Saturday, April 3, 2010

The Revolution is coming!

I had really planned to write my next blog about food, since I'm starting to get a backlog of food porn begging to be published. I've also promised quite a few people that I would get to resources, recipes and such *right away*. Hold please. Big dreams of the food blogging variety will have to wait until another day in favor of a different type of big dream. Jamie Oliver's.

It was recently brought to my attention thanks to vegan.com, that this was one show I needed to make time for. I've admittedly not watched much tv lately due to factors like a tyrannical three year old and his lack of sharing skills, business commitments and life in general. Thankfully, you can catch it on your computer whenever you are free. The first thing that really strikes you about this show is how freakishly lovable Jamie Oliver is. He's English, so he says all sorts of endearing things like "bloody hell, indeed and slagging off." That alone lends itself to a program I would enjoy. But really my favorite part of this show is Jamie Oliver's impossibly large dream, his belief in his purpose and his unwavering and absolute conviction. You see, Jamie has chosen to start the next phase of his "Food Revolution" in Huntington, West Virginia. Most unhealthy place in the universe based on death and disease rates. We learn about what they eat...and the results are shocking. Deep fried chocolate donuts for breakfast? Sure! Nuggets and fries for lunch each and every day? You betcha! Frozen pizza for dinner and maybe breakfast? Awesome! In a weeks worth of food, there was not one fresh fruit or vegetable to be found. For real. Since recent research has shown that our brain can respond to junk food in the same way it responds to heroine, these habits don't change without a fight. And let me tell you, there is a FIGHT. The amount of ignorance and hostility Jamie faces in changing food habits is incredible. Most seem oblivious to the fact that he's one of the most influential chefs in the world, though you would never hear "do you know who I AM?" come from him. One of the most appealing things about Jamie is that he is every person. He has lofty goals, but is so vulnerable and relate-able that you can't help but root for him. His message is simple-healthy, fresh foods and the importance of breaking bread with the people you love. Who can argue with that?
Give it a go, and watch it here

http://abc.go.com/watch/jamie-olivers-food-revolution/250784/254757/episode-101

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Postcard from Vitamix Heaven


It started off as a passing glance in a vegetarian magazine, right under the bitchin veggie cruise flier and above an ad for cloth menstrual pads. Then one day while perusing the isles at Costco, it happened. Love at first sight, a live Vitamix demonstration-available TODAY ONLY! Sorry for the shouty capitals, but they weren't kidding. The Vitamix train pulled out of the station before you could say "well researched decision", and thus started my obsessions with all things Vitamix. The reason for my obsession over a freakin blender? This isn't just a blender my friends (and at $350-$600, it better not be). This machine lets you make soup from scratch in 7 minutes (it's amazingly powerful motor makes things boiling hot!), ice cream (the salesman used raw cabbage in it, and my kid ate it up and screamed for more) sauerkraut, salsa, any sauce you can imagine, amazingly smooth smoothies, frozen drinks, commercial quality baby food and on and on. It does everything but watch your kids and give back massages. When I first told Bean that I wanted a Vitamix for Christmas, he thought it was a trick. I had to beg, plead and reassure that yes, I really, REALLY wanted a blender for Christmas. It didn't end up getting there on Christmas but the day it came in the mail is one of the top 10 days of my life. If there were a house fire, I can't promise I wouldn't run in to get her. In fact, at the mere thought of writing a blog about my Vitamix, I had to make a smoothie. I'm currently rocking cilantro, cucumber, melon, banana and strawberry fabulosity. You can almost tell who has a Vitamix at the grocery store. Their Vitamix syndrome gives them away. They almost always have a 312 lb bag of juicing carrots and possibly an assortment of mangy looking discount produce. Our first week with the Vitamix cost us 17 lbs in oranges-no joke. The beauty though is not wasting produce and actually getting your 5-12 servings of fruit and veggies-"look ma, I'm drinking a whole cucumber!" Vitamix syndrome also includes the impulse to blend up almost any crap you find in your fridge. Spinach/raisin/banana smoothie-you're on! I can't say they have all been edible, but experimenting is half the fun. Just this morning I made crepe batter in my Vitamix and it was perfect. Clean up is a huge reason that everyone loves this bad boy-no parts, just wash or blend some water and it's all clean.
In hindsight, this blog is nothing more than a glowing ad for Vitamix. I can't help myself-it is straight up hippie (or yuppie because of the price tag) street cred and other than my engagement ring, the best gift I've ever gotten. I love you baby (and by baby, I mean Vitamix)!