It kind of sounds like an oxymoron….cooking classes online…since you really have to do the cooking in person.
But, I have 3 kids, 3 dogs and 3 blogs. My husband doesn’t get home until 7pm…going somewhere to take in person lessons just really isn’t a reality for me.
So why cooking classes at all?
In the last few months I’ve discovered that I LOVE food photography. It’s so much fun!
I’ve also discovered that creating recipes for my blog seems to take some of the stress of blogging off me. I mean…I have to cook daily any way, so why not just take pictures of the food I’m already cooking and write about that. But then…the food I’m cooking isn’t exactly pretty and food blogging is SUPER competitive so I figured I needed some help.
Also, my health, and my families’ health, is on the line and I want to make sure that I’m teaching my kids to make smart choices about food…so I have to do it first.
Why Now?
If you’ve looked around the blog a little, you will have noticed that I talk pretty openly about being diagnosed with both early menopause and insulin resistance last year. Both of these can cause serious problems as I age if I don’t do something about them now. I take hormones and have been able to find a stable dosage that keeps me WAY less crazy and stressed.
But the insulin resistance is something I’m still struggling with. This is basically prediabetes…and left unchecked I will develop diabetes. High insulin levels is also a precursor for Alzheimer’s….which scares the sh!t out of me.
Over the last year, I’ve tried various drugs and diets. I’ve lost 10 lbs. But my insulin level is still high. My cells are still not getting the insulin they need…and it’s still causing cravings and fatigue.
My Plan
In looking back at my blood test levels. The only time my levels actually started to drop was when I was walking daily. So I’m going to go back to that.
And I KNOW I need to do a better job with the food we eat. I can follow a recipe, but I’m not an instinctual cook. I can’t just go to the farmer’s market and see the food there and come up with a healthy dinner. I need more of a plan. And if I can’t find a recipe that fits (or I don’t have time to find 7 recipes a week) that’s when I end up in the Chick-Fil-A drive thru.
So I started looking for cooking classes here in Austin. They were mostly far away and at times I could not easily attend. So I turned to cooking classes online. I found two different sites that really appealed to me.
Cooking Classes Online
1. Smart Kitchen. Smart Kitchen initially appealed to me because they have over 500 lessons, beginner, intermediate and advanced levels (so I could grow into them) and they are aimed at the “home cook”. Plus it’s only $9.99 a month or $99 for an entire year. They have a 7 day free trial so that you can take a few lessons and see if you like their style. They seem to focus on technique.
2. Rouxbe (pronounced like “ruby”). Rouxbe has basically the same set up (but they also have professional certification courses you take too). I feel like they take it to another level though. They focus on whole foods and why you need them. They are looking to help you incorporate food into your life…not just cooking techniques, but life skills. I also LOVE that they have a plant based course. But Rouxbe is $149.99 up front and then $4.99 a month. (basically twice as much)
Which Did I Choose?
I’m guessing you can tell from my descriptions that I went with Rouxbe. I’m about 30% of the way through the basics course, The Cook’s Roadmap….and my 5 year old has watched about half of those videos with me.
I have already completely elevated my cooking techniques BUT more importantly…my kids have eaten meat two nights in a row and not complained at all!!! They are excited to help make dinner and try things out each night….and they LOVE the farmer’s market.
As I go through the courses I will share some of the “ah-ha” moments (already had at least 3) I’ve had with you (and if you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see what I’m cooking as I cook it).
My Goal
You will definitely see a change on the blog here. I’m going to focus on healthy food that is kid friendly. I don’t want to go to one extreme or another and cut out large food groups. I want to be smart about the food I eat and teach my kids to smart too.
I hear all of these statistics where they say that this may be the first generation where the expected life span actually shortens. I want to do my part to make sure that my kids, and yours, don’t become a statistic.
I hope you’ll join me on this journey!
