Family cooking together
Having a resolution of eating healthier in 2016 is great, particularly if you are attempting to get your entire family to eat healthier. But what are some attainable, measurable goals to fulfill that resolution? Many families make the decision – whether out of convenience or necessity – to eat out multiple times per week. Resolving to eat healthier as a family often means making the decision to prepare meals at home.
Eating at Home vs. Eating Out
Typically, eating out involves much bigger portion sizes, higher fat content, and higher sodium content than that of home-cooked meals. We are accustomed to these larger portions – some are even two or three times as big as the portions recommended by the United States Dietary Guidelines. The tasty fat, sodium, and carbohydrates of meals prepared at restaurants make the food difficult to put down. Moreover, at restaurants, patrons have almost no control over the content of the food or how it is prepared. Preparing home cooked meals using whole food ingredients – such as fresh meat, vegetables, and fruits – is one of the best ways to promote health and wellness within your home.
Learning to Cook Delicious, Healthy Meals
For some, the task of preparing home cooked meals is overwhelming. It is difficult to know where to start, particularly if you are not used to preparing meals at home or using your kitchen in an efficient way. This healthy ideal may seem insurmountable for many families. However, there are resources right here in Southwest Florida that can make this goal attainable. Chef Kristina San Felippo teaches cooking classes at The Good Life, a local kitchen and cooking supply store. She encounters families who desire to make this type of healthy lifestyle change and begin cooking more at home.
Chef Kristina offers some advice to get started. “People who don’t cook at home are hesitant about how to start the process, which begins with buying quality ingredients that are reasonably priced. Once those ingredients are actually in the kitchen, a home cook should have the right tools to get the food prepared for its intended recipe. Having a good chef’s knife and knowing how to use that knife correctly and safely is such a vital step in being confident cooking in your kitchen. Having good quality pots and pans to use on your stove and in the oven are also very important tools a home cook needs to prepare food correctly.”
During her cooking classes, Chef Kristina presents recipes she has written specifically for home cooks. “The recipes I am demonstrating at a class need to be accessible and flexible so that a home cook can replicate the results in their own kitchen to bring a delicious and nourishing meal to their family’s table in a reasonable amount of time.” The reasonable amount of time is key – but cooking at home affords a lot of room for creativity and expression within the home.
Check The Good Life’s schedule of cooking classes at goodlifenaples.com. To sign up for classes, call the store at (239) 514-4663.
Other options for cooking classes in Naples include:
Sur La Table. Located in the Mercato, Sur La Table offers cooking classes on a regular basis. To learn more, visit their website at www.surlatable.com and search for the Naples store. For regular updates to the cooking class schedule, email cooking076@surlatable.com.
Crave Culinaire. Chef Brian Roland of Crave Culinaire offers individualized, in-home cooking classes geared specifically towards your needs and goals. For pricing, call (239) 292-1529.