Our Cook of the Month winner is Jeanette from Wanamingo, Minnesota our June Cook of the Month. Below is the email Jeanette sent us:

I am working through my second bulk cooking "weekend"  with the 30 Day Gourmet, and wanted to take a break and thank you so much for the book and the web site resources. 

 

This method of cooking has changed how I prepare and plan meals for my family, our eating habits, saves us money and surprisingly, has affected my health.

 

No more what's for dinner, do I have to eat that?, or we need to get groceries again??  I go over my meal plan with my picky eater husband before we shop, with the agreement that he has menu input, so he has to at least TRY everything I make.  We no longer rely on convenience foods such as chicken voila, hamburger helper and such for meals.  I make most everything from scratch.  We even eat out less, since I have applied your methods to recipes for fajitas, home made pizzas, chicken nuggets, etc.

 

The biggest surprise for me has been the impact on my health.  I have always had water retention and swelling problems.  During my first pregnancy, I gained pounds of water weight along with the normal weight gain, and had severe swelling of my legs, feet and hands.  I had to put away my wedding rings before I was 5 months along.  I was unable to stand for any extended length of time without my legs swelling to look like the Michelin Tire Man.  I am now 8 months pregnant with my second child, and I wore my rings until last month!  I have had virtually no swelling at all.  The support hose my doctor prescribed for this pregnancy have stayed in the drawer!  My Mom even says that she could tell I was feeling better a week after we started eating this way.  I think the reduction of sodium and preservatives in my diet has made all the difference!

 

I will never go back to "regular" cooking again, and have recommended your book and web site to many friends and family.

Congratulations Jeanette!