Category:  Food Revolution Day

May 19th is right around the corner, and being a Food Ambassador for Santa Barbara, I have to ask you this…What Will You Be Doing On Food Revolution Day?  You probably wonder to yourself, how can one person actually make a difference? What can I do to help change the way kids look at healthy food? The answer is simple, do what you can. Together we can make a difference. Find your local Food Ambassador and ask them how you can help.

Food Revolution Day is now less than one month away and there are some amazing events popping up all over the world. From the Good Food Tour in Amsterdam, Kids Day at the Calabasas Farmers Market in California, and the Street Market Tour & Walk at the Park in Sao Paulo, people all over the globe will be sharing their food knowledge on May 19.

We want you to join us and stand up for real food by hosting or attending local food events where communities can transfer food skills and knowledge to arm people with the knowledge to make better food choices for a healthier, happier future!

Have you got your events planned yet? Search the Food Revolution Day events map to see the 180+ events already planned, get some ideas as to how you can participate, and check out the creative ideas below for something a little different to do in your local community.

You can always do your own versions of these events – whether in your home, local school, community or workplace.

25 Event Ideas To Inspire You!

1. Introduce Food In The Classroom Food doesn’t just have to remain in the kitchen, it can be used in the classroom too. So why not introduce real food across the curriculum and incorporate it into different lessons, whether it’s working out portion sizes in maths, seasonal climates in geography or nutritional benefits in science.

2. Get Seasonal Learn what’s in season and when in your local area, where you can get it and what you can cook with it. Eating seasonally is the way to go; not only is it usually cheaper and full of nutritious goodness, but it’s also a great way to support your local farmers and community.

3. Homemade Soup Specials Homemade soups not only taste great, but they are also easy to make and great for freezing to use at a later date. Learn how to use what’s in your refrigerator and freezer to make a variety of soups that you can store and eat later. A great and easy way to get your daily intake of veggies.

4. Homemade Goodness Come and learn about the importance of eating homemade from scratch meals. Preparing and eating your own foods in the home, not only means you can control exactly what goes into your food, and the portion size, but it’s also a great way to connect with your family and spend some quality time together.

5. Create Your Own Cookbook! Come and learn about the basics of pairing foods, what ingredients go well together and in what quantities so that you can start to create your own recipes. Also find out how to transform your family favorite meals using wholesome real ingredients and add your own twist.

6. Become A Master At Slow Cooking Got a slow cooker or thinking about investing in one? Find out how to get organised with some great slow cooker recipes, so that when you get home after a busy day, you don’t have to worry about making a meal, a delicious from scratch dish will be ready and waiting for you!

7. Delicious Dishes With 5 Ingredients Great food doesn’t have to be complicated and you don’t need lots of different ingredients to make a delicious dish. Learn some great recipes that you only need 5 ingredients for. Never again will you be wondering what to cook when your pantry is a little empty!

8. Taste Testers Getting to like new foods can be a challenge, but holding taste tests is a great way to introduce some new dishes and re-introduce those dishes that have a bad rap, little by little. Try comparing processed versus fresh and see just what a big difference making your own foods can make!

9. Deciphering Food Labels Knowledge of what you are eating and buying is the key in making the right choices when it comes to food. Get to know exactly what all those labels on food actually mean, which ones you need to take real notice of and what you should avoid when it comes to label contents.

10. How To Shop In Your Supermarket With Confidence What do you really want to be filling your basket with? Get some top tips for what to look for in the supermarket, where you’ll find the best deals on fresh and wholesome foods, what’s available at the counter and deli section and what you should be avoiding.

11. How To Grow Your Own Food, Wherever! We need to get back to basics when it comes to food and learning where our food comes from and how it grows is really important. Learn the basics of growing your own food, whether it’s growing lots in your garden or allotment, or just growing a few herbs on your windowsill.

12. Beekeeping Classes Not only are bees amazingly fascinating but they are really important too! Learn some more about how bees help the world go round and how exactly honey is made in your local area, you can even try some fresh local honey and get some great recipe ideas.

13. Cultural Cuisine Food is at the heart of every culture, and some tastes, spices and ingredients are unique to different cultures, learn about what is traditional to your area and why, and find out some more about the types of foods and dishes that are traditional to other regions and cultures.

14. Kitchen Tips and Tricks Get some tips and tricks for home cooking to help you create delicious dishes every time. From learning the maximum temperature for cooking with olive oil, and how to make simple homemade vinaigrette, to when to add salt to the dish and time saving strategies.

15. Modern Recipes for Ancient Foods The food options available to us these days are endless, but unfortunately a lot of them are premade and processed. Find out some more about ancient foods such as millet, quinoa, amaranth and how you can mix them up, give them a modern twist and introduce them to your diet.

16. Food For On The Go Learn about simple and quick snacks and easy lunches that you can prepare easily at home and take with you to avoid having to pick up pre-made and processed foods while you are out and about. Compare the taste and ingredients in homemade versus shop bought snacks and treats.

17. Cooking for Numbers The amount of food you need depends on how many you are cooking for, is it just you or are you a family of 5? Learn how to adapt recipes depending on the number you are cooking for and how to get the portions just right.

18. Get The Best For Your Money Eating healthy, fresh, wholesome foods doesn’t need to break the bank. It’s easy to eat well on a budget with a little bit of know-how. Find out how to get the best for your money, what foods are great to get on a budget and how you can save both time and money in the supermarket and the kitchen!

19. Store Cupboard Favorites Having a pantry stocked with the basics means that you’ll always have something in the house so you can whip up a meal, even better if they are homemade! Learn how to create your own pantry basics from pickles and jams to spiced nuts and infused olive oils.

20. What To Avoid When Eating Out You don’t have to avoid eating out of the house altogether, it’s just good to know how to make the right choices when eating out and on the go. Same goes for making the right choices in the canteen/cafeteria, learning how to make the most out of what’s on offer can make a big difference!

21. Colors Of The Rainbow Learn about the importance of eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. There are so many different fruits and vegetables that come in different shapes, sizes and colors, and they are all good for different things. Find out how to get a balanced diet and why it’s beneficial to eat a variety of foods.

22. Delicious Drinks It’s not just food that we need to think about but drinks too. Find out what’s really hiding in your favourite beverages, sodas and flavored milks – some are filled with additives and artificial flavors. Be in the know and learn how to make your own versions including ways to jazz up a jug of water!

23. What’s So Cool About Kale? Kale is just one of the many amazingly versatile vegetables and there is so much you can do with it! Find out some more about this leafy green nutritious veg and others in its family. This class can be catered for all sorts of different vegetables.

24. The Power of Superfoods We’ve all heard of superfoods, but what actually are they and where can we them, and most importantly what are they good for?! Learn the health benefits of superfoods, and discover where you can get them locally and how to incorporate them into your everyday meals.

25. Comfort Foods Changing eating habits is really difficult, particularly as we get older and as often food is thought of as a comfort. However you don’t have to have unhealthy comfort foods, learn how, with a little be of creativity and you can cook healthier versions of your favorite comfort foods.

I hope this helps inspires you to stand up for real food. As a mother, I know my 5 year old looks to me for guidance. It’s my job to give her the tools to succeed. Unfortunately, our schools don’t have the budget anymore to teach our kids. It’s up to us now!

If you would like to help in Santa Barbara, please contact me at www.aveganchef.com

You can also find more information at www.jamiesfoodrevolution.com

Story by The Food Revolution Day Team

I am so excited to be chosen as a Food Ambassador in Santa Barbara for the Food Revolution Day. I feel so passionate about the food revolution program, as I am a mother to a 4 year old little girl. She starts kindergarten in the fall, and I am starting to realize how bad the school lunch programs are out there. It is time we stand up for real food.

Story by Erin Dow

My highest priority as a school nutrition program consultant is to create healthy menus that appeal to kids. Balancing taste and health can be a tricky task, and it’s complicated more in the school lunch setting, where we also have to contend with the stark realities of tight budgets and production limitations.

The most critical element to our success is to prove to children that healthy food not only tastes great, but that eating it makes them feel good. I want them to know that they made a choice to eat something healthier, and I want to know why these foods help them be better and stronger people. Once we establish a priority on healthy meals, we can adjust our production models, staffing, food ordering, and menu planning accordingly.

I have a checklist of things I want to accomplish each time I work with a school. I believe that unless each element is in place, my visit won’t be anything more than a one-time special occasion. I want my efforts to result in lasting changes for each school I work with.

Additionally, I want them to be replicable in other schools, so I pay special attention to making recommendations and providing solutions that can work in any nutrition program.

Here are my top three tips for those of you developing menus for schools in your community.

1) Start out with known winners: a good first experience with a healthier food means kids will be more open-minded in the future.

Start small and stay safe: choose a dish or a menu that’s a known winner. Most schools tell me chicken nuggets are the top menu item. Well, they’re also easy to make homemade. Try my recipe for Parmesan and Panko-Crusted Chicken Fingers. I’ve done these from scratch for 650 kids at a time, and they’re cheap, easy, and the kids adore them.

2) Work with familiar flavors in novel ways: when kids are comfortable with an element of a dish, they’re less likely to resist the rest of it.

Pasta salads are a great way to introduce new items like beans and dark greens to kids. My BLT pasta salad has a low fat ranch dressing base, but the tons of baby spinach we add introduces a new element within a safe flavor matrix. Likewise, our bean and corn pasta salad tastes has a familiar Tex Mex flavor, so the cilantro and black beans are introduced in a less threatening way.

3) Rename a dish: sometimes that’s all it takes.

Cooked carrots are a tough sell to kids because of the texture. Well, since I renamed oven-roasted carrots “Carrot Fries” and serve them with a “ranch dip,” which is simply a mixture of plain Greek yogurt with herbs, lemon juice, and water, they’re a favorite on the lunch menu. Kids are impressionable, so I don’t name them “Superfries” or “Silly Stix”; rather, I want to make sure that the novel name still refers to the actual ingredient. Otherwise, kids won’t learn they like carrots.

The hard work of improving school lunches is made simpler by keeping the eye on the prize. The more positive experiences children have with new and healthier foods, the more likely they are to experiment with them moving forward. I hope my tips, as common sense as they seem, increase your chances of making a positive impact in your community. Keep up the great work.

STAND UP FOR REAL FOOD!

We need people just like you to get involved!

Contact us to share your ideas and let us help you

LOCAL FOOD EVENT IDEAS

Food Revolution Day is the perfect opportunity to talk about food produced and sold in your local area, and to get people to begin thinking about their food choices. Events will be happening across the world on the weekend of May 19th and anyone can volunteer to create a local food event. It’s a great way for chefs, gardeners and food educators to offer unique food experiences to their community, whether offering free events or asking that people donate to participate; either way be sure to make it clear why you are organizing the event. Here are some ideas for how you can lend your time and talent to get your community on board:

CREATE AN EVENT

CALLING ALL RESTAURANTS
Good food is the essence of what this day is all about, so restaurants are a perfect place to raise awareness. Why not host a community dinner at your restaurant and donate some of the profits, or give money from one specific Food Revolution dish on the menu? You could even open your restaurant to the local community and get them to cook or bring their own dishes.

GET YOUR SCHOOL INVOLVED
Getting food education back in schools is vital, so there is nowhere better to hold an event. Whether you run cooking demonstrations and vegetable tastings, or have a flavored-milk or junk food-free day, the opportunities for kick-starting the conversation in schools are endless. Talk to your PTA, health and wellness committee, school staff, and other parents to see how they can help.

HOST AN EVENT AT YOUR WORKPLACE
Why not get your company involved in the week leading up to Food Revolution Day? You could host a lunch for your colleagues, have a bake-off or get some cooking classes on the go. It’s a great opportunity to talk about the importance of good food in the workplace, because we all work better when we’re fueled by fresh, nutritious food.

COOKING CLASSES & DEMOS
Community cooking classes are a great way to spread the word and share lifelong skills and knowledge. Once one person is taught how to cook, they can pass those skills on to their friends and family, so the chain continues. Whether you are a chef or just love to cook, this is a great way to share your love of food.

GARDENING CLASSES
Set up some gardening classes at your local gardening or horticultural centre, community or school garden to show your community where their food comes from, what kind of ingredients are grown locally, and how easy it is to start growing your own. Whether you have a garden big enough to grow your own vegetables or just a plant pot on your windowsill, with just a little knowledge, a lot can be achieved.

FARMERS’ MARKET TOURS
Where better to start the conversation on local foods and connect with your community than at your local farmers’ market? Talk to your local vendors about setting up a tour of the market and finding fun activities for kids, so your community can learn more about what’s available at the market, where it comes from and how it doesn’t always cost more.

GROCERY STORE TOURS
Organizing a tour of your local grocery store will give your community more knowledge of what’s available and how to get the best bargains while supporting local businesses and fresh produce. The tour will also give them loads of great ideas if they are hosting a fundraising dinner party.

GET PEOPLE EXERCISING
Exercise and healthy eating go hand in hand, so why not incorporate your favorite exercises into your Food Revolution Day activities? Host a yoga class, fun run or sports day to demonstrate how exercise can be part of a healthy lifestyle. After all the action you can refuel with a fresh, homemade meal together.

BAKE SALE & LEMONADE STANDS
Get the kids involved and have some old-fashioned fun with bake sales and lemonade stands. Set up some stalls in your neighborhood and cater for the locals. It’s a great way to get your kids on board, as they prepare, cook and sell their creations themselves. Remember, everything you sell must be made from scratch!

FARM & RANCH VISITS
Why not get a community group together and head on over to a local farm or ranch? There is nowhere better to learn about where food comes from than at the source itself. This is also a great opportunity to connect with your local farmers and build a close community that supports one another.

LOCAL FOOD PICNICS & KIDS PARTIES
Everyone loves a picnic! Get your community together and head on down to the nearest green space, school field or park. Everyone can bring their own dish to share. You could also get all the kids together for a food party, create some tasters and easy recipes to try, or incorporate some food-based games into the event – think apple bobbing, or egg ’n’ spoon races.

STREET PARTIES & BBQS
Garden parties, street parties and barbecues are great fun! You could set up a table and chairs outside, get some candles and lanterns and have a proper sit down meal out in the open. Depending on how much space you have you could invite friends and family for a garden party or get the whole community involved and have a good old fashioned street party!

DINNER PARTY IDEAS
Everyone loves a dinner party and on the weekend of 19 May, people around the world from Auckland to Honolulu, will be hosting special meals in support of food education and increasing awareness about the food we eat. The aim is to cook with fresh ingredients – no processed foods allowed. Sign up and add your dinner to the map and you’ll receive an event page to invite guests, share your menu and recipes, add photos, videos, and fund raise for a great cause. Whatever party you throw, encourage your guests to learn more about ‘real food’ and share with us your highlights. Here are a few ideas to get started:

GO BIG
There is no limit to how extravagant your party can be. You could even get your whole community together and have a street party. Why not get local catering centers, restaurants and community groups on board? Of course, there is no limit to how small your party can be either, as long as you share great food and raise awareness of the Food Revolution mission.

POP-UP RESTAURANT
Have you ever been to a pop-up restaurant? Why not hold your own? It would be a great way to get people talking about your event and start the conversation on local food. Anyone who sees the restaurant will be able to come and say hello. Although they require a little more planning and preparation, once up and running they are well worth it and could raise lots of money for the Food Revolution.

POTLUCK
At a potluck dinner, every guest brings one dish to share. Getting your community together for a potluck is not only a great way to help raise funds, but also a fun way to get to know your neighbors, learn about food and enjoy some dishes you wouldn’t normally cook. You could centre it around one cuisine, assign each guest a course or dish, or everyone can just bring ingredients and you can all cook together.

THEME YOUR NIGHT
If you want to mix things up a bit, why not give your dinner party a theme? You could pick a specific cuisine – anything from British to Indian, or Mexican to Japanese – and even add a fancy dress element if you are feeling adventurous. It would be a great start for discussions about food issues around the world.

COOKING CONTESTS
If you like a bit of competition, why not get a group of friends together and have a cooking competition? Have each friend host a dinner party in the run-up to Food Revolution Day. You can all secretly score one another and then on 19 May have a big final dinner, where you all cook together and the winner is announced.

WHO COOKS?
If it’s always you who cooks, why not vary who is in the kitchen – men only, or women only, grandparents, bosses, or teachers? You could even host a series of dinner parties, and at each one get a different group to cook. It’s a great way to teach people new skills, and you’ll then get to compare the menu choice and cooking style each group goes for. You could even have a party where the kids cook, under supervision of course…

BRING ON THE FUN
Your dinner party is not just about fundraising and spreading the Food Revolution Day message, it’s also about having fun with your friends and family, and enjoying great food. Make it feel like a real occasion by adding some decorations and flowers to the tables, making fun name tags for your guests or downloading and playing our free Food Revolution dinner party game. Do you have a great dinner party suggestion? Let us know