Posts Tagged ‘farmers market’

Yesterday’s CHEW Health and Wellness Tour of Chicago was amazing! I had such a blast and would recommend anyone and everyone to do it!

The tour met at Green City Farmer’s Market in the heart of the Lincoln Park neighborhood. We stopped at Tiny Greens, a farm in Urbana, IL that sprouts greens and sells them to put on salads or sandwiches. They sell everything from sunflower and cilantro to broccoli and onion sprouts! We got to sample all sorts of sprouts, but my favorite were these delicious black onion sprouts!

Our next stop at the farmer’s market was Potter’s Crackers. These homemade crackers come in a variety of flavors including flax seed, rosemary, and garlic. They were quite delicious but rather pricey.

Throughout the tour our guide consistently emphasized the importance of greens in one’s diet and how they are extremely under-rated, which I totally agree with! A lot of people get nervous about buying greens because they feel like they don’t know how to cook them. Our tour guide had a great idea; she buys collard greens and then uses them as wraps for lunch. She makes a sweet wrap with almond butter sprinkled with granola and a chopped apple wrapped up in a collard green leaf or makes a savory wrap using hummus, veggies, and protein such as chicken. I’m going to have to try these!

After the market we met with a yoga instructor in the park for a 20 minute yoga class. It was so great to be doing yoga outdoors, I felt totally connected with nature! Then we walked through Oz Park on our way to get some frozen yogurt.

We all stopped by this fountain for a photo op and to cool off! There were a total of 8 of us on the tour, 4 of them being friends of mine!

Then we arrived at Starfruit, which reminded me a lot of Berry Chill but they use Kefir instead of regular yogurt. Kefir contains 10 probiotic cultures per cup which help strengthen the immune system and aids in digestive health. Kefir is a great source of calcium, protein, and fiber and can even help with lactose intolerance.

We got to sample pomegranate and vanilla frozen kefir as well as the Berry Good 4U smoothie which contains blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, goji berries, pomegranate acai kefir and vanilla kefir. All of it was so delicious I never wanted to leave!

Then off the Lululemon Athletic we went. We got a tour of the store and had a chance to shop around and cool off in the air conditioning! I of course fell in love with a pair of plaid running shorts that I want to go back and buy to wear for my half marathon in August!

After Lululemon we walked over to LUSH. If you have never been to LUSH you have to go! They have so many wonderful beauty and bath products that are all handmade! Check out these colorful bath bombs and bubble bath bars!

They even have face masks that are made fresh on a daily basis! We got to try a ocean salt scrub on our hands as well as some lotions and massage oils; all of which were amazing! I will definitely be returning to LUSH to stock my bathroom with a few of these goodies!

The tour continued on. Just as I thought it couldn’t get any better, we went to Karyn’s Raw! Karyn Calabrese helped pioneer the raw food movement and Karyn’s Raw is a holistic health center and cafe that sells everything from raw/vegan smoothies and snacks to books on detox and holistic supplements to keep you energized and radiant!

We got to sample a Morning Cleanser smoothie made of Karyn’s Green Meal, apple juice, Rejuvalac, banana, flax oil, and Lecithin. We also sampled some dips including a vegan sour cream, a beet puree, hummus, and a vegan cheese dip!

And get this! I got to meet Karyn! She just happened to be in the store during the tour along with her famous mentor! I wasn’t able to get any pictures with them, but it was surely a great surprise!

Here we are at the cafe; Jess and Catherine are enjoying their green Morning Cleanser smoothie shot!

Sadly the tour had to come to an end, but the great thing was that we ended at the new Whole Foods Market on North and Kingsbury! If you live in Chicago and have never been to this particular Whole Foods you must go! This place is HUGE and its absolutely incredible, they have it all! Out on the back patio you can eat lunch and enjoy the view of the Chicago skyline over the Chicago River. It was such a gorgeous day, there were even a group of kayakers going by as we took pictures!

I ended up staying at Whole Foods for a bit to grab lunch and shop around a bit before heading home. This tour was an incredible way to spend my Saturday, not only did I meet some great people who love health and wellness as much as I do, but I got to experience new places around the city and even came home with a vast array of goodies, coupons, and a complementary nutrition consultation with our tour guide and founder of CHEW Chicago, Jessica Marie, who is a Holistic Nutrition Practitioner!

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Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone had a great holiday! This morning I made my way over to the Aksarben Village Farmers Market over by the new Wohlner’s neighborhood grocery on 60th and Center. Despite the fact that it was pouring, the market was rather crowded! Among an assortment of free samples, I came home with some zucchini (both round and oblong in shape), carrots, eggs, lettuce, grape tomatoes, corn, and coffee from Caffeine Dreams, a local coffee shop here in Omaha. I got English Toffee, Sumatra, and Pumpkin Spice; all of which smell absolutely amazing!

After the farmers market I was ready to go somewhere indoors to dry off, so I headed to the bookstore (one of few places open on holidays). I was only looking for one book in particular, but naturally came home with three books instead!

1. The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook by Amy Riolo: I saw this book advertised in the May edition of Today’s Dietitian and had to have it. The Mediterranean diet is known to be one of the healthiest in the world due to the use of lean meats and fish, healthy oils, and a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables providing fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. These recipes can help lower blood pressure, control blood glucose levels, and lower your risk for heart disease; regardless of whether or not you have diabetes anyone can benefit from the Mediterranean diet. The recipes in this book sound so tasty I can’t wait to cook some Mediterranean cuisine!

2. What to Eat by Marion Nestle: The book is about uncovering the true meaning of product labels, marketing jargon, and how big food companies try to influence our choices. In this guide to sensible food shopping and healthy eating Nestle offers advice about which food trends to embrace and which to trash.

3. Local Flavors by Deborah Madison: Ever since I read Animal Vegetable Miracle where Barbara Kingsolver constantly references this book, I have been wanting to get it. This book is all about cooking and eating seasonally and locally from your neighborhood farmers market. It offers one-of-a-kind ideas and recipes for those unique farmers market finds; not to mention all of the gorgeous pictures that fill the book cover to cover.

(All of these books remind me that I need to do some updating on the Read Chic page…I’ll work on that tomorrow, sorry for being so behind on things lately!)

The rain finally let up around 6pm and I was finally able to go for my 8 mile long run. I took a nice long stroll through a couple parks around my neighborhood and returned home to a backyard barbeque where turkey sausages were being grilled for dinner. I also listened to Women & Money by Suze Orman on my ipod while I ran, nothing like a little financial advice while you sweat!

There are not too many fireworks going on tonight due to the rain earlier today, but I was still able to enjoy a festive 4th of July dinner while watching fireworks on tv! I just finished putting together a couple Quick Breakfast Stratas using my farmers market produce! I will pop those in the oven tomorrow morning for the family for breakfast!

Happy 4th everyone!

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After a crazy week and an extremely delayed flight last night, I finally made it back to Omaha, NE to visit my family for the holiday weekend. We started off the morning with a trip to the Benson Farmers Market, where I had my first shot of fresh wheatgrass juice and a taste of sunflower sprouts! The wheatgrass had a sweet honey after-taste, which was a pleasant surprise! Click here for more information about wheatgrass.

One vendor at the market was selling sunflower sprouts, which I’ll admit, I had never seen/heard of people selling before. Apparently they clip the sprouts of the sunflower after about 6 weeks of growth and sell them to mix in with salads or toss in a juicer. I had the opportunity to sample one – the little green leaves and stem had a slightly nutty flavor to them similar to sunflower seeds, it was delicious!

Sunflower greens or sprouts are considered to be a super food because they contain protein, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin E, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. I will have to be on the lookout for these little guys at the farmers markets in Chicago! I eventually came home from the market with garlic, green onions, and Chinese spinach (more on this later) in hand; all to use tomorrow at the July 4th barbeque!

After the farmers market it was time to harvest some mulberries. Every summer wild mulberries grow in my neighborhood, and this year the crop was quite abundant! I ended up picking about a quart of them! In addition to using them on top of my breakfast cereal and in smoothies I think the plan is to either bake some into muffins or a pie this year!

Mulberries grow wild throughout the United States and are often overlooked when it comes to summertime berries. Like blackberries and raspberries, mulberries are packed with nutrients and provide numerous health benefits. Mulberries are a great source of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B, iron, fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium.

Mulberries contain antioxidants that help lower cholesterol, aid in treating digestive problems, and help to prevent cancer, blood clots, and diabetes. If you have a wild mulberry tree in your neighborhood, harvest the berries between May and July and reap the great benefits mother nature has to offer us!

sources: image 1, image 2

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This morning I rode my bike down to the Pilsen Chicago Farmer’s Market on 18th and Halsted. This community market was much smaller than the Green City Market that I went to last weekend. Nevertheless they had great vendors and produce!

I came home with tomatoes, zucchini, fresh basil (since my windowsill herb garden is taking forever to grow!), peaches, mini tri-colored potatoes, and purplette onions. I was actually looking for standard red onions, but since no vendors had them, I went with purplette onions. Purplette onions look like mini red onions with a stalk similar to green onions. I’m not quite sure how to describe their taste, but its sort of a mixture between red, white, and green onions combined; quite delicious!

I made some fresh tomato salsa with some of my purchases for a healthy afternoon snack!

Ingredients:

• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 purplette onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 2-3 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to bring out all of the flavors. Serve with tortilla chips or atop your favorite Mexican dish! I made chips with some left over tortillas from last night so as not to waste them (I hate wasting food!).

Tonight I’m making ribs on the grill with corn on the cob and baked beans; can’t wait! Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

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Unfortunately the weather here in Chicago has been rainy and gloomy all weekend! But that didn’t stop me from going to the Green City Market farmer’s market for the first time this summer yesterday morning! Located at the south end of Lincoln park between Clark and Stockton Drive, Green City Market is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7am-1pm. Green City Market has over 55 vendors and proudly supports local, fresh, and sustainably raised farm products.

I had heard nothing but great things about Green City Market so I rode my bike to Lincoln Park to check it out yesterday morning! The weather held up on my way out there and I came home with a few goodies!

I bought organic strawberries, a loaf of Honey Oat bread from Bennison’s Bakery, a family run bakery in Evaston, IL and Brun-uusto Baked  Cheese with Garlic from Brunkow’s Cheese in Darlington, Wisconsin. Brun-Uusto cheese is extremely unique. It is a version of Juustalepia, a variety of cheese from Sweden and Finland whose name translates to “bread cheese”. The cheese is baked to form a tasty crust similar to toasted bread and is best enjoyed cut up into cubes and grilled on a skillet or outdoor grill to bring out it’s rich buttery flavor. At Green City Market, vendors grill multiple Brunn-uusto cheese flavors including Jalepeno, Garlic, and Original; all of which are tough to resist!

Towards the end of my visit to the farmers market the clouds rolled in and rain began to pour down, leaving me without and umbrella and completely drenched. I was not about to ride home in the rain so I walked around in search of a place to have some breakfast and came across Perennial, a local brunch stop on Lincoln Avenue. Located right across the street from Green City Market, Perennial is dedicated to using local and sustainable produce whenever possible.

After drying off and warming up with a hot cup of coffee ordered French Toast; an almond baguette topped with apples, lemon ginger, and creme fraishe.

My boyfriend Will went with the Strawberry Pancakes; pancakes with Cap’n Crunch strudel with vanilla milk custard. Both dishes were delicious, but I much preferred the French toast over the pancakes! Perennial was such a fun place to stop on a Saturday morning; the contemporary atmosphere was bustling and the food was incredible! I may have to make this a permanent stop whenever I go to Green City Market!

Luckily the ran let up just long enough for me to bike home! However I don’t think the weather is going to be much better today.

Have you been to any farmer’s markets yet this summer? Check out our Top 5 Farmer’s Market Tips to help you on your next trip!

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