Jess Dang – Cook Smarts Nourish 2017 Lessons 4 – 5 – 6: Q&As

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Jess Dang – Cook Smarts Nourish 2017 Lessons 4 – 5 – 6: Q&As

The kitchen can be a stressful place because chances are, no one over taught you how to cook.

Home ec wasn’t an option in school.

Your parents taught you how to ride a bike, read your first words, but never got around to teaching you how to fix a healthy dinner, a life skill that so often gets overlooked.

You know that a home cooked meal is the better choice for you and your family, so you search for recipes. You pick up groceries. But once you’re in the kitchen, it never quite goes as planned.

Chopping takes forever cause you just don’t feel comfortable using your knife. You finally start cooking and follow the recipe to a T.

An hour and a half later, your meal is done(!). You give it a taste only to be disappointed . . . it’s dry, not that flavorful but you don’t know where you went wrong or how to fix it.

Does this sound familiar?

Well it doesn’t have to be this way. Nourish is here to transform your kitchen experience.

In the course of 6 weeks, our lessons will give you the cooking knowledge and teach you the skills you need to cook confidently in your kitchen.

Recipes will just be your inspiration. You won’t be attached to every step because you’ll be able to just wing it with your new understanding of how different ingredients cook.

Your knife will become your best friend. Chopping an onion? No problem. You’ll be able to do it while sipping a [insert beverage of choice] and chatting with a friend (who by the way is watching in amazement).

But best of all, you’ll know how to cook, a skill that will change your entire approach to food, to your health and to how you nourish yourself and your family.
Nourish graduates simply cook smarter and happier

“Jess and the team did a tremendous job!  I almost felt like I was taking personal cooking class.   It was obvious that Jess really cares for the course and the people taking it.” -Elena M.

“It may sound a little dramatic, but this was a life-changing event for me. It made me realize that I can make healthy and delicious meals for my family and not spend hours in the kitchen. I work full time and spend 2+ hours a day commuting. I don’t have a lot of time to get dinner on the table during the week, but since I started this program, I’ve pulled it off at minimum 4 nights a week.” -Erin B.

“What I love the most about Nourish is that it delves into the reasons behind kitchen techniques. This course has improved my cooking skills and I now have a deeper understanding as to how flavors work together and how to season appropriately.   I feel like this makes me a smarter cook!”  -Jessica F.

“I loved waking up every Friday morning to a new Nourish lesson! Jess has a great way of training, and her enthusiasm and love of cooking really shines through. It inspires me to be a better cook – she makes it look so easy and fun, and has a laid back way of pulling it all together. Nourish taught me that   confidence in the kitchen can be built through breaking cooking down into small, easy-to-learn steps.”  -Fran M.

“Nourish has greatly increased my confidence in the kitchen. I now recognize what meals I can make with ingredients that I have on hand, without having to rely on specific recipes. My knife skills have improved as well. Now that I know how to chop properly, I not only don’t mind doing it, but I am much faster. This is worth its weight in gold!” -Christy T
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We’ve designed each of our 6 lessons to help you go beyond recipes and actually learn to cook

NOURISH SELF-GUIDED: HOW IT WORKS

For Nourish Self-Guided, all materials will be made available at the start of course, Friday, June 9th, 2017 and be made available for 4 full months
Since all materials will be provided online, you can join in from anywhere in the world, anytime you want!
Each Nourish lesson is made up of easy-to-understand videos, delicious recipes, and beautiful downloadable resources. You’re welcome to print everything out and keep it organized in a binder

Download Syllabus     Preview of Materials

BONUSES!

The course will start with 3 bonus lessons to provide you with the foundation you need for your future Nourish and kitchen success. Everyone will be able to access these lessons through June 7th, 2017. After that period, only enrolled students will have access to these lessons
Each lesson also comes with an extra credit recipe to strengthen your newly acquired cooking skills
Cooking is so much more fun with the right tunes to jam to. That’s why each lesson comes with a 10 song playlist to keep you groovin’ in the kitchen!

Get Jess Dang – Cook Smarts Nourish 2017 Lessons 4 – 5 – 6: Q&As  download

HOW IT’S DIFFERENT THAN NOURISH LIVE

Nourish Self-Guided will have access to all the same materials as Nourish Live. You’ll receive materials all in one go, so starting on June 9th, 2017, all enrolled students will be able to access all lessons
Self-Guided students will have 4 full months (instead of 1 year for Live students) to go through the materials at your own self-guided pace (hence the name)
What’s missing: Nourish Live is meant to be a high touch program with lots of access to Jess and the Nourish community. For the Self-Guided version, you’ll be missing access to the Facebook community, weekly office hours and email support from Jess (though of course we’ll always help with any website technical issues!). Many go through Nourish Live without taking advantage of these resources, so while they are nice-to-have, they’re not crucial to your learning. You’ll still get all the awesome Nourish materials without the same level of community and staff support.

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LESSON TWO
How to Get Your Stir-Fry On
You’ll always have a quick, healthy, and tasty dinner on hand with our smart stir-fry steps.
Chicken Stir-Fry with Carrots & Celery // Fluffy, Light Rice
Download Lesson Plan
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LESSON THREE
How to Prepare Tender Juicy Chicken
Never eat dry, tough chicken again with our fool-proof, sear, simmer and sauce formula.
Pan-Seared Chicken Breast with Pan Sauce // Kale & Apple Salad
Download Lesson Plan
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LESSON FOUR
How to Create Fluffy Scrambled Eggs & Roast Veggies
Get the tricks for the lightest eggs and golden, caramelized roasted veggies.
Egg and Roasted Potato Breakfast Burrito // Beats-Any-Restaurant Guacamole
Download Lesson Plan
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LESSON FIVE
How to En Papillote Fish & Saute Veggies
You’ll never be afraid of cooking fish again once you learn this simple (but fancy-looking) method.
Salmon en Papillote and Sauteed Broccoli with a French Vinaigrette // Rice Pilaf
Download Lesson Plan
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LESSON ONE
How to Chop Like a Pro & Make Your Own Vinaigrette
Make your knife your best friend and say goodbye to those bottled
salad dressings cluttering your fridge
Cheesy Quesadilla with Pico de Gallo // Mixed Green Salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette
Download Lesson Plan
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LESSON SIX
How to Cook Pasta Like an Italian
Toss together a pasta dish as good as your local trattoria with our easy Italian secrets.
Spaghetti with Sauteed Shrimp // Mixed Green Salad with Your Choice of Vinaigrette
Download Lesson Plan
About Jess, Your Nourish Guide & Cheerleader

Hello! I’m Jess Dang.

I believe learning to cook is the best thing you can do to nourish your health but for so many reasons, most of us just never learned how to cook.

In 2011 at the age of 30, I quit my corporate job because I was determined to change that. In early 2012 I started Cook Smarts by giving cooking lessons to home cooks from all walks of life and all levels of cooking.

Teaching helped me to see first hand the biggest challenges home cooks faced in their kitchens and all the reasons why they often avoided cooking. People were frustrated by not having proper knife skills and feeling like they were completely bound to the requirements of a recipe.

I was determined more than ever to take everything I learned to create a course that could be available to everyone, not just those who lived in the Bay Area.

So in 2014, I came up with the curriculum for Nourish. My team got busy planning, filming, coding, and designing all the materials for the course. It was such an exciting time and we launched the course in May of 2015, just 3 months before I gave birth to my daughter.

We had an amazing first class and I loved “meeting” all my students from all over the world. I hope I get to meet you soon too and learn all about why you’ve decided to join Nourish and how we can help you be successful in the kitchen.

I’d be honored to serve as your guide and your cheerleader through this journey, but first, I’d love for you to get to know me (after all, we might be spending a good amount of time in the kitchen together).

Click on the video below to learn more about my cooking journey and why I’m so excited to have you join Nourish:
3 Reasons to Learn to Cook

For your family

Wouldn’t it be lovely to end the day by enjoying a simple home cooked meal with your family?

Becoming a mother has been one of the best things that has happened to me, but it’s also been one of the most challenging.

Pre-parenthood, I already felt like I didn’t have enough hours in the day to get everything done. Now I long for all the free time I had!

However, understanding how to cook and therefore how to whip up a meal just by looking in my fridge and pantry has made my to-do list so much lighter. Instead of being stressed out at meal time, I feel completely in control.

Plus, I’m so excited to be able to pass on my love of cooking to my daughter (and future children). They may not love everything we cook and probably will go through various phases of picky eating, but hopefully when they’re older, I’ve equipped them with the skills to care for themselves through cooking.

For your health

Are you worried about how your current food choices might affect your health later on?

There are so many food options out there these days, and unfortunately, not all of them are great for us.

I by no means feel that we need to make the healthy decision 100% of the time. We are human, and if we choose cooking most of the time, we will never have to worry when we make the decision to indulge in that sinful (but well deserved) treat.

When we choose cooking, we choose to take control over what goes in our bodies. We choose to treat our bodies with love, respect and nourishment.

The meals offered in Nourish’s lessons are not about depriving yourself. Instead, they’re all about empowering yourself with the skills to cook real, whole foods.

Because you deserve it

When was the last time you invested in yourself?

As adults, we often forget that we still deserve to gather new skills and develop new interests. But life is long and it’s never, ever too late to make changes that will positively affect how we enjoy our days.

It’s easy to think of cooking as another chore you have to do, but I’m gonna ask you to think about it as a time for self care, which is another thing we so often neglect in our demanding lives.

When people are sick, our first inclination is to bring them something comforting and nutritious to eat. You don’t have to be sick to realize that good health starts with good food, and we need to start treating ourselves in the same way.

You deserve to carve out time to care for yourself, to create, to nourish.

FAQs

We want to make sure Nourish is right for you.

Hopefully all your questions are answered below in the video and extensive FAQs, but if not, feel free to email us at [email protected]
IS NOURISH RIGHT FOR ME?
I am a complete novice in the kitchen. Is Nourish right for me?
Yes! I designed Nourish around the in-person cooking lessons I used to teach to novice cooks. Our lessons start from the basics and build up over the course of the 6 lessons.

We cannot guarantee you’ll cook like a professional chef by the end the course, but you will transform into a much more confident cook and possess the skills for a lifetime of nourishment in the kitchen.

Click here for testimonials from Nourish alumni.
I’ve been cooking for a long time. Is Nourish right for me?
If you’re already a very proficient cook who doesn’t rely on recipes and feels very comfortable using a knife, then Nourish is probably not right for you.

However, if you’re someone that feels comfortable following recipes but aspires to think more like a chef, then Nourish has the tools to help you get there.

We focus much more on skill development versus recipe-following to help you confidently navigate the kitchen through knowledge and intuition.
I’m already a member of Cook Smarts’ meal plan service. Will I learn anything new in Nourish?
If you’ve been using our meal plan service for some time and watching the videos included with the service, chances are you’re probably fairly comfortable following recipes and prepping a wide variety of ingredients.

The additional knowledge that Nourish will provide is helping you understand some basic ‘cooking formulas.’ We’ll focus more on the underlying cooking techniques so that you can go beyond recipes and learn the fundamentals behind those recipes. About 50% of Nourish’s students are also meal plan service members.
I’m a vegetarian. Is Nourish right for me?
Vegetarians can definitely still get a lot out of Nourish, but of course, not all lessons will be relevant (like how to cook a juicy, tender chicken breast). However, we will try to offer vegetarian substitutes where it makes sense.

Even though not all the videos will be as relevant for vegetarian cooks, we will be highlighting vegetable prep and cooking techniques in every meal.
I don’t live in the US. Can I still participate in Nourish?
Yes! We welcome Nourish members from all over the world. We have international alumni in Singapore, India, Germany and several other countries.

If you have access to a grocery store that carries basic American / Western ingredients, you should be able to find everything needed for the lessons.

All recipe downloads will also be translated into the metric system.

As for payment, we will be accepting PayPal to make it easier for you to pay from abroad.
What do past students have to say about the course?
We’ve received wonderful feedback from our alumni. Here are some testimonies from the Nourish community.
HOW NOURISH SELF-GUIDED WORKS
When do lessons start and how are they delivered?
For Nourish 2017’s Spring Self-Guided session, all lessons will be made available starting Friday, March 10th, 2017.

For Nourish 2017’s Summer Self-Guided session, all lessons will be made available starting Friday, June 9th, 2017.
What’s the lesson schedule for Nourish 2017’s Spring Self-Guided session?
You can download the Lesson Plan here or it’s also below.

For Nourish 2017’s Spring Self-Guided session, all lessons will be made available starting Friday, 3/10/17. Access will last through Monday, 7/10/17.

For Nourish 2017’s Summer Self-Guided session, all lessons will be made available starting Friday, 6/9/17. Access will last through Monday, 10/9/17.

Lesson #1: How to Chop Like a Pro + Make Your Own Vinaigrette
Lesson #2: How to Get Your Stir-Fry On
Lesson #3: How to Prepare Tender Juicy Chicken
Lesson #4: How to Create Fluffy Scrambled Eggs + Roast Veggies
Lesson #5: How to En Papillote Fish + Saute Veggies
Lesson #6: How to Cook Pasta Like an Italian

What does each lesson consist of?
Every lesson consists of a meal, grocery list and steps to complete that meal, and most importantly, the how and what behind these steps. Each lesson is also paired with a mini extra-credit recipe to help you deepen your practice and lock in your skills. Plus, we’ll have some fun stuff too – like music playlists – to make your time in the kitchen feel like a true party!

 

We don’t want you to just follow a recipe blindly. Our goal is to take you beyond recipes and actually teach you how to cook.

To do that, each lesson is supplemented with many easy-to-follow videos and downloadable resources that break down the underlying skills you’ll be acquiring when creating your meal.

You can then take these skills and apply them to your cooking adventures well beyond Nourish.
Do I have to complete each lesson by a certain time?
Absolutely not. Because this is a self-guided course, you can go through the materials at your own self-guided pace (hence the name).  You will have access to the materials for 4 full months from the start of class – from March 10, 2017 to July 10, 2017 (Spring Self-Guided Session) or from June 9, 2017 to October 9, 2017 (Summer Self-Guided Session).
SUPPLIES, TOOLS & TIME
What do I need for the course?
You’ll need:

a device that has access to the internet (this can be a mobile phone)
a kitchen to cook in
a grocery store or grocery delivery service to purchase ingredients for your meals. Ingredients are listed on page 8 in this PDF.
some basic cooking tools, listed here

We also recommend getting a 1” / 2.5cm binder with some plastic sheet protectors if you want to print out the recipes and resources.
What is the average cost of groceries per meal?
Each lesson has a grocery list for 2 servings of each meal, and we do invite you to go through each lesson with a friend! Cooking is much more fun with others.

Depending on how well-stocked your pantry already is and also where you’re located, the cost of groceries per week can range from $15 to $35 (still less than a meal out for two!).

We have designed Nourish to help you start building a functional pantry of items that you will continue to use in the future.

In addition, we don’t use any hard-to-find ingredients. You should be able to find everything at any basic grocery store. The list of the ingredients can be found on page 8 of this PDF file.
How long will each lesson take and when should I complete them?
We recommend you allocate about an hour to an hour and a half for each lesson. This should give you plenty of time to read through the recipe, watch the videos, and then prep and cook the meal.

If you enjoy cooking and learning socially, we highly recommend partnering up with a friend for the lessons and making it a social activity.

We recommend doing 1 lesson per week, alternating between the lesson and the extra credit recipe.
What if I don’t have any kitchen tools?
You definitely will need some basic cooking tools to complete Nourish. The list is here and we’ve made sure that these are all tools that will help you build a functional kitchen.

If you’re not ready to make the investment in your kitchen, consider signing up for Nourish when we offer the course again in the future. We hope to offer another Self-Guided course starting June 2017. The next Nourish Live course will take place in January of 2018.

Another idea is to ask a friend with a well-equipped kitchen if you can take the lessons from their place. You can treat by purchasing groceries, and it’ll be a much more fun experience to work through the meal together!

PRICING & REFUND POLICY
How much does Nourish cost?
Be part of Nourish’s Self-Guided course with a one-time investment of $129 or 4 monthly payments of $36.

Nourish is much less than the cost of most group cooking lessons where you might get to participate in one small component of the meal. With Nourish, you’ll build a foundation of practical cooking skills to last you a lifetime in the kitchen.

If the investment in Nourish is not within your current budget, we encourage you to save up for the next time we offer Nourish (Nourish Live tentatively scheduled for January of 2018).
Can I purchase Nourish as a gift?
Absolutely. Nourish makes a great gift to anyone that wants to build a basic cooking foundation. It also makes a great wedding or graduation gift. You can purchase gifts at anytime here. Gift recipients can redeem the gift at any time and we will notify them when the next class starts.
Can I get a refund if I decide that Nourish not right for me?
We are more than happy to offer refunds if the course truly is not right for you, which you can determine after going through one or two lessons.

Therefore, refunds can be requested within the first 21 days of the course (March 31, 2017 for the Spring Session or June 29, 2017 for the Summer Session). To request a refund, just email Jess at nourish [at] cooksmarts [dot] com with photos of meals cooked from at least one lesson.

So long as you try at least one lesson before March 31st (Spring Self-Guided) or June 29th (Summer Self-Guided), we are more than happy to provide a full refund if you find that the course doesn’t meet your needs.

So far, we’ve only had 1 student request a refund, which I think speaks to the quality of the course.
Can I get a refund if I just don’t have the time to complete the lessons?
Unfortunately, we won’t be offering refunds for this reason. Once you sign up for Nourish, you’ll have access to these six lessons for 4 full months, which will give you plenty of time to complete them!

We really encourage you to sign up for Nourish at a time in your life when you feel ready to make cooking a consistent part of your life. Nourish Live is scheduled to be offered again January of 2018.
Do you offer corporate pricing?
Yes! If your company is interested in reducing their healthcare costs and wants to purchase Nourish for its employees, please email hello [at] cooksmarts [dot] com for more information.

Get Jess Dang – Cook Smarts Nourish 2017 Lessons 4 – 5 – 6: Q&As  download