Head to the Farm!

One of the best things to happen to the healthy, casual restaurant scene in Orange County lately is the addition of L.A.'s popular Mendocino Farms. My first taste of this awesome sandwich and salad shop was while visiting my oldest, who attended college near the Marina Del Rey location. It is more than just a trendy place for college kids to grab a sandwich or salad; it is a great place to dine on fresh ingredients with awesome flavors.

It's an “order first, sit down, have your food delivered to you” kind of place.  Concrete floors and rustic wood planking add charm to the atmosphere, right down to the “Eat Happy” Sign.

Mendocino Farms partners with regional farms to keep The Mendocino Farms menu full of seasonally fresh ingredients. They use artisan breads for their sandwiches and their chicken comes exclusively from free-range providers Pitman Farms and Petaluma Poultry.  Their pork and turkey are antibiotic free and humanely raised. They have vegan and vegetarian options and they offer gluten free bread. Drake Family Farms supplies their dairy related items. They use organic produce whenever possible. These key components not only support a healthy body, they support local farms and a movement toward conscientious eating.

The menu has a variety of choices with creations that reflect the foods of faraway places (how about a Thai Spring Salad, Samosa Dosa or Pork Belly Bahn Mi?) as well as more familiar favorites that have been creatively upgraded with great ingredients: the Sophisticated Chicken & Prosciutto Salad adds market roasted vegetables and fresh mozzarella and their version of a BLT involves carved balsamic-glazed steak and roasted tomatoes on pretzel bread.  There is a weekly Chef’s Pick and they rotate a portion of their menu seasonally to take advantage of each growing season.

Thank goodness they expanded to the OC so I could get my “Mendo” fix a little more often. What are my go-to favorites? If it’s a sandwich, it’s the Chicken MBT (shaved chicken breast, fresh mozzarella, pesto, balsamic vinegar tossed greens on ciabatta) or if I’m in the mood for a salad, it’s the Modern Caesar (kale, romaine, butter lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, crispy wheatberries and Grana Padano cheese, shaved chicken optional). Mouth watering goodness.  Hungry yet? Head to the Farm and share in the comments what your favorites are!

(If you like knowing about healthy restaurants in Orange County, California, stay tuned . . .  Grow in Wellness has a big announcement coming this summer!)

Berry Important News

Spring. Strawberries. Bright, plump, red. Sweet and juicy. Laden with pesticides. Move over apples, strawberries have stolen your spot as number one on the top of EWG’s dirty dozen list. 

What am I talking about?  Since 2004, the Environmental Working Group has been ranking pesticide contamination on 48 popular fruits and vegetables from over 35,000 samples tested by the US Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.   They call it the EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, or as it’s more commonly known: "The Dirty Dozen and Clean 15”  lists. This is the go-to guide for how to prioritize your dollars on organic produce if you cannot afford to buy (or don't always have access to) organic produce all the time.  While there are several repeat offenders each year (apples, zucchini, strawberries, tomatoes and grapes), apples have been taking home the top prize until this year's list was released and strawberries came out on top.

(Want to know more? Read all about it here)

That's all fine and good, but how does this strawberry news affect you as a consumer? This is your cue to make sure the strawberries you eat are certified organic. Bonus if they come from local farmers. And with strawberries just coming into peak season, this is the time to indulge.  If you want to really stock up, then purchase a flat of strawberries, wash, trim and slice some for immediate eating and then prep the extras for later with my berry preservation method: 

Wash, dry and cut strawberries into slices or small pieces.  Spread them out onto a cookie sheet and place in your freezer until they are frozen.  Once frozen, scoop them up into a zip top plastic bag and store in your freezer for later use.  They are great added to smoothies, stirred into hot oatmeal or tossed into salad. This works great with blueberries and raspberries, too.

Strawberries are worth the extra cost of going organic and not just to avoid pesticides. They offer a great dose of nutrition! They offer plenty of vitamin C, fiber, they support heart health and are full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

The possibilities of what to do with strawberries are (almost) endless.  How about a strawberry-cucumber smoothie? Or a chia seed pudding?  You can add them to your overnight oats, infuse your water with a few fresh sliced berries or even try them with my pesto chicken salad recipe.

So make the most of strawberry season – buy organic – and enjoy every sweet bite!

What’s your favorite way to eat strawberries?

New Things From Old Favorites

I recently spent three days at the annual Natural Products Expo here in California. With hundreds and hundreds of vendors promoting their products, the truth of the matter is that most of the products are processed in some way; many of them are not quite healthy and even fewer are formulated with real, organic, recognizable ingredients.  A great representation of the food world we all have to navigate on a daily basis. But that does not mean all hope is lost!

Amidst the chaos of product pushing, I did find some great products I want to share with you. These products are a mix of new offerings from my tried-and-true favorites or new and promising products that I hope to find on store shelves, soon. 

One of the things I learned after talking to reps from these companies and asking my standard question, “what stores carry your product?” is that getting a product to the shelf of a store you shop at is quite an arduous process. Talking to your store manager and asking them to bring in your favorites can help a new product get to shelf much quicker.  So speak up if your store doesn’t have something you want to buy.  While you’re waiting, order online whenever you can so you don’t have to miss out.  Remember… we vote with our dollars, so vote for good things! 

New products from my favorite brands:

Sunflower Butter from Bliss Nut Butters.  Delicious! Great for someone with a nut allergy. Not yet on store shelves in southern California, but always available on their website www.blissnutbutters.com. My all time favorite of theirs is the Cinnamon Chia Seed Peanut Butter. Give both a try.

Sprouted Artisan Bread and Baguettes by Alvarado St. Bakery. I am already a fan of their sprouted sliced bread line and the addition of a frozen sprouted grain baguette that will go from freezer to oven to table in less than 15 minutes is worth a smile or two.  You can use this baguette to make crostini, garlic bread or, if you’re feeling really indulgent, eat it warm from the oven with a little Brie spread on it.  Another new offering is their energy squares packed with organic seeds and nuts. Both should be on store shelves this summer.

Hope Foods Guacamole.  Known for their flavorful line of hummus, Hope Foods is coming out with a guacamole in both mild and hot flavors. Perfect for when you can’t find ripe enough avocados to make your own.  Look for it in the refrigerated foods section of your market by summertime

Organic Valley has two new products out: Grassmilk Yogurt from 100% grass fed cows and Hazelnut and Vanilla half-an-half. The yogurt is creamy, full fat (exactly what you should be eating. . . fat-free foods will make you fat!) and comes in vanilla and plain. Try the half-and-half in your cup of coffee. 

I blogged about Tava Life Ghee a while ago and love their green chili flavored ghee. They were back at the Expo this year rebranded as 4th & Heart (named after the heart chakra).  They may have a new name and logo, but they haven’t changed their delicious grass-fed ghee.  While I’m sad they discontinued the chili flavor, they added two amazing new flavors, garlic and while truffle sea salt. Is your mouth watering yet? Look for them at Whole Foods, Central Market and Thrive online market.

I know this post is long, but before I go, I have to share one last favorite brand and their new offering.  The band is The Bu Kombucha and their certified organic, 100% kombuchas come in some fantastic flavors, like chai spice, lavender and honey dew. They are adding new flavors with ginger and peach to their line, so keep an eye out for them!

A few new things without pictures include:  New flavors from Perfect Bar protein bars: coconut almond and blueberry cashew. . . New addition to the supplement drink line from Oxylent, 3-in-1 Supplement drink. . . Justin's Nut Butter will be releasing almond butter and pretzel snack packs. . . Suja pressed juices is introducing probiotic waters and Bob's Red Mill is getting in the protein powder ring with several flavors including chai flavored protein that has chia and probiotics!

Whew, that’s a lot, just from my favorite brands.  New products to share are coming soon.  In the mean time, which of these are you going to try first? Let me know in the comments below.  Have a happy, healthy day!

What's the Big Deal About Trans Fats?

This is the first time I’ve posted about food related news, but an important decision was made by the FDA and I want to make sure you know a little about it.

The FDA just finalized their decision to ban artificially created Trans Fats in processed foods in the next three years. Hooray! This is a big admit by the FDA who for years has filed artificially created trans fats under “GRAS” (generally regarded as safe) status.  GRAS is their way of saying they ‘don’t really have time to investigate, so we’ll trust the food chemists to tell us they are mostly okay’. For those of you new to this song and dance, take note: the FDA regulates 80% of the food supply and does not test every food. You will find these explanations about GRAS on their website:

“The GRAS notification program provides a voluntary mechanism whereby a person may inform FDA of a determination that the use of a substance is GRAS, rather than petition FDA to affirm that the use of a substance is GRAS.” 

And this one,

“If the use of a food substance is GRAS, it is not subject to the premarket review and approval requirement by FDA.”

Here’s a little summary on how this translates to the grocery store (and your kitchen) shelves.   

What’s an Artificial Trans Fat?   Partially Hydrogenated Oils  (PHO’s) are the main source of artificially created trans fats. They are created in a lab and are used for improving food texture and to extend shelf life of processed foods.

Where would I find it?   In most processed foods. Oreos, French fries, margarines, microwave popcorn, coffee creamers, canned frostings, boxed cake mixes and baked goods, frozen pizzas and other frozen foods. Many restaurant foods will contain trans fats as well.

Why is it bad?   Studies show that eating a diet that contains trans fats leads to higher body weight, heart disease and memory loss. It has shown to raise LDL (bad cholesterol) which can lead to cardiovascular disease.

What can you do?   Read your ingredients list, not just the nutritional facts label.  Avoid products with these words on the ingredients list: “partially hydrogenated” and “shortening”.

Why?   Even if a food claims on its packaging to have "0 grams trans fat”, under current regulations, companies can make that claim if the food contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. But if there is partially hydrogenated oil listed among the ingredients, the product will contain a small amount of trans fat. Selecting foods with even small amounts of trans fat can add up to a significant intake.

What does all this mean to you as a consumer of artificially created food products (aka processed foods)? 

It means that you have to stop believing that every ingredient on a food label is good for you.  Food scientists make a lot of money creating copycat nutrients, chemically altered ingredients, fake flavors and colors all to make processed foods more appealing to you.  It’s the ultimate plastic surgery of our food supply. 

The bottom line… when looking at a product remember the longer the shelf life, the shorter yours. Buy fresh, cook at home as much as possible and say “no” to processed foods for you and your family.

For more information, see the links below.

http://www.cspinet.org/transfat/ 

http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/ucm061846.htm#Q2