ever seen. She’s even added a class on grain-free cooking for those of us who have abandoned bread and all it’s cohorts.
Interested?
You can check out the course details here and here. The class is $199, but by registering before September 15th at midnight you’ll save $50, which drops it to $12.50 a class.
UPDATE: Hey! Jenny just sent me an email offering Mommypotamus readers a $25 discount IN ADDITION to the $50 early bird price PLUS a 3 month subscription to her meal planning info. Thats $105 in discounts! The discount code is MOMMYPOTAMUS
Or you can go here to sign up!
Whenever I notice lumps now I do my whole regimen: Phytolacca...
kate
My mom just signed up for this the other day. We are going to go through it together.
Heather
Fun! I haven’t had time to save for it (since I just found out it was going on) but I am trying to find room in my budget to enroll!
Esther
I would love to enroll as well! How time consuming do you think it will be? I’m trying not to over commit to things right now but am dying to join the class!
Heather
It’s one class per week, but you don’t necessarily have to follow that schedule. You have lifetime access to all the materials so you could set the pace at whatever you want.
Having done this for awhile now I have to say I think there is a lot of value in this course. For example, there are a lot of recipes for making kombucha on the internet but only a few worth using. It’s important to learn from someone that is knowledgeable so you don’t end up with something too acidic (or not acidic enough, which can foster the growth of bad bacteria). Jenny is very informed and I know she will do a great job. I really hope to enroll, too!
Crystalyn
I’m considering enrolling. However, it’s expensive for us, so I’m struggling with it. Is she vegetarian friendly at all, or does she really push eating meat? Being a strict vegetarian for 20+ years, I get turned off by people pushing the importance of eating meet (I don’t agree) But… my hubby eats meat, so I cook it for him. I’d like a course that could help with both of our diets, and Harper’s too (she’s basically vegetarian, so far)
.-= Crystalyn´s last blog ..Richardson Wildflowers =-.
Heather
Crystalyn, I think a lot of people taking the course must be vegetarians, because Jenny got so many inquiries as to whether this course was veg-friendly that she posted this:
What if I’m a vegetarian? Can I still take the course?
Yes! Most of the lessons are vegetarian.
We only have one class on meat. The classes on grains will teach you how to get even more nutrition out of the whole grains you eat.
Robin
Your early culinary “education” sounds just like mine! We’ve been transitioning into real food for the past 2 years now. It’s amazing how even small steps can get you to great new places over time. Our food, cooking, and life is so different… and so much better!
This class looks great. I’ve often want to sign up, but funds make it hard. Hopefully one of these days we can. I think I’ll appreciate it even more now.
Great site. Glad I found it!
Robin´s last [type] ..Day 42: Strength Training: Arms
Heather
I love your blog name, Robin! I think I need to thank my body . . for not holding the ways I have abused it against me, of course. And also for birthing my two beautiful children! Oh, and I love your superhero pic. Awesome!
Brittany
I am literally going to beg my husband to let me do this course when he gets home from work today! =) I have a lot of “weird medical mysteries” that have been dumped into the you-have-fibromyalgia category, but I really think that my diet has a lot to do with it. I always thought that I ate fairly healthy foods, but I realize that is far from the truth!
I’ve been living in a hotel for the past two weeks with my husband and baby and have no way of cooking anything and barely have any fridge space (tiny, tiny fridge). Just a fridge and a microwave (which I almost completely refuse to use!). How is one supposed to eat real food when none is available?! We eat out for at least one meal every day! My poor body doesn’t know what hit it!
Heather
Brittany – Have we talked about GAPS? If not, shoot me an email, okay?
Renee N.
Wow, Brittany, you’re in the same boat as me! I thought for SURE I had hypothyroidism, but after so many “normal” lab results, the doctors keep saying fibro. *sigh* I finally realized a few months ago that it’s probably my diet. I can’t wait to get back to the US (stationed in Japan now) and have more options on food choices (I can’t read/speak Japanese and the food is expensive). I’m just now getting into real food and will be returning in about 2 months. I am so tired of being ill!
Brittany
I’ve wondered about the hypothyroidism as well. Interesting! Even with the small changes I’ve made in my diet, I have ABSOLUTELY noticed a difference. I hope that coming back to the US is easier for you. We are only in the states for another year (or two at the most) and will be moving to Romania. My husband swears that it will be easier in Romania because there won’t be as many packaged/fast food options available as there are here, but that also tells me organic will be hard to find. In some ways, I’m worried about making all of these changes and settling into a healthy diet and then in a year, having that all stripped away and having to figure this stuff out all over again. I guess we’ll see.
Heather, we haven’t talked about GAPS. Look for an email from me! =)
Renee N.
Heather,
You are always such an encouragement to me. I read a lot of real food blogs and keep thinking that these women must have learned to cook during childhood to know so much. I thought that was the case with you, too. I know it’s silly to assume, but I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t learn to cook growing up because my mother didn’t like to share “her” kitchen. So now as a married woman, I often find myself completely envious of women who seem to know what they are doing as housewives (and there are huge expectations for military wives). I’m so embarrassed to admit that I am still a beginner. Not just with cooking, but cleaning and… well, everything really.
I just want you to know that it means a lot to me when you write such honest, humble blog posts. It is so encouraging. Thank you so much.
By the way, I would love to take this class, but I’m so worried I wouldn’t follow through with it after paying for it. lol. That’s quite like me. =[
In Christ,
Renee
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