The Whole Food Revelation product review & GIVEAWAY!

The Whole Food Revelation is a 4-week hands-on course designed to introduce you to whole foods.  From identifying, to shopping, to preparing, to substituting...this 8 DVD set and companion cookbook includes Grocery Lists, Menu Plans, and Recipes that will take you through the first month of your journey into healthier living and "fast, flavorful, healthy dinners".  Week by week, France Morissette of the blog Beyond the Peel will lead you through the process of planning your menu and preparing everything on one day (Sunday or adjust to your day-off), separating it and packing it up to span the course of your week.  The Adventure Begins in Week One.  In Week Two, you will begin Gettin' Cozy.  Into Week Three you will hopefully have begun Enjoying the Process and by Week Four, you'll be Feeling Great.  Each chapter in the book includes a 5-day menu plan (for one meal per day) that includes a grocery list with options for making the meal either vegetarian or "meatarian".  On your DVD, France will walk you through Getting Ready by measuring out your dry ingredients such as beans, lentils, and grains ...cutting, roasting, puréeing, mixing up veggies and sauces and marinating your proteins.  She also includes Leftover suggestions...allowing you to eliminate waste and turn it into a side dish or component of a main course for breakfast or lunch. 

I think that The Whole Food Revelation is a great tool for young adults who want to move beyond the grilled cheese, spaghetti, and frozen pizzas that they are comfortable making.  France is bubbly and personable, maybe a bit of a goofball (in a totally endearing way)...and a lot of fun to listen to, watch, and learn from.  WFR would also benefit the young couple with (or without) a young child wanting to introduce more whole foods and healthy options into their daily routine...but aren't sure where to begin.  A chef, avid cook, or well-seasoned home cook may find themselves fast-forwarding through the DVD, though.  If working with grains and veggies is something you've been doing for years...if you cook legumes from scratch and regularly break down larger cuts of meat to last you a week...if you already have a great organizational method that you use in the kitchen, then this probably isn't the program for you.  But why not give it as a gift to a younger brother or sister...niece or nephew...grandchild or your favorite neighbor kid going off to college?  That way, they'll be inviting you over to show off the fruits of their labor.  And if you're already an experienced cook, you know how gratifying it is to cook somebody a fabulous meal...what a sense of accomplishment and empowerment it is!  Plus, you know you'd love to be invited over for a Grilled Eggplant Pizza with Bocconcini or Salmon with Mango Chutney and Cumin served with a Barley Tomato Corn Salad or perhaps Roasted Squash with a Hazelnut Parsley Pesto and Wheat Berry Pilaf.  Personally, the Haloumi with Shredded Cabbage White Bean Salad with Toasted Cashews makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

If I have one "complaint" about The Whole Food Revelation, it would be that in the menu...serving/yield sizes are not given.  Since this course is such a great tool for introducing young or inexperienced cooks to whole foods, I think it would be helpful to them to have a yield for these meals...to help them get familiar with how much each will yield...if they will only have enough for themselves or if they can invite friends or family over for dinner.  (But in all fairness, France does give suggestions on certain things like shrimp...telling how many to choose per person.)  That said, I can see how this could benefit the whole learning process.  If you are going to commit and give yourself a month to work through this course, you can keep your pencil close at hand and make notes on how much each recipe makes as you work through it...get into the process and benefit from the hands-on learning process.

I am going to be giving away one copy of The Whole Food Revelation program --> 1 book + 8-DVD set (a $939. value).  This is the copy that I used to get familiar with the program.  Each DVD has been watched one time and the book has been read through...but they are all in "like new" condition.  France has graciously offered email support to the winner of this giveaway...should you have any questions or concerns while you make your way through this 4-week course.

How to enter (mandatory):

Leave a comment on this post telling me why you'd like to win The Whole Food Revelation (for youself, a loved one, a friend...why).

for extra entries (leave a separate comment for each one, please):

~Follow me via Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, or subscribe by email (all options in my sidebar) 

~Follow me on Twitter

~"Like" girlichef on Facebook

~Follow France's blog Beyond the Peel (in any of the above mentioned ways)
~Follow France on Twitter
~"Like" Beyond the Peel on Facebook
~Share this giveaway on Twitter by copy/pasting the following: @girlichef is having a #giveaway - enter here http://bit.ly/iWyhs3 to win a copy of #WholeFoodRevelation by @BeyondThePeel
~Share this giveaway on Facebook (tag @girlichef & @BeyondThePeel in your share)

This giveaway is open to everybody, everywhere.  All entries due by Saturday May 28 at 11:59 pm (Eastern time).  Please make sure that I have a way to contact you, should you be the winner (via random draw). This giveaway is now closed.

And if you just can't wait and want to order your copy now...or for more information or testimonials, check out The Whole Food Revelation site.  Good Luck!

*Update 5/29/11: And the winner is....

...congratulations, Kitty!  I hope you find it useful and I love your attitude --- it's contagious!