Yesterday morning started off with my husband once again running out the door to go up to Winston-Salem for the day (for work). I don’t know why I am 
always so last minute about packing food for him, but his race suddenly became mine too. And in a moment like that I am incredibly thankful that my peanut butter and jelly making 5-year-old is finally big enough to help me out when it comes to making sandwiches! Pictured is one of the many PB&Js she has made for me recently and as you can see she takes her garnish cues from “Fancy Nancy”. I told her only 1 toothpick next time. In addition to the sandwiches we also packed him a sliced apple, Lara bars, a banana, raisins, water, and some nuts.
On another note, I ended up hosting a very spontaneous “GNI” (girls night in) with some dear friends last night. We normally do the potluck thing, but I insisted that they instead let me treat them to a spread of real food appetizers. I thought it would be a fun challenge to see what sort of app type dishes I could come up with (we have of course been doing a lot of real food lately…but it has mostly been full meals) plus I also secretly wanted to use this opportunity to prove to them that real food can be both good and plenty! Not so much with this group of friends, but really with all of our friends in general (and our family – don’t let me forget them!) we do often times feel like we are the minority with our new – and very strict – eating habits. We also often become the target for many jokes (that are of course delivered in the most loving manner)…let’s just say though that it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
My husband and I have discussed this observation, and we decided long ago though that just because the majority of people (even our friends) are doing something does not mean it is the “right” thing to do. This could almost be considered an illusion in and of itself. I would venture to say that most people think what the majority decides is the best choice. But when it comes to the majority of people’s highly processed food choices we disagree with this assumption wholeheartedly. I have heard of the tobacco industry being compared to the food industry, and I think it is actually the perfect analogy. I am too young to remember first-hand, but I believe that smoking was very much the IN thing to do and LOTS of people did it. I know in old movies they are practically smoking in doctor’s offices. Now look at what has happened. The cat got out of the bag that smoking actually might kill you, and slowly but surely people caught on and started making better decisions for themselves. I think (and hope) that one day something similar will happen with today’s food industry and slowly, but surely we will all get back on track to eating real food that is more a product of nature than a product of industry simply because that is way things are meant to be!
So anyway, enough on that little tangent of mine! Back to the appetizer spread from last night which took the better part of my afternoon to prepare and included…
- Pimento cheese and cucumber dill tea sandwiches
- Shrimp scampi
- Tomato, corn and black bean salad
- Caprese salad with pesto sauce
- Zucchini bread
- Quesadillas (the filling included caramelized onions, sautéed corn and bell peppers from my garden, spices similar to the fajita recipe, cheese of course and a secret ingredient – some leftover pulled BBQ pork that I had saved in the freezer)
- Some olives, crackers, cheese, golden honey dew melon (that I found at the Farmer’s Market) and a nut/seed snack mix I made with a little butter/honey/ginger
- Individual chocolate tortes topped with maple whipped cream, chocolate sauce and blueberries (inspired by the dessert from our recent farm-to-table dinner at Poplar Ridge Farm)
Based on the feedback I think the food was enjoyed by all. My personal favorite was the quesadillas…man those were good especially with the homemade tortillas and secret ingredient. One friend, who is most concerned about not having enough to eat (if she were to solely rely on real food), said she felt plenty full afterward. Another friend, who is interested in signing up for the 10-day pledge, wanted to take some of the leftovers home so her husband (who is not as enthusiastic about the idea) could try everything. Lastly, I couldn’t help but notice that all of the dessert plates came back empty from what I could tell. So all in all I think it was a successful evening and worth the effort!
Hi! I love your ideas. Could you pass along your recipe for the chocolate tortes? Thanks!
Thank you! I am actually planning to post the chocolate torte recipe on The Food Illusion tomorrow so be on the look out! Or you can subscribe if you want to get an email when it is posted.
I love you ideas and food looks good. Have you tried making you own PB before. It’s a lot fresher.
I have not…I will have to try that!
Lisa, it certainly looks like your night was a success!!!! The tortes look great!
Thanks Shelly!
I discovered this site about an hour ago, and went back to the beginning to read it ALL. I think you’re doing an awesome thing. My family is probably 80-90% REAL food already, but we may take your challenge just for fun.
Anyway, the reason I’m posting is to tell you that I think (hope?) you’re right. My wish for the world is that someday, people look back and say, “Man, I can’t believe people used to poison their bodies with food like that!” Someday, this blog will be archived, and people will read it thinking, “Wow, it was so HARD for them to convince people” (like your parents– ours are the same way!) and laugh at humanity’s mistakes. You are a forerunner, and I’m proud of you.
Comments like these make all of this worth it…thank you!!
Everything looks so good!! I wish I could have the recipe for the tortes.
I shall grant your wish
http://thefoodillusion.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/recipe-chocolate-torte-with-whipped-cream-and-chocolate-sauce/
I really applaud what you are doing. We have had a recent epiphany about real food and the “food-like substances” that are all around us, too. When you truly realize what you are putting in your mouth, and giving to your kids to grow and flourish, it becomes a no-brainer, in my opinion. The difficulty is that so much of what is available in our local stores is not real food. We have not gone 100% yet, but I’m doing my best to be 100% informed about what we eat, where it comes from, and what is in it. It’s helped us to slow down, appreciate more what we are eating, and feel good about it. Now the scary part is the food offered by others or at restaurants! While I’m not ready to go 100% outside of our home, I am finding that my kids are making better decisions on their bc of how we eat at home. Thanks for the inspiration and bravo on your commitment!!
Curious? What kind of peanut butter do you and your family use? Most brands have added sugar in one form or another and the natural ones seem to separate horribly and are difficult to stir, especially if they have to be refrigerated. Any tips or suggestions?
Thanks!
We “make it ourselves” at Earthfare. They have a peanut grinding machine so the only ingredient ends up being organic peanuts. We don’t refrigerate it although it does take a little practice to figure out the best way to spread it (I almost slice really thin pieces and then spread that which helps). It isn’t the same as JIF as far as consistency goes, but that is for good reason!
We’ve been eating natural peanut butter for months now, and recently I made a special birthday cake that called for creamy peanut butter so I went ahead and bought some. Well I’ve been using up the leftover “fake” peanut butter and it tastes gross to me, it doesn’t even taste like peanuts. It’s also upset my tummy too. Probably all the oils/fat, etc. I can’t wait to go buy more of my natural peanut butter, I miss it! Love the blog, great ideas and very inspiring! Take care.
Thanks for the comment! Isn’t it amazing how we can “retrain” our taste buds so easily. I don’t plan to consume too much processed stuff when the 100 days are over, but I am a little anxious to see what some of it tastes like to me. I imagine it will be way too sweet, salty, and oily tasting!
i like it
How much does these gourmet food cost?Are they expensive?Just to have a look,I have large appetite.As if I have taste it delicious smell.I’m hungry.
Yum! Do you have the recipe for the Tea Sandwiches? I’m hosting a baby shower soon, and those look perfectly delicious and REAL!
Also, what a great soapbox you took in this post. My husband and I are also the butt of jokes and inconvenience at family gatherings…. like on Thanksgiving when we brought fresh cream and “magically” made it into whipped cream by… whipping it in our blender. TA-DA! They were amazed and loved it, yet still made fun of us! We shake our heads and hope someday we won’t be the minority.
And thank you ahead of time!
Here’s the pimento cheese recipe: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/07/26/recipe-grilled-pimento-cheese-sandwich/
For the cucumber dill I think I just mixed some dill with cream cheese and spread it on the bread along with a slice of cucumber (no recipe).
Oh and that post was a while ago, but friends/family members still love to give us a hard time whenever they have the chance! My dad likes to joke that I have to know the name of the fisherman that actually caught the fish before I can eat it