Portland Wholistic Nutriton Program – Enrollment & Classes Start in January!

We’ve been waiting a long time to be able to make this announcement! Our Portland school branch is now formally licensed by the Oregon State Department of Education and we are officially opening enrollment for our very first Wholistic Nutrition Program in Portland from January 2nd through February 15th, 2012. We will be accepting applications from students who’ve been taking individual classes with us as well as new students who are interested in pursuing program level certification for this nationally recognized program.

Check out our current schedule of classes and download a copy of the current student handbook that includes all of the required registration and application materials as well as info on pricing, payment plans, etc.

Classes for this program will run January 2012 through June 2013. The enrollment period is in tandem with new classes starting up. There are some really great discounts that we will offer to  this first group only!

The next class is Fundamentals of Chinese Medicine on January 21st & 22nd, 2012. After that we have Wholistic Nutrition I & II in February (25th & 26th) and March (17th & 18th). We still offer our classes to the community as well, so if there’s a topic that’s of interest to you, we welcome you to take the class. Check out the classes page on our website for more information on all of these classes.

The program incorporates Eastern (Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory) and Western principles and is a unique opportunity for acupuncturists, Asian body workers, physical therapists, personal trainers, healthcare practitioners, individuals seeking to start a stand-alone practice, or anyone wishing to expand their knowledge of Wholistic Nutrition!

The 280-hour program consists of 18 classes that meet one weekend a month to accommodate busy work schedules and real life demands! This format is ideal for commuters, full-time jobs and anyone with a busy schedule. Classes can also be taken individually for continuing education credits or personal enrichment.

Our past and current student body for this program include RN’s, PT’s, OT’s, Amma Therapists, Bodyworkers, Teachers, and many folks from different professions, all of whom tell us this program has given them some of the best tools possible in applying the benefits of nutrition.

It’s really a great program that we believe can make a difference. What are you waiting for? Contact us with any questions. 503.688.1482 or info@thewellspring.org.

“Currently I am incorporating the knowledge and wisdom(learned from The Wellspring School Wholistic Nutrition Program classes) to enhance my already established physical therapy practice. The combination couldn’t be better.” 

T. Hindson, CPT, CHN

National Association of Nutrition Professionals December E-Zine – Nutritional Tips, Recipe & Spotlight on The Wellspring School!

This month the National Association of Nutrition Professionals has some great tips on maintaining adrenal health through the holidays and beyond in their December E-Zine. In addition, there is a great recipe contributed by one of our current Boise Wholistic Nutrition Program students, Florence M-R (shown in the pic cooking away!) and yours truly for a pumpkin pudding/pie that’s sure to please for a holiday dessert that’s GF, DF and just plain yummy!

Even more exciting is that we are officially launching our Wholistic Nutrition Certification Program in Portland in January 2012!  We are very pleased to be able to bring this program in its entirety to the Portland community. Contact the school office at 503.688.1482 or send us an email at info@thewellspring.org for more info on how to register.

Rachael Myles

Director, The Wellspring School for Healing Arts

 

Education & Community Service – A Recipe for Success!

Wholistic Nutrition Program Student - Jessica W.

One of my favorite aspects of  The Wellspring School program students is the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of community service activities.  Through Amma students  providing bodywork to a hardworking group of teachers, or nutrition students educating various groups on the benefits of healthy, whole foods based eating, it is exciting to see people become interested in something they might not have had access to previously. Whether it’s through touch, mindful movement, diet or an exciting new recipe, we love seeing our students actively bridging the gap between the community in educating folks on leading healthier lifestyles in a way that is enjoyable.

As part of both Amma Therapy and Wholistic Nutrition students must participate in a minimum of 18 hours of community service. Recently in Boise, a group of Wholistic Nutrition Program students and I participated in a meeting of the new organization, Idaho Cancer Wellness Community, whose charter is to create a place where “people living with cancer can get the comprehensive social, emotional and educational support they need.” The Wellspring School was invited to prepare food for the event, being cognizant of a wide variety of food sensitivities and ensuring fresh, healthy and tasty snacks for the group.

Our menu included roasted root veggies, teff/quinoa & corn polenta topped with roasted red pepper and poblano chili pestos, fresh figs with walnut cream sauce and (DF,SF, GF) brownies and hazelnut cookie drops. While at the event we were  pleased to be able to provide recipes and information about the snacks and nutrition in general. It’s always amazing and satisfying when people discover that food can be healthy and tasty at the same time!

Below some pictures from the evening as well as a recipe for nut cream. The cream sauce is a great recipe to have on hand for the holidays. Substitute for whipped cream on pies, as a thickener for soups and topping for hot cereals or stewed fruits. It’s dairy free and super yummy!

Nut Cream

3 cups walnuts soaked overnight or cashews soaked for 1-2 hours (Whatever nut you like…softer nuts take less soaking time. Make sure to rinse when done and toss out the soaking water.)

½ Tsp. vanilla extract (for sweet cream use)

1 TBS maple syrup (for sweet cream use)

1/4 tsp sea salt (Optional)

3Tbs. coconut oil  (Optional, lends to a thicker texture, like a hard cream.)

Water – quantity depends on desired thickness

Preparation:

1. Put everything in a blender on low speed.

2. Gradually add water until the mixture is smooth and the desired consistency. It may take a few minutes so be patient!

3. Remove to a bowl and allow to chill thoroughly (about 30 minutes)

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What’s Cooking at The Wellspring School?

WHAT A GREAT CLASS!

Last weekend in Boise, Wholistic Nutrition students had the opportunity to don aprons and roll up their sleeves for two days in the kitchen with Tressa Yellig, Executive Chef and Owner of Salt, Fire & Time in Portland. Tressa kept the students going non-stop with two packed days. Topics covered included -cooking with spices, working with ingredients you have on hand, making tasty substitutions (GF, DF, SF, etc.), re-working traditional Thanksgiving dishes, cooking with different meat cuts, and fermentation. Oh, and lots of tasting!

Needless to say, students left tired but happy lugging jars of homemade ginger ale and goji berry sauerkraut, lots of new recipes  and increased confidence in their ability to make healthy and tasty foods for all kinds of dietary needs for themselves and future clients. Cooking classes are part of our nutrition program and an incredible hands on experience. Probably the best “lab” class you will ever come across. We will be offering additional cooking classes in 2012 so stay tuned.

The next nutrition class is this weekend (11/12 & 11/13) in Portland, Western Nutrition I. Check out our website for a complete listing of classes in both Boise and Portland.

Check out some pics from the weekend below.

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How To Make Coconut Kefir & Open House!

So what does coconut kefir and an Open House have in common? A lot actually!

As part of our overall Wholistic Nutrition Program, we ask our students to constantly try new things and tackle projects where they can explore firsthand the multiple facets of whole foods nutrition. We’re sharing another one of our student projects at the end of this post on making coconut kefir. Coconut Kefir is an awesome source of probiotics, micronutrients and other essential good things for your body. See how a student literally cracks this project wide open!

Now for the Open House Part. We will be hosting a very informal Open House at our school location (214 SE 18th) in Portland next Monday, October 3rd, from 5:00-7:30PM. Click here for directions!

The focus of the evening is to provide an opportunity for any of you who’ve expressed interest in our Wholistic Nutrition Program and/or classes to meet the school directors as well as other prospective students to learn more about the field of wholistic nutrition, career opportunities and our upcoming nutrition classes (which start October 15th!). Find out how you can get in on the fun too! If this is something you’ve been thinking about this is a great opportunity for you to get more information and perhaps even take the plunge and register for classes! There will be prizes, snacks and great fun overall.

Check out our website for more information on individual fall classes that are part of our Fundamentals of Healthy Living class series.

HOW TO MAKE COCONUT KEFIR!

How to Make Coconut Kefir

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What Do Late Summer Veggies & Sprouted Grain Tortillas Have in Common?

Lots!  Starting to wonder how you will ever eat all that squash? Tomatoes and peppers over-running your kitchen counters? Always on the lookout for new recipes or ideas for a simple meal?

How about fresh garden veggie burritos with homemade sprouted grain tortillas for dinner? Or scramble together some eggs, chilies and beans, wrap up in a sprouted grain tortilla and top with salsa for a yummy breakfast. Or serve warm tortillas topped with sweet potato, black bean and chevre spread with a salad for a late summer lunch. the possibilities are endless!

Sprouted grain tortillas are really pretty easy to make. Yes, you have to soak and sprout your grains in advance. However, once you’ve got that done you can make a batch of the dough, keep in your fridge for a few days, then take out when you are ready to cook up for your meal. Or go ahead and cook up a bunch of tortillas, keep in your fridge and just warm up to serve whenever you want to use them during the week.

One of our Wholistic Nutrition Program students, Jan B., put together this great presentation on sprouting grains for homemade tortillas as part of a class assignment. We love to see all of the different ways our students tackle their homework!  Check it out.

Don’t forget to check out all of the upcoming Fall Classes in Portland and Boise. There’s a little bit of something for everyone including great nutrition classes, special deals and lots more!

How To Make Sprouted Grain Tortillas!

A Weekend of Whole Foods Cooking

“Nothing is more intimate than our relationship with food.” Tressa Yellig

Have you ever wondered what a lab class for a nutrition program looked like? A really busy kitchen, that’s what!  We recently held our Whole Foods Cooking class weekend in Boise with chef and instructor, Tressa Yellig, owner of  Portland’s Salt, Fire & Time.

Students were given countless invaluable tips on the properties, uses and preparation of a wide variety of traditional foods. In addition there was plenty of dedicated time for students to practice and apply their cooking skills in preparation of a series of incredible menus. Check out the slideshow at the end of the post for more pics from the weekend. Not only did students learn a lot through the hands on experience, they also experienced firsthand the incredible sense of community through preparing and sharing delicious meals together.

The menus took advantage of spring with a bounty of fresh veggies, including a warm pinto bean salad with arugula, a cured kale salad and fresh strawberries and walnut cream. Here’s a recipe on the latter, courtesy of Tressa, to whet your appetite.

Walnut Whipped Cream & Strawberries

 Ingredients:

• 3 cups walnuts, soaked overnight
• 3 Tbs. coconut oil
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 basket of strawberries

Preparation:

1. Add walnuts, coconut oil, vanilla and maple to blender and begin on low speed.
2. Gradually add water until processes smoothly
3. Remove to a bowl and allow to chill thoroughly (about 30 minutes)
4. Serve with strawberries

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Jason’s Breakfast Cookie Recipe

Cookies for Breakfast?

 

You bet! A pretty healthy breakfast option that has whole grains, fruits, nuts, fiber, protein in a form everyone loves and will definitely chase those winter blues away. This is a perfect recipe for those on the go, it can be modified to be vegan, gluten-free and/or diary free.

The Wellspring School hopes to feature some recipes from our instructors, local chefs and community over the next year that align with our whole foods philosophy. For our first post, Rylen called upon the baking genius of her brother and chef,  Jason Lee, to provide us with today’s delicious recipe.

Jason refers to himself as “a decent cook” and has worked in the culinary arts in Portland for the past decade. He now spends most of his time cooking nutritious meals for his family and friends, taking time to learn innovate approaches to classic creations along the way, making them healthier and heartier for all.

We tested this in our own home kitchen and it is tried/true and delicious .

Jason’s Delicious
Gluten-free Breakfast Cookies

Dry Mix
1 ¾ cup gluten-free flour mix (Bob’s Red Mill makes a good one)
½ cup oat bran
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ cup millet
½ cup ground flax seeds

Wet Mix
¾ cup sugar (agave, brown sugar, or honey)
¼ cup oil (olive, sunflower, or butter)
2 eggs
1 cups apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla

Fruit and Nuts
1 ½ cups grated carrots
1 cup dried berries (raisins, dried cherries, cranberries)
1 cup dried diced fruit (apples, peaches, apricots)
1 cup chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans)
½ cup dried, unsweetened coconut

Directions:
Sift Dry Mix together. Cream sugar and oil together till very smooth. Add remaining wet mix ingredients. Add Wet Mix to Dry Mix stir until just blended together. Fold in Fruit and Nuts. Chill for 1 hour.

Form into ¼ – ½ cup size cookies, about 1 – 1 ½ inches high mounds about 1 inch apart, on prepared cookie sheet (greased, parchment or silicone lined). Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, cookies are done when a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

Options:
Vegan – omit eggs and add ¼ cup more oil or add ¼ more apple sauce.
Low Fat – omit eggs and oil add ½ cup more apple sauce.
Keeping the ratios the same (Dry, Wet, Fruit) change fruit, spices, nuts to personal liking.

Makes 18 – 20 cookies

FROM

JASON’S KITCHEN:

Where Did This Recipe Come From?: I came up with these cookies after the bakery I use for the restaurant I manage discontinued theirs.  I wanted to make something simple that had good ratio balance (wet mix, dry mix, fruit etc.) that I could play round with and add or subtract any ingredients I wanted but as long as the ratios were maintained they would always turn out.

What Do You Do?: I currently work for Providence Health Services as a retail restaurant manager. I have been in food service forever. I have been an executive chef for Bridgeport Brewpub and Bakery and have worked as a chef in many hotels and restaurants in Boise, Vail, CO and Portland.

Can You Talk  About Your Connection To Healthy Cooking?: I started cooking for special diets when I became a personal chef and was doing small private catering. Living in Portland gave me an opportunity to work with people with many diverse diets and restrictions.  I became interested personally in healthy cooking when after many years of cooking in commercial restaurants I myself became very overweight and quite unhealthy.  I once had triglycerides in the 600 hundreds.  I knew that one could not survive on the food that I made a living from in restaurants and began to feed myself and my family better.  Soon I realized that I could no longer work in those mainstream kitchens and starting working as a personal chef and now work in a hospital as a manager for nutrition services.  I eat and preach a very broad diet (allergies and sensitives allowed) with major emphasis on plant-based, whole grains and “pure” ingredients. I can cook anything and always love to try new ideas and recipes. I am a super food nerd and will breakdown recipes or create recipes and analyze  why they work they way they do.

Food Starts With Family For You…: Ultimately, my favorite meal is the one I make for my family.  I love feeding my kids and watching them enjoy all these foods that adults are just now trying to like. Most of us are trying to learn how to eat better, if we started our lives eating good, we would never have a need to change.

Fresh Figs two ways: Sweet and Savory

contributed by Rylen Feeney

Figs are finally resuming their rightful place on the food deliciousness scale!   For several years running Bon Appetit readers voted figs their least favorite fruit – but no longer.  Figs have made a big comeback.   They are rich, complex and glorious.  Higher in fiber and overall mineral content of any other fruit.  Grab them while you can they are  only available from May – October depending on the variety and once bought only last a few days.  You want to select figs that are plump and yield slightly when gently squeezed.

They are a nutrient dense burst of fiber, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, calcium and beta carotenes, lutein, zeaxantin, vitamin C and K, and phytosterols.

Figs are said to be a premium food to consider adding to your diet for constipation, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, fertility and libido.

To see complete nutritional informational data see: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrientprofile&dbid=106 or http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1884/2

Savory:

Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Figs
adapted from Berryhill & Co

This will make extra fig and onion spread and can be put in omelets, or served with pasta and goat cheese or stuffed in chicken breast or legs or just eaten straight!

Serves 2
Preparation time:  50 – 60 minutes (onion fig spread can be made ahead)
Cooking time 10 minutes

Ingredients:
4 Slices Sourdough Bread or Unleavened Sprouted Grain Bread
1/3 cup shredded raw sharp cheddar
3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) of crumbled good sheep or goat feta cheese
2 large yellow onions, sliced
2 cups or more of fresh figs, cleaned and chopped.
1 tbs of olive oil
sea or kosher salt
small amount of butter (room temperature)

Preparation:
1. Heat the oil over medium high until it shimmers. Saute onions, coating them with oil, and sprinkle a big pinch of salt over them. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook the onions slowly, stirring every few minutes until they soften and turn an even, deep brown gooey and are sweet. (about 25 – 40 minutes).
While the onions are cooking, wash the figs, slice off their stem ends, and cut them into ¼ inch chunks.  When the onions are completely caramelized, turn the heat back up to medium and stir in the figs. When the figs just begin to break apart, after about 2 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and transfer into a bowl.
To make the sandwiches, heat a dry skillet on medium high heat and once hot turn down to medium or medium low.  Spread a thin layer of butter on each slice of bread, put 2 slices of bread butter side down in a hot skillet and spread both evenly with the cheddar cheese.  Let it begin to melt.  Add large scoop of onion fig spread and feta and top with the remaining two slices of bread, butter side up.  Press down and cover to help cheese melt.   When bread is evenly browned – carefully turn over and press and brown the second side.
Enjoy warm!

Sweet:
Baked Figs with Honey & Toasted Nuts
from my brother

Serves 4 – 6
Preparation time less than 15 mins
Cooking time 15 to 30 mins

Ingredients:
24 – 36 ripe fresh figs
Honey or Amber Agave Nectar
6 – 8 oz  Greek natural yoghurt*
1 cup chopped pecans**

Preparation:
Trim the end of the stalks off each fig and then cut a cross into the top of each one    and open it up like a flower.
2. Place the figs into a 9X13 baking pan.
Drizzle the honey equally over each fig. Sprinkle with the nuts.  Place them into a 375° oven and cook for 15 – 30 minutes, or until tender & figs have started to collapse a little and juice is running.
4. Add a good spoonful of Greek yoghurt to each one and eat while they’re still warm.
* cream fraise, marscapone, or fresh ricotta are all scrumptious substitutes
** Any nut would be acceptable: e.g. pecans, hazelnuts or combinations

Get nutty with your parsley, basil or cilantro!

Are you looking for something to do with all those fresh herbs growing in your garden this summer?

Consider plucking a handful of basil, parsley or cilantro and tossing it in a blender (or food processor) with your favorite nut. That’s right! Make a healthy and flavorful garnish for pasta, breads, grains, meats, etc.

This is something you can freeze and use for a little summer flavor in the middle of winter. Freeze mixture in an ice tray, store individual cubes an airtight container in your freezer. Use as many or as few as you need for  a winter meal pick me up.

  

Basic Garnish Recipe

Adapted from The Wellspring School Cooking Class

Prep time: 8 minutes. Makes ¾ cup.

• ¼ cup toasted seeds or nuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup parsley, basil, or cilantro
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3-4  TBS olive oil

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times until coarse mixture. Great with brown rice, fish, chicken, etc.

Some great herb/nut combos:

• Pepita & Parsley
• Basil & Walnut
• Cilantro & Almond

What’s your favorite