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Cook Healthy Foods

Learn To Meal Prep For A Healthy Family

4.6 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Half star
Based on 24 ratings
see reviews
Barb Kemp

This course is for the everyday cook who wants to cook healthy foods for the health of your family.  Learn how easy it is to meal plan for a well balanced diet and meal prep meals at home with fresh whole foods. Feel good about preparing nourishing, simple, tasty meals with fresh ingredients for your family and gain confidence in your daily cooking routine.

At The End Of the Course:

Read more

This course is for the everyday cook who wants to cook healthy foods for the health of your family.  Learn how easy it is to meal plan for a well balanced diet and meal prep meals at home with fresh whole foods. Feel good about preparing nourishing, simple, tasty meals with fresh ingredients for your family and gain confidence in your daily cooking routine.

At The End Of the Course:

  • You’ll have the cooking skills and the food knowledge needed to prepare nourishing, fast and tasty meals your family will truly enjoy.

  • Home cooking won’t be that dreaded chore anymore. Instead, it will become a healthy habit you embrace.

  • You’ll have the confidence to choose the healthiest foods at the grocery store, and pass on the processed and pre-made foods that are typically filled with fat, sugar and salt.

  • You’ll relax about the whole meal planning process and have a sense of calm while preparing a meal at the end of a busy work day.

  • You’ll be happy knowing you’ve worked hard in the kitchen to do your very best at feeding your family the fresh, whole foods that will help them thrive.

  • You'll have a healthy, happy family.

Course Overview:

The course is divided into four sessions. Each one comprises a balance of lecture, practical skills demos and  challenges to solidify learning and keep you motivated. We’ve found that the fastest skills growth comes when students are able to complete one session with challenges each week. But if this isn’t possible, you're free to go at your own pace.

Here’s exactly what you’ll get:

  • 30 videos where you’ll learn food information, meal planning, cooking skills, how to read food labels and meal prep ideas

  • Four PDF’s packed full of info and delicious, easy recipes you’ll make over and over again like: Tomato Meat Sauce, Quick and Easy Hummus and Mediterranean Greek Salad.

  • Five and seven day meal planning templates complete with  a shopping list to minimize decision making. This strategy saves you money by keeping your focus on whole foods, which are less expensive than processed or already prepared.

  • This course is not for those on specialized diets.  The information in this course should not be substituted for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.  Please seek the advice of your medical physician or other qualified healthy provider with questions you may have about a medical condition.

It really is very simple. We need to eat well to be well and we’ll show you how to do it.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • How to meal prep for a balanced diet with fresh whole foods for the health of your family
  • How to increase fruits, veggies, whole grains and fibre into your diet
  • Learn how to choose the healthiest foods at the grocery store
  • How to meal plan to save time, money & reduce the stress of cooking at home
  • How to read food labels and understand best before dates
  • Prepare simple, yummy recipes that your family love

Syllabus

In this session you will come away convinced that food matters and become inspired to cook more at home.

Introduction to the program.  At the end of the course you will become hooked on real food and find yourself wanting to cook in your kitchen more often with fresh, whole foods.  Be sure to download the resources in this section which are in lecture 9.

Read more

In this lecture we go over the format of the course.  There are 4 sections in this course and each section has some lectures and challenges.  We also outline basic cooking equipment needed to complete the cooking challenges.

In this lecture we learn the overview of this section and explore the question, 'Does Food Matter?'

In this lecture we learn why we should eat well and how to do it.

Learn all about onions including how to chop onions.

Overview of the ingredients needed to make a tomato meat sauce.

Learn how to make a tomato meat sauce.

This sections challenges are:

1. Write down the 5 benefits to eating well in your Workbook

2. Watch the videos on how to chop onions and garlic and then chop an onion and garlic as shown in the video.

3. Cook one meal at home this week. Choose one of the recipes in the Workbook or one of your own. Use a recipe that calls for onion and/or garlic.

4.  Print off the 5-day menu plan template and menu plan for one day this week.

5.  Have fun cooking.

In this lecture we'll learn:

  • How to create a well balanced diet.

  • About the importance fruits and vegetables.

  • How to increase fruits and vegetables into our diet.

  • And how to make a fruit smoothie.

Don't forget to download your workbook for this section in lecture 15's resources.

In this lecture we'll learn tips on how to buy fruits and vegetables.

In this lecture we'll learn:

  • How to make a salad dressing.

  • About oils.

  • How to make a Greek salad.

In this lecture we'll learn strategies to increase fruits and vegetables into your diet.

In this lecture we'll learn how to do a 2-day meal plan.

Learn about your weekly challenges:

  • Make a fruit smoothie.

  • Make a salad and a salad dressing (your own or one from the Workbook).

  • On one particular day during the week, check in to see if you ate five different colours of fruits and vegetables.

  • Complete a menu plan for 2 days this week Have fun cooking.

This lecture is about Veg fennel.

In this lecture we start off with an overview of this section.  You will learn about grains and how to add them into your diet.  You will also learn about fibre and why it's good for us.

This video is about beans. We learn about red kidney beans and red lentils.

In this video we learn all about fibre.

In this lecture you'll learn how to read food labels so you understand what's in the food you are eating. We look at the ingredient lists and nutrition facts labels on packaged foods. We learn how to compare two products by reading labels and choosing the healthiest products.

This video explains best before dates to help reduce food waste.

This video shares easy ways on how to save money on your food bill.

In this lecture we'll learn how to do a 3-day meal plan.

Learn about your weekly challenges:

  • Read a food label.

  • Save money on your grocery bill.

  • Date your food.

  • Increase Fibre this week.

In this lecture we'll learn:

  • How to menu plan and the benefits to menu planning.

  • Kitchen organization tips.

  • Meat, dairy and their alternatives.

  • Herbs and spices

Don't forget to download your workbook for this section along with suggested list of pantry list and kitchen equipment list in lecture 29.

Resources

In this lecture we learn all about meal planning.

In this lecture we learn the benefits of having dairy, meat or their alternatives in your diet.

We learn the benefits of herbs and spices in meatless meals.

Learn about your weekly challenges:

  • Start a pantry.

  • Prepare a meatless meal.

  • Meal Plan.

  • Cook for friends and family and have fun cooking!

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Offers practical skills demos and challenges to solidify learning, which can help learners stay motivated and see tangible progress in their cooking abilities
Includes five and seven-day meal planning templates with shopping lists, which can help minimize decision-making and keep focus on less expensive whole foods
Covers topics such as reading food labels and understanding best before dates, which are useful skills for making informed choices at the grocery store
Includes lectures on basic cooking skills, such as how to chop onions, which can help build confidence in the kitchen
Explicitly states that it is not for those on specialized diets, so learners should seek professional medical advice for specific health conditions

Save this course

Create your own learning path. Save this course to your list so you can find it easily later.
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Reviews summary

Practical & healthy meal prep for families

According to learners, this course is a highly practical guide for everyday cooks looking to improve their family's diet. Students frequently highlight the simple and tasty recipes provided, noting they are easy to integrate into a busy routine. Many found the meal planning strategies particularly helpful for saving time and reducing stress, leading to increased cooking confidence and a shift towards healthier food choices. The course content, including video lectures and downloadable resources, is described as clear and easy to follow, even for those new to meal prepping. While not suited for specialized diets, it effectively delivers on its promise to make healthy home cooking achievable for families.
Not designed for those on specialized diets.
"As the course description states, this isn't for people with specific dietary restrictions, which is fair."
"The information is great for general healthy eating but won't cover things like keto or vegan in depth."
"Focuses on foundational healthy eating principles."
"Good overview of general healthy cooking for families."
Course is well-structured and easy to follow.
"The videos are clear and the instructor is easy to understand."
"The course structure, divided into sessions and challenges, kept me engaged."
"The downloaded resources are well-organized and useful."
"Even as a beginner, I found the content accessible and not overwhelming."
Empowers home cooks to make healthier choices.
"I feel so much more confident in the kitchen and at the grocery store after taking this."
"This course has really motivated me to cook at home more often."
"It helped me understand food labels better and make more informed decisions."
"Feeling better about the meals I'm preparing for my family now."
Offers delicious, easy-to-make family recipes.
"I've made the tomato meat sauce several times now, and my picky eaters love it!"
"The recipes included are simple, healthy, and genuinely delicious for the whole family."
"Loved the hummus recipe! It's become a staple in my home."
"The course recipes are easy to follow and use everyday ingredients."
Provides actionable strategies for family meals.
"The meal planning templates and grocery lists are incredibly useful; they've simplified my weeknights."
"Learning to meal plan has saved me so much time and stress during the week."
"The course strategies helped me organize my kitchen and planning process efficiently."
"I learned practical ways to plan meals and make healthier choices for my family."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Cook Healthy Foods | Learn To Meal Prep For A Healthy Family with these activities:
Review Basic Nutrition Principles
Reinforce your understanding of fundamental nutrition concepts to better grasp the course's meal planning and healthy cooking strategies.
Show steps
  • Review the major food groups and their recommended daily servings.
  • Summarize the roles of macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats) in the body.
  • Identify key micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) and their food sources.
Read 'Super Immunity' by Dr. Joel Fuhrman
Deepen your understanding of the link between food and health, reinforcing the course's core message about nourishing your family.
View Eat to Live Quick and Easy Cookbook: 131... on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the book, focusing on chapters related to immune-boosting foods.
  • Take notes on key concepts and actionable advice.
  • Reflect on how the book's recommendations align with the course's recipes and meal plans.
Create a Family Recipe Book
Personalize the course content by compiling your family's favorite healthy recipes, incorporating the principles learned in the course.
Show steps
  • Gather your family's favorite recipes.
  • Analyze each recipe and identify areas for healthy substitutions (e.g., reducing sugar, increasing vegetables).
  • Rewrite the recipes with the healthy modifications.
  • Compile the modified recipes into a family recipe book.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Document Your Meal Prep Journey
Solidify your learning by creating a visual diary of your meal prepping experiences, sharing your successes and challenges.
Show steps
  • Take photos or videos of your meal prepping process each week.
  • Write captions or narrations describing your experience, including any tips or lessons learned.
  • Share your content on social media or in a private online group.
Read 'In Defense of Food' by Michael Pollan
Gain a deeper understanding of the food system and the importance of choosing whole, unprocessed foods, reinforcing the course's principles.
View This Is Your Mind on Plants on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the book, paying attention to Pollan's core principles.
  • Reflect on how the book's message aligns with the course's recommendations.
  • Discuss the book's ideas with friends or family.
Volunteer at a Local Food Bank
Apply your knowledge of healthy eating by assisting with food distribution and education at a local food bank.
Show steps
  • Contact a local food bank and inquire about volunteer opportunities.
  • Assist with sorting, packing, or distributing food.
  • Share your knowledge of healthy eating with food bank clients.
Design a Weekly Meal Plan Template
Solidify your meal planning skills by creating a personalized template that incorporates the course's principles and your family's preferences.
Show steps
  • Review the meal planning templates provided in the course.
  • Identify the features that work best for you and your family.
  • Design a new template that incorporates those features and your own personal touches.
  • Test your template by using it to plan your meals for a week.

Career center

Learners who complete Cook Healthy Foods | Learn To Meal Prep For A Healthy Family will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Personal Chef
A personal chef prepares meals for clients, often with specific dietary needs or preferences. This course is a great fit for an aspiring personal chef as it emphasizes cooking with fresh, whole foods and creating balanced meals. The course teaches practical cooking skills, meal planning, and how to choose healthy foods at the grocery store, all of which are essential for success as a personal chef. Learning how to prepare simple, tasty meals, and plan menus will be particularly useful for this role, as will the ability to manage a client's dietary needs.
See salaries and explore the career path for Personal Chef
Nutrition Educator
A nutrition educator teaches individuals or groups about healthy eating habits and the importance of nutrition. This course may help those interested in becoming a nutrition educator since it provides a foundation in cooking with fresh, whole foods and meal planning. The course helps form an understanding of how to assemble balanced diets, make healthy food choices while shopping, and prepare simple, delicious meals. It emphasizes the importance of fresh ingredients in meal preparation. These skills are valuable for explaining the principles of good nutrition to others.
See salaries and explore the career path for Nutrition Educator
Health Coach
A health coach guides clients toward healthier lifestyles, which often includes nutritional guidance. This course may be useful for a health coach since it focuses on using fresh whole foods to create balanced meals. The course covers meal preparation, menu planning, and how to choose healthy foods at the grocery store. It also teaches how to read food labels. The skills and knowledge gained from this course would enable a health coach to provide clients with practical advice on healthy eating habits and meal preparation, and help them make positive changes in their routine.
See salaries and explore the career path for Health Coach
Food Blogger
A food blogger creates content related to food including recipes, cooking tips, and restaurant reviews. This course may be helpful for an aspiring food blogger. It emphasizes the preparation of healthy meals using fresh, whole foods. The course helps create an understanding of meal planning, how to read food labels, and how to make simple and delicious recipes, all of which are useful for developing content as a food blogger. In particular, knowledge of fresh ingredients and how to make balanced meals will help a food blogger create high quality content.
See salaries and explore the career path for Food Blogger
Wellness Consultant
A wellness consultant advises clients on how to improve their overall well-being and health, often including guidance on nutrition. This course may be useful for a wellness consultant since it focuses on cooking with whole foods and planning healthy meals. The course covers how to choose healthy foods at the grocery store, read food labels, and prepare simple recipes. These learnings may help a wellness consultant provide practical and valuable advice to clients looking to improve their diet and overall health. The focus on meal planning can be particularly useful for someone in this line of work.
See salaries and explore the career path for Wellness Consultant
Catering Assistant
A catering assistant helps with preparing and serving food for events. The ability to cook with fresh, whole foods and prepare balanced meals will make this course helpful to someone interested in working as a catering assistant. This course will provide techniques related to meal preparation and cooking. It introduces useful skills such as meal planning and reading food labels, which may be useful when assisting with large scale food preparation. The course is useful to someone who wishes to advance in the catering field.
See salaries and explore the career path for Catering Assistant
Recipe Developer
A recipe developer creates original recipes for publication in cookbooks, magazines, or websites. This course may be helpful to a recipe developer since it reinforces the importance of preparing simple and nutritious dishes using fresh and whole ingredients. The course explores key areas of meal planning and also includes how to read food labels, which contributes to a well rounded knowledge of food. This course helps build a foundation for creating new and original recipes and may also inspire the creation of dishes using fresh ingredients.
See salaries and explore the career path for Recipe Developer
Dietary Aide
A dietary aide assists in preparing meals for patients in healthcare settings. This course may be useful to somebody seeking to work as a dietary aide. The course emphasizes cooking with fresh, whole foods and creating balanced meals, which align with the goals of dietary health in care facilities. This course will help with understanding the basics of meal planning, reading food labels, and preparing simple, tasty meals. This course may be a helpful start to a career in the field.
See salaries and explore the career path for Dietary Aide
Food Stylist
A food stylist arranges food for photography or video, ensuring it appears appealing. This course may be useful for an aspiring food stylist since it focuses on cooking with fresh, whole ingredients and creating well-balanced meals. The course content provides a basis in understanding the components of healthy dishes and their preparation which will enable a food stylist to use a wider selection of foods and create visually appealing layouts. The knowledge gained may be useful for creating appealing and realistic looking food arrangements.
See salaries and explore the career path for Food Stylist
Cafeteria Cook
A cafeteria cook prepares food for large groups of people in a school, hospital, or workplace. This course may help individuals considering a role as a cafeteria cook. It emphasizes cooking with fresh, whole foods and creating balanced meals. The course teaches essential skills that may be useful such as meal planning, reading food labels, and preparing simple, tasty meals. These teachings may translate to larger scale cooking environments. The course can be useful for anyone working to improve their cooking skills.
See salaries and explore the career path for Cafeteria Cook
Culinary Instructor
A culinary instructor teaches cooking skills and techniques to others. This course may be useful to someone who is interested in a job as a culinary instructor since it provides practical cooking skills and the ability to create balanced menus. The course includes meal planning, reading food labels, and preparing simple, delicious meals using fresh ingredients. The course gives a solid background for teaching others about cooking in a healthy way. The focus on meal planning and cooking skills can be particularly useful in this role.
See salaries and explore the career path for Culinary Instructor
Restaurant Line Cook
A restaurant line cook prepares food according to the menu in a restaurant. This course may be helpful for a line cook since it covers cooking with fresh, whole foods and creating balanced meals. The course content focuses on meal planning, reading food labels, and preparing simple, tasty recipes, all of which are useful skills for a professional kitchen. In particular, the practice of cooking simple meals with fresh ingredients will help someone in this position.
See salaries and explore the career path for Restaurant Line Cook
Health Food Store Associate
A health food store associate assists customers in selecting healthy food options. This course may be useful for someone working in a health food store since it emphasizes fresh, whole foods and making balanced meals. The course teaches about menu planning, reading labels, and the preparation of simple and delicious recipes. These lessons help to give insight into the healthy food options that customers will be interested in learning more about. The course may be useful to someone who wishes to understand the goods that they sell.
See salaries and explore the career path for Health Food Store Associate
Food Product Developer
A food product developer creates new food products for companies. This course may be useful to an aspiring food product developer, as it provides a basic foundation in preparing balanced meals from fresh, whole foods. The course offers some practical education in meal planning, reading food labels, and preparing simple recipes, which will help when considering new food options. Learning about the importance of fresh food ingredients may inform the development of new products using similar ingredients and approaches.
See salaries and explore the career path for Food Product Developer
Nutrition Writer
A nutrition writer creates content about healthy eating for publications, websites, or other media. The content of this course may be useful to an aspiring nutrition writer. It provides practical information on preparing simple meals with fresh, whole foods. This course also offers education about meal planning and information about reading food labels, which could help when creating articles or publications. This knowledge may be useful when explaining the principles of nutrition to others.
See salaries and explore the career path for Nutrition Writer

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Cook Healthy Foods | Learn To Meal Prep For A Healthy Family.
Cover image
This Is Your Mind on Plants
Save
Encourages a return to simpler, more traditional ways of eating. It provides a critical perspective on the modern food industry and its impact on health. It expands on the course's emphasis on whole foods by providing a broader context for understanding food choices. This book is more valuable as additional reading to provide a deeper understanding of the food system.
This Is Your Mind on Plants
Paperback
Check
This Is Your Mind on Plants
Kindle Edition
Check
Cover image
Eat for Life
Save
Provides a deep dive into the science of nutrition and how specific foods can boost the immune system. It complements the course by offering a more detailed understanding of the health benefits of whole foods. While not required, it serves as excellent additional reading for those wanting to maximize the nutritional impact of their cooking. It provides a strong scientific basis for the course's emphasis on fresh, whole foods.
Eat to Live Quick and Easy Cookbook: 131 Delicious...
Hardcover
$$
Eat for Life: The Breakthrough Nutrient-Rich...
Paperback
$$
The End of Diabetes: The Eat to Live Plan to...
Paperback
$$
Super Immunity: The Essential Nutrition Guide for...
Paperback
$$
Eat to Live Cookbook: 200 Delicious Nutrient-Rich...
Hardcover
$$
The End of Heart Disease: The Eat to Live Plan to...
Paperback
$$
The End of Dieting: How to Live for Life (Eat for...
Hardcover
$$

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Rating
4.6 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Half star
Effort
1.5 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructor
Barb Kemp
Language
English
Traffic lights
Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Offers practical skills demos and challenges to solidify learning, which can help learners stay motivated and see tangible progress in their cooking abilities
Includes five and seven-day meal planning templates with shopping lists, which can help minimize decision-making and keep focus on less expensive whole foods
Covers topics such as reading food labels and understanding best before dates, which are useful skills for making informed choices at the grocery store
Includes lectures on basic cooking skills, such as how to chop onions, which can help build confidence in the kitchen
Explicitly states that it is not for those on specialized diets, so learners should seek professional medical advice for specific health conditions
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