finding inspiration to cook with your kids & party on for #FRD2014

the food revolution has tons of inspirational videos on their lovely youtube channel and i'm having a ball adding our mullies food love to it all.  i hope you enjoy browsing around as much as i do!

here's a little sneak peak at the crazy #FRD2014 rainbow wrap cooking party we had on monday night... OMG was it FUN... boys LOVE beet juice!!!!  

...i need to lock myself in a closet and put it all together already:)  

helllllerrrrs, that pic says it all!  megan, your picture prowess kills me!

and lastly but not leastly... 

THIS IS TODAY LOVELY AMBASSADOR PEOPLE!!!!!!  see you at 1pm CST with your egg salad sam-iches. 

don't forget to get.your.tweet.on and join me, jennifer and jeff afterwards for a #FoodPatsChat around 2:10ish CST (the film is 74 minutes long).  

RSVP and call in for a looooooong lunch break:)

make me: a "revolu-hen-ary" egg salad & a movie

hot stuff.

needing something to eat for our food patriots screening on wednesday?!

well, i think you should make my salad of course!! (thanks for the perfect name jeff)  i made this eggsellent creation as a pot luck dish to take with me to a food patriots screening last week at my alma matter, northwestern.  cluckity cluck cluck!

the "revolu-hen-ary" egg salad
1 T ranch (homemade rocks it) + 2 hardboiled eggs + 1/2 avocado + 1.5 tsp dijon mustard + siracha (to taste) + sea salt & pepper.

homemade ranch:
mix 3/4 c real mayo/vegenaise + 1/4 c plain yogurt (greek or sheeps is best!) + fresh juice from 1/2 lemon + pinch of sea salt & pepper + 1/2 tsp of each: garlic powder, onion powder + 1/2 T of each: chives, parsley, basil & 21 seasoning salute blend from trader joe's.

want it spicy?  add old bay seasoning, siracha, hot sauce... whatever makes your nose run!

top and eat yourself full with spinach and veggies!!

double, triple, quadruple etc for your crowd...

and remember, this movie is always BEST when you can watch it with others:)

see you wednesdsay, online at 1pm CST!!!!

i can't wait to tweet.my.little.heart.out.with.you after for the #FoodPatsChat

xoxo




ps

i just love my book tiffany, thank you!!!!  :)

a #FRD2014 love letter to my peeps

Hello Food Revolution Community!

I am having a ball sharing and hearing about everyone’s preparations for Food Revolution Day 2014.  I cannot wait to watch how our efforts will collectively light.up.the.globe on and around May 16^th!

I have had several ambassadors reach out to me and ask about the film I am using in my #FRD2014 initiative.  In an effort to spread the Food Revolution Day inspiration & planning ideas, I’m thrilled to announce that the Food Patriots will be offering an exclusive online Food Patriots screening and post twitter chat to our Food Revolution Ambassador Community! 

I have partnered with Jennifer and Jeff Spitz, the filmmakers of Food Patriots to bring public screening and discussion events to our Lake County Food Revolution Day festivities.  Ever since watching the rough cut of the film during the early weeks of my Ambassadorship (November 2012… only a month into my own family food change!), I knew this was the film that would help me dig deep into my community and reach uninitiated individuals to join the Food Revolution.  I was a newbie myself!  Fast forward to today, the newly released Food Patriots’ film helps me to connect with the often frustrated and overwhelmed individuals and parents who are interested but stuck in how to get to a more “cooked”, real food lifestyle.  There are so many awesome food documentaries out there, and though extremely educational, some films leave a “newbie foodie” a tad overwhelmed with an ounce or two of angry bewilderment.  How do you join the team when you feel like you don’t belong or that you are too.far.behind in the real food game?  Food Patriots is a great first stepping stone, one that imparts a message of gathering towards a workable, doable, worthwhile movement… the FOOD REVOLUTION! I love how Food Patriots’ audiences leave inspired, un-judged and excited to make small changes in their family’s kitchen and buying habits; It effectively reframes food attitudes; It helps audience members to realize each small change CAN be fun and WILL make a big difference; It cooks up a fire of belonging; It sheds “elitist” stereotypes and thus helps build a community team focused on increasing food education in our homes, schools and workplaces!  Heck yea, this film sends me “to the mullies” everytime!!!!

There are lots of ways to gather around this film for FRD or anytime of the year.  I am hosting my book club for a home screening on May 7^th.  Together with Christina Erickson, my Food Rev Lake County teammate and Stevenson High School Teacher, we will hosting a large 400 person Food Patriots public screening & discussion event at SHS on May 14.  Lastly, we are screening the film on a more intimate scale on May 16^th for “A Food Revolution Dinner and Movie” with the filmmakers as part of our Food Revolution Day Festival being held over May 16^th and 17^th.  Gotta love the screening options!

**Come join us on Wednesday, April 30^th at 1pm CST for an Food Rev Community exclusive online movie screening of the new documentary Food Patriots (74 minutes), followed by a twitter chat (#FoodPatsChat)!  The filmmakers will be online for the Q&A.  Media is invited.  RSVP at

http://www.foodpatriots.com/FoodRev14.  Password:  ambassador**

I can’t wait to share this extraordinary, nuanced film with you all!  Cheers to each of you for your “power of one” and for spreading the Food Revolution far and wide this year! As always, let me know if you have any questions about this event and I’ll see you online!

Super Wide High-5’s (Try and do this to someone right now… it’s really funny bunny)

Lindsey Shifley
Food Revolution Lake County 

easter in the mullies & happy earthy day!

to the mullies we go!

wait... don't jump.  that water's too freakin cold still.

here's our easter recap starting with the day before festivas...

the day before easter = flour making day... i had the white stuff all over my face 48 cups later. thankfully, christina came over and dusted my nose off.

that sounds super bad.

we made naturally dyed eggs for the first time.

here is the sweet "how to" link from another local mom who made a successful food change to help her child with ADHD and subsequently found jamie oliver's food revolution loooong before i even did:

but mom said: dye free easter eggs

cool your dye off.

#easterbunnydiarrhea

chris thought so while trying to match up eggs.

minions are my favorite.

batman forever.

yes, we eat sweets & put stickers on our face.  the best quality we can get our hands on...

i like to dress up all classy like.

my parents, kiddos grandparents, our next door neighbors = riot

making "wentel tee-fingers!"

75 degree easter = driveway beach party

today's earth day = don't forget to water my seedlings.  i am growing a bigger garden this year.

this.is.rockstar.




ps

#epicfail

forgot our lemon zucchini bread in the oven for 4 hours... oh christina may our kitchen adventures go on and on and on...

xoxo

an easter ambassador smash: waffles + french toast = "wentel teefjes"

i love the dutch.

someday, i'll make it to haarlem, netherlands and visit the wonderful terri salminem.  ohhhhhh to knock on her door and knock her over with a big hug and jump up and down in her kitchen!  i'll bring my apron and we'll cook, learn and laugh all day... perhaps some cocktail making?  and then i'll come home and teach my kids what you teach me.  i can see it in my head... can't you terri!?  saving my pennies...

she and i have become fast friends over the interweb; we exchange ideas as fellow food ambassadors, share books love (we read michael pollen's cooked at the same time!) and mutually inspire (i soak up so much from her creative chef-ness!!!).

little did i know that my idea to use leftover homemade waffles for french toast is a traditional dutch recipe called "wentel teefjes".  terri also suggested the cookbook entitled: the sensible cook which i can't wait to check out.  she suggested i add some lemon zest to the egg mixture and top it off with honey & fresh lemon juice.

head.over.heels.delish.

so here's our easter weekend plan stan:

saturday: making a big batch of homemade gluten free waffles
easter sunday: turning em into some lovely "wentel tee-fingers" (terri, i hope you like my language smash!)

the mullies homemade waffles
original bronski recipe found here.

3 c (436g) gf flour blend (i sub 200g arrowroot instead of corn starch in the 12 cup recipe)
2 T aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
...mix up in a bowl.  then add:

3 c organic rice milk
1/2 c light coconut milk
3 large pastured eggs (yolks only!  place the whites in a separate small bowl)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
...mix up and then add:

1 c melted organic coconut oil (or melted ghee or melted grassfed, organic butter)
...mix thoroughly.

using a handheld mixed, whip the egg whites until peaks form.
finally, gently fold the whites into the batter (you want to still see small clouds of egg whites scattered throughout the batter).

pour into your waffle maker and cook until it beeps!

**pitch.out.the.fake.syrup.now (log cabin, aunt gemima.. etc) and use pure maple syrup, coconut nectar or honey... they are real and they rock**

terri & lindsey's wentel tee-fingers
leftover waffles (i freeze mine)
...cut into fingers.
4-5 large pastured eggs
3 T light coconut milk
pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp lemon zest (adjust amount to your lemon liking!)
...mix up in a shallow bowl.

turn and soak each finger in the egg mixture.  i like to fry each side in a little ghee on my cast iron skillet.

top with honey and a sprinkling of fresh lemon juice... or whatever topping you fancy.

maple syrup
fresh fruit compote/jam
coconut nectar

get crackin already!!!!

and happy happy easter to all my spring chickies out there!

xoxo

stew up your okra lace

these pics say it all... good food + friends = love.  

do you try out new recipes on your peeps?  i meal planned a new stew recipe and tweaked the cajones out if it when i remembered we had a child with a peanut allergy coming over for dinner.  i added some extras cuz why not be adventurous with dinner guests?  if it ends up tasting like poop... so be it...  it makes for super fun goof-up stories till the end...  

remember that one time one band camp... ?

this meal fed two families (6 kids and four adults) and then was completely polished off by an after dinner party with more cocktails and friends.  

this #ballsoutrealfood recipe will be made again and again and again...  

african stew with okra laced rice 

meal planning and african peanut stew with okra rice recipe inspo made possible by jamie oliver's magical recipe app (aka "don't.leave.for.the.grocery.store.without.it")

here's another variation to get your cooking gumption on.

4 organic chicken thighs

2 c brown rice

15 okras sliced

1 tsp ground coriander + 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes + 1/2 tsp paprika (spice rub for da chicken)

1 carton (1 qt) of organic vegetable or chicken stock

1 small organic butternut squash (cored and diced.  leave skin on!)

2 small organic red onions diced

4 heirloom tomatoes quartered

1 carton mushrooms (8 oz) sliced

2 garlic cloves minced

sea salt
pepper

leftover organic bacon grease from breakfast

and this is how i threw it together...

10 qt dutch oven:

sauté low and slow:  bacon grease, diced red onions, diced squash (with skin on!), s&p until soft.  add garlic, mushrooms, some more s&p and sauté until mushrooms release their moisture and turn soft and dark.  add quartered tomatoes & cook down until all juice has been released.  add stock and diced chicken.  bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer with a vented lid for 45min-1 hour.  add s&p to taste.

lg cast iron pan:

rub chicken with spices, s&p and fry em up hot in your bacon grease until browned and gorgeous.  remove from pan, let rest for a bit and dice up.  in same pan, add a little more grease and sauté the sliced okra until they begin to brown and get some crisp.  

5 qt dutch oven:

cook brown rice to package instructions (i use vege stock for my liquid).  once cooked, stir in the bacon laced okra.

then becky says, "get your bruce wayne on" and enjoy yourself:)

say "boatswain"... he he he he... get it!?

xoxo

ps

the farm is creeping into corporate america... look what one of chris' co-workers brought to the office for us last week!  farm fresh, gorgeous eggs... oooooooohhhhhhh THE COLOR!!!!  

thank you thank you thank you mike!!!!!