Month: September 2020

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About Intuitive Cooking

Five Principles of Intuitive Cooking: Building Kitchen Confidence

  • All Foods Can Fit into My Kitchen

Consider the foods in your pantry and those you would like to further explore but haven’t made time for or don’t know where to start. All foods can fit into your kitchen if you are willing to make time for it and willing to learn. There are always dietary considerations that may have to be discussed, but adapting and being flexible will allow you to continue to explore the power of food and allow you to gain more confidence in your meal preparation abilities.

  • Honor what you are in the Mood For by… Incorporating Culinary Techniques and Applications that work for you

In learning how to navigate the kitchen, building confidence and intuitively knowing what goes where, what needs to be done, what can be adjusted, and what may be a good flavor combination you can develop healthier relationships with food. Building a toolbox of culinary essentials, allows you to think outside the recipe box, think about food and ingredients differently, and empowers you to plan meals you feel good about and want to share with others.

  • Be Flexible with Meal Planning & Open to Trying New Flavors and Dishes

Being flexible with meal planning is an individual consideration. It means adjusting, adapting, and considering what makes the most sense for that given moment in time. It means having a plan and knowing life gets in the way. This does not mean long laborious hours in the kitchen. It does not mean home cooked meals from scratch every night. It does not mean special mini meals for everyone in which they will clean their plate and not whine! It does mean… meals around the table as much as you are able; being ok with picky eaters and offering a variety of options throughout the week to choose from; it is being ok with veggies left on the plate; it is having a frozen pizza night or grilled cheese (you name it); it is including your kids and loved ones in the cooking process; it is trying new foods and flavors and sometimes having a recipe”ish” fail.

  • Enjoy Being in the Kitchen & Having Fun and Learning

This is the most simple of the principles. The kitchen should not be a battlefield or something you avoid. It should be a place and space you can create and innovate, talk, socialize, and share in the power of food. It also can be a place to have recipe creation fails and successes – it does not need to be perfect.

  • Allow Space to Build Healthier Relationships with Food

Sometimes you want something quick and simple, sometimes a favorite comfort food that takes more prep time, and sometimes trying out a new meal idea. In considering the above principles you allow space to have a healthier relationship with food.

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Recipe Share

Recipe Share: Stir-Fry Bowl

Check out this recipe. Hopefully it works for you!

Video link:

Message me at bommer26@gmail.com for questions or comments!

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Using the DEAL Method: Meal Planning and Life Situations

Using the DEAL Model with Meal Planning

I first came across the DEAL model when reading the Four-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. (I guess I was working too much at the time and was intrigued) https://fourhourworkweek.com/. One way he discussed we can be more productive in our work week is by using this method and I am introducing this method to how you can begin to navigate the kitchen. You can also use this method in a variety of areas of your life, but let’s bring it back to how we can “show up” for our health.

Using the DEAL model in the Kitchen:

Delegate, Eliminate, Automate, Liberate

  • Delegate – what doesn’t need to be done by you when it comes to meal planning or prep? How do you make this more of a team effort?
    • If you live by yourself, purchasing items that require minimal prep is a way to delegate as well!
  • Eliminate – What doesn’t have to be done at all?
  • Automate – plan ahead to a certain extent. Use your weekend and early morning to prepare meals for the day or week so it becomes something that is automated. This works well if you live by yourself, have a spouse, kids or an empty nester, etc.  Make time, make it a priority, “show up” for your health – how is this done? Review your daily or weekly schedule and find pockets of time. If you can’t do this, I can help you!
  • Liberate: How much more time or energy do you have around meal making and planning as well as how much time or energy is not being spend on thinking about this… you have automated it (most of the time!) and liberated yourself to do other things that matter to you in your life!

These steps can take time and can’t happen over night – baby steps, piece by piece, you can be one step closer to a healthier relationship with food!

Message me at bommer26@gmail.com or respond below to get a conversation going. What is one thing you can delegate, eliminate, automate with meal planning and prep?

This can be your first step to “showing up” for your health. Start before you are ready!

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About Me

How I Got Here…My Back Story

I became a dietitian in 2003. I worked for the first two “ish” years A LOT! I was working various jobs and getting my feet wet. I also realized I didn’t know anything about food. Dietitians learn about nutrition science. It is rigorous. It is challenging. But we take about two foods classes as part of our curriculum. Some programs have changed since then but most require about 2-3 food classes. So when I went in to talk to “low sodium diet” guy, I thought ok I can talk to him about his blood pressure, diet changes, and some meal prep alterations he can make at home, but after a few minutes chatting I literally told him and his wife to use “Mrs. Dash” and provided them with some free packets I had received from the diet office. Seriously! I remember walking out of there like what was that….lame, is what it was.

I was determined to get more skills in that area. I knew the science, I knew what better options for disease prevention were but I did not know how to navigate the kitchen, I was helpless when it came to that.

I had grown up in a very loving family, with family meals and home cooked meals as much as our schedules allowed. I had done some cooking but it was simple. I lived by myself in Chicago(2001-2003) and was on a tight budget since I was getting paid 7.93/hour in 2002, while going to school. So there was frozen meals and reheat and some basic meal prep, but not a lot in my studio apartment. This was what my early 20s were supposed to be! I was livin’the dream.

I had to learn how to cook, how to be more comfortable in the kitchen, how to understand the functionality of ingredients…and I thought how to build kitchen confidence.

And so I did…I worked my butt off from 2004-2006. I went to a 6 month program at BU for a certificate in culinary arts. I slept on my friend’s couch and learned the culinary world and had a wonderful experience with 12 diverse individuals from all over, at different stages of their life, wanting to learn to cook and experience the power the food has to offer. (This could have been a reality tv show back in 2006!). I loved it. I even received the “Fire in your belly” award out of all the students from Escoffier…. And now 14 plus years later and many experiences later and after building additional culinary skills, concepts and resources while at JWU – Denver, I am helping others build that same kitchen confidence that I once yearned for.

Whether you are a health professional, a stay at home mom, an empty nester, a widow, a college student, a curious child or family, you can build this kitchen confidence as well. It is a way you can “show up” for your health! It has helped facilitate an even healthier relationship with food which is my wish and hope for others too.

The world and all of our over consumption has spread like wildfire in the past 15 years. Let a nutrition professional and culinary professional guide you through the chaos. You got this!

Email me at bommer26@gmail.com to hear more about how you can build kitchen confidence.

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Welcome

What’s My Goal In Connecting With You Through This Blog, etc.

The key component I am trying to accomplish when working with consumers is to provide space, inspiration and opportunity for others to show up for their health. I hope to be a source of experiential education allowing consumers opportunities to build healthier relationships with food and movement. This will require consumers to be intentional, listen to their body, and provide space to make health a priority. In doing so I can assist in helping consumers gain more confidence in the kitchen, confidence in what they nourish themselves with, and confidence to get real about what movements and activities they want to include in their lives. 

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Things for you to Ponder

Is This Life Approach For You?

So based on (what you have read or heard) – If this life approach seems refreshing and a different way of looking at nourishing yourself daily then it is time to “show up” for your health. Don’t worry about what you have done in the past that didn’t work, use it as momentum to consider a redesigned way forward. It will begin with getting into the kitchen, learning some foundational skills and recipe templates, owning your meal planning time and heightening your relationship with food. In doing some planning, reflecting and re-prioritizing your time on the front end, you will end up feeling less stressed, anxious, overwhelmed about meals and snacks and more in charge of your day.

Leaving time for what matters most, which may include connecting with others, your choice of movement (I will help you find time for that too), and pacing yourself for a sustainable relationship with food and nutrition.

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Things for you to Ponder

Tell Me About You…

So now that I have unpacked my passion and told you a little bit about me and my journey to this place…I want to hear from you. You can email me directly at bommer26@gmail.com to learn more about what I can help you with as you rediscover your relationships with food and movement. “Showing Up” for your health requires making it priority, not saying “someday” or when I have time. It has to start today and you have to make way for it. There will be challenges along the way, however doing the same thing over and over and excepting different results will leave you disappointed and unfulfilled. I want to help lead the way for you. That is what my dad did for me. He lead a fulfilled life where he showed up for what matters and who mattered most to him, always taking care of his clients, friends and family. He was generous and did it all with a smile. This skill worked for him and those he encountered, so I will use that momentum to “show up” for you and help you lead a healthier life. However, this requires you “showing up” for yourself. Are you ready? Let’s go…it’s time for an adventure!

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About Showing Up

How are you Showing Up?

How are you showing up in your life for your health and or for others?

Do any of the words below resonate with you?

This word cloud represents some of the words others use when talking about showing up!

Email bommer26@gmail.com with other words or thoughts that should be added. Also check out https://www.instagram.com/showingupforyourhealth/ and respond to me there OR respond below!

Thanks for checking out my blog.

Jamie

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How 2020 is making us rethink our health Things for you to Ponder

What Matters Most To You?

What a better time than now to assess where we are with are health and where we want to be. 2020 has been a uncertain, scary, challenging year for all. It also has led to opportunities, time with loved ones, and time spent focusing on what matters most.

It brought us home together with those we love juggling way too much.

It brought some of us into the workplace more helping those who were sick while missing our family and friends.

It brought us questioning how we spent our time at home, work, traveling, etc.

It brought us away from those we connect with daily and weekly and may have brought us closer to those under our own roof.

It left us unemployed, without some basic needs, under roofs we may not have wanted to be under and left many wondering what life would hold in the months to come.  

What matters most now…in light of everything that is going on and happened in 2020?

What matters most to me and is something I need to consistently give time and attention to daily even when I am tired or frustrated or overwhelmed is…my family, including some active time for me, and continuing to work on my passion.

What matters most to you, now as you reflect on the past few months? Message me at bommer26@gmail.com, or through IG – https://www.instagram.com/showingupforyourhealth/ or respond below to get a conversation going.