You’ve returned from the grocery store after plunking down $150 for food to feed your family for the week. Now, it’s time to get cooking. But then life distracts you — work, the soccer schedule and the dog has to go to the vet. And, what bothers you most is that luscious-looking pineapple you bought on sale was rock hard when you chopped it up and tastes like sawdust. It’s enough to make a person swear off cooking forever.
Sapna Von Reich gets it and wants to help. As a northern Colorado food educator, who for 15 years has taught classes in Windsor, Loveland and Fort Collins on creating plant-based menus for overall wellness, Von Reich added a new focus this year. Working one-on-one as a certified integrative nutrition health coach, she addresses both the foods we eat and a person’s health from a holistic point of view, factoring in stress, work and lifestyle.
It’s all about getting people into their kitchens to cook and addressing the frustrations that arise which make people want to turn and march right back out again.
Teaching the tricks
Like most tasks, organization makes life easier. Von Reich recommends sorting vegetables after stocking up. Zucchini, peppers and root vegetables like beets are sprayed at the grocery store but don’t age well in the refrigerator when moist. Remove them from the produce bag and place in the crisper to avoid developing mold. Leafy greens, including beet tops — which should be separated from the root — are fine left in the bag to prevent dryness. To avoid slimy mushrooms, sauté them soon after purchasing. Store in a covered container for up to a week for ready-to-go mushroom umami flavor on salads. Read more…
Written by Emily Kemme
Published in ‘Greeley Tribune’ on January 1, 2019