FitFeat

Posts Tagged organic food

Natural Chef Culinary School Recap: Field Trip Day

Dec 7

Posted by Shari B. in Natural Chef Culinary School | 7 Comments

Hey friends!

How’s your week starting off?  Is it Friday yet?  ;)

So yesterday, in lieu of the usual classroom/kitchen time/cleaning routine, we were treated to a day full of fun field trip stops!

First stop was Celestial Seasonings to tour their tea factory.  It’s quite a production!  Before the tour starts you get to sample their teas.  Sleepytime tea has always been one of my favorite Celestial flavors, and now they have added flavored versions of it!  So I tried the Sleepytime Vanilla and I have a NEW favorite tea.  One thing I like about Celestial compared to a lot of other teas is that their prices are VERY reasonable, yet they seem to use high quality ingredients.

I know that one of Cindy’s favorites is Candy Cane Lane, so I had to get this shot too.  It’s the artwork from the package in their window:

The best room in the tour is the peppermint room.  The mint has to stay separate from the rest of the factory or the oils and aroma would permeate all the other teas and herbs.  So you enter a closed off room where the mint is stored on pallets and you are hit with a wall of menthol.  It’s so strong it makes your eyes water and it clears your sinuses in a hurry!  But it’s so refreshing and you just feel more ALERT after you leave that room.

No cameras were allowed on the tour, so I can’t show you the inside.  BUT… they do have a VIRTUAL tour on their website that you can enjoy by clicking HERE.

The next stop on our field trip was the Savory Spice Shop.  Walls of wonderful spices, from the most common ones to the more obscure.  We were fortunate to have the owner and employees provide us with a section by section tour, explaining a lot of the spices and letting us smell everything.  The next time you use ground cinnamon in a recipe, chances are you are probably actually using CASSIA as opposed to true CEYLON CINNAMON.  The “cinnamon” that is commonly ground on store shelves is generally cassia.  Not that it’s a problem – I just find all the varieties interesting.

Click here to see the difference visually.

After that, we were off to lunch at “SALT the Bistro“:

Here we were joined by a colleague of our instructor’s who is very connected in the Denver/Boulder organic foods marketing realm.  He took the time to ask each one of us individually what we hope to do as a Natural Chef after we complete school and then gave us some ideas on things we could do to get started.  It’s so interesting how we each have something different in mind that we’d like to do.  Mine is to be a personal chef with a weight loss/weight management/wellness focus but I also want to continue coaching people how they can make simple changes to eat better and feel better, via small group seminars, cooking classes, etc.

His biggest tip for me?  Start a blog.  ;)   (Glad to know I’m on the ball!)

And also start offering free cooking demos for local businesses, rec centers, etc., so that they will get to know me and then maybe want to invite me when I charge for that kind of service.

He was a really neat guy, with a very calming presence, yet so incredibly passionate about organic foods and humane treatment of animals that are used as our food supply.  You couldn’t help but be inspired just listening to him speak.  He and a partner have a website called Boulder’s Best Organics where you can order gift basket of… you guessed it… Boulder’s best organic products. ;)   It’s a great website to visit when you are in need of fun and unique gift ideas, or maybe for those people on your list who have everything or are hard to buy for.  You can order pre-made gift baskets or create your own.

Last but definitely not least, the chef of SALT came out so speak to us and answer any questions we had.

It was really a great day and a nice break after all the anxiety of midterm week.  Today I’ll be wrapping up the latest homework assignment.  Tomorrow we’ll be back to our normal class schedule.  This week we’ll be learning about Natural Food Preservation, Raw Foods and Fermented Foods (like KOMBUCHA!)

I’ll enjoy a few “homeworkless” days, then I’ll be right back at it because our next assignment is due January 3rd and I DO NOT want to work on it between Christmas and New Year’s so I’m setting a deadline for myself that it MUST be done by December 23rd.  No procrastination on this one!

***

Today’s update for the December “Do Something Daily” challenge:  I hit the treadmill for 40 minutes today on an 8 incline while watching an episode of “Brothers & Sisters” (still the best show on TV in my opinion!) and I think tonight MSP and I will tack some more time onto that with a few rounds of boxing (VIRTUAL boxing, that is!)

I may not get to post again until Thursday so I’ll fill you in on my Wednesday activity at that time.

See you soon!

– Shari B. =)

Tags: , , , , , ,

Root Down Had Me Before Hello

Feb 11

Posted by Shari B. in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Welcome to Friday-EVE friends!  I’m especially excited about this weekend because not only it is Valentine’s Day but it’s also President’s Day weekend which means Monday off!  LOVE that!

I wanted to get back out here again yesterday with restaurant news, but boy yesterday did not go as planned.  I didn’t even workout!  I had my green smoothie and then about 45 minutes later, I was looking a little green!  To the point where I had to keep sneaking into an empty office at work to lie down every few minutes because when I would sit up my stomach was ON FIRE but when I was lying flat it was fine.

What’s funny about that is I opened a new container of spinach in the morning and was in a rush so I didn’t wash it in my salad spinner.  As I did this I was thinking to myself, “well geez apparently that article didn’t jolt me as much as I thought it would if I’m not washing my greens right now!”  Fast forward to me sitting at my desk at work doubled over and I was almost laughing, thinking what are the chances of  me now giving myself E. coli or something!  Wouldn’t that be just like karma to give me a little hello?    Luckily after about 2 hours of office hide-and-seek, I forced myself to eat my Ezekial toast and that seemed to do the trick.

The question is:  will I wash my spinach TODAY? Like a Magic 8 Ball might say, “Signs point to no”.  Terrible, I know!

***

So about this restaurant… It’s called Root Down in the Denver Highlands area.  I drove forever in rush hour traffic to get there, and I’m telling you it was SO worth it.  So much so that I might bug MSP to go with me this weekend for brunch because there are so many more items I want to try.

I first heard of this restaurant from a client who thought I’d like it because of my style of eating.  Then I heard about it again from my friend and running buddy, Scott. When I went to their website to learn more, this sentence caught my attention:

Following a “field to fork” mentality, Root Down prefers to stay as organic, natural and local as possible.  We want our food to be colorful, passionate, improvisational and simplistically sophisticated.

Well of course I’m all for ORGANIC and LOCAL.  And their menu is very vegan-friendly which I also appreciate.

First, I loved that their water was served without ice.  I don’t like ice in my water for digestive reasons and I almost always forget to say “no ice”.

We started with two apps to share:  the Edamame Hummus and the Sweet Potato Falafel.  I was also eyeing the Veggie Burger Sliders, but figured I better save room for dinner.

Both items were DELICIOUS.  We ate those things so fast I didn’t even have time to take a picture!  That, and the fact that Marissa was trying to get my attention with this new rock on her finger.  She kept putting her hand in front of her face and I just WASN’T CATCHING ON.  Sorry friend!  So we were busy chatting and squealing about her engagement, and my camera was forgotten for a few minutes.  Congrats Marissa and Jerry!

For dinner she had the Red Miso Barley soup and I had the Organic 3-Way Beets salad.

I seriously ate EVERY morsel on that plate.  It was perfection.

We did peruse the dessert menu and I told the waitress that I was going to pass because all of their items contained dairy of some variety.  To which she replied, “Oh we also have vegan ice cream!”  OK, they officially are the best ever.  I still passed on the dessert because I was plenty full.  But I am just really thrilled to find a restaurant where I don’t have to make a bunch of ‘special requests’ in order to accommodate my nutrition style (and fear getting an evil eye from my waitperson!)

And because I just love QUIRKY things, check out how your check arrives:

If you live anywhere in the Denver area you MUST try this place.  It’s got a really fun and unique atmosphere and the food was amazing.  Let’s give some support to restaurants aiming to make a difference using local and organic items.

Do you have a restaurant local to you that follows the same principles? Have you been to it? Let’s share restaurants we know that are GOOD for us!  Maybe another FitFeat reader lives near you and has no idea that the restaurant you know of is even there.  I don’t think I’d have heard about Root Down if someone hadn’t mentioned it to me.

Have a terrific Thursday!

– Shari B. =)

Tags: , , ,

Why You Should See “Food, Inc.”

Nov 11

Posted by Shari B. in Pescatarian, Vegetarian | 3 Comments

Hi blog buds!

It’s Wednesday!  Happy Humpday!  I’m becoming more fond of Wednesdays now thanks to ABC’s “Modern Family” — which means we get 30 minutes of cracking up.  MSP and I love that show!  I hope it’s one of the new shows that actually stays on TV this season.

So…. lookie what I picked up:

img 666

For some reason I thought buying a sprouting jar was going to be pricey, so I never looked for one.  But I happened to find this one for only $4 and change at the local Vitamin Cottage!  Wahoo!  And a small baggie of some organic mixed seeds for sprouting.  It has some fenugreek, mung, sunflower in it, plus some others that I can’t think of at the moment!

My next step is to soak the seeds.  Maybe tonight.  :)   Baby steps.  I have some “Sprouting Intimidation” going on after the last attempt at sprouting millet. 

I’ll keep you posted on how it goes this time.  If I can’t grow sprouts in a jar made specifically for sprouting using seeds labeled specifically for sprouting, I’ll know that I (specifically) am not meant to grow sprouts! 

Sadly I don’t have much for you in the way of Feats & Eats for yesterday like I normally do.  A certain little pupster (Rascal) decided to inhale something at 2:00 AM Tuesday morning.  That dog has THE most sensitive nose.  He sneezes if I put on hand lotion.  He usually goes out to tinkle around 2:00 (thank goodness for doggy doors) and must have been sniffing around  and breathed something in because when he came back in he had the Neverending Attack of the Sneezes.  Then he’d breathe funny.  Another sneeze fit.  Wheeze a little.   At that point, I was wide awake – for the rest of the night.

Needless to say, it was an unproductive day on the exercise front.  Outside of running errands and writing the blog, I was pretty much useless.  I don’t know how new parents function on little to no sleep.  I spent 2 years struggling with chronic intermittent insomnia which was finally resolved in April of this year.  I’ve been sleeping so great now that I must have forgotten how hard it is to get through the next day after very little sleep.  I didn’t even make a green smoothie yesterday!!  And luckily MSP had leftover dinner from the night before. 

I did get a lot of book reading done though, thanks to our cable modem being down 2/3 of the day.  :)   MSP and I commented last night on just how addicted to the internet we actually are.  Being forced to “unplug” for even part of a day seemed to induce anxiety and shaky hands!  ;)    

Looking at the silver lining, I was able to enjoy a wonderfully relaxing day.  So it just made sense that this morning’s workout should be a good hour of Iron Yoga to keep that ZEN going.  After which I took each of the dogs on their own wog, so I got about in about 30 minutes per dog. 

I can already tell my shoulders will be sore tomorrow - I like combining the small weights with the yoga. 

***

Thanks everone for the great book suggestions you gave me in response to yesterday’s post.  I appreciate it!   I’ll return the favor by recommending a DVD for you to watch.

food inc

Food, Inc. was recently released on DVD (wahoo!)  This documentary sheds a lot of light on how our food supply has become BIG BUSINESS and the affect it has had on small farmers, obesity, disease, meatpacking employees, treatment of animals, etc.  It discusses how much of our food supply is genetically modified (engineered) not only for things like ‘bigger better tomatoes’ but to be PEST-RESISTANT.  Not to mention the fact that we could be consuming meat from CLONED animals and not even know it.   Check out the issues with industrialized food at the Food, Inc. website.  Or read about the 10 Things You Can Do to Change our Food System.  

I could ramble on about the issues covered in this movie, but I think you’d get more out of it if you check it out for yourself.  If you are familiar with Michael Pollan who wrote The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, you will enjoy that he is featured in the film. 

One of the biggest points MSP and I took away from watching this film back in July was that every time we make a purchase, it is a VOTE.  If we purchase local organic products it is our VOTE on behalf of those products.  The more we support organic and/or local products, the more mainstream they will become.  It has definitely made an impact on our shopping choices.  We are now happier to spend a little more for organic food because we want to support those companies.  And minimize our purchase of (read: vote against) industrialized food when we can.

Here’s the movie trailer – I guarantee it will pique your interest!

You can bet that I have the DVD even though I’ve already seen it in the theater. 

Today’s discussion: 

Have you seen Food, Inc.?  What were your thoughts after seeing it?  Did it change the way you shop or eat?

Let’s talk about it!  Drop a comment!

– Shari B. =)

Tags: , , , , , ,

Get Adobe Flash playerPlugin by wpburn.com wordpress themes