Chef's Tasting Table 2019 | A Tomato Tasting with Prairie Wind Family Farm

Now that's a lot of 2nd's and 3rd's boys! Way to EAT those tomatoes!!

Welcome to the 2019 Chef's Tasting Table School Year with Diamond Lake School District 76!

I am just thrilled to be writing this post, as it's my third year in the lunch room with the D76 students and staff. I am simply amazed by our evolution in food education together.

3 years ago:

• Most of the 8th grade students chose not to eat "lunch". Many tables would share candy and/or other processed snacks (like Takis Chips) brought from home. Very few participated in the school lunch program with Preferred Meals.
• The majority of 7th and 8th graders were very hesitant or declined to try the foods at our tastings. 
• It helped to "hide" the ingredients of a tasting table menu item as it helped students be more adventurous. Once I revealed the ingredients (like spinach!), they were more willing to try an unfamiliar or "weird" food the next time.
• The majority of the 5th and 6th graders were always up for a tasting. They were enthusiastic and excited every month.

Today:

• Virtually EVERY student in EVERY lunchroom (5th-8th) eats lunch whether it's a sack lunch from home or served from Preferred Meals.
• The majority of EVERY lunchroom participates in the tasting. And I don't even have to hide the ingredients anymore to get kids to try what I'm serving up!
• All grade levels exhibit enthusiasm for our Chef's Tasting Tables. WOW!

HUGE thank you's to Jennifer and Jeff Miller of Prairie Wind Family Farm for providing the beautiful and TASTY tomatoes for our very first tomato tasting. The kids asked for seconds and thirds more than every before. I simply love coming to the farm, talking to your staff, and picking up your organic produce (just 9 miles away from West Oak School)!

Each student received a boat of tomatoes that were sliced and prepared three ways:

• Plain
• Sprinkled with sea salt
• Sprinkled with organic sugar

Why the three options? To begin sharing the experience of how seasoning can effect taste with the students. 

• Why is tomato sauce and pizza sauce sometimes sweeter than eating a raw tomato? Well, the chef adds some sweetener to cut the acidity! 
• Can you believe how a little salt brings out more flavor? 
• Isn't it amazing how naturally sweet a grape tomato is all by itself!?

I was joined by a friend and fellow graduate from the Institute for the Psychology of Eating, Ms Erika Quezada-Sanchez of Lotus Life and Wellness. I am so grateful to be connected to her through our Mind Body Nutrition training and especially appreciative of her volunteering with me in the lunchroom! Thank you for sharing this awesome day with me and the students Erika, and I can't wait for you to join us again and spread more fun food education together!

More Guts More Glory - It all starts at hOMe plate!

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

Chef's Tasting Table Day 14 // Passion Fruit

What an incredible finish to the 2017-2018 school year! To the most fabulous school nurse & fellow wellness committee member, Sue Kruckman, I am so happy and honored to be your partner in crime in running these fabulous Chef's Tasting Table events!!

Dare I say it was one of my most favorite school lunch room tastings yet? I think this video tells it all! And thank you so much to the Jewel Produce Manager Jeff for helping me source these passion fruit beauties! Learn more about this fantastic fruit here.

Video: Chef's Tasting Table - Passion Fruit

Enormous thank you's to the District 76 administration and staff for supporting such fun food education for the students!

I cannot WAIT to be back in the lunchroom next year with all of YOU! Our 3rd year running!

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

Chef's Tasting Table Day 13 // Cherries + Cacao

With the Winter Olympics opening ceremony tonight and Valentine's Day around the corner, our Chef's Tasting Table landed with perfect timing yesterday!

I love how it all came together: Sue - my school nurse sidekick - inspired me a few weeks ago when she forwarded me a yogurt and cherry smoothie drink recipe. Then, I remembered how Northwestern Performance Nutrition posted about using tart cherry concentrate with their athletes and also how the Olympic athletes are using tart cherry (and beetroot) concentrate and their performance training (article). Here is a recent instagram post where a Mackenzie Wilson, an NU cross country student athlete topped yogurt and bananas with a drizzle of the tart cherry concentrate - YUM! 

Want to learn more? Here is another great article about cherries and the science behind why tart cherry concentrate has risen to "super endurance food" status (article). We also talked about cherries natural melatonin levels and I was pleasantly surprised how a few students knew about melatonin and how it helps you to sleep! 

In honor of Valentine's Day, I added a little raw cacao powder to the drink and garnished with some cacao nibs. Many students remembered the chocolate avocado pudding I made last year with the cacao powder and I knew I had to bring it back in a different taste context. I wanted them to experience the true bitter and pure dark chocolate taste along with the tart/sour and sweet taste of the cherries. 

A Tart Cherry + Cacao Booster Drink

2 cups milk of choice (I used organic rice milk) or water

1 cup frozen black cherries

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 Tbsp Tart Cherry Concentrate

1-2 dried pitted dates

1-2 Tbsp raw cacao powder (optional)

1 tsp white chia powder (optional - I did not use this in the school tasting but put it in my drink yesterday!)

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender. Garnish: Fresh Cherries + raw cacao nibs. 

SO GOOD!!!

I'll see you back in the lunchroom in March for a super fun, GREEN taste:)

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

ps
All ingredients were found at Jewel. Thank you Dan for your help sourcing the large amount of cherries!

Chef's Tasting Table Day 12 // A First Citrus Tasting

All smiles from our awesome Principle, Mr Willeford!! I love when he walks in and asks, "So what so we have going on today Mrs Shifley!?"

Big volunteering love out to my Mom, Mrs Prezell (a retired Kindergarten teacher of over 30 years who won't be staying out of the classroom anytime soon); It was her second time out to help inspire fun food education with me! Thank you so much!!

Speaking of love, I channeled my friends from Slow Food Canada by wearing this lovely handmade apron from the Eating Heritage Festival in Moncton I attended last May. Aprons hold the most wonderful food + friend memories, don't you think?!

Seconds please Mrs Kruckman! 

The naval Cara Cara variety is darker in flesh, almost a dark pink. A delicious and surprising difference to the other varieties. Slightly sweeter, less acidic with almost a hint of a blackberry or raspberry to it. SO good and NO SEEDS!!

The blood orange is simply gorgeous inside. In all four of the lunches, several kids commented, "There's not really blood in this, right!?" Hahahaha, no my sweet darlings, no:)

I explained how the dark red flesh speckles was due to special antioxidant pigments found in other flowers and fruit but very uncommon in citrus. This dark red color develops at night during low temperatures and sometimes it can even show up on the outside rind!

The Minneola is a cross between the tangerine and the pomelo and some people call it the "honeybell" because of it's characteristic knob at one end of the rind. Who knew!? It is the juiciest of the four varieties, the sweetest and the truest "orange" in color. Some kids thought it was the most tart out of all of the oranges. This was the variety that many tasted first as it was the most common looking; I believe it was probably less "risky" for them to try before the new ones. 

The Pomelo, a member of the grapefruit family, was a first taste for almost everyone, including myself. Some pomelos can grow to be the size of a watermelon and how cool for the rind to be greenish! The thick pith was very spongy and its surprising texture was a frequent comment and question thrown out by the students. Also, many kids who admitted to not normally enjoying grapefruit were pleasantly surprised that the Pumelo was sweeter. Many students shared that they liked it "the best" which was so cool and some even commented, "I don't even need sugar sprinkled on top!"

Fist pump.

WOW what a ridiculous Chef's Tasting Table success!!!! We have decided to make this theme a yearly tasting every January; What a wonderful way to bring the sweet tropics to the lunchroom in the middle of a cold new year!

The students LOVED comparing and contrasting the differences in the citrus varieties. The color and taste was so vibrantly different between the four varieties. I have to give huge props to Dan the produce manager at Jewel Osco on Maple Ave who helped me choose these beautiful varieties. Thank you so much for your help! 

And last but not least, thank you Sarah for helping me lift all of these heavy boxes in my swagger van!!! Don't forget to say hello to Dan and Sarah if you stop by to grab some citrus from them!

I have never seen so many kids "run around the bases and jump on home plate" - I LOVE when real school food scores lunchroom home runs!!!

See you in February my little love bugs:) 

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

Chef's Tasting Table Day 10 & 11 // A Celery Root Salad + Watermelon Radishes + A Very Berry Smoothie + Guava

Thank you Jennifer and Jeff Miller of Prairie Wind Family Farms for providing some of the gorgeous local and organic produce to our students! It's inspirational to watch the students try your watermelon radish, celariac, celery and spinach in the lunchroom. It's hard enough to inspire my kids at home and it's a thrill to experience first hand how much this impacts their willingness to try new tastes in and out of school.

Alice Waters of the Edible Schoolyard asked the Slow Food Community recently to reimagine the lunchroom as a school subject. YES!! The Chef's Tasting Table is definitely our kind of fun food education!

I could not do this without the support of Eric Rogers (Director of Finance) & Sue Kruckman (School Nurse and Wellness Committee Member). Thank you so much for being a part of our Chef's Tasting Table team - I am having the time of my food education life with you all!

Dan is the produce manager at Jewel-Osco on Midlothian and he is absolutely incredible to work with. I've learned so much from him about the seasonal availability of produce and he has really helped to broaden my knowledge of interesting and exotic produce to introduce to the kids and staff.

I had never tasted fresh guava before, or red cactus fruit... or dragon fruit... or kiwanu melon... I'm learning so much too!

Ms Curtis is our amazing lunch lady at Diamond Lake School and I'm just thrilled we piloted the Chef's Tasting Table with her this month. It was a huge hit and we'll be back in the Spring! Thank you for having us for the day!

Big love and thank you's to Kelsey and Wayne for volunteering their time with me in the lunchroom!! 

Here are the recipes and I hope you are inspired to try them at home or for your very own school food education tasting day!

Prairie Wind Family Farm:

Lemon Caper Celery Root Salad - This is Jennifer and Jeff Miller's go-to winter salad. With a nice, refreshing flavor, it pairs well with savory meats or serves as a fresh lunch salad.

1 lemon, juiced

1 head celery root, peeled

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons flavored oil (we like walnut, garlic or tarragon)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/3 cup juicy capers, rinsed (or Chef Lindsey subbed in diced dill pickles!)

Generous handful Italian parsley, chopped

Peel the celery root and shred it. Stop halfway through and sprinkle with a tablespoon of the lemon juice to keep the root from turning brown. Shred the other half and toss with another tablespoon of lemon juice. Salt and pepper liberally and toss.

Whisk the remaining lemon juice with the walnut oil, olive oil, sugar, and vinegar. Taste and adjust. Toss with the celery root, capers, and chopped parsley. Serves 4.

(Lunchroom tasting recipe per lunch period - approx 90-100 servings per recipe)

6 lemons, juiced

6 head celery root, peeled

Salt and pepper

12 tablespoons flavored oil (we like walnut, garlic or tarragon)

1 1/2 cup olive oil

12 teaspoons honey

6 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 cup juicy capers, rinsed

5 Generous handful Italian parsley, chopped

Have a Very Berry Holiday Smoothie

2 c water

2.5 cups fresh spinach

3 c frozen mixed berries

1 avocado (flesh)

1 ripe banana

½ lemon’s juice

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender (I use a Vitamix) until smooth. Optional: Add organic powdered stevia or liquid if banana is not ripe enough.

See you in January for our first Chef's Tasting Table of 2018!

It all starts at hOMe Plate!

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

Set the Table 2017 | Week 38

Pretty much in love with Eddie and his new cookbook: Toss Your Own Salad.

His gorgeous + easy Summer Mac n Cheese: Herbed Orzo with Feta and Figs is my recipe pic for week 38.

Cheers to a late Summer plate.

Eat it hot or cold.

Having fun with food will never get old.

***************************

• Each #SettheTable2017 post begins with a featured recipe(s) + upcoming week's game plan followed by a picture diary of last week's chaos. I sign off every post with a handy reference list of my favorite foodie articles. 
• #CatchmyGrit on my Instagram throughout the week to capture the fun, the food and the family table reactions (good and bad). C'est la vie, I selfy-ishly light it UP in pics and videos to keep truckin! 
• New to this series? Here's the STORY behind my #SettheTable2017 food adventures with Pure Barre Kildeer.
• My go to's for meal planning inspiration: 1. Jamie's Ultimate Recipes App + 5 Ingredients - Quick & Easy Food 2. Sarah's My New Roots Recipe App 3. Rachael Ray's Week in a Day Cookbook 4. Kimberly Snyder 5. The Pollan Family Table 

Week 38's Game Plan:
I loved having a "time out" and some freedom from meal planning last week. I actually cooked one more day than the last week. Not sure what I'm onto, but let's keep this going!

• Cooking with Eddie - Toss Your Own Salad (who knows what recipes I'll pick out!)

Wrap it UP with last week's action:

Taco Tuesday lovin.

Fish, pasta and lots of greens.

How about this crazy awesome Food education lesson around pizza from Pilot Light Chefs!? What an amazing way to teach Common Core Curriculum through FOOD! I really enjoyed gathering downtown with other Advisory Board members on Thursday and had to share how we played with our pizzas. We made ours out of ricotta, parm, figs, basil, and prosciutto! We named it the Gy-eeza (A Gyro + pizza. Ha!) I've GOT to bring this home to my eaters!

I'll be headed to the Fulton Market Harvest Festival next weekend (I cannot wait to have BRUNCH with Aaron Sanchez!!! Come join me at this event next Saturday morning and find other amazing foodie events here).

Have you heard about the annual Pilot Light Chef's Feed Your Mind Gala on Nov 3rd? I'll be there too! Come join me at the table and let's raise the roof together for Chicagoland food education!

Had a wonderful time with Willow Wood Preschool Play, Learn, Grow Event today with ambassador teammates Christina, Sara, and our kids! We taught around 75 kids and parents how to make their own honey mustard jam jar dressing. It's always amazing to see how the children of all ages will eat their vege with this awesome dip.

Homemade Honey Mustard

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp plain greek yogurt

1 pinch salt

Shake up in a small jam jar and enjoy with fresh cut vege. This is also a great recipe for a simple chicken and fish marinade! Add fresh garlic and herbs to make it your own!

That lovely stinker...

Chris found this special Lake County High School Sports Hall of Fame signed basketball covered in dust in my closet the other day. He surprised me and brought home this special glass case for it. I can't believe I'm old enough to be in a Hall of Fame. Sheesh.

Don't blink and keep dribbling (just not with this ball).

It all starts at home plate.

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

ps

My Top 10 #SettheTable2017 Topics:

1. Will the Gut-Brain Connection Revolutionize Wellness?
2. Come to the table - Join Slow Food USA!
3. Stay on TOP of the Global Food Revolution Newsfeed.
4. Robyn O'Brien: Why Our Food Is Making Us Sick.
5. Kimbal Musk Wants to Reengineer the American Stomach | Why Food is the New Internet. 
6. Buy Antibiotic Free and Know the Source of Your Family's Meat.
7. The EWG "Clean Fifteen + Dirty Dozen produce guidelines helps you save money + reduce the pesticides and herbicides = Antibiotics harmful to our gut microbiome + mycobiome.
8. Avoid artificial colors and preservatives to keep your gut, your "second brain" happy + healthy.
9. Why, When and How to Eat Wheat.
10. Why do Some People do well as Vegans and Vegetarians (Clues from the Magical World of Genetics).