An OUTSIDE of the Box thank you

Oh, how time flies when you're having fun! It's hard to believe that only a year ago I authored my first convenient little cookbook, Bringing Cooking Back. As I type, the press is rolling for more copies of my latest cookbook -- Shop, Cook, Eat: Outside of the Box.  The books will hit the shelves of Clark College Bookstore, Friday, December 7th for winter quarter 2013. This will mark the second quarter that my cookbook is a required text for Health 100: Food and Your Health students. Yay!

Thank you Clark College for believing in me to author the cookbook and your continued support. For those of you, yeah you, who bought the cookbook and embraced the OUTSIDE of the Box movement -- thank you, thank you, thank you. The last few months have been delicious fun and I'm looking forward to many more!

Holiday Samplin' & Signin'

Throughout the month of December, I'll be at Chuck's Produce & Street Market servin' up select recipes from my NEW cookbook -- Shop, Cook, Eat: Outside of the Box.

Stop in grab a sample and get a signed copy of my cookbook for you or a loved one. Give the gift of health this holiday season!

Here's some photos of the fun today!

Chuck's Produce & Street Market
13215 SE Mill Plain Blvd.
Vancouver
360.597.2700

I'll be in store on these days:

Friday, December 7, 11-2
Tuesday, December 11, 11-2
Sunday, December 16, 11-2
Tuesday, December 18, 11-2
Friday, December 21, 11-2
Sunday, December 23, 11-2

The Jensen's: Outside of the Box

Jennifer admittedly can't cook. It's not that she doesn't have a desire to cook. But her parents didn't cook and so she never learned.

As an adult and now a mother of three, Jennifer realizes the importance of home cooked meals. She doesn't want her children to grow up eating restaurant fare and boxed, processed food. She wants to  feed her kids, her husband, and herself real food. She wants to pass down loving food memories from the comfort of their kitchen at home.

So rather than sit on the sidelines. Jennifer decided to take control and she's involving the entire family: Josh her husband and her beautiful kids, David, Bella, and Sarah. She discovered the free cooking classes offered at Chuck's Produce & Street Market and decided to give the classes a try.

I had the pleasure of having them for their first ever cooking class a couple of Sunday's ago. What a delight it was to have them.  The kids added real spunk to the class. Bella is the cook of the the family and she was just too cute. After class they hung out a little longer than most of the crowd.  They purchased a copy of my cookbook, we chatted, took photos and away they went. Or so I thought...They showed up again this past Friday for my Soup & Sandwich class. It was such a surprise to see them all because this class was during the mid-day. Typically the kids would have been at school, but they so happened to have a half-day. They could have been anywhere, but they were spending their afternoon with me. Learning how to cook. Heavy, heavy sigh. The pure joy of what I do!

I barely know Jennifer, but I am very proud of her for stepping OUTSIDE of the Box, taking control of her family's health, and ultimately passing down the art of cooking to her children. I'm confident that you'll be whipping up meals at home in no time, Jennifer.

The Jensen's are OFFICIALLY Outside of the Box!

Outside of the Box: Soup and Sandwich

Another SOUPer day at Chuck's Produce & Street Market! Today, I whipped up my Simply Unforgettable Tomato Soup paired with Grown-Up Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (Provolone and White Sharp Cheddar). Bonus: I served Organic Honey Crisp Apple slices to go with.

Good eats. Good folks. Good times. I love what I do! 

We are SMART

"We've been playing it safe." I said to the group. "I've been treading lightly with you all. But, it's time for us to up the ante. I want more for you. I want more for me."

Filling out the end of year survey

Last night, marked our final "5 or 50" meeting for 2012. As the facilitator, as the leader, I'm supposed to well, lead. I've spent the last five months getting a feel for my role (this is my first time ever doing this), but more importantly I've been learning who the women are that make up the group.

I want the group to be a safe place, a comfortable environment. Where we can share and grow. In order to grow, however, we are going to have to get a little uncomfortable. I told the ladies. "We have to come out of our comfort zones."

Now that I have a sense of who the regulars are that attend the meetings and their personalities -- it's time. It's time for me to really start helping them make significant life changes.

With a fist pump, I said, "We can't stay here and change."

I created the group with them in mind. I want to empower them to change and I want them to own the group. So for our meeting last night I put together a survey to get their feedback about the group thus far and to help guide our future time together.

"I want to start 2013 off STRONG." I said. "Let's claim 2013 as our best year yet."
"2013 will be our best year yet." The group said together in unison.

To gear us up for the new year I put together a SMART GOALS and ACTION PLAN packet (the Wellness Coaching class I took last year at Clark College in full effect). Then we went around the room going over small changes that we can implement between now and the new year. The SMART packets are our homework over the holiday break. When we come together for our first meeting of 2013 we will share them with one another and then get to work, making the changes. And, ultimately changing our lives.

We are beautiful, strong, capable, and SMART.

Gen and Peggy -- Newcomers

More about SMART GOALS---

A SMART goal is:

• S is for SPECIFIC. Decide what you are going to do and how to do it.
• M is for MEASURABLE. Keep track of how you are doing.
• A is for ACHIEVABLE. Pick something you think you can do. Start with small changes. Is running a 4-minute mile possible for you?
• R is for REALISTIC or (REWARD). Be realistic about the goals you set. Getting down to your high school weight after having 3 children may not be realistic. Set a goal that you can not only attain, but is in reason for you. You know yourself best.
• T is for TIME-SPECIFIC. Give your goal a deadline.

SMART goals are to be written down in a certain way, it gives them even greater power. 

“Goals not written down are just wishes.”

The blog post that inspired the group:

5 or 50 

Join us for our first meeting of 2013

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

6 - 7:30 p.m.

Cascade Park Community Library
Family Room
600 NE 136th Ave
Vancouver
360.256.7782