A win, win

Bright, fun cover of card

Seriously! I've said it time and time again -- I love what I do! Every day I'm reminded how my cooking classes and presentations, cookbooks, blogging, and speaking events touch others lives. It's the greatest reward to do what you love and positively impact others too. As my friend Rebecca says, "It's a win, win."

Saturday, when I picked up my mail...Surprise, surprise... A teary eyed surprise. A thank you card from the Clark College "Food and Your Health" students and a Chipotle gift card for times "You don't feel like cooking" wrote Kristen Myklebust their instructor/my new friend. The card was signed by all of the 100 students I hosted last month. So thoughtful. So sweet. In today's cyber age, it's so nice to receive a handwritten card. The card has a permanent spot on my desk and in my heart.

I feel so proud of what I do. I feel so honored. Thank you for allowing me to be your real example, share my knowledge of food and cooking, and love of life with you. Thank you all for the bright, sunshiny card. It seems this is reciprocity at it's best. A win, win.

Here's some of their comments:

"I loved the energy and info. Walking through Chuck's with you was a blast!" ~ Ryan

"Your food is bomb! And so is your personality" ~Vish

"I love your great personality and amazing cooking! Thanks for a great time." ~Naomi

"Thank you so much for letting us cook with you. You are an amazing person." ~ Tuyen 

"You're awesome and you made cooking class fun!" ~ From your favorite student, Brandon

"Great class. Great food. Wonderful personality." ~ Travis

"Thanks for taking time for us." ~Connor

"You are truly inspiring." ~ Emily

"You rock!" ~ Aaron

 "Chrisetta -- Cooking's back! Thanks to you." ~Kristen, Instructor

Inside

Back

Outside of the Box: Holiday Side Dishes

Today, marked my final cooking class of 2012. I went out with a bang! Showing this lively crowd how to whip up OUTSIDE of the Box side dishes for their holiday meal. On the menu: Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Sage Butter, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Sautéed Collard Greens, and Wild Rice Sauté.

Good food. Good folks. Good times.

Here's a peek at the festivities.

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!