Healthy Family Cooking Classes
There is something magical about the process of transforming raw, solitary ingredients into a savory amalgamation of flavor, smell, taste, texture, and color. There is also something very satisfying about creating a soup, a main course, a salad, a dessert oneself. In front of you is tangible evidence of your efforts. And that’s before you and your family even start eating. There is also a reward in knowing that by cooking for your family, you are fulfilling your role as caretaker, nurturer, husband/wife, and mother/father all while providing your family with a good nutritious meal.
Creativity, Self-Confidence & Self-Esteem
When you accomplish something, don’t you feel better? Your self-esteem rises and you can be rightfully proud of your accomplishment. Cooking is a terrific method of building confidence and self-esteem, because it has very tangible, very real rewards that are produced in a short time period. Perhaps this is why so many people of all ages like to cook.
Cooking also encourages creativity. Whether it’s in combining the flavors of a dish or in arranging the presentation, cooking offers lots of opportunity for letting your creative juices flow freely—another reason why it’s so popular.
The workshops are dynamic and interactive. Participants are involved in cooking, and eating as well!
In-class discussions offer participants an opportunity to speak with an experienced cook about weekly menu planning and cooking tips.
Let’s Get Cooking!
Nutrition is an essential component to a healthy lifestyle. Some families need support and ideas on implementing new foods into their diet. It is much easier to try new foods in a group setting than on your own. An experienced cook will teach you to prepare foods that you may not of prepared or tried before and help develop your cooking confidence. The program will also include ideas on involving your children in cooking. Kids are more likely to try new food if they play an active role in choosing and preparing them — so make meal-time family time. Parents and kids cooking together can be a rewarding and delicious experience!
These classes are designed to:
Teach interesting facts about the foods we eat
Teach the skills needed to create delicious, quick meals
Provide the information necessary to make healthy food choice
Classes are available year round . They are offered in a series of 8 classes per session.
Menu choices are focused on:
In season local foods
Healthy Meal Planning following Health Canada Guidelines
Budget Wise Meals
Promoting Positive Eating for our Family and Children
Promoting Lifelong Good Eating Habbits
Each Class Includes:
a short talk/discussion on health and food issues, including opportunities for you to ask an experienced cook about your specific concerns; a delicious meal that we will prepare together and feast on during the workshop; menu planning ideas for the week (You’ll leave the class with more than just one great meal idea!); tools and resources for participants and their whole family; and great, creative, healthy recipes for you to take home.
About the Instructor:
Casie Menhinick is the mother of five beautiful children . She is an experienced cook with 20 years spent in the hospitality industry. As a young women she started out her cooking career working for her family cooking for work parties at a remote lake in the Sqaumish Valley. Her love of cooking made her work a passion versus a job and with experience she honed her skills. Blessed to be part of a family of very good cooks, she appreciated the time her grandmothers spent with her passing on their secrets of gardening, preserving and bread and pastry making. Casie later moved to the Sunshine Coast where she managed and operated a restaurant in Powell River. With the spirit of the BR Valley in her system from prior years it was her destiny to return to the wilderness area she loved. It was her love of a pioneering life which kept her in the Bridge River Valley. There she further honed her knowledge of home preserving and canning. Reaping the rewards our local community has to offer in its fertile soils and with a growing family she saught ways to supplement their diet with affordable creative options. Dedicating 17 years to the Valley Casie and her husband spent 10 years together running their Wilderness Tourism Business. With a background in hospitality Casie took it upon herself to revitalize the menu plan for the business and find ways to make efficient meal plans that staff could follow in the back country while still pleasing the pallet tes of guests from around the world. In her small kitchen in Gold Bridge with the help of her children she efficiently produces over 6000 meal servings per season.
Recently, Casie moved to Lillooet to pursue another passion. To help enhance our rural maternity services by offering Doula Support . Casie is a trained Doula, Childbirth Educator, Breastfeeding Counsellor and Certified Infant Massage Teacher. She has also spent time as afamily advocate for children with special learning needs. Casie loves working with families and offering them many different kinds of support services . She is a proud supporter of family centered care and is very happy to be part of the Lillooet Community.
Past students have commented that they found Casie to be passionate, understanding, nurturing, supportive and easy to learn with.
She looks forward to implementing her Healthy Family Cooking Classes into existing programs or for private groups.
For more information please contact:
Within A Woman Doula Care, Box 2249, Lillooet BC V0K1V0
ph.250-256-7967 fx. 250-256-7419
www.withinawoman.ca casie@withinawoman.ca
Class Includes:
Recipe and Topic Talk Handout
Cooking Equipment which includes knives, cutting boards, baking equipment, mixing bowls, hot plate for demo on, pots/pans and special appliances
Aprons for participants
Storage Container for Take Home Sample
All Groceries
Area Set Up and Clean Up (time 30mins before class and 30mins after)
Host Provides:
Clean Area for Food Preparation
Kitchen with Stove and Oven
Serving Equipment
Handwashing Area and Soap
Washing Area and Supplies
Healthy Family Cooking Classes
Series 1: Make Ahead and Freezer Meals
Week 1: Beef Barley Soup and Home Made Biscuits
Week 2: Whole Wheat Lasagne, Ceasar Salad with Homemade Croutons
Week 3: Chicken Pot Pies with Mixed Garden Salad and homemade dressing
Week 4: Kids Lunches on the Go Chicken Enchalada and Hamburgers for the Freezer with Home Made Mixed Potatoe Wedges
Week 5: Seafood Lasagne with tossed salad and breadsticks
Week 6: Brocoli and Cheddar Soup with Potato Yeast Buns
Week 7: Homemade Beef/Veg Chilli with Fresh Corn Bread and Coleslaw
Week 8: Homemade Quiche for Breakfast/Lunch or Dinner served with Make A Head Salads
Series2: Healthy Breakfast and Lunches
Week 1: Individual Omelettes and Homemade Multigrain Toast
Week 2: Grilled Veggies on Toasted Foccacia Family Sandwhich with Asian
Noodle Salad with local greens
Week 3: Home made Tea Biscuits (Cranberry Orange, 3 Cheese with Bacon, WW Drop Biscuits)and Breakfast Muffins (Banana Oatmeal, Hearty
Bran with Dried Fruit, Carrot/Zuchini Muffins)
Week 4: Eggs Benedict on Homemade English Muffins with Fruit Salad Parfait
Week 5: Macaroni and Cheese Lover Casserole with Waldorf Salad
Week 6: Chicken Noodle Soup with Crusty Flatbread Veggie Sandwhich
Week 7: Home Made Waffles with a Healthy Twist
Week 8: Breakfast Burritos and a treat ~Cinnamon Buns
Healthy Family Cooking Classes
Series 3: In Season Cooking with Fall Harvests ~Preserving & Storing Ideas
Week 1: Featuring Eggplant and Zuchini
Week 2: Fruit Leathers and Fruit Dehydrating
Week 3: Hearty Fall Soups and Wholesome Breads for the Freezer
Week 4: Grilling Meats and Veggies for the BBQ
Week 5: Delicious Squash Recipes the family will enjoy!
Week 6: Homemade Applesauce and Cooking with Apples
Week 7: All about Appetizers
Week 8: Easy Cakes with local fruit toppings
Series 4: Meals for Toddlers and Young Children
Week 1: First Foods for Babies (using our fall harvest)
Week 2: Fun Toddler Breakfast
Week 3: Toddler Soups for the freezer
Week 4: Whole Family Casseroles
Week 5: Make A Head Toddler Breakfast
Week 6: Make A Head Healthy Snacks, mini foods
Week 7: Homemade Heatlhy Mini Pizza
Week 8: Family Sandwiches ~using whole loaves