Congratulations to Charlsie @ Finish the Race for winning the Sue Gregg Cookbook.
We have used and enjoyed Sue Gregg’s cookbooks for years. Healthy, whole foods cooking with real life taste and preparation sums up this set of cookbooks. If you want to move your family toward healthier eating, but don’t know where to begin or aren’t sure that they will like healthier foods, Sue Gregg is a good place to start. Nearly all of our breakfast and lunch meals and recipes come from her books. (Since we prepare dinner meals with a group, we aren’t able to incorporate as many of these recipes.)
Here is the selection of cookbooks that Sue Gregg offers:
- ‘Whole Foods Cooking’
- ‘Whole Grains Baking’
- ‘Main Dishes’
- ‘Meals in Minutes’
- ‘Soups and Muffins’
- ‘Lunches and Snacks’
- ‘Breakfast’
- ‘Desserts’
While we have and use all of these books and I highly recommend them if you wish to make a move toward more natural eating, this post is not primarily about Sue Gregg’s cookbooks. After talking with Mrs. Gregg she offered to let us review her high school level cooking curriculum.
Amber is 13 years old, but her passion is cooking and she regularly plans and prepares meals for our crowd. She was delighted with the opportunity to study cooking for ‘school’.
Sue Gregg’s high school level program utilizes her ‘Whole Grain Baking’ cookbook which teaches baking with blender batter* and the two-stage process as explained in Nourishing Traditions
Each of the 18 lessons is divided into daily assignments including Bible study and memorization, watching the demonstration CD, reading information about the nutrition and attributes of the ingredients and the reasons behind how we prepare each recipe. The program also contains focus questions and writing assignments and directs the students as they keep a cooking journal. The students then prepare the recipe or recipes discussed and evaluate how the family enjoyed the recipe. Then based on the reactions the student considers and makes notes about improvements that could be made to make it more suitable for the tastes of their family.
Amber has loved working with this program and has learned a lot about the whys and hows of baking and cooking. She has learned many things that I could not have taught her because I didn’t know. She now knows how she can alter recipes to achieve different 
results, something that I’ve always wished I was capable of doing. She has also learned a lot about many of the nutritional reasons for choosing one ingredient over another.
Amber has been able to work her way through the curriculum on her own with little help from me which is wonderful for a high school level course and necessary for our schedule. Our whole family has enjoyed the delicious biscuits, muffins, tortillas and other breads that have been part of Amber’s school assignments.
This is a high school level course and takes a good amount of time each day. Because of this and the other responsibilities that Amber has, we’ve chosen to have Amber work through the program more slowly than scheduled. She does Sue Gregg cooking 2-3 days each week and this has been a good pace for our family.
I highly recommend considering this for a high school home economics credit. Normally I would not have considered purchasing a cooking curriculum because our family cooks every day. However, taking the time out to study this more in depth has added skill and knowledge that probably wouldn’t have been gained otherwise. The ‘Baking with Whole Grains Curriculum Guide’ and ‘Whole Grain Baking’ are available here for $60.
If you are interested in moving toward more healthy eating, I would encourage you to explore Sue Gregg’s website. Many of her recipes are available for free so that you are able to try them at home to see if your family enjoys that type of cooking.
To give you an additional jump start on healthy eating Sue Gregg will be giving one Raising Olives reader the choice of one of their introductory cookbooks. The winner of this giveaway may choose either ‘Introducing Whole Foods Cooking’ or ‘Whole Grain Baking’ (please visit their website for more information on these books)
To enter:
- Leave a comment sharing one thing that you’ve done to work toward more healthy eating or a reason you’d like to move in that direction.
Additional entries:
- Tweet about this giveaway.
- Blog about this giveaway.
Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry. Giveaway will end at midnight, April 26 and is open to US residents only.
*Blender batter allows you to cook with whole grains without needing to purchase a grain mill. This can be a marvelous way to begin whole grain cooking while lessening your initial investment. Most of the bread recipes do require regular whole grain flours.
You may be interested in more tips and ideas about feeding your family on a budget, menu planning or cooking from scratch or my recipe page.
Our family received this curriculum free in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.
This post is included in the Homeschool Curriculum Review Roundup.
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Hi, I'm Kimberly. 
My attempts to move to healthy eating has started out with what I buy, I’ve completely (well, almost completely) taken the store bought crumbed beef and weird-crumbed-chicken-stuff-that-dosen’t-look-like-chicken and the ‘moisture infused pork’ with an ingredients list off my menu, and almost exclusivly cook with fresh butcher meat, the exceptions being the butchers pre-prepared kievs and a particular ‘chicken’ we seem to have an addiction to.
Convenience, especially when it comes to meat, is often not too healthy, and often not that hard to do yourself.
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We’ve changed quite a lot of things and working on more. Just recently I have completely quit using any white flour.
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We have purchased fresh milk and eggs (organic) from a farm to move toward healthier eating, we are in the process of getting our own chickens and starting a garden for fresh veggies!
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My husband and I have set 5 food goals for out family: 1. No white sugar or flour, 2. No highfructose corn syrup, 3. No artificial colors or dyes, 4. Fresh fruit or veggies with every meal, and 5. Only hormone free dairy and meat (organic when we can afford it).
The cooking course looks great, I would like to take it myself!
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I have cut out any frying of foods. Also we are eating more vegetables.
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I tweeted. searching4
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Last year I read a book about the benefits of fiber, and now I try to include a lot more of it when I plan menus for my family.
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I just finished reading Nourishing Traditions and it started me down the path of whole foods. I’d love to cut back on sugar (even though I use sucanat) in my cooking and add more whole grains.
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Unfortunately I’m in Canada, so I can’t enter the contest, but thanks for the great review. My oldest dd will be 13 soon and I might consider this course for her. With my 7th baby on the way, an extra cook in the house would be a great help!
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I am always so in awe of this type of cooking but don’t know where to start! I’ll have to start looking for these books!
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We have begun to incorporate some of the ideas of Nourishing Traditions. All of the info has been very eye opening! We are implementing a little at a time. Sue Gregg’s books look like they would be extremely useful to us. Even if I don’t win one, I’m sure some will end up in my home.
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I stopped buying as many processed foods as possible.
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To be more healthy for my family I have started milling my own flour. I have switched to whole wheat as much as possible and cook as many fresh vegetable as I can. Sometimes this is hard, but I know it is better for my family.
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We have been working towards putting more whole foods and real foods in our diet and this year we are planting a BIG garden to try to help with this.
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We buy organic eggs from a cousin and we get our beef hormone-free from a friend. I also love to buy the whole organic chickens when we can afford it! We are also planting a garden this year- the kids love picking the produce!
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My 9 year old daughter is VERY interested in cooking. She begged her Nana to take her to culinary school this summer and my mom actually found one that will take 10 yr olds so hopefully next summer. She would love this course. Too bad we have to wait til high school! You said your daughter is 13 who’s taking it, right? Maybe mine could try it in a few years at a slower pace, too. Sounds like fun and healthy, too!
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I hope I’m not too old to learn something new. Right now we are learning to use portion control, we all tend to eat portions that are too large!
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Hey, I am all about doing anything healthy. My youngest daughter has Down syndrome and was continually sick with strep and colds when younger. Then when I began to eliminate (not totally, but mostly) our sugar intake and replace with fresh raw fruits, veggies, and juicing our doctor visits all but vanished. I have always wanted to get some Sue Gregg cookbooks to help my daughter also!
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We eat more whole grains, like quinoa.
debp
twoofakind12@yahoo.com
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Oooo ~ pick ME, pick ME!
I can PROVE my continued moving toward more healthy eating; I’m the one who asked you for your WW tortilla recipe, and your WW granola bar recipe (which my 12 year old has made about 5 times in the last two weeks, experimenting with adding yummies such as coconut, slivered almonds, applesauce etc.)
Making yogurt at home – which forced my children to learn that PLAIN yogurt is yummy, too – is a big one for our family, and when the goats freshen in a month, I’ll be back to try your cottage cheese recipe.
THanks for this opportunity, Kimberly!
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I would love a cookbook that would help in our journey to healthier eating. One thing I’ve begun making is roasted chicken. We eat it once a week, and the next day I make a bone broth with the leftovers. We are also able to eat the leftover meat in dishes like tacos or BBQ sandwiches. Thanks for all of your wonderful advice; I really enjoy your blog!
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We got rid of white sugar a long time ago and now use raw honey, maple syrup or stevia. I’m familiar with soaking grains and have been doing that off and on the last several years, but i would still love one of her cookbooks for more recipes and advice.
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We have been slowly weaning ourselves off convenience foods and most processed foods and striving for whole foods instead. We recently decided to take the plunge into backyard chicken husbandry and I am in the midst of planning out our raised bed garden which will be planted next month.
I am teaching the girlies how to bake homemade bread with whole grain flours and we are trying to eliminate white sugar from our diets completely (but it’s hard). We aren’t perfect and still slip up, but it’s a process isn’t it? For now, we take it one day at a time and look forward to the next visit to our local farmer’s market for yummy natural nourishing foods.
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I would love the whole grains baking! We have recently stopped buying CAFO meat at the grocery store. We are getting our beef from a farmer and will have a 1/4 ready at the end of the summer. We did find a brand of chicken that is what will get us through till I can find a farmer for that as well. No more antibiotics or hormones in our meat! Our meat will have had a decent life and be treated in a humane manner…
So glad to be making these changes, even if they are pricey!
Heather
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I have a friend who is a big fan of Sue Gregg. I have looked at her cookbooks several times, but I have never purchased one. My husband grew up on white flour, so he is the one who needs the most convincing in our family. Slowly, I have tried to swap out some wheat flour for white, high-fiber pasta for white (no whole wheat, yet!) and more fruits and veggies. We have made great strides, considering where we started!
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I would love to learn more about whole foods cooking and whole grains baking!
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I try to use natural and whole wheat ingredients when i can.
we have the teaching kids to cook book…really like it..but just getting started. I have children who dont follow directions/instructions. SO i always end up remediating anything we do. Do you have that problem?
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I have tried to move toward more healthy eating. I use olive oil most of the time (not quite all), butter, try to use brown rice instead of white. I really don’t fry much unless it’s an egg since I can’t quite give those up. lol Trying..but not quite there. Being overweight is a problem for me. My husband doesn’t eat in a healthy way at all so I have to ‘sneak’ in the good stuff where I can. I’m also trying to teach my children to be more aware of what they put into their bodies. It’s a struggle, and I feel a little lost and sometimes limited when it comes to healthy foods. I would love to get more ideas and learn more about it all!
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In the past year I have personally gone vegan since I’m allergic to almost all meat/dairy products. I’ve also purchased a wheat grinder & started making all of our breads from scratch. I do my best to use whole/organic ingredients as much as possible & have just planted a huge (for us) garden. I would love to win one of these cookbooks to help us on our way.
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i made the move to healthier eating 10 yrs ago
i have learned that by giving toddlers raw veggies and fruits as snacks they don’t start liking chips etc when they are older- they really do still like the good stuff
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tweeted http://twitter.com/agodlyhomemaker/status/12603323911
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blogged it http://agodlyhomemaker.blogspot.com/2010/04/sue-gregg-cooking-giveaway.html
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Since the birth of our first child (7yrs ago), we have really focused on making a lot of our food from scratch. Our kids would much rather have fruits and veggies than candy or cookies anyday, that makes me so happy. We are also putting in a big garden this year, so we can reap the benefits of our own organic produce. Please enter me!
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I’m desperately trying to get back on the path of healthy eating. We started this with our family 4 years ago, got off track and after going to the dr. to be told that my blood pressure is off the charts and my cholesterol level is 100 points above normal, I am plowing my way back to healthy eating for me and my family. The pounds have packed on for us all, but we are slow and steady in shedding them. This book would be a great nudge in the right direction!!!
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Thanks for doing this giveaway! We have started grinding our own wheat and baking our own bread among other things. It is very important to keep my children healthy, we see it as a part of their inheritance!
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I’d love to learn more about healthy eating to lose weight.
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With my husband’s arthritis, we tried cutting back on meat for awhile (at the recommendation of our chiropractor) to try to reduce inflammation. We eat TONS of fresh produce because we like it and for the antioxidants. Now, DH is gluten free, and much healthier. So, we do a lot towards healthy eating!
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We try to eat fresh fruits and vegetables everyday. We try to eat whole grains. We buy organic whenever possible
susan56bfct at gmail dot com
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Sorry – email included in first entry was incorrect.
susan56bft at gmail dot com
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Last summer we started grinding our own white wheat berries. We’ve come a long way since Bisquick pancakes!!
I’m enjoying your blog after finding it through Life in a Shoe!
Mom of 8…so far!
Amy
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This is a great book. I have only have the chance to look through it a little.
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Oh man, my whole blog is about my journey! I started making my own yogurt way back before most other changes, though.
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I tweeted for ya!
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I have a healthy-eating friend who is influencing me in a positive way toward healthier eating. One of the easiest changes we’ve made is to look for whole grain foods. Some we have tried and not liked, but at least we are trying them now. And for the second year, I am growing vegetables with no chemicals or pesticides. Each year I plan to add another item to the garden.
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I’ve done a number of small things to get my family eating better…homemade yogurt, using unbleached all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, more from scratch cooking to name a few. One of these cookbooks would be a blessing!
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I have made the Blender batter pancakes from Sue Gregg’s website, and they are the only wholegrain pancake my husband has deemed edible. He’s a white flour fan.
I have been looking at the Sue Gregg books for a while now, but the family budget hasn’t cooperated. I make my own yogurt and pickles, grind my own wheat, and have no white sugar in the house. I buy milk from a local rBST and antibiotic free dairy. (raw is illegal here) I shop the perimeter of the store, and when I do buy processed food I get transfat and HFCS free products. I need recipes that help me live this healthier lifestyle.
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We are trying to move toward healthier cooking. I have started making bread and we have moved to plain yogurt. I’d love the whole foods cookbook.
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I have been really paring down our “convenience” foods and going for healthier real cooking…
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We are currently raising chickens for their eggs, trying to drink more water, and incorporating low fat recipes( at least trying to) We also plant a garden each year.
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We make our own breads and sauce mixes. We are limiting our purchases of prepared and convenience foods. We cook from scratch almost all the time.
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