© 2008 Culinary Concepts, Inc., Boulder CO

THIS MONTH’S VEGETABLE

Take a VAM Tour:

Are you ready to join the lucky few who get the flavor, beauty, benefits and energy of vegetables?   Join now:

Why does the program only talk about vegetables?  

Actually, it isn't only about vegetables.  We'll be making vegetables all sorts of ways:  with fruits, grains, pasta, meats, beans nuts and fish.  So along the way, you'll be learning about the entire spectrum of healthful foods.  The emphasis is simply on vegetables because face it:  when it comes to healthy eating, what's usually the biggest sticking point?  

Why are some of the vegetables so odd?

Because we’re learning to eat with the seasons.  In the middle of winter, we won’t be cooking with familiar veggies like green beans, tomatoes and lettuce.  They don’t taste good at that time of year anyway.  Instead, we’ll be discovering how comforting leeks can be in January, why celery’s crunch is so wonderful in February, and so on.  You’ll also be gratified by the flexibility and versatility you begin building into your diet and cooking abilities.  If any of the vegetables sound new or odd to you, get ready for an adventure!  

What if I don't like the vegetable featured one month?

There are lots of options:   First, try it anyway!   You may have never learned how to buy the particular vegetable properly or cook it tastefully.  So give it a shot with the proper guidance .  

Second, don't be surprised if you suddenly start liking a certain vegetable.  We tend to think of our tastes in very rigid terms, when actually, they are quite flexible.  The simple passage of time changes them; exposure to more and different tastes (like we do in VAM) accelerates things.  Like muscles when you work them out, our taste buds have the capacity to grow and develop--all to our advantage.  

Third, it's perfectly fine to take a "go slow" approach.  In fact, many of the "odder" vegetables (like mushrooms, eggplant and those shockingly red beets) are used in small amounts, in a dish, so that you're not tasting them full force, right off the bat.  It's also why we experiment with a vegetable over a month, using it in different ways, so your taste buds have an opportunity to gradually adjust.  

Why is the program spread out into monthly sessions?  Wouldn’t things go a lot faster with a new vegetable each week?  

The world of vegetables is a vast and fascinating one.  Trying to convey it in a single session or even a week would be frustrating and overwhelming.  So why not relax and take it easy?  Learn a little each month and enjoy the journey.  In fact, journey is a good word for what we're doing.  Each month we take a small excursion, explore, learn, eat and enjoy.  

What if I'm supposed to start eating a lot of vegetables, right away?

Maybe you've received orders from the doctor to get on the vegetable track but fast.  One measly vegetable a month may not seem like much.

Just like always however, slow and steady wins the race.  Although we move slowly, you will be amazed at how your vegetable knowledge and confidence blossoms and grows over the months--and eventually begins to pick up speed and snowball!   

A year goes by faster than you think, and in that amount of time, you will be eating 12 more vegetables, on an everyday basis.  If someone asked you today if you'd like to be eating 12 more vegetables, you'd probably say “Yes!”    That’s exactly what will happen in just 12 months.  The important thing is to get started.

The Vegetable a Month Club:  FAQs

Other Questions?  Click Here  

What if I don't know how to cook?  

Don't let that stop you!  Many of the recipes require little to no formal "cooking."  For those that do, there is plenty of explanation.  Short videos are also included, and don't forget the monthly cooking teleclasses.  Kitchen Coach Mary Collette Rogers will talk you through the main recipe, right as you're preparing it.  

But cooking is so stressful; I not sure I want to do more of it!

That's the point.  You won't be doing more cooking.  Rather, for some of the meal making you are already doing, you'll learn how to make it more efficient, nutritious, delicious, rewarding--and less stressful.  

Do I have to do a lot in the Vegetable a Month Club?  

There's  only one thing you must do for the Vegetable a Month Club:  Come ready for an adventure.  After that, you pick how far to explore and how much to experiment.   You might just learn how to buy a vegetable.  You might only try it peeled and cut up.  Maybe you make one dish, or maybe you try it three different ways, and maybe it becomes a mainstay of your diet.   

However much you do is good--as long as you do something.  It easy to collect stuff and information.  Look around.  You probably have lots of good eating information and gadgets hanging around.  VAM is exciting because it's designed to move us past the collecting stage and on to the doing stage--because that's when we see satisfying change take place.    

Cookbooks are a good example.  Most people have dozens, and they mostly sit there unused.  VAM is like getting cookbook and doing one section each month.  Wouldn't you love to see some great new recipes and ideas on your table, instead of stuffed on some shelf?  That's what will happen by joining VAM

Does the Vegetable a Month Club take time?

This question has likely been lurking ever since you started reading about VAM.  But it may not be the right question, because VAM obviously takes time.  Everything takes time!  Especially good things, like nourishing our bodies.

Probably the more helpful questions would be:  "Will I be able to fit this in my busy life?" and "Will I be overwhelmed?"  The short answers are "Yes" and "No."  VAM has been specifically designed to fit a busy life without overwhelming.

• As mentioned earlier, we focus on just one vegetable each month.
• Everything is organized and grouped in one place for quick and efficient access.
• We work along with your usual household chores of shopping, figuring out what to eat and making meals, so there's little extra time required, just a better use of the time you already spend on meals.
• Most information is delivered on-line, so you can listen, watch and read at your convenience over the week.
• The live cooking teleclass is timed to coincide with nightly meal making, in your own kitchen, so you needn't get dressed up or drive anywhere--just make a meal as you usually do, but with lots of wholesome vegetables and in a way that's refreshingly new and different.  Of course if you can’t make the live class, it’s available on audio.   

Vegetables are boring and bland--why would I want to spend time on them?  

For many people, vegetables are hardly a match for pasta, bread, cheese and burgers!  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  After a 20-year journey of discovery, your Vegetable Guide knows that vegetables are not only beautiful to look at, they are bursting with flavor and add unparalleled interest, texture, color and freshness to meals.  Plus, you feel so great eating them.  Get ready for a new view of vegetables.

What If I'm Just Lazy?  

That's what Jillian admitted when we were talking about eating more vegetables!  And let's face it:  Hiking up the mountain to Vegetable Paradise looks really hard from down below--especially with vending machines and fast food restaurants tempting us all along the way.  But you're covered here, too, with lots of good reasons to get hiking, lots of inspiration, and a good group for support.  Enjoy the journey!

Other Questions?  Click Here  

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