Have you seen the ABC show Food Revolution?
Andrew and I saw this TED video about a month ago and were really impacted by it. It caused us to evaluate our knowledge, understanding, and views towards food. The video is very interesting. It’s about 20 minutes, but worth viewing.
Jamie Oliver (former TV chef) won the 2010 TED Prize for his desire to transform the way Americans eat. His goal is to educate youth to prevent obesity and his project in Huntington, West Virginia, is the impetus for the show.
It’s so interesting to Andrew and I. We’re interested in food and health and we can totally relate since it wasn’t that long ago that we were in school. I remember high school having two options everyday: pizza and something else. 4 out of 5 times, I would choose pizza. It just tasted so good. The most popular items at Andrew’s high school were cheese fries and giant chocolate chip cookies (which were only $0.40—he got one everyday).
I’m also excited to see such an important issue resonate with people, cause them to evaluate their lives, and create a little buzz on both the Associated Press and on blogs.
Food Revolution. Think about tuning in this Friday.
Jamie Oliver’s Wish
“I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.”
Showing posts with label the green life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the green life. Show all posts
3.31.2010
9.17.2009
Pruning, Nurturing, & Enjoying
Andrew gardens at the summer cottage of a family who lives in Syracuse, NY.
He worked in landscaping for many summers in high school and college and has the knack for gardening. His mom gardens too and she taught him a lot. He's handy--he knows what to do and how to do it, but he didn't really want to revert back to his high school summer job. And who can blame him?
When the economy turned sour last year right before he was about to graduate early from grad school, he made lemonade with life's lemons. Determined to stay busy and productive while he waited to find a job, he began landscaping. He mows an elderly lady's lawn, gardens in Portsmouth, and even works on a millionaire's yard sometimes! [We think that is so cool]. He is such a disciplined person and a really hard worker--maybe it'll rub off on me someday. I'm proud of his motivation, determination, skill, and accomplishments. I'm a little jealous of his sun-kissed skin, lean muscle mass, and endless hours of pondering life while working in a garden. And I'm thankful for the perks he's gotten us:D
The owners of the Cottage by the Bay (I just named their house-it seems fitting) visit a few times in the spring and then spend the entire month of August at the cottage. On their visit in May they invited us over to meet us in person. Okay, let's be honest, I tagged along. They wanted to meet the gardener, Andrew.
Miss Helpful planting impatiens at the cottage:
The family visited again in July and they invited us back for a 4th of July party where they praised Andrew for his hard work, green thumb, and horticultural achievements in the garden. They also fed us the most incredible food--wild grilled salmon, delectable steaks (and I don't even like steak), amazing homemade salsa, and fancy wine. [Note: the wine probably wasn't even that fancy, but they taught us about sniffing and wafting and tasting and aerating and savoring and that felt pretty fancy.] We learned to play Bocce ball, ate way too much food, and enjoyed a wonderful evening of conversation.
Before they headed back to New York for the winter, they invited us to a final hurrah party in August. It was such a fun and relaxing evening hanging out in the garden and listening to "real adults" (we don't count yet) talk about fine wines, fancy foods, traveling, and other interesting facts. They all have such incredible stories. We all do. One lady was from England, another from France, a few were professors at Harvard or other nearby universities, one gentleman brought his French horn with him and played it for us after dinner. It seemed surreal; almost like a movie or Europe, at the very least. People in America rarely sit around after dinner, in a garden, listening to someone play the horn, and relax. If for only one night, life was slow-paced and allowed to linger.
Our evenings at the Cottage on the Bay proved to be some of our summer highlights. I don't have much more of a story than that, but maybe that is the story. Maybe the story is not a funny moment or a harrowing event, but simply remembering that it's the simple, ordinary things in life that are life. That make up our stories; our life story. The food. The conversations. The gentle glances. The subtle laughter. The relationships. The thousands of little blessings each day. The small moments that often go overlooked are actually the memories. These are the things to file in your vault. And that should be enough.
And if that's not enough, maybe this is: A hibiscus the size of your head. The culmination of working hard and playing hard--pruning in spring, nurturing it throughout the summer, a little water, a little sun, and sit back and watch it blossom. Not even growing up in Florida have I seen a hibiscus so large! Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
Stopping to smell the hibiscus,
He worked in landscaping for many summers in high school and college and has the knack for gardening. His mom gardens too and she taught him a lot. He's handy--he knows what to do and how to do it, but he didn't really want to revert back to his high school summer job. And who can blame him?
When the economy turned sour last year right before he was about to graduate early from grad school, he made lemonade with life's lemons. Determined to stay busy and productive while he waited to find a job, he began landscaping. He mows an elderly lady's lawn, gardens in Portsmouth, and even works on a millionaire's yard sometimes! [We think that is so cool]. He is such a disciplined person and a really hard worker--maybe it'll rub off on me someday. I'm proud of his motivation, determination, skill, and accomplishments. I'm a little jealous of his sun-kissed skin, lean muscle mass, and endless hours of pondering life while working in a garden. And I'm thankful for the perks he's gotten us:D
The owners of the Cottage by the Bay (I just named their house-it seems fitting) visit a few times in the spring and then spend the entire month of August at the cottage. On their visit in May they invited us over to meet us in person. Okay, let's be honest, I tagged along. They wanted to meet the gardener, Andrew.
Miss Helpful planting impatiens at the cottage:
The family visited again in July and they invited us back for a 4th of July party where they praised Andrew for his hard work, green thumb, and horticultural achievements in the garden. They also fed us the most incredible food--wild grilled salmon, delectable steaks (and I don't even like steak), amazing homemade salsa, and fancy wine. [Note: the wine probably wasn't even that fancy, but they taught us about sniffing and wafting and tasting and aerating and savoring and that felt pretty fancy.] We learned to play Bocce ball, ate way too much food, and enjoyed a wonderful evening of conversation.
Before they headed back to New York for the winter, they invited us to a final hurrah party in August. It was such a fun and relaxing evening hanging out in the garden and listening to "real adults" (we don't count yet) talk about fine wines, fancy foods, traveling, and other interesting facts. They all have such incredible stories. We all do. One lady was from England, another from France, a few were professors at Harvard or other nearby universities, one gentleman brought his French horn with him and played it for us after dinner. It seemed surreal; almost like a movie or Europe, at the very least. People in America rarely sit around after dinner, in a garden, listening to someone play the horn, and relax. If for only one night, life was slow-paced and allowed to linger.
Our evenings at the Cottage on the Bay proved to be some of our summer highlights. I don't have much more of a story than that, but maybe that is the story. Maybe the story is not a funny moment or a harrowing event, but simply remembering that it's the simple, ordinary things in life that are life. That make up our stories; our life story. The food. The conversations. The gentle glances. The subtle laughter. The relationships. The thousands of little blessings each day. The small moments that often go overlooked are actually the memories. These are the things to file in your vault. And that should be enough.
And if that's not enough, maybe this is: A hibiscus the size of your head. The culmination of working hard and playing hard--pruning in spring, nurturing it throughout the summer, a little water, a little sun, and sit back and watch it blossom. Not even growing up in Florida have I seen a hibiscus so large! Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
Stopping to smell the hibiscus,
8.24.2009
Food, Inc.
Andrew and I saw the most interesting movie last week. I noticed when I was walking past a local theater that there was a movie showing called Food, Inc. I watched the trailer when I got home and I had to see it.
We love to cook, we're kind of foodies, we're interested in environmental issues, we like animals, we eat meat, etc. This was basically the perfect movie for us, sorta. When you leave you want to become a vegan, which means I thought of my sweet friend Caroline the entire time I was there. It took everything in me (mostly a dark theater and strangers sitting close by) not to text her every five minutes about the movie. But I also knew that if she hadn't seen/heard of the movie, she'd probably think I was just crazy.
Did I mention that we saw this documentary at a local movie theater/coffee shop called Cable Car Cinema? It's a really cute little place with coffee, sandwiches, an old fashion popcorn machine, ice cream and a one screen theater in the back! AND the theater is comprised of all leather couches and fancy reclining theater chairs! We love it. It's so unique. So local.
The movie was very interesting. It related to issues I deal with at work with the Department of Health, socio-economic issues such as "why can people get more for their money by purchasing a burger and fries off the dollar menu, than fruits or vegetables?", and it related to me as a consumer and citizen.
It addresses various food issues in the US including meat packing factories, the abundant usage of corn by-products, "intellectual" ownership over food sources, etc. The movie really caused us to stop and think about where our food comes from. We have no idea. We rarely stop to think about what the animals ate, where the plants grew, what's actually in season, etc. The movie totally grossed us out at times and deeply saddened us at others. But as much as we enjoyed the thought-provoking film we are keenly aware that we only saw one side of the issue. We're eager to learn more about what the other side (big producers, large companies, etc.) would say as well. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a little glimpse into the US food industry.
I would definitely recommend checking it out. Although it was a documentary, there were some "characters" that we fell in love with. Two farmer's in particular. It's not playing everywhere, but it is playing all over the US. Check out the list to see if it's playing near you:)
Eat up! Wait. Check the label first, then, eat up:D
We love to cook, we're kind of foodies, we're interested in environmental issues, we like animals, we eat meat, etc. This was basically the perfect movie for us, sorta. When you leave you want to become a vegan, which means I thought of my sweet friend Caroline the entire time I was there. It took everything in me (mostly a dark theater and strangers sitting close by) not to text her every five minutes about the movie. But I also knew that if she hadn't seen/heard of the movie, she'd probably think I was just crazy.
Did I mention that we saw this documentary at a local movie theater/coffee shop called Cable Car Cinema? It's a really cute little place with coffee, sandwiches, an old fashion popcorn machine, ice cream and a one screen theater in the back! AND the theater is comprised of all leather couches and fancy reclining theater chairs! We love it. It's so unique. So local.
The movie was very interesting. It related to issues I deal with at work with the Department of Health, socio-economic issues such as "why can people get more for their money by purchasing a burger and fries off the dollar menu, than fruits or vegetables?", and it related to me as a consumer and citizen.
It addresses various food issues in the US including meat packing factories, the abundant usage of corn by-products, "intellectual" ownership over food sources, etc. The movie really caused us to stop and think about where our food comes from. We have no idea. We rarely stop to think about what the animals ate, where the plants grew, what's actually in season, etc. The movie totally grossed us out at times and deeply saddened us at others. But as much as we enjoyed the thought-provoking film we are keenly aware that we only saw one side of the issue. We're eager to learn more about what the other side (big producers, large companies, etc.) would say as well. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a little glimpse into the US food industry.
I would definitely recommend checking it out. Although it was a documentary, there were some "characters" that we fell in love with. Two farmer's in particular. It's not playing everywhere, but it is playing all over the US. Check out the list to see if it's playing near you:)
Eat up! Wait. Check the label first, then, eat up:D
3.22.2009
Green Thumb?
So Andrew and I went to the amazing Wintertime Farmer's Market last month in Pawtucket. I purchased 3 plants/herbs for "Bring a Plant to Work Week." I planned for them to serve dual functions: provide our staff with fresh herbs and purify the air. Do small herbs help air quality? Half the purpose of bringing plants was this and I decide to buy little pots of grass-sized vegetation. Big helper, huh? Well, my first goal is to make sure they survive a week at home and then I will bring them into the office. I couldn't handle the ridicule of my agricultural savvy co-workers if I publicly killed them the first week.Well, the lady at the Farmer's Market urged me not to over water the Rosemary and I took it to heart. Surprisingly, I'm a good listener, and when I want, I follow directions. She said the Thyme and Cilantro love water, but be cautious not to kill the Rosemary. Well, being new to this plant raising business, I balked and dropped the ball. At first we found out that we were both watering it and thought we would kill them by over watering so we made a pact not to water them for 3 days. Before we knew it we had killed the two-water loving plants.
Great pact, huh?!One day I came home from work and Andrew informed me that the Cilantro had seen its better days and was on its way out. I realized the soil was dry and thought the roots may not be receiving adequate water so I immediately took it out of it's cute coffee mug pot, and began resuscitation. Now, reviving a plant is a delicate process when water is involved. There is a fine line between hydration and drowning. Andrew said, "There is no hope for that little guy. Any progress and you'll be an agricultural savior...an agricultural messiah if you will." We laughed, I chastised his heresy, and we continued on with the "saving" business. I placed the pathetic ball of soil and Cilantro in a bowl and began watering it. Ooops, I over watered it and the water was pouring out everywhere. Well, it was time for dinner so I left it in the bowl drowning in it's own filth and excess.
After dinner Andrew walked past the bowl and said, "Didn't you leave this sitting in a pool of water? It's completely dry." We then began trying to over water the plant so we could watch it suck the water up through the bottom of the pot. Brilliant idea, huh? First, let's over water. Then, let's try to do something with about as much visible reaction as watching paint dry or a kettle boil.
Well, no prophetic story is complete without redemption. Within an hour, a third of the stems were standing upright again. Slowly, over the next few days/weeks the plant continued to revive and thrive.
This revival didn't occur without casualties though; there are a few wilted stragglers that never quite came back to life, but all in all, we've got a healthy Cilantro plant. The next step is to take these suckers to work. I've had them for about a month and have yet to adequately utilize them for seasoning my food. I figure I should at least spread the wealth before I kill them again!
2.19.2009
Homemade, Homegrown
Andrew and I had dinner last night with a couple from church, Deb and Stephen. Deb is a super chef and makes all sorts of food from scratch. But not typical "scratch," this is scratch like Adam and Eve or the ancient Egyptians would make it. She grinds her own wheat berries to make flour, buys raw milk and butter from the Amish, she bakes all of her own bread, and makes her own cheese (just to name a few). She's posted a few blogs about the ingredients so I thought I would pass on the info to you!
Her Philosophy:
"Food is basically the only thing I buy that becomes a part of me. My bones, organs, muscles, skin, hair, blood - everything - started out on my plate. If I were building a house, I wouldn't use poor-quality materials or cut corners to save time and money. The raw materials that go into the animals I eat are just as important."
Andrew and I had homemade lasagna comprised of ground beef from a grass fed cow purchased at a local farm (intense-she bought a cow, not a pound or two of chuck, a cow) and homemade mozzarella and ricotta!
Also, my sweet, unemployed, boyfriend has been visiting me. He applies for jobs, cleans my apartment, or makes dinner while I work. As I unpacked my lunch bag this evening, Andrew made a statement worthy of a quote of the day: "Sorry, I ate a lot of the peanuts today when I was watching Oprah." Ha! I love it. He claims he only watched the last 8 mins.
Her Philosophy:
"Food is basically the only thing I buy that becomes a part of me. My bones, organs, muscles, skin, hair, blood - everything - started out on my plate. If I were building a house, I wouldn't use poor-quality materials or cut corners to save time and money. The raw materials that go into the animals I eat are just as important."
Andrew and I had homemade lasagna comprised of ground beef from a grass fed cow purchased at a local farm (intense-she bought a cow, not a pound or two of chuck, a cow) and homemade mozzarella and ricotta!
Also, my sweet, unemployed, boyfriend has been visiting me. He applies for jobs, cleans my apartment, or makes dinner while I work. As I unpacked my lunch bag this evening, Andrew made a statement worthy of a quote of the day: "Sorry, I ate a lot of the peanuts today when I was watching Oprah." Ha! I love it. He claims he only watched the last 8 mins.
2.17.2009
Rubbish
I am so sorry for being MIA for so long! I have no good excuse either. I just work, grocery shop, sleep, and hang out with friends. Lately, I've been lacking in good stories to share. Also, I believe I have subconsciously boycotted technology. I'm not sure why, but I've been entirely uninterested in the computer and all its techie ways--blogs, email, Facebook, etc. As a result, you've been neglected. I hope to conjure up some more entertaining stories and start pumping out blogs once again. In the mean time, just sit back, smile, and sigh as I try to make the world a better place, one trash dump at a time.
My studio apartment is not huge, so it started off as a space-saving necessity and has grown into a convenience and way of life. This is my recycle bin (left) and my "landfill" bin (right). I thought I would be irritated by having to take the trash out often, but I've come to realize much of the stuff I throw away is actually recyclable!
My studio apartment is not huge, so it started off as a space-saving necessity and has grown into a convenience and way of life. This is my recycle bin (left) and my "landfill" bin (right). I thought I would be irritated by having to take the trash out often, but I've come to realize much of the stuff I throw away is actually recyclable!
2.01.2009
Pesticides, please!
Okay, don't get me wrong, I love, appreciate, and value the goodness/purpose/benefits of organic, but I could do without the bugs.
I decided that since I'll be eating lots of junk food tonight at a Superbowl party, I would make a salad for lunch. As I started to pull the leaves off the head of Romaine lettuce I noticed bugs. And not just a bug or two, but a few families of bugs. A "big" bug and a bunch of little baby bugs around it. Not being sure if they're dead or alive I decide to wash them down the sink. Well they didn't move so I turned the water temperature up. As mentioned in a previous post, my water comes in two temperatures: ice cold from the underground pipes and scorching hot from the boiler. When those little jerks didn't let go I decided I would burn them off. Sick, isn't it? So I turned up the temp and they eventually let go. I went to switch my laundry over and walked back to an overwhelmingly foul smell. It smelled like cooked cabbage....close, cooked Romaine. In my attempt to eradicate the bugs I got carried away and ruined the entire head of lettuce! How sad. How terrible. How pathetic. I even knew better. It's basically the same way you cook spinach. Oh well, lesson learned: don't panic over the bugs.
I decided that since I'll be eating lots of junk food tonight at a Superbowl party, I would make a salad for lunch. As I started to pull the leaves off the head of Romaine lettuce I noticed bugs. And not just a bug or two, but a few families of bugs. A "big" bug and a bunch of little baby bugs around it. Not being sure if they're dead or alive I decide to wash them down the sink. Well they didn't move so I turned the water temperature up. As mentioned in a previous post, my water comes in two temperatures: ice cold from the underground pipes and scorching hot from the boiler. When those little jerks didn't let go I decided I would burn them off. Sick, isn't it? So I turned up the temp and they eventually let go. I went to switch my laundry over and walked back to an overwhelmingly foul smell. It smelled like cooked cabbage....close, cooked Romaine. In my attempt to eradicate the bugs I got carried away and ruined the entire head of lettuce! How sad. How terrible. How pathetic. I even knew better. It's basically the same way you cook spinach. Oh well, lesson learned: don't panic over the bugs.
1.09.2009
Good Diet
You know what a good diet is? Healthy food. In fact, it's a doubly good diet. That's right, it's twice as good. Once because it's healthy food and therefore good for you. And twice over because I don't want to eat it--it's healthy food.
So I'm not actually on a diet, but after 7 days on the road + 4 days of holiday food galore, I couldn't take one more southern fried meal, one more piece of processed food, one more restaurant, or one more holiday dessert. So when I finally got to the grocery store I bought tons of produce and proteins that my body had been denied over the past few weeks.
Well, detox occurred and I've made a 180 turn. Maybe it's withdrawal. It's nearly one o'clock and I've yet to eat lunch. Why? Because it doesn't interest me. Day 3 of Cesar salad, fruit salad, and a side of vanilla yogurt for lunch? No thanks. I'll just continue to sit here, hungry. However, if it was some leftover pizza, a nice ham & Havarti sandwich, or PB & J with some Sun chips and a chocolate chip cookie, I'd have been all over that lunch by 11:47 am!
So I'm not actually on a diet, but after 7 days on the road + 4 days of holiday food galore, I couldn't take one more southern fried meal, one more piece of processed food, one more restaurant, or one more holiday dessert. So when I finally got to the grocery store I bought tons of produce and proteins that my body had been denied over the past few weeks.
Well, detox occurred and I've made a 180 turn. Maybe it's withdrawal. It's nearly one o'clock and I've yet to eat lunch. Why? Because it doesn't interest me. Day 3 of Cesar salad, fruit salad, and a side of vanilla yogurt for lunch? No thanks. I'll just continue to sit here, hungry. However, if it was some leftover pizza, a nice ham & Havarti sandwich, or PB & J with some Sun chips and a chocolate chip cookie, I'd have been all over that lunch by 11:47 am!
9.16.2008
Tonight's Menu:
Filled-French Toast
I'd really rather not admit my snobbery and poor decision, but it's true. Andrew and I snobbishly passed over all the other breads at Whole Foods Friday night because the French bread was fresh...still warm in fact!! Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist, or even an urban planner, to realize that the bread currently (Tuesday) sitting unsliced on my counter is now the same temperature as all the other poor leavened loafs left on the shelves that fateful night. So to send my condolences, I will be making the Filled-French Toast for dinner, before it molds. The French toast was neglected on Saturday in lieu of a breakfast date at the Norquist's.
"Filled?" you think to yourself. Filled. It's true. "How's she gonna do that?" you say aloud. Well wonder no more. I'll just give you the recipe.
Ingredients:
Directions:
I'd really rather not admit my snobbery and poor decision, but it's true. Andrew and I snobbishly passed over all the other breads at Whole Foods Friday night because the French bread was fresh...still warm in fact!! Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist, or even an urban planner, to realize that the bread currently (Tuesday) sitting unsliced on my counter is now the same temperature as all the other poor leavened loafs left on the shelves that fateful night. So to send my condolences, I will be making the Filled-French Toast for dinner, before it molds. The French toast was neglected on Saturday in lieu of a breakfast date at the Norquist's.
"Filled?" you think to yourself. Filled. It's true. "How's she gonna do that?" you say aloud. Well wonder no more. I'll just give you the recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 loaf French bread, sliced into 12
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
- 2 cup milk
- 5 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
- Mix together cream cheese and jam. [Really difficult without a mixer, trust me, the old fork doesn't do the job]
- Spray 13x9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Arrange 6 slices of bread in dish.
- Spread cream cheese mixture equally on slices of bread; top with remaining bread.
- Combine next milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Pour mixture over bread; sprinkle with pecans [Yuck, don't do it!]
- Bake uncovered, at 350 for 35 minutes.
- Enjoy!
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