#FoodRevolutionDay

I got this email on May 6, 2014:

 "Thank you so much for applying to be a Food Revolution Ambassador.  We would love for you to be an Ambassador in Monterey, CA.We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers in cities and regions around the world to support the Food Revolution all year round. You will play a leadership role in connecting individuals, schools, businesses and organizations at a local level to ensure their collective voice is heard." 

I'm almost a year into this amazing journey of education and action. Here's the scoop: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Day. Here's his book on the subject...and my personal favorite Jamie Oliver cookbook... (no surprise there!)...

   

Update: April 8, 2015 - I'm still fighting for our food system. It's broken, but it's not irretrievably so. Here's the petition: click.

Update: May 16, 2014 - This is what we did last year. It was fun!

Friday evening. End of a busy week during the craziest time of the school year. How do you organize together an event for Food Revolution Day...with only ten days' lead time?  A potluck! 

I managed to pull together a small, but mighty, group of families with children for a Rainbow Wrap party on Jamie's designated Food Revolution Day. My request: pick a color and bring an ingredient for rainbow wraps. Here's some of what we ended up with...

Red: cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers, salsa, strawberries, rhubarb

Orange: cherry tomatoes, roasted pepper, mashed sweet potatoes, salad with mango and nasturtium

Yellow: yellow summer squash, Yukon gold potato salad

Green: spinach, basil, marinated artichokes, green olives, pesto, kale-wakame salad, kale salad

Blue: pickled blueberries

Purple: purple cabbage, kalamata olives, grapes

What fun! Though I did feel a bit like I was preaching to the choir. All of these kiddos already eat real food. A funny story, though: one dad told a friend's son that there would be no dessert until he ate all six colors of the rainbow. The child dutifully did so that he could have the strawberry-rhubarb shortcakes with lavender whipped cream!

As I wrote: small, mighty, and inspiring. I signed on to lead a food workshop at the Monterey Public Library for the Teen Summer Program in July. One evening. We'll be making kale salad, chia pudding, and one more dish. I haven't decided yet. So, my Food Revolution continues.