The 80/20 Principals
There are several principals I’ve adopted over the years, from the ancient philosophies of macrobiotics and Ayurveda, which have helped me to maintain a disease-free body with a healthy blood pH, better moods, and great digestion. These principals revolve around the ratio of 80:20. I encourage you to try some of them on for size, and see if you experience any pleasant surprises like your weight normalizing, or chronic symptoms disappearing for good!

The first 80/20 principal is this; if you’re feeling well and healthy and in balance, let 80% of your diet be whole foods, and the other 20% be an emotionally soothing deviation. Food has strong emotional effects, and also serves as a wonderful social bonding medium. In a stressful time, we may need to just go out to eat or have a sweet treat at a party, for the sake of preserving our sanity. When you do deviate from your whole foods diet, see it as an experience that feeds your soul, not as an unhealthy mistake. This is important to remember because the emotions you experience while eating are almost as important as what you’re eating. Just say to yourself, “everything I eat turns to health and beauty”, and if you truly believe it, it’ll be way more likely to be so...I love quantum physics!

The vitality-building bulk of a whole foods diet (the 80%) looks like this: seasonal, regional vegetables as 40-60% of the diet with at least 1 bunch of dark leafy greens per day, low glycemic whole grains (brown rice, millet, amaranth, buckwheat or quinoa), soaked & simmered beans of all kinds, fresh raw nuts & seeds, seasonal fruit (avocado has completely replaced my desire for dairy!), moderate amounts of whole sea salts, extra virgin or “unrefined” natural fats & oils, and consciously raised (preferably organic) animal proteins in moderate amounts when needed for building strength and warmth like during hard physical work, pregnancy, weakness, coldness, deficiency-type illnesses, underweight, or if you have meat-eating ancestry (usually type O blood).

Right in-line with the principal above, is the idea of eating 80% alkaline-forming foods and 20% acid-forming foods to maintain an optimal blood pH. Disease cannot take root in an alkaline environment. So, if you can limit acid-forming foods to less than 20% of the diet (coffee, all forms of sugar, alcohol, meat, refined salt, white flour products, pasteurized dairy, and packaged & restaurant foods in general), you’re on your way to staying disease free! If you’re wondering how to counter balance your morning coffee (or other regularly-ingested acid-makers), here’s the list of foods foods known to be particularly alkaline-forming; leafy green vegetables and non-starchy vegetables, whole sea salts like Himalayan Pink & Celtic, Ume plum vinegar, raw apple cider vinegar, lemon & lime juice, sea vegetables like dulse and kombu, soaked & simmered whole grains like brown rice, millet, amaranth, buckwheat & quinoa, and certain beans like adzuki, mung, and lentils.

Another 80/20 principal is this: eat til' you’re only 80% full. Not overeating is a huge factor in the longevity of indigenous peoples. They tend to stop eating as soon as the feeling of being hungry has subsided. This allows room for digestive juices and the churning action of the stomach to more thoroughly break foods down, enabling easy digestion all the way through the intestines. This practice contributes greatly to vitality because when we have efficient, enzymatic digestion, our bodily energy is free to work to balance and repair all the other bodily systems, instead of having to work so hard on digesting food. So, eat til' you’re just 80% full, as healthy natives do, and “plant a seed of hunger for your next meal”.

Lastly, while I’m on this digestion note, it’s best to not eat a heavy, fatty meal at dinnertime, and always allow at least 2 hrs after eating before going to bed. This promotes health because our liver and gallbladder generally flush between 11PM - 1AM, so, heavy meals with lots of fat lingering in the stomach at bedtime, block this natural, body-balancing routine. Both ancient philosophies of macrobiotics and Ayurveda suggest eating lightly at dinnertime. Try luscious seasonal salads for dinner with brown rice and avocado on the side, or maybe a light bean soup with lots of seasonal veggies. Bon Appetit! And, may your taste buds easily adjust to this new and delightfully healing dance!

Positively Perfect Brown Rice

 This is our first video post!

Today Courtney will start out with some core basics, how to make not just perfect Brown Rice, 

But "Positively Perfect Brown Rice".

Enjoy the video as there is other great information about Whole Food Nutrition. Stay Tuned for our next Video which will show how to make amazing deserts with this rice you have now learned to make, Perfectly:)

And finally below is the written protocol for making the Positively Perfect Brown Rice. Enjoy!

_____________________________

Positively Perfect Brown Rice

The health benefits of organic brown rice are innumerable according to the book Healing With Whole Foods. Rinse 2 cups organic short grain brown rice and soak overnight under an inch of filtered water in the saucepan you plan to cook it in.
Soaking grains for a day before cooking initiates the sprouting process, which 1) makes it more easily digestible,
increases the grain's amino acid profile so it becomes closer to a complete protein, and
neutralizes it's phytic acid which would otherwise bind with minerals in the intestine and inhibit mineral absorption.

Okay, the next day, pour off the old soak water and refill the pot so that the fresh water level is about 3/4 of an inch above the level of the rice - measure it if you have to! (No ruler? It’s the length of your fore finger from the tip to the very first knuckle /joint just above your fingernail - not halfway up your finger). Soaked rice requires way less water to simmer than unsoaked rice.

In fact, this 3/4 inch rule applies to every pot of soaked rice, no matter how big the pot, or how much rice you’ve soaked. Okay, after you’ve got that 3/4 inch of fresh water over the rice, bring it to a boil, reduce to simmer, and stir in1/2 tsp whole sea salt for every 2 cups of soaked rice.

Put the lid on the pot at an angle so the steam can escape, and simmer for 40 minutes exactly. Comes out wonderfully fluffy every time. Enjoy!

Summer Recipes For Whole Foods Fanatics

Arugula Tabouli Salad (aka:”Tabougula”)
sensational summer dish!
Soak 2 cups dry quinoa (any color of quinoa) overnight under about two inches filtered water in the pot you plan to simmer it in tomorrow. The next day, rinse off the old soak water and replace with 4 cups fresh water. Bring to a boil, stir in ½ tsp whole sea salt, and then reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain quinoa immediately then spread out in a large mixing bowl to cool for at least 30 minutes. When quinoa has cooled, stir in 3 - 5 colves finely chopped garlic, 1 bunch finely chopped fresh arugula, ½ bunch fresh parsley, 2-3 diced vine-ripe tomatoes, 1/3 cup high-quality extra virgin olive oil, juice of 3 -4 ripe lemons, 1 tsp whole sea salt to taste, and if desired ½ a red onion - diced. Yum Dude!

Black Eyed Pea Stew with Seasonal Greens, Shitake Mushroom & Arame Sea Vegetable
a one pot meal to refrigerate/freeze for your busy lifestyle
Soak 4 cups dry black eyed peas for 24hrs under 6 inches filtered water in a large (4 - 6 qt.) pot. The next day, rinse off the old soak water and replace with fresh filtered water (enough so the beans are covered by at least 3 inches of water). Bring to a boil, skimming excess foam off the top for the first few minutes. Reduce to a low simmer with the lid on at an angle (so steam can escape) for 45 minutes. Remove lid and stir in 1 Tbsp ground each ground cumin and coriander, ½ tsp cayenne, and 2 Tbsp each ground ginger. Stir and simmer another 5 minutes. Add 4 cups chopped carrot or yam, 2 cups chopped shitake mushroom, and a large handful dried arame sea vegetable - arame contains alginic acid, which helps to bind & remove both heavy metals AND radioactive substances from the body! Okay, simmer 3 more minutes, then add 4-5 cups (as much as will fit in the pot) chopped seasonal greens such as kale, collards, savoy cabbage, bok choy or mustard greens - the darker green, the more bio-available, food-state minerals they have! Turn off heat and stir in 1 Tbsp dried dill, 1 tsp dried/rubbed sage, and ½ tsp marjoram. Next add 5 Tbsp ghee, butter, virgin coconut oil OR high-quality extra virgin olive oil, and 2-3 tsp whole sea salt like Celtic or Himalayan Pink, and the juice of 2 ripe lemons (taste as you go, adding more of any of these if desired). If you've got some leftover brown rice, stir some in at the end if there’s room in the pot. A nice salad on the side makes this a perfect meal. Enjoy!    

July Newsletter 2012: The Rant About Fats

IN THIS NEWSLETTER
    What's New: The Food Tarot
    July Tip: Full-Fat Dairy Vs. Low or Non-Fat Dairy
    Summer Group Class Schedule
    July Article: Ancient Truths About Whole Fats & Oils Vs. Refined Vegetable Oils
    July Recipe: Sugar & Gluten Free Sweet Cultured Coriander Cornbread

WHAT'S NEW

I’m so excited about a fantastic tool my dear, local friend Katy Yurcheshen has created: The Food Tarot! It’s an amazing resource book and playful card set that teaches you how to tap into your intuition and discover a personalized approach to diet and nutrition. Forty two different whole foods are highlighted, and each food includes it's history, classic symbolism, nutritional benefits, and a delicious recipe. It’s affordable, and makes a fantastic birthday gift! Click here to see it...



JULY TIP
Full-Fat Dairy Vs. Low or Non-Fat Dairy
     Calcium from milk doesn’t find it’s way into strengthening our bones unless the milk contains it’s natural fat. Calcium from non-fat dairy ends up getting stuck in the soft tissues of the body, which often leads to hard accumulations and even tumors. So if you love yogurt, milk or cheese, go for the full-fat versions. Also, you want your dairy products preferably raw, preferably organic, and preferably made from goat or sheep milk which is more like human milk and thusly easier to digest. If you’re concerned about too much saturated fat in your diet, see my article below. For more on why raw, full-fat dairy products are beneficial to the body and why pasteurized, low-fat dairy products are a burden to the body, see the Weston A. Price Foundation’s website to search articles about dairy - I highly recommend reading their basic principals of a healthy diet.
     If you’re looking for dietary calcium (which is 20x more bio-available than a chelated calcium supplement), plant-sources are far superior to dairy products. Just 1/4 cup of unhulled sesame seeds equals 40% of your daily value! Other wonderful sources of food-state calcium are; almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, kale, wakame sea vegetable, carob, and bone broth. Lastly, of key importance in calcium absorption is getting enough dietary magnesium through seasonal green leafy vegetables, whole grains, beans, and seeds. Also vital to calcium uptake is enough Vitamin D via sunshine or chlorophyl-rich green foods. For tons more helpful info on calcium absorption, see the calcium chapter of Paul Pitchford’s invaluable book: Healing With Whole Foods.   
                 

SUMMER GROUP CLASS SCHEDULE  
Each class is $30 per person, and includes a meal!    
Please try to RSVP and pre-pay with me at least 3 days before class - THANKS! (805) 528-8837 or courtney@cookwell.org

Cooking Without Wheat & Individualizing Your Whole Foods Diet (CookWell session #2)
Sunday, July 22, 2-4PM at New Frontiers
We’ll discuss: the Ayurvedic body types and beneficial foods for each, the blood type diet guidelines, protein/fat/carb ratios for different metabolic types, basic guidelines for diet & lifestyle according to macrobiotic constitution, maintaining proper body alkalinity through diet, and practicing mindfulness as it relates to preparing healing food. You’ll get 4 handouts for reference: Ayurvedic body types and beneficial foods for each, general principals re: Ayurvedic diet & lifestyle, blood type diet basics, and a list of fantastic recipes! Then, together we’ll prepare: kichadi (tasty East Indian stew of mung beans, brown rice, & seasonal veggies), and fantastic custom cole slaw


Gentle Cleansing With Whole Foods Diet & Lifestyle   
Sunday, July 29, 2-4PM at New Frontiers
I’ll show you how to prepare the foundation of a gently cleansing, healing and revitalizing whole foods diet, from which you can change and add to according to your tastes. We'll discuss several important whole foods diet & lifestyle topics on gentle cleansing such as the basics of macrobiotics, the CookWell list of whole foods preparation staples for your kitchen, the best cooking oils for various temperatures, and the importance of & how to start drinking enough re-mineralized water daily. You'll receive several informational handouts for your reference, as well as a list of fantastic recipes! Then, together we'll make ghee to use as a delicious, stable oil in your cooking, sprouted & simmered brown rice, a dark leafy greens & seasonal veggies stir-steam, and a beautiful pot of black beans. Then, of course, we’ll get to feast together!


How To Make Sauerkraut and Beet Kvaas
Sunday, August 12th, 2-4PM at New Frontiers
I’ll show you how to make 2 very body-beneficial foods: live, cultured sauerkraut AND live, cultured beet kvaas. Cultured, probiotoic foods help us better digest & assimilate nutrients, keep bad bacteria & yeasts in check, greatly enhance our immune function, produce vitamin B12, contribute to beautiful skin, and scientists continue to discover the benefits! Beet Kvaas is a mineral supplement drink and amazing vitality tonic from the Russian tradition. Not only is beet kvaas probiotic, it’s a liver / gallbladder cleanser, helps with disturbed cellular function, helps thin the bile and detox the body, keeps the bowels moving regularly, and builds healthy blood. Everyone will get a bowl of black bean & seasonal veggie stew to enjoy.
                 

Gluten & Sugar Free TEA PARTY CLASS!
Sunday, August 26th, 1-3PM, at Courtney & Don’s home in Los Osos  - This class includes teas and desserts!
We’ll discuss: how to grind fresh & culture whole grains such as millet, oat groats and amaranth for gluten & sugar free baked recipes, and strategies for getting lower glycemic in your diet as preventative medicine. We’ll serve: The Secret Garden’s blended herbal teas alongside our gluten & sugar free desserts: ginger-orange-carrot cake, almond-amaranth cookies, and heavenly lemon-lavender poppy seed cake

     
Whole Foods Cooking for the Optimal Woman - Calcium Uptake, Hormone Balance & Getting Off Sugar
Sunday, September 16th, 2-4PM at New Frontiers
We’ll discuss calcium-rich whole foods meals and how to maximize mineral uptake, hormone balance with whole foods diet & lifestyle, how to wean yourself off spiking blood sugar, the benefits of periodic colon cleansing, emotions as they relate to eating, and how to gently work toward the diet & lifestyle that’s best for you. We'll prepare 2 delicious, sugar & gluten free desserts: apple-raspberry spice & carob-coconut cloud, and tasty toasted sesame-wakame as a calcium supplement. You’ll get 4 handouts for reference: the CookWell calcium protocol, guidelines for hormone balance, fantastic recipes for the optimal woman, and colon cleansing guidelines


Delicious Cooking w/ Sea Vegetables For Beauty & Longevity
Sunday, September 30th, 2-4PM at New Frontiers
We’ll discuss: how to cook flavorfully with various types of sea vegetables (including those which bind and expel heavy metals and radioactive substances from the body!), how to maximize vitamin/mineral assimilation with whole foods combinations, and hormone balance guidelines with whole foods diet & lifestyle. You’ll get 4 handouts for reference: benefits of 7 different sea vegetables with recipes for each, CookWell calcium protocol, guidelines for hormone balance, and fantastic recipes #5 w/ list of tasty herb/spice combinations for seasoning. Then together we’ll prepare: black beans and seasonal veggies with wakame & hijiki sea vegetables



JULY ARTICLE
The Rant About Fats & Oils
     More and more of us are becoming re-educated about the healing benefits of whole saturated fats vs. the harmful effects of refined vegetable oils. In case you or a loved one is still confused, I’ve done my best to sum up the recent findings, which are actually the ways our healthy ancestors and healthy indigenous people have used fats & oils for millennia.
     There’s still a huge misconception about refined oils like canola, soybean and vegetable oil being the fats that will save everyone from heart disease. I’m frustrated about this because my studies in whole foods diet, cooking & lifestyle over the past 14 years have consistently pointed to the opposite being true! Refined (de-natured) vegetable oils are very unstable molecularly, and with any heat or pressure change into trans fatty acids. This is because they’ve been stripped of the naturally occurring lignins present in the whole seed or nut, which help stabilize the oil and keep it from changing molecularly. These refined vegetable oils (found in nearly all processed/packaged foods & restaurant foods) start turning into long-chain trans fatty acids with cooking or processing. Hydrogenated vegetable oils which are found in shortening, margarine, and many processed foods are the very worst kinds of fats for the body. The trans fats from both of these kinds of oils stick to the walls of the arteries, forming net-like matrix. Then, saturated fat from foods like butter, eggs, cheese, & coconut oil gets caught in that net/matrix. So, the combination of refined vegetable oils and saturated fat in the diet (the Standard American Diet - acronym: SAD) is what causes buildup of plaque in the arteries more than any other factor. The remaining causative factors for buildup of plaque in the arteries are; smoking, not drinking enough water daily, and lack of regular exercise.
     Our ancestors and indigenous people ate saturated fats like palm & coconut oil, butter, bacon, eggs and marbled meat up the wah-zoo, and they rarely died of heart disease because they weren’t eating anything made by Frito-Lay or Taco Bell or any restaurant/company using cheap vegetable oils to turn a profit. They’ve eaten whole, saturated fats abundantly for generations and have lived long, healthy, happy lives without heart disease.    
     Whole, saturated fats are very important for many bodily systems such as brain & nerve function, reducing inflammation, hormone balance, healthy skin and connective tissues, and of course, and for regulating a natural & healthy blood lipid profile. “Healthy blood lipid profile with saturated fats?”, you say. “Yes”, I say. If the body doesn’t get any saturated fat in the diet, the liver will begin to over produce it because it’s so necessary for all the bodily systems I just mentioned, and more! Also, whole fats from animal sources (butter, eggs, marbled meat, etc) are a very important bio-available source of vitamin A, D and K which serve as a catalyst for mineral absorption, provide integrity to cell walls, enhance the immune system, protect the liver, and contribute to strong bones. Read more here at The Weston A. Price Foundation's website.
     Aside from the types of fats consumed, the other most important contributing factor to high cholesterol and atherosclerosis is the glycemic aspect of our diets. It takes just two weeks of eating a low-glycemic diet before cholesterol levels drop dramatically. The why of this biochemistry is explained here in the case studies of Dr. Ron Rosedale. How many foods are you eating which turn to sugars quickly in the body? Foods with refined sugars like cookies, candy bars and soda are obviously high-glycemic, but it’s necessary to also take a look at the amount of wheat bread products, pasta, white rice, corn, fruits, died fruits, honey, maple syrup, etc. in the diet. Concerning alcohol (because nearly everyone asks me about alcohol), there are two types which don’t have as an extremely sugary effect on the blood as does wine, beer and other liquors. They are: real potato vodka and real cactus tequila. These types of alcohol are also better because they don’t swing the body’s pH balance so extremely over to the acidic side of the spectrum.
     Slowly but steadily weaning oneself off high glycemic foods is the easiest way to go as preventative medicine for MANY modern diseases, instead of cold turkey because spiking the blood sugar is very addictive. Quitting a high glycemic diet results in headache and fatigue when done too dramatically. As a person eventually makes their way to eating a low glycemic diet, their body’s metabolism switches from burning sugars to burning fats! This process takes about 4 months on average. I lost 10 pounds without even wanting to since going low-glycemic as part of a candida cleanse. For me, not eating any sugar, fruit, or foods which quickly turn to sugar in the body wasn’t easy. Even though I’d been off refined sugars for 5 years, I had to gently wean myself off high & medium glycemic foods over a period of about six weeks, but now my body is candida free, and I’m burning fats instead of sugars! I eat a wonderfully flavorful whole foods diet with liberal amounts of ghee in my stir-fries and beans, organic butter and eggs, lots of high-quality olive oil on salads & veggies, and virgin coconut oil in my desserts. I put fresh, raw nuts or avocado on nearly everything - at least half an avocado at a time! Oh! And I love using the fat from nitrate free bacon in my beans! Delicious!  
     Do you feel overwhelmed with all this info because you’re still eating processed/packaged foods like crackers & chips? Are you still eating a medium-high glycemic diet, or eating out at restaurants regularly? No problem! Just use unrefined (extra virgin) olive oil or sesame oil raw on salads OR for very low heat cooking - eggs or a quick stir-steam. Use only small amounts (1 tsp) of saturated fats for high heat cooking. Choose a high-quality, extra virgin brands of olive oil like Bariani, Spectrum or Bragg's. I’m a recent fan of two exceptional local olive oils: Tiber Canyon in Arroyo Grande, and Olea Farms in Templeton. Try to keep your high-heat cooking & saturated fat intake very low while you make the transition toward incorporating more whole foods into your diet and lessen the amount of refined foods from packages & restaurants. Once you’re significantly lower glycemic in your diet and eating at least 80% whole foods (foods found on the perimeter of the grocery store or from Farmer’s Markets or from a neighbor’s road-side stand; seasonal vegetables especially the dark leafy greens, whole grains like brown rice, millet, and quinoa, whole beans of all kinds, consciously raised eggs, butter and grass fed meats, seasonal fruits, unrefined fats/oils, whole sea salts, and small amounts of unrefined sweeteners), enjoy using the deeply satisfying saturated fats more liberally.

Fats & Oils Guidelines
Below are the guidelines for cooking with the other kinds of unrefined oils for various temperatures according to Paul Pitchford’s amazing book: Healing With Whole Foods.
Use ONLY unrefined (extra virgin) oils. They should be cold pressed and organic. Store oils in airtight, opaque glass at 65 degrees F or less.
~To cook on medium-high heat: ghee, coconut, animal fat, peanut, grapeseed, and palm or palm kernel.       
~To cook on low heat: olive, sesame, almond, apricot kernel, walnut, high-oleic sunflower or safflower, rice bran and avocado. Cooking w/ water helps keep oil temperature lower. These oils are almost always sold in a highly refined state, so be sure the label says unrefined -  usually available at natural food stores.



JULY RECIPE
Sugar & Gluten Free Sweet Cultured Coriander Corn Bread
This recipe goes GREAT with last month’s recipe for Rosemary & Ginger Black Beans! Combine 2 cups fresh ground amaranth OR millet flour AND 2 cups organic corn meal with 1 cup plain, cultured yogurt and 1 cup water (OR, for a dairy free alternative to yogurt, mix 1.5 cups water with content of 2 capsules any live probiotic). Mix flours, water and cultures until just blended and let sit covered at room temperature for 24 hrs. You see, the probiotic bacteria neutralize the phytic acid in the whole grain flour so it can't bind with minerals in your intestines & inhibit their absorption. Another benefit is that the bacteria break down the complex carbohydrates, making the grain's nutrients more assimilatable and much easier to digest. Okay, the next day, in a separate bowl combine 1 cup melted butter, ghee or coconut oil, 2 eggs, and 2 tsp Nu Naturals brand liquid vanilla stevia OR 2 tsp Nu Naturals brand non-bitter stevia powder OR 1 tsp of each kind (best!). Then mix in 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1tsp nutmeg, and 1tsp whole sea salt. Mix well and stir into cultured flour mixture. When the two are mixed until smooth, add 1 cup fresh, canned or frozen organic corn kernels and stir. Pour into 2 buttered loaf size baking pans or a buttered casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 -40 minutes (the deeper the dish/pan, the more time needed to bake - when a wooden skewer stick comes out dry, it’s done). This cornbread goes great alongside beans, and it’s so sweet & moist I almost called it "Corn Cake".


As always,
        Don and I welcome any questions you may have via email: courtney@cookwell.org
For more information on the ancient whole foods philosophies we teach about, see “the food” page of my website.
                     
Namaste ~                             
Courtney & Don

Micro-Nutrients via Juicing!

There is so much information out there about Juicing.......So I will just keep it simple and direct.

Juicing Will make you Feel Better.

Juice what you like & please do your best not to go too heavy on the fruits.
Lately we have been adding in a piece of Turmeric along with the ginger & garlic.......and WOW!

Try making a wonderful veggie juice the first meal of your day & see how you feel:)
...and if you are wondering what to juice, just try out the combination int the image above, because it's awesome!

Blessings of Health and Goodness to you All!  Don & Courtney

Winter 2012 CookWell Newsletter & Group Class Schedule

Spring is here early! May the buzzing of new life bless your awareness with joy, and bring you peace...

ANNOUNCEMENT: we’re now teaching on Sunday Afternoons instead of Saturday Mornings at New Frontiers (new schedule posted below for you). This means that more people will be able to attend!

I’ve included one of my all-time favorite recipes for you - Contagious Coconut Curry - at the end of this newsletter.

FEBRUARY TIP: be sure your probiotic supplement contains “Acidophilus DDS-1" which is one of the few strains of beneficial bacteria which survives our stomach acid to make it into our large intestine where it’s needed.

Private CookWell sessions have been so much fun lately! If you have a few friends who want to get together to learn to CookWell, I’d love to talk to you about your needs. Sessions are 2 hours long and cost $25 per person for a group of 6. I also have course outlines posted on my site for kid’s classes! Whether you want to have either of us, or both Don & I come to your kitchen for a private CookWell session, OR if you just want to show up to one of our group classes listed below, we look forward to meeting you and helping you incorporate the whole foods diet & lifestyle that works best for you. An outline of exactly what you’ll learn and what we can cook together in each foundational CookWell session is posted on The Course page of my website www.cookwell.org.
In conjunction with teaching, Don & I offer on-site cooking for parties and events, or meals to store & re-heat for your busy work week. And we’ve been updating our CookWell blog with past newsletter content, recipes, and links to informative articles.
 Don’s website for life path counseling is www.gingerbuddha.com, in case you or anyone you know needs help in quieting their mind, enjoying the journey of life, or in simply finding personal balance. Don also makes handmade kitchen & camp knives!
Thank You So Much for spreading the word about what we offer. We feel blessed to share this wonderful community with you, and welcome any questions you may have via phone or email (courtney@cookwell.org OR 528-8837). We hope to see you sometime soon to share lots of learning, laughter and incredible food!

Hands-On CookWell Course at Cal Poly!
Cooking & Baking With Whole Foods

Four Wednesday Evenings: April 11, 18, 25 and May 2, 5:30 - 8PM
Course Fee: $179 (includes meal in each session)
Location: the only hands-on teaching kitchen in SLO! Cal Poly’s Food Processing Building #24, room 103A
Enroll Online: www.continuing-ed.calpoly.edu OR 756-2053
Course Description: Increase your culinary know-how and expand your recipe repertoire in our instructional kitchen which offers affordable, recreational culinary experience for all ages. Whole foods expert Courtney Coleman (www.cookwell.org) will lead students in intermediate level cooking techniques for flavorful ethnic dishes, casseroles, sauces, soups and baked desserts. Using lots of seasonal vegetables and only unrefined ingredients, students will gain experience cooking according to their dietary needs and taste preferences, grinding & culturing nutrient-dense whole grains for gluten free, low-glycemic desserts such as cookies, cakes, quick breads and even pizza crust! Unrefined sweeteners will be used in desserts, as well as stevia for sugar-free desserts. Courtney will review foundational concepts and apply principals of whole foods cooking as preventative medicine throughout the course. Class is limited to 16 participants.
List of dishes we’ll prepare and eat together:
Yellow Curry Casserole
Chipotle Black Bean Stew 
Thai Coconut-Curry Soup
Gluten Free Gourmet Pizza!
Savory Jalepeno-Cheddar Loaf
Gluten & Sugar Free Gingerbread-Coconut Cookies
Gluten & Sugar Free Ginger-Orange-Carrot Spice Cake   
Gluten & Sugar Free Nutmeg-Almond Loaf


Group Classes at New Frontiers, SLO       
$30 per person (includes meal)
NOW ON SUNDAY AFTERNOONS!       
Please RSVP and pre-pay to reserve your spot at least 3 days before class 
(805) 528-8837 or courtney@cookwell.org  THANKS!

     

Whole Foods Cooking 101 For Busy People

Sun Feb 19, 2-4PM at New Frontiers
Courtney will show you how to prepare the foundation of a healing and revitalizing whole foods diet, from which you can change and add to according to your tastes. She’ll teach you how to streamline your routine to make your journey into preparing your own whole foods meals easier and less expensive than you imagined possible. She'll discuss with you several important whole foods diet & lifestyle topics such as the basics of macrobiotic theory, the basics of the blood type diet to begin individualizing your diet, the CookWell list of whole foods preparation staples for your kitchen, the best cooking oils for various temperatures, and the importance of & how to start drinking enough re-mineralized water daily. You'll receive several informational handouts for your reference, as well as a list of fantastic recipes! Then, together you'll make ghee to use as a delicious, stable oil in your cooking, sprouted & simmered whole grain millet & amaranth, a dark leafy greens & seasonal veggies stir-steam, and a beautiful pot of black beans. Then, of course, you’ll get to feast together!

Individualizing Your Whole Foods Diet
Sun March 4, 2-4PM at New Frontiers

We’ll discuss: the Ayurvedic body types and beneficial foods for each, the blood type diet guidelines, protein/fat/carb ratios for different metabolic types, basic guidelines for diet & lifestyle according to macrobiotic constitution, maintaining proper body alkalinity through diet, and practicing mindfulness as it relates to preparing healing food.
You’ll get 4 handouts for reference:Ayurvedic body types and beneficial foods for each, general principals re: Ayurvedic diet & lifestyle, blood type diet basics, and a list of fantastic recipes!
Then, together we’ll prepare: kichadi (tasty East Indian stew of mung beans, brown rice, & seasonal veggies), and fantastic custom cole slaw.   

Delicious Cooking w/ Sea Vegetables For Beauty & Longevity
Sun March 18, 2-4PM at New Frontiers

We’ll discuss: how to cook flavorfully with various types of sea vegetables (including those which bind and expel heavy metals and radioactive substances from the body!), how to maximize vitamin/mineral assimilation with whole foods combinations, and hormone balance guidelines with whole foods diet & lifestyle.
You’ll get 4 handouts for reference: benefits of 7 different sea vegetables with recipes for each, CookWell calcium protocol, guidelines for hormone balance, and fantastic recipes #5 w/ list of tasty herb/spice combinations for seasoning.
Then together we’ll prepare: black beans and seasonal veggies with wakame & hijiki sea vegetables

Pre-Natal Nutrition and Whole Foods Cooking For Mommies!
2 possible dates & places to join in the fun:
Sat 2/25 at the new Sukha Wellness Center in Avila Beach, 12-2PM
Sun 3/25, at New Frontiersfs SLO, 2-4PM

Courtney will teach you how to create delicious whole foods snacks and meals for optimal pre-natal nutrition and for the long term health and happiness of you & your family.  She’ll show you how to develop a practical, inexpensive routine around preparing amazingly flavorful, whole foods meals for balance of mind body and spirit according to the ancient principles of Macrobiotics & Ayurvedic cooking.
We’ll discuss these concepts: whole foods as preventative medicine, whole foods snack ideas for kids, discovering the diet & lifestyle that’s most balancing for your body type and blood type, sprouting & simmering the nutrient-dense whole grains, the CookWell list of wholefoods preparation staples for your kitchen and the best cooking oils for various temperatures, better digestibility of beans, and how to drink enough re-mineralized water daily
We'll prepare 4 dishes: beautiful pot of black beans with a bit of cumin, coriander & ginger, sprouted whole grain millet & amaranth, ghee to use as a cooking oil, dark leafy greens & seasonal veggie stir-steam.
You'll get 4 handout pages for reference: list of whole foods preparation staples for your kitchen, recommended reading list, blood type diet & lifestyle basics, and a list of fantastic recipes.


Gluten & Sugar Free TEA PARTY CLASS!
Sunday, 2/26, 1-3PM, at Courtney’s home in Los Osos  cost: $30 per person
We’ll discuss: how to grind fresh & culture whole grains such as millet, oat groats and amaranth for gluten & sugar free baked recipes, and strategies for getting lower glycemic in your diet as preventative medicine
We’ll serve: The Secret Garden’s  blended herbal teas alongside our gluten & sugar free desserts!
ginger-orange-carrot cake made with fresh ground & cultured amaranth, millet & oat groats, minced carrot & ginger, orange zest, virgin coconut oil & vanilla stevia
almond-amaranth cookies made with fresh ground & cultured amaranth, virgin coconut oil, brazil nuts, almonds, coriander, nutmeg & stevia
heavenly lemon-lavender poppy loaf made with fresh ground & cultured amaranth & millet, virgin coconut oil, lavender, lemon zest, coriander & poppy seeds

ORGANIZE A GROUP OF YOUR FRIENDS FOR A PRIVATE COOKWELL SESSION!

For a fun & informative time with friends or loved ones, I’d love to come to your kitchen (or you’re welcome to come to mine) to show you how to prepare the foundation of a healing and revitalizing whole foods diet, from which you can change and add to according to your tastes. I’ll teach your group how to streamline your routine to make your journey into preparing your own whole foods meals easier and less expensive than you imagined possible. I’ll discuss with you several important whole foods diet & lifestyle topics - whichever ones you’d like from my CookWell course outline. You'll receive several informational handouts for your reference, as well as several fantastic recipes. Then, together we'll make 3 delicious whole foods dishes you’d like, and then of course, we’ll get to feast together! The fee is $25 per person with a 6 person minimum (for smaller groups, see “rates” page of cookwell.org). Everyone who participates should bring a notebook & pen to take notes, as well as a glass, ceramic, stainless steel or wooden container to take some amazing food home.


And, I’m gathering participants for our CookWell Teacher Training series !
Anyone interested can call or email me - once we get 6-10 participants, we’ll schedule the dates which work for everyone. courtney@cookwell.org  OR  528-8837


Notice: Arroyo Grande Farmer’s Market has moved to Spencer’s parking lot (corner of Grande Ave & Courtland). Market time is Wednesday mornings, 8:00 till 10:30. See you there!



FEBRUARY RECIPE       
Contagious Coconut Curry
I call this dish contagious, because it’s that good!
In a large, deep stainless steel pot / cast iron pot / wok with a fitting lid, place 3 Tbsp virgin coconut oil over low heat until it melts & coats the bottom of the pan. Immediately add 1 Tbsp curry powder, 1 Tbsp ground ginger and 1/4 tsp cayenne. Stir and let spices sizzle for about 20 seconds on low heat before adding 3 cups diced yam (or carrot) and 2 cups diced burdock root OR fennel bulb (diced into ½ inch cubes), and any diced meat if you like. Add 2/3 cup filtered water and stir, making sure the spices spread evenly over the root veggies & as many veggies touch the bottom of the pan as possible. Okay, turn heat up to med, cover & simmer w/out stirring for about 2 minutes. Next add any medium-dense, bite size, chopped veggies on hand (potabella mushroom, broccoli, green beans, snap peas, cabbage, celery or bok choy stalks, etc.) and stir well. Keep cooking another 2 minutes or so, stirring every 30 seconds so all the veggies have a chance to cook on the bottom of the pan for 30 seconds, and any meat (if used) is cooked through. Next, layer 2 bunches chopped, dark kale or collard greens (the darker the greens, the more minerals they have!) and green bok choy tops if you’ve got ‘em, until the pot is stuffed full of greens - it’s okay if you can barely get the lid back on - they’ll cook down. Cover and simmer for another minute until greens wilt down slightly. Then sprinkle in 1 Tbsp tarragon, 1 tsp dill, and 1 tsp marjoram OR rosemary on top of the greens and stir. When all the greens have wilted slightly & softened TURN OFF the heat - we don’t want to overcook the greens. Then stir in 1 can Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk (full fat, not light), 3 - 5 Tbsp Nama, San-J, or Eden brand shoyu or tamari soy sauce to taste, and the juice of 2 - 3 ripe limes. Stir again & serve over brown rice or millet with lime halves on the side for those who want more tanginess. Also, some fresh chopped chives or cilantro on top is a nice garnish. Enjoy!


As always,
        Don and I welcome any questions you may have via phone or email. For more information on the ancient whole foods philosophies we teach about, see the “about the food” page of my website www.cookwell.org.
        We hope to see you sometime soon to share lots of learning, laughter and incredible food!

Namaste ~                            
Courtney & Don