Thursday, May 29, 2014

the mullies kitchen diaries: me + tommy + sweet potato gnocci



this was just too much fun.

i've made sweet potato gnocchi before, almost a perfect year ago (why i haven't made for awhile i have no idea)... here is an old post from last june when i made it without the food processor.  the food processor sure makes a gorgeous smooth and creamy consistency!  my girlfriend briana has a wickedly tasty version that is stuffed with manchego cheese (swoon).






there are so many great gnocci recipes out there and this one here was made with gumption... NO RECIPE OUT!  just my memory.  no guts no glory.  i did not carefully measure anything... so guess what?  you don't have to either:)

the mullies sweet potato gnocchi

2 lbs organic sweet potatoes (pierce with a fork and roast whole on a cookie sheet for 45 min at 375)
2 eggs
4 cloves garlic minced
3/4 tsp nutmeg (eyeballed)
1 tsp sea salt (eyeballed)
pinch of white pepper

-wiz above ingredients in a food processor until super smooth and creamy (orangy and luscious).  dump in a large bowl and mix in 4 cups gf flour.  since it was still too wet, i added around another cup until i got a slightly tacky dough to the touch (5 cups total?). (since there are a lot of flour options out there you just have to go with the feel and touch of the dough.)  cover your surface with a dusting of flour, roll out some logs and have a party with your smooshy balls.  boil up some salted water.  plop them in and when they float to the top, they are done!  use a slotted spoon to get them out of the boiling water.  it took about three batches.

we made these in the morning, so i placed my cookie sheets in the fridge until dinner time.

fresh sage and ghee sauce
recipe inspo found here
4 T ghee (or grass fed butter)
juice from a half lemon
8 sage leaves from our kitchen garden

melt the oil in a pan for a few minutes (i heated it up for too long and had a volcano of hot lava spitting at me... don't do that).  remove from heat and add the leaves and lemon juice. pour over the smooshy balls and mix it all up nice and pretty.


season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  topped it off with some lovely raw, 12 month old manchego (sheep's) cheese.

the mullies kitchen diaries = cooking with my family and friends.  the plethora of cookbooks, the massive culinary talent and inspiration out there is mine to experiment with and learn from... i'll never run out of material with jamie and his foodtube & drinkstube out there:)  the global food revolution is my home and my niche is testing out sweet recipes, sharing the moments, the loveliness of cooking with your kids... the hilarity, the music, the pain.in.the.ass.moments which capture the reality of us, of the current generation of parents getting back into our kitchens and the massive task teaching our kids to do the same.  i am a food patriot and i hope to help bring back the energy, the spark and the enjoyment (+ frustrations) of "from scratch cooking" mixed in with the grocery shopping, the adventures in gardening and the escapades of eating out.  

and with that said...

here's how dinner turned out!




my parents brought over freshly grilled fish and white wine.  i made my grandma millie's cucumber salad and roasted broccoli (a fam favorite).  above is a picture capturing tommy scooping up his 3rd helping.  did he eat more because he made it with me or because the gnocchi was just.that.good?  i think it was a little of both;)  it's so fun to eat smooshy balls!


ps

after dinner, the boys made these for me.  it's made the food matrix we've escaped from so very worth it... so.very.lovely.indeed.


pps

next up, my visit to a student showcase with the food patriots.  i have never been more inspired by food education and what could be in store for our lake county schools!!


Thursday, May 15, 2014

rock & roll to the beet for #FRD2014 - good luck jamie and our global team!!!


so i thought i wasn't going to post anything until after FRD... but then i made a latte this morning and decided to get funky with my phone again.  trrrrrrrrrrouble.

let's get cooking with jamie and the 9000+ schools that will be joining him to break a world record!  it'll be live tomorrow at 8am CST here.  clearly, i'm not excited at all... :)  make sure you sign up for food revolution day and shout out your participation by using #FRD2014!

a major shout out to lake county's stevenson high school as they will be joining in the rainbow warp cooking festivas led by ambassador christina erickson and gourmet foods teacher sara lohrmann.  rock it out for lake county girls!!

see the rest of you at the all ways healthy #FRD2014 festival tomorrow and saturday!! 

xoxo

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

what are YOU doing for food revolution day?









we are in 6th gear for food revolution week here in lake county!  we had so.much.fun cooking the rainbow salad wrap up with our kiddos and we hope that after this #FRD2014, you are inspired to do a little more chop chop in your kitchen too.

food ambassador christina erickson and i have quite a week planned and here is our starting line up:

1st up:

wednesday, may 14th - a food patriots screening at stevenson highschool!  sara lohrman's gourmet food class has prepared quite a spread for us and i cannot wait to taste their delicious food!  filmmakers jennifer and jeff spitz will be on hand to discuss the movie afterwards and announce our new joint campaign to bring food patriots and their student engagement program to every school in lake county. can't make it but want to donate to the outreach program too?  well, you can just go here my dears.

it's pretty darn exciting.



2nd up:
all ways healthy presents:  a free 2-day food revolution day festival! 

and check out this sweet suntimes article highlighting what christina and her co-worker sara lohrmann are doing at stevenson high school on friday -  ROCKSTARS!!

check out our festival flyer and schedule!  i'm so excited that two local food ambassadors are joining us on saturday!  i cannot wait to see sarvin haghighi (chicago) and katy vodicka (lisle)!!!!




helllerrrrrs, i'm gonna learn so much stuff!


2.5 up:
FRD dinner and a movie night! come on, you need a date night and why not celebrate with us!?

the RSVP is closing down tomorrow night 5/14, so pick up your phone and dial fast:) or RSVP online here.  jennifer and jeff will be dining and discussing the film with us and you do NOT want to miss julio's most excellent cooking: **ticket price includes tax and tip which is pretty snazzy indeed** 


last but not least, i'm prepping up some pretty sweet rainbow wrap kits this week.  it's your kiddo's first cooking kit!  it includes everything your child (or yourself... ) needs to make a rainbow wrap (minus the food).  my parent's basement is completely trashed and here's where i'm at with them so far...  i can't wait till they're all cellophaned wrapped and tied with a pretty red bow.  we'll be selling these for $35 at the festival and i've only made 48 of them so come grab them while they are still around!


i can't wait to see you ALL for #FRD2014!

...and i'll see you again after the dust has settled:)  should have some super fun stuff to recap!!




ps

here's my fab mother's day recap:





at the race track with my chimmie and her superstar engineering husband's race team.  i got to meet their new rookie driver jack hawksworth and not only is he the most talented driver ever... he's british, so of course he's gonna win the indy 500.  he's the best thing that has ever happened to indy car.  i'm not biased at all.

and then i got home just in time to put in my purple boat and celebrate with my lovely mom.



to the mullies we gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

xoxo








Tuesday, May 6, 2014

#FRD2014 Rainbow Wrap Your Kids


i made that sucker on my iphone... can you believe IT!?  that toy is my joy... and mac tells me almost everyday to put it in our phone jail.  point needed and taken... :)

you can find the rainbow wrap recipe here at www.foodrevolutionday.com with loads of other recipes to try out with your kids!

when i was thinking about doing this video, i originally wanted to do it to this song... hence the goober pics of me touching my girlfriends with my red spoon to spark them UP.  well, when i put the music to it, with all of us smiling like fairy-food-godmothers, mac was sitting next to me: we looked at each other with our brows furrowed and he so eloquently stated, "mom, this is NOT going to work... it's way to hard core..."  

so i started marinating on another song choice and remembered the free songs for a healthier america album that i downloaded for last year's food day 2013 in october (i played the songs in my kids' school lunch periods for our big apple crunch).  i literally started jumping in the driver's seat of my van when i got to "stronger"... i new immediately that it was my golden child.  what a hip album for kids and what better way to get them thinking about moving and eating better together in the kitchen!!!

megan and stacey are my red-headed wonder twin girlfriends.  they brought their kids (6 in total) and christina (the other half of lake country food revolution) brought her two girls.  together with my three rug rats, we had a party of 11 and they all rotated in and out, stayed when they wanted to, left when they wanted to.  the boys were the most interested which rocked our worlds.  megan took the majority of the pictures (her photography skills kill me) and we took turns picking up my iphone to get video here and there.  i think we all share the same brain sometimes!

all three ladies are teachers.  meg and stace are elementary school teachers and christina is a high school gourmet food teacher and clothing design teacher.  they were with me for the very.first.cooking.video (their brother paul put that one together for me!) which still gives me goose bumps when i watch it...  the song, the ages of our kids, the beginning of it all... they are pretty special gals and i'm so lucky & happy to be spreading our energy for food education together!! 

more than anything, i hope this video inspires you to cook with your kids more often... to get messy, to experiment and to connect in the kitchen.  start with one day a week and see where it takes you:)  i'd love to hear how it goes!!!  and just remember, even thought this night was a huge success, i've had plenty that have blown.up.in.the.face so stick with it and you'll get what you're looking for... i promise!  
we hope to see you at one of our lake county food revolution day events next week!

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 

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