2014 - cheers and i'll miss you.
2015 - i can't wait to meet you.
get ready + get set = GO
xoxoL
Showing posts with label food patriots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food patriots. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Monday, June 30, 2014
rhubarb lemonade + an evolving mullies = no guts no glory
I have this unique ability to not hear anything going on around me when I type or read and when my oldest child Mac told me I was getting "too much screen time", well, I realized something's gotta give. This lovely little blog was the beginning. I started it after my sister came in town on Labor Day 2012; Katie gave me a frame with fabric embroidered inside, "to the mullies" giving homage to the make believe land we used to "swing" to after we jumped off our swing set. She and her family are here now vacationing with us for a lovely looooong week. Writing here helped get me through our life altering family food change... boy have I learned a lot. Perhaps I will post again after the Summer, perhaps I will not. In the meantime, you can find me with my family and friends swinging to the mullies on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and on YouTube. Most especially, keep up with all of us in the Lake County Food Revolution on Facebook and Twitter cuz food is forever.
I'm having way too much fun smashing it with other ambassadors and foodie friends alike. Turns out I super love making videos cooking with my kids:) I taught myself how to splice footage and edit videos together on my iphone and taking a break from the blog will give me a chance to see how much trouble we can get into showing how this American FoodRev family is swinging her bat. Thumbs up, sideways or down... Single, double, triple or a home run... Let's cook tried and true recipes from all over the nation and globe together... I hope you too will gather a little team and try cooking along with me - that way we won't feel so alone if our busy lives and kids give us the finger to sit the bench.
The game goes by way.too.fast and I'm only sitting to catch my breath.
The game goes by way.too.fast and I'm only sitting to catch my breath.
Here's our latest, just in time for your 4th of July picnics and barbecues!!!
An Ambassador Smash - Rhubarb Lemonade
Recipe sent with love from Food Rev Haarlem, Netherlands by Food Rev Ambassador Terri Salminen. She and I are having a blast communicating over the ocean and getting to know each other "on the line". We have become fast friends and I feel so lucky to be connected with her! I cannot wait to see what we smash up next:) I decided to post her recipe as she wrote it to me, as it's so terribly simple and delicious and I want her voice to be here with me. I had enough to make three last cocktails yesterday for the arrival of my sis and bro-in-law. I added some vodka, cut strawberries and stirred it up in some gorgeous copper mugs. Oh I'll be making this one again and again:)
Hello there Lindsey -- This is what I did: cut three large stalks of rhubarb into chunks and put them in a sauce pan, just covering them with water (about 1 liter). Squeeze the juice of one lemon, and drop the lemons in the pan with a whole vanilla pod. Bring the ingredients to a boil and turn down to a simmer. Let the rhubarb cook 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and strain the rhubarb through a sieve. Return the juices and the vanilla pod into the pan, removing the cut lemons. Now -- this is the fun part. Simmer the rhubarb juice to half its original quantity (about 20 minutes) on low heat. When cooked down and turning dark pink, add two to three tablespoons of honey -- sweetening it to taste. Let the rhubarb juice cool -- keeping the vanilla pod in for flavor. It's wonderfully tart and delicious -- especially with a splash of San Pellegrino mineral water, some cut strawberries and fresh mint leaves. xxxxxxTerri
Part 2
So with that, here's my parting thoughts on this glorious 4th of July week. I'm thinking about my beloved America, about becoming a Food Patriot and it's such perfect timing.
I started this blog with a question: Will this family food change help improve Abbie's symptoms and avoid an ADHD diagnosis with subsequent medication? I'm signing off this Summer with my theory on why our family food change helped Abbie shed the ADHD and sensory processing symptoms. Was it the reduction in refined sugar? The elimination of artificial color and preservatives? The removal of gluten? Or was it something else that connected these elements? Today I'm going to talk about GUTS and connect some dots.
Here we go...
Antibiotics (ABX)
The effects of ABX on our gut bacteria are known by most of us. Use them too often and they kill off the good AND bad guys in our guts; Think Vietnam agent orange carpet bombing. Throughout our lives (starting in the womb), we get numerous, sometimes unnecessary (sometimes life saving) doses of ABX. In addition, our factory farmed animal meat is loaded with it. ABX make animals big and fat fast and they help animals survive the unnatural conditions of crowded factory farm barns. How much ABX is left in the meat when we eat it? More than we think.
Hello there Lindsey -- This is what I did: cut three large stalks of rhubarb into chunks and put them in a sauce pan, just covering them with water (about 1 liter). Squeeze the juice of one lemon, and drop the lemons in the pan with a whole vanilla pod. Bring the ingredients to a boil and turn down to a simmer. Let the rhubarb cook 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and strain the rhubarb through a sieve. Return the juices and the vanilla pod into the pan, removing the cut lemons. Now -- this is the fun part. Simmer the rhubarb juice to half its original quantity (about 20 minutes) on low heat. When cooked down and turning dark pink, add two to three tablespoons of honey -- sweetening it to taste. Let the rhubarb juice cool -- keeping the vanilla pod in for flavor. It's wonderfully tart and delicious -- especially with a splash of San Pellegrino mineral water, some cut strawberries and fresh mint leaves. xxxxxxTerri
Part 2
So with that, here's my parting thoughts on this glorious 4th of July week. I'm thinking about my beloved America, about becoming a Food Patriot and it's such perfect timing.
I started this blog with a question: Will this family food change help improve Abbie's symptoms and avoid an ADHD diagnosis with subsequent medication? I'm signing off this Summer with my theory on why our family food change helped Abbie shed the ADHD and sensory processing symptoms. Was it the reduction in refined sugar? The elimination of artificial color and preservatives? The removal of gluten? Or was it something else that connected these elements? Today I'm going to talk about GUTS and connect some dots.
Here we go...
Antibiotics (ABX)
The effects of ABX on our gut bacteria are known by most of us. Use them too often and they kill off the good AND bad guys in our guts; Think Vietnam agent orange carpet bombing. Throughout our lives (starting in the womb), we get numerous, sometimes unnecessary (sometimes life saving) doses of ABX. In addition, our factory farmed animal meat is loaded with it. ABX make animals big and fat fast and they help animals survive the unnatural conditions of crowded factory farm barns. How much ABX is left in the meat when we eat it? More than we think.
Filtering the GMO debate
GMOs have really come into the limelight over the past two years. I certainly had no idea about them when I started looking into our food. One must separate genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) first so that we can talk about our guts. Think of what humans do in GEO's as forced plant sex... we've been doing it by hand in fields and in laboratories for centuries. On the other hand, GMO's are created when scientists splice a class of herbicides such as glyphosate (the active ingredient in the popular weed killer "Roundup") with the plant seed's own DNA so that every cell of the plant gives off the neurotoxin. These crops are classified as systemic neoniconitoids (SN-GMOs) and were approved in the glorious 1980's. Because they are cheap, these crops overwhelm the ingredient lists of our processed food and new research is showing these crops have put the world food supply at risk. But how could they have been approved in the first place?! Here's what happened: These herbicides cause a fatal neurological pathway disruption (the shikimate pathway) in plant and bacteria cells which kills them. This pathway does not even exist in our human cells so it was deemed safe back in the 80's because industry scientists and the FDA were not paying attention to the bacteria in our guts. Like the tobacco industry, SN-GMO safety has been determined by its own GMO seed industry research, not by independent research = big red flag. Also, their testing trial length is 90 days = not an appropriate length for human safety standards.
Are you still with me?:)
Enter in the science of Microbiology and the Human Microbiome Project.
Since the 1980s, we have learned much about the microorganisms that inhabit our bodies. To this day, we have only scraped the surface on the association between our gut bacteria in both healthy and diseased individuals. Here's the nitty gritty (and read more in this book): Our gut bacteria outnumber our human cells 10-1 in our digestive track. The loss or weakening of our gut bacteria lining in our intestines = Dysbiosis or "leaky gut syndrome". Food proteins can then sneak into the blood and these foreign proteins stimulate an immune response in our body = food sensitivities & allergies. In addition to digestion, we are learning that gut bacteria handles mood regulation, neurotransmitter production (the ADHD brain?) and immune function. The gut-brain relationship is a glorious new scientific frontier. Bottom line: Bacteria = the building blocks of earthly life. Bees, farm animals and humans all have gut bacteria and these little buggers keep us alive.
Connecting Roundup, SN-GMOs and ABX
Common non-SN-GMO crops such as wheat and sugar are doused with Roundup to kill the crop and hasten the harvest. Remember that Oregon Farmer who discovered illegal SN-GMO wheat in his fields a few years back? (Monsanto had planted and tested SN-GMO wheat in OR, but alas it was never approved by the FDA). Imagine the farmer's shock when he sprayed his crop with Roundup and the wheat didn't die... So, not only do we have Roundup and other harmful herbicides INSIDE the DNA of our food protein, but we also have it sprayed all over the OUTSIDE of super common conventional food crops + we may not be able to STOP this crap from spreading in the wild. Yum. The combination of toxic herbicide load, SN-GMO foreign food proteins and ABX overuse is altering and wiping out our gut bacteria which is leading to a wide range of unintended physical and mental health issues, unique to each person's own DNA.
Our food change worked. Eating and cooking with real food (and choosing cleaner, organically processed food) helped repair Abbie's guts... all of our guts. We will continue to avoid fake foods - artificial color and preservatives, SN-GMOs and heavily herbicide ridden foods like the dirty dozen, wheat and refined sugar. Abbie has food sensitivities to these foods which was causing her symptoms. We do cheat and symptoms come back, though never as severe. Turns out we all feel better when we eat clean, and we're certainly slimmer (Me, Chris and my parents have lost a grand total of 75+ pounds with no "dieting"). It's the key to our continued, imperfect success and it's the common thread connecting all of the amazing health success stories I read about every day. Each of our food maps look different and I'm hoping to give my Abbie, Mac and Tommy a foodie pen so they can write without me someday.
So where do we go from here?
Are you still with me?:)
Enter in the science of Microbiology and the Human Microbiome Project.
Since the 1980s, we have learned much about the microorganisms that inhabit our bodies. To this day, we have only scraped the surface on the association between our gut bacteria in both healthy and diseased individuals. Here's the nitty gritty (and read more in this book): Our gut bacteria outnumber our human cells 10-1 in our digestive track. The loss or weakening of our gut bacteria lining in our intestines = Dysbiosis or "leaky gut syndrome". Food proteins can then sneak into the blood and these foreign proteins stimulate an immune response in our body = food sensitivities & allergies. In addition to digestion, we are learning that gut bacteria handles mood regulation, neurotransmitter production (the ADHD brain?) and immune function. The gut-brain relationship is a glorious new scientific frontier. Bottom line: Bacteria = the building blocks of earthly life. Bees, farm animals and humans all have gut bacteria and these little buggers keep us alive.
Connecting Roundup, SN-GMOs and ABX
Common non-SN-GMO crops such as wheat and sugar are doused with Roundup to kill the crop and hasten the harvest. Remember that Oregon Farmer who discovered illegal SN-GMO wheat in his fields a few years back? (Monsanto had planted and tested SN-GMO wheat in OR, but alas it was never approved by the FDA). Imagine the farmer's shock when he sprayed his crop with Roundup and the wheat didn't die... So, not only do we have Roundup and other harmful herbicides INSIDE the DNA of our food protein, but we also have it sprayed all over the OUTSIDE of super common conventional food crops + we may not be able to STOP this crap from spreading in the wild. Yum. The combination of toxic herbicide load, SN-GMO foreign food proteins and ABX overuse is altering and wiping out our gut bacteria which is leading to a wide range of unintended physical and mental health issues, unique to each person's own DNA.
Our food change worked. Eating and cooking with real food (and choosing cleaner, organically processed food) helped repair Abbie's guts... all of our guts. We will continue to avoid fake foods - artificial color and preservatives, SN-GMOs and heavily herbicide ridden foods like the dirty dozen, wheat and refined sugar. Abbie has food sensitivities to these foods which was causing her symptoms. We do cheat and symptoms come back, though never as severe. Turns out we all feel better when we eat clean, and we're certainly slimmer (Me, Chris and my parents have lost a grand total of 75+ pounds with no "dieting"). It's the key to our continued, imperfect success and it's the common thread connecting all of the amazing health success stories I read about every day. Each of our food maps look different and I'm hoping to give my Abbie, Mac and Tommy a foodie pen so they can write without me someday.
So where do we go from here?
Spread the word birds: Russia just completely banned GMOs. And Europe has always either labeled them or banned them (Europe also puts labels on food with artificial color explaining it causes hyperactivity in children). Americans are unknowingly stuffing our faces with SN-GMOs & fake food because we have no labeling laws and we innocently trust our pisspoor FDA regulated food industry standards. Read about how the famous Seralini Study has been republished after three rounds of rigorous scientific peer review (after being retracted by an editor who was a former Monsanto employee). I hope we continue to reach out and hold the hands with the rest of the gathering world on GMOs and labeling laws. You know what they say, "open hands are hard to hold on to anyway"... I super hate the ending of Titanic.
I hope you enjoyed and were able to follow my somewhat simple, geeky synopsis. We have a light on the path that is much brighter than when I started two years ago. I'm so glad I didn't wait to try cleaning up our food and I'm here to cheer you on.
Go balls out for real food with me. You.have.nothing.to.lose.
Go balls out for real food with me. You.have.nothing.to.lose.
Don't let the torch go out. Find your inner nerd. Read and google about how to achieve strong, stellar gut...
Find your inner athlete and start practicing in the kitchen. Don't give up on your meal planning and bring your kids along on some fun cooking runs...
Become a Food Patriot and start changing the marketplace with every purchase towards food companies you can trust. YOU make a difference no matter how small a change you are making...
Join our Food Revolution and help Jamie Oliver, me and the other 1000+ global Food Ambassadors get compulsory food education back into our schools...
Come on America, let's have a big Food Day together and make our mark on the world as the generation who turned this mother ship around.
No guts no glory.
Happy Happy Birthday America,
xxooLindsey
ps
I hope you enjoy this lovely Summer song;)
"Should this be the last thing I see?
I want you to know it's enough for me.
Cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need...
Lumiére darlin over me.
...so in love"
to the mullies...
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
a food patriots student showcase
i joined jennifer and jeff spitz at chicago's amudsen high school to experience a food patriots student showcase event. weeks ago, the high school screened food patriots. biology students then chose from a multitude of options to fulfill a "food health service project" (if you are a teacher, insert your class here: sciences, consumer economics, english, reading, math, technology... it's a core curriculum's dream). i had the pleasure of walking around, listening and speaking to the 200+ biology students who presented their short film documentaries, photo displays, poems, rap songs, skits, powerpoint presentations, research and countless science projects eclipsing around what they took away from the food patriots film screening.
i pinched myself a few times. "this is actually possible"... "this is actually happening" ...
i was blown away. i even had tears in my eyes a couple of times as these kids weren't just teaching each other, (students poured in each class period to talk to the biology students and "vote" on the most impactful projects in a variety of categories) they taught me. being in the gym, experiencing this from both a food ambassador and a coach's perspective, it's hard not to see the food education parallel with athletic training. you proudly (sometimes painfully) master one aspect and you're off to another... and another and another until it's "way more than just a 10% change". the connectivity in and outside of the school was electric. each student had something personal to share on how their 10% change was growing bigger every week. talk about a fun way to food ed swap and get kids teaching kids!
i am a dreamer. i like to be around dreamers like jennifer and jeff. i have so much hope for the lake county food revolution and this infectious food patriot thang. time and time again, this film is proving to cross political, socioeconomic, ethnic and racial boundaries. people of all ages and sorts are leaving the food matrix inspired to gather and sit at the same table. food patriots are up for the challenge of improving america's food.
with our 3rd successful food revolution day in the books, i'm looking forward to the next: making more cooking videos with my kids, working alongside the food revolution & food patriots to bring food education into every lake county school, community and workplace we can!
it's gonna be a great summer:)
xoxo
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
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:)
Monday, April 28, 2014
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!!!! :)
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
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
16th!
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 7th. 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 16th
for “A Food Revolution Dinner and Movie” with the filmmakers as part of our
Food Revolution Day Festival being held over May 16th and 17th. Gotta love the screening options!
**Come join us on Wednesday, April 30th 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
Food Revolution Lake County
Monday, April 7, 2014
an april ambassador of the month
me!? you picked ME!?
i am over.the.moon (jumping like shrek's donkey) to be counted among this spectacular group of food revolution ambassadors. i hope you are able to take the time and read each of the following ambassador of the month's incredible stories - their food education initiatives are sowing seeds of inspiration across the globe and we're all gearing up for food revolution day on may 16th!
Food Revolution Ambassadors of the Month
two other big things happened last week:
1. the food revolution's brand new rocking.like.its.hot website went LIVE:
foodrevolutionday.com = let's get excited about food!
2. on thursday, the illinois institute of technology's net impact chapter invited me to come speak at its kent college of law campus, screen the food patriots and lead a film discussion afterwards.
1. the food revolution's brand new rocking.like.its.hot website went LIVE:
foodrevolutionday.com = let's get excited about food!
2. on thursday, the illinois institute of technology's net impact chapter invited me to come speak at its kent college of law campus, screen the food patriots and lead a film discussion afterwards.
BIG, HUGE thank you's to net impact (most especially to flora and jenna!!) for inviting me to speak on behalf of the food revolution and food patriots organizations. it was a lovely evening & such an honor share the mullies story, how i became a food ambassador, why we need a food revolution and how we can all make small changes and become food patriots. screening the food patriots film was incredible and the film discussion afterwards left us ALL truly inspired. (jennifer and jeff were also busy screening their film that night and kicking off the madison film festival! check out their fun pics!)
i can't wait to do it again.
it all boils down to the "power of one" and its waterfall effect.
the power of one person whose message and energy reaches another... and another... and another... until the "net impact" changes lives-families-communities-organizations and eventually... the world".
patience young grasshoppah, i think spring has finally come:)
xoxo
i can't wait to do it again.
it all boils down to the "power of one" and its waterfall effect.
the power of one person whose message and energy reaches another... and another... and another... until the "net impact" changes lives-families-communities-organizations and eventually... the world".
patience young grasshoppah, i think spring has finally come:)
xoxo
Friday, March 28, 2014
come join us at IIT - a food patriots screening event with net impact!
spread the word birds!
come join us this coming thursday at IIT for a free screening and film discussion of food patriots! i'm so honored and excited to have been invited as a food ambassador & food patriot to help inspire others towards a healthier real food life!
here's the story of how this all came together...
this past december, i reached out to jennifer and jeff spitz, the fabulous filmmakers of the food patriots with a #FRD2014 initiative to get as many people as i could to "become food patriots and join the food revolution". soon afterwards, she invited me to a lovely women in green event downtown to meet in person for the first time! before jennifer and i connected up, i met xiaoqian (flora) ruan of IIT's net impact. flora was intrigued by my food ambassadorship with jamie oliver's food foundation and we networked with a small group of women for about 20 minutes about real food, the food industry, cooking from scratch and getting our global message out.
flora & net impact invited me out to speak as a food rev ambassador and after discussing my connection to the food patriots and the incredible impact of the film, they decided to host a screening! what fun!!
so that's the story of how this exciting event came to be and i'm just super juiced about it all!! big thanks to jenna giandoni, the president of net impact tech chapter who has been wonderful in helping to coordinate the event with the food patriots - i'm in countdown mode to meet you all!!
so, check those busy calendars and come to an event that could inspire some BIG growth in your newly sprouting real.food.love.life.
see you there baby!!
xoxo
Monday, March 10, 2014
community garden gathering - prosser career academy
jennifer spitz answers a question during the post screening discussion.
prosser's staff and students simply blew.me.away. it was amazing to watch the evolution of their garden project that started with the food patriots student engagement program. after going through the program a year ago with her students, marnie ware, a food patriot and biology teacher at prosser, took the bull by the horns and began creating something truly special with her prosser team. it takes a TON of work, a true gathering of do'ers to bring these inspired ideas into reality. students' real food brainstorming and the collective desire to change school food started a groundswell of food education and activism. here is their video which was created a year ago: after climbing a fence into a vacant soccer field, students voiced their hopes and dreams of a community garden into film and these "seeds" will now be taking root just a few weeks from today!
my jaw is still on the floor.
i hope you take the time to read marni's amazing blog post... i adore her every.single.word.
i am learning so much about the good food movement in chicagoland. will allen of growing power visited prosser a few weeks ago. growing power's vision is to "inspire communities to build sustainable food systems that are equitable and ecologically sound, to create a just world, one food-secure community at a time". he spoke to the students, congratulated them on their amazing project and shared how gp's organically grown carrots will be used by chicago public schools (cps) this year - how incredible is that?!
two year ago, i was not aware of these programs. "real food", "food systems", "gardens" and "groundswells" were words that swirled around me without connection. a whole new universe has opened up to me and i could not be more excited and grateful to be a part of the food revolution going on all around me. the journey that began with my family's real food change is ever evolving... grow baby grow.
huge thanks to jennifer, jeff, marnie and the other prosser staff members for filling my brain and heart with such insightful and powerful sparks that have become a part of me. your school and energy lit.me.up and i feel so fortunate to have met prosser's food patriots. i can't wait to come back and get your dirt under my fingernails!
little do my kiddos know, but we'll be volunteering this spring, summer and fall to help cultivate our fremont township's community garden. i can't hardly wait!
happy monday everyone... it's gonna be 50 DEGREES TODAY!!!!
melt.snow.melt
we have some gardens to grow!
xoxo
ps
i made this rockin recipe on saturday and it blew my husband back to his beloved ireland. i'm having leftovers for lunch today:)
make it: guiness stew with dumplings
mullies notes:
subbed a gluten free dark lager for the guinness
used organic, grassfed beef
subbed gf flour
omitted cheese
Thursday, February 27, 2014
who wants to play ball for #FRD2014?
my three super power identities are colliding...
mom + food ambassador + pitching coach = a real troublemaker
there are so many reasons to make a food change in your family... the main reason i did it was to see if a diet change would help alleviate my daughter's ADHD/sensory processing/social issues and function better in school.
helllllllllers it worked.
when i start working with a pitcher, i look at what she does well and what we need to fix. i celebrate her correct habits and i teach her how to fix her bad habits. we make new muscle memory patterns. at first, the right way feels so wrong; it's uncomfortable to change. so, we do video feedback & mirror work, i demonstrate, we copy each other, we practice A LOT. there are so many elements to pitching: posture, snap, leg drive, arm circle, balance, spacing, foot work... yikes. it can be overwhelming!
if becoming a great pitcher is a priority, she will persevere through practice to reach her goals.
when i decided that real food was going to be my priority as a mom, i applied that same mentality of athletic perseverance which continues to help me everyday.
it is rough in the beginning... at 15 yrs old, i cried after my first few lessons cuz i was so afraid i'd fail and let my team down... at 35 years old, i cried a week into my food change because i was so afraid i was wasting my time when another path could probably fix abbie quick.
alas, there is no crystal ball. will all this hard work and change be worth it?!
no matter what is driving you here, this food revolution team has no tryouts. we have a jersey waiting for you. your reason for joining the team may be a different reason than mine, but we're all in the same dugout... working together in the same direction.
i have spring training fever for the 3rd annual world series event:
FOOD REVOLUTION DAY - MAY 16th 2014
there are no negative side effects when you talk about adding more real food to your diet while removing the fake stuff.
it's time to lead your team and "pitch out" some/most/all of the "food like substances" from your pantry, fridge and freezer.
you pick your pace - it's not a race.
1. have a team meeting - inspire and explain why you are going to make some changes. go on, check out this amazing real food video contest together over some homemade popcorn! make some family goals together! challenge each other!
2. get.your.kids.involved. we gotta train the rookies if they are gonna make it to the big leagues!!!
3. meal plan and start practicing to cook more dinners from scratch - 1 meal... 2 meals...3 meals a week! (my goal is 3-4 meals from scratch a week).
4. harness your consumer power & be picky with your patronage. my family votes with our $$$ to create and reward the american food system we want to live in - become a food patriot and join the food revolution!
5. athletic/academic perseverance = cooking perseverance. they are one and the same! so apply your bad ass to the challenges of feeding your family more real food and don't.ever.give.up.
6. need some training? connect up with your local nutritionist to help ramp up your food regime and fill in the gaps.
we're gonna win some and lose some...
we're gonna cook our little fanny's off...
we're gonna work to get food education back into our schools...
we're going balls out for real food!
let's gather and light.it.up!
xoxo
ps
here's some food for thought:
learning seed's food additive guide
foodcorps educational resources on pinterest
dr joel fuhrman explains the ideal diet for athletes & highly active people
dr mercola - does your child have ADHD symptoms? stop feeding them this...
infographic - the shocking effects of artificial food dyes
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
tonight is movie night - grab your popcorn peeps!
what are YOU doing tonight at 7pm CST?
i hope you can tune in and get inspired! grab your family and friends and get together over some shake and bake popcorn for a fabulous food documentary!
nobody home but you tonight? i promise it'll be the best solo movie date you'll ever have!!!
check out this food patriots link for more information.
let's light twitter up with food revolutionaries:
join the #FoodPatsChat after from 8:15pm - 9:15pmCST!
tweet tweet!!
make me - shake and bake homemade popcorn
1/3 c popcorn
2-3 T extra virgin coconut oil
sea salt
heat up your pan with the coconut oil and place three kernels with a lid on it. when the kernels pop, dump the rest in and shake and bake over med high heat!
i loved making this impromtu video with my kids:)
i hope you can tune in and get inspired! grab your family and friends and get together over some shake and bake popcorn for a fabulous food documentary!
nobody home but you tonight? i promise it'll be the best solo movie date you'll ever have!!!
check out this food patriots link for more information.
let's light twitter up with food revolutionaries:
join the #FoodPatsChat after from 8:15pm - 9:15pmCST!
tweet tweet!!
make me - shake and bake homemade popcorn
1/3 c popcorn
2-3 T extra virgin coconut oil
sea salt
heat up your pan with the coconut oil and place three kernels with a lid on it. when the kernels pop, dump the rest in and shake and bake over med high heat!
i loved making this impromtu video with my kids:)
xoxo
Saturday, February 22, 2014
the food patriots world premiere event
from left: ambassador and stevenson high school teacher christina erickson, SHS teacher sara lohrman, D76 board of ed vice president laura vogt, moi, chicago ambassadors sarvin haghighi and colleen foster.
me and the lisle food ambassador katy vodicka.
2014 is gonna be a good year.
meet my food revolution teammates! gathering with these lovely lady food ambassadors has been a highlight of the year so far for me. i am so excited to watch our collective relationships and food revolution power grow!
here was the best and craziest part of the night: i walked into the theater with laura, sarvin, christina, sara, and two SHS colleagues. as we picked our seats out, two audience members stood up to let us in and heeeeeyyyyoooooooooooo one of the strangers turned out to be colleen foster, the chicago ambassador we had never met!! then, just two rows up, i see another super cute girl turn around and wink at me... she turned out to be katy, whom i knew was coming, but had never met before either!! can you believe it!? in a sold out theater of 250 people, we all sat together...
now that is some magnetic.food.rev.power.
become a food patriot and join the food revolution!
i'll never forget emailing jennifer & jeff spitz last november with my dream food revolution day 2014 initiative.
food documentaries can be so informative. however, some can leave you feeling judged, hopeless and down right upset (not to mention hopeless) at the plethora of food challenges our nation and globe are facing together.
food patriots informs and leaves the audience inspired, hopeful and ready to connect with the other local real food forces all around us.
...it sparks a conversation about our food that erases our cultural, demographic and economic lines like nothing i have ever experienced before.
...it gathers our collective voices and empowers all of us to harness our consumer power.
...it makes you feel like small changes can actually mean something and that the mountain isn't.so.high if we climb it together.
i'll be sharing what we are all planning, doing and celebrating so that you can follow our real food journeys as they evolve this year... as food ambassadors, as food patriots, as wives & husbands, as moms & dads, as teachers and coaches... let's go balls out for real food and light it UP together shall we?!
meet food patriots holly kim & bruce dir! holly is the local mundelein trustee who invited me over a year ago to watch a rough cut of food patriots in november of 2012. i had just became a food ambassador a few weeks before with no clue of what to do or how to start reaching out to my community.
bruce is the owner and head brewmaster at our local mundelein craft brewery, tighthead brewing company. he donated his time and two kegs of craft beer for this wonderful event. i love you and your beer so much! thank you bruce!
and i love you too holly for buying a dvd for our local fremont library and for connecting to me so long ago... jiggity jig!
looking good jeff!
i can't wait to wear my t-shirt tomorrow at temple shalom's public screening!
join me at 12:45pm for a free chipotle burrito lunch!
we helped out bruce and brought back his brewing equipment in our swagger van. this above shot was taken just before laura and i walked to the parking garage only to realize we forgot what level the swagger van was parked on. hope you're staying warm on the sidewalk honey! ooooooops.
a lucky, 3-guess finish to a wonderful night.
see you tomorrow!
xoxo
ps
wanna see more great pics from the premiere? check out their facebook photos here.
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