A Beautiful Miami Evening

It's a chilly, windy and very tasty Saturday night in Wynwood. It is the Food Truck Meet Up and it's loud, cold and so delicious. Tonight I was fortunate enough to enjoy about a full hour with my husband and toddler at the same time, at night and outside the house. Very rare. Usually by 9 pm, Bodhi's out of bed and he's probably letting everyone know just how tired he is by how loud and viking-like he behaves when he's tired. So we went to the food trucks.
We were meeting friends there so it was even more worth it. It's a very cold and windy night but between the music, the company & the food, it made for a nice balance.


I felt honored to meet the builders, owners & runners of the Grill Master Cafe Truck. They specialize in Cuban style gourmet truck cuisine. Featuring the classic Frita to hot dogs to the original Mojito Wrap. They are independent and authentic.




I had a such a delightful and educational conversation with Maria the owner. She described the amount of work, time & money she and her husband invested in this dream of theirs. She also let me know the current extra effort they are now putting in since they've been up & running for some time now. The excitement of crowd rushing their window and making that initial, unique connection. Maria lit up when she spoke about the connections made daily and the smiles she brought to them with a simple comfort food on the go.

Grill Master Cafe is leaning towards organics and sustainable, seasonal ingredients as well. They are also looking to expand their menu with vegetarian and vegan dishes. We had a lengthy talk about learning more about wanting to be part of the "green revolution". That was quite refreshing. (there she is on the left with the apron)






Besides the Grill Master Cafe truck there other trucks like Latin Burger, Jefe's & Cheese Me. I tried Dim Sam a Gogo. Very fresh Asian flavors.


On a side note, our friends the Krafts were there as well. I enjoyed some laughs and a glass of wine with my foodie friend Mytte. We enjoyed some laughs (as usual), very tasty wine and some fresh, hot Asian truck love. Thank you Bon Bon.




All in all it was great. Bodhi had Churros, Frita and hot chocolate. Not bad for his first food truck meet up.


Thanks for stopping by guys.
Much Love.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy 2011.
Over the last several months there has so many different topics going through my noodle. From the oil spill, to the holes in the Tundra, to dolphins, to Monsanto, and on and on and on. I decided to stay consistent. It all keeps coming back to the local and familiar. So this entry is a tribute to the ones that are making those efforts.

I begin with these:

Mytte & Cole Kraft's:


















The Krafts are growing everything from tomatoes, to carrots, to a variety of herbs. These are a couple who is committed to seeing the big picture and not only because they are both amazing chefs, but because they truly understand what it means to grow your own.
Their garden consists of a variety of carrots, herbs and mixed greens. They share their gardening with their three year old son Mace. He is part of the process from planting the seeds to harvesting delicious carrots. Absolutely delightful. Thank you guys for sharing your knowledge and seedlings and endless sense of humor.


Cristina Pulido-Lopez:







Cristina is currently in school majoring in environmental sciences. She's also a mom who truly believes in teaching the next generation to be sustainable and grown their own. She brings a lot to the table as far as educating the masses on what's currently going on with our green movement. Thank you for being a strong, informed and involved entity. Truly valuable.

Ailen Rivera:







Ailen is also a mom of two gorgeous kids. Ailen is the perfect example of the long time effects of eating GMO's. For years Ailen had rashes on various places of her body. It turned out to be that her chemistry is extremely sensitive to GMO's. Since eating clean (organic) these discomforts have disappeared. A testament of what a difference eating clean makes. She grows herbs that she uses for multiple recipes including an assortment of teas. Ailen is also one of those voices who believes on shining the light on the current issues that affect us all whether we know it or not. Thank you for the insight on the establishment.

During this time I've come across a great organization running an urban garden out of a local school. They are called Troy Gardens. Growing everything from Swiss Chard to Papaya, they are undoubtedly realizing the sustainable culture. And more importantly with the next generation.

As for me things have been kind of slow. I've had success with the herbs, alliums, and the mixed greens. I've fallen in love with garlic chives, which I found out go back to Asian cuisine. They are amazing in an omelette, salad or marinade. My aloe plants have thrived and provided much needed liver/bloodstream/colon cleansing.







So I'd like to close with yet another sincere message. Please educate yourselves about what it is you're consuming. The more you know, the more control you have, the more powerful you are and the more difference you can make. It all starts with ourselves. It's not easy, but it's worth it. The cell phones, the cars, the clothes, the gadgets, these aren't the long-lasting. What is long-lasting is the basics.

Plant something. Nurture it. Watch it grow. Enjoy it.

A sincere thank you for stopping by..

keep goin'

It's summer 2010 and I've decided to name this entry "keep goin" feeling inspired by my Buddhist practice and the people I'm surrounded by. This won't be an angry rant.

Since my last entry, life with three children has kept me very busy. They're out of school for summer so we've done quite a bit of growing together as a family. We moved into a new place. Great vibe here. Glorious, inviting back yard that truly has inspired me to really get serious about being on the road to being as self sustainable as I can be in this concrete jungle that is Miami. In the last 1 1/2 months we've planted tomatoes, spinach, arugula, mesclun, pineapples, papaya and various herbs and flowers, all still very young. Still so much more to plant. Still so much more to learn. We have put so much work into this project & we've barely made a dent in what is our master goal. Between my oldest son, daughter and husband we've started a vegetable garden in the middle of Miami's Design District. We're surrounded by a great night life with great restaurants, galleries and studios and a contagious bohemian lifestyle. There's something in the air that is a unique and captivating. We have done everything from planning the placement, planting seeds and now starting to taste our hard work. We started with herbs back in February and they are now a staple in our kitchen. Just recently we build a raised garden starring spinach, mesclun & arugula. My daughter and I built the frame. Ethan and I turned soil, added compost and planted. They are barely a couple of weeks old but already are little bright green bunches of love. Our tomato plant is doing quite well. Counted 10 flowers yesterday. It's exciting to be a part of.

Ethan is 14 and Mia is 12. Teens! At this point in time technology is mind blowing. All these kids talk about is what the latest gadget is. Or texting (can't stand it). I have made it a personal mission to exposing them to be involved in their food from seed to plate. At first it was like pulling teeth to get those two to be out in the sun with me helping with a simple bamboo fence, but after a few threats and motherly guilt they were very eager to help. Every morning now we go outside, observe the progress and discuss the developments. They're deeply involved in this journey and feel a true connection to another form of life. As a mother, it feels great to see them learn and spread the word to their friends. They're open and anxious to keep growing not just veggies but as activists.



I have also been experiencing this buzz of all this catching on, especially among fellow moms. That's also as much as inspiring. There's that fellowship of aware mothers that are growing their own and passing it along to the little ones as well. Cheers to you and keep up the brilliant work! A friend commented on an article I posted and she was right (Thanks Cris). It is absolutely up to us to start this revolution with our children now. Small steps are being taken to start to make somewhat of a change in the way this country eats. Diabetes, Heart Disease and Cancers are taking our loved ones down quickly. But we all know the real change must begin at the home. Yes, it's a lifestyle change, but only a slight shift in the grand scheme of things. For us, it brings us together outside in the sun and in the kitchen. Keeps life (of all types) in perspective. Yet another connection, another respect for life.

So for the rest of you out there who just "don't have time", I implore you to just start with an herb. Easy to maintain and a good start to something that benefits all in the end.

Thanks for having time for my rant and keep goin'.
~Y

so here we are...

So here we are. Present day and time. I guess you can call this a sequel to the"take it in" post. It's been about a month since my last entry and I really must say that every day that goes by impermanence is confirmed and the "easy way out" mentality shines through this great system of ours.


Since my last entry I have come across a few of my peers that have come somewhat informed of our food industry and still continue to make these selfish, self-destructive choices and then there are the ones who simply don't want to know because they think they know and the ones who say they know but just don't care.



During this last month I've done tons of research on our supermarkets and distribution centers but nothing else has brought me more concern (amongst other emotions) than our school system. Through an old friend I came across this blog about an undercover school teacher. She has eaten the school lunch every day this year thus taken pictures of these ever-so-appealing meals. She's even made an anonymous appearance on Good Morning America I believe. Through her I came across the Jamie Oliver show and website. Being a foodie for years now, Jamie's work was familiar to me. I wasn't aware of his latest achievements in England though. I read and read and read on how he single-handed changed the school food system in England. Jamie Oliver goes back to the "Naked Chef" on the food network and more recently his campaigns one being his "Fifteen" project which educates teenagers in the kitchen and show them a whole new realm.




So I watch "Food Revolution" on ABC. ( I give it to him for getting this type of show on such a network) I begin to tell my children to take pictures of what they're being served at school. I become disgusted. And just as it happens my children are being fed the same poor excuse for nutrition that was being fed in this school in West Virginia.
I suddenly became angry once again. I felt like a real puppet. Like this government doesn't even care about its children and what they eat. Not only is the education system all fucked up, but hey, why not feed them shit too, right???

Which brings me to this entry. I have since been sending them off with homemade, organic lunches but having them know what it is they're putting into their bodies. I constantly encourage them to ask and know, really know what it is that is going into their bodies. I encourage them to share certain lunch goodies with their friends and spark some kind of curiosity within them. Whether it's an organic, grass fed, humanely treated, ham & cheese sandwich to a chai cupcake. And it's worked. My son Ethan comes home with rave reviews about a friend trying a sandwich to his geography teacher pausing class to savor and inquire about his chai cupcakes.



I have also come across the mothers who simply have become a statistic of this community of drones that this government has created. Believing that Mcdonald's, KFC, Taco Bell, etc, just "aren't that bad". Believing it's ok to go the local store and buy whatever animal is the cheapest and feeding it to our kids because we see all these commercials and advertisements saying this is good food to eat. When it's really one big lie. And the best part is that this is all legal. It's legal to brutally lie to our citizens about what they're living from. It's become this focus on price and not true, real food. We have lost sight of one of most important things we can do for ourselves and that's what we eat, our health. Child obesity and diabetes are on an all time high. If we eat crap, we will be crap and we will be a crappy example for our kids.
Are you ok with being crappy too??
How do you see this matter. let me know. We CAN make a difference.

take it in

Some of my closest friends say that I've been really busy the last year and a half, or that I've made such a drastic change in my life. All really nice things, they say. Personally, it's just that I decided to make certain changes in my life and then I've been forced to make changes. By that I mean that in the last year during my pregnancy, I was forced into bed rest due to some complications. During that time I applied my practice more so than ever to my daily life (Dharma), I read lots, watched a great deal of independent, eco-educative tv, and tons of short documentaries (thanks current). I made changes such as starting a compost, committed to recycling, using non-toxic household products, etc. I must say, it's been a little adjusting, damn well worth it.

In the recent past I saw yet another documentary that really made an impact and tied in all the other changes I had already made. I saw Food, Inc.

A close friend had told me a while back and I cut him off quickly saying I just couldn't afford it and that was it. But then I saw it for myself.

Let's just say this really answered an endless amount of questions and raised others. This film laid it all out on the table. From the growers, to the farms, to the processing plants, to the table, to the hospital. Really confirmed once again our interconnectedness. It addressed the veil that this "great country" of ours pulls over our eyes on a daily basis. Not only are they deliberately hiding the livestock covered in feces, but they're not even washed before they're dismembered. Riddled with disease and bacteria, this is what we buy at our local market. The occasional diarrhea...bacteria. So many unreported child deaths due to E. Coli. And so on, and so on.
You think you know...

This is our government.

The truth is that now days eating organic and reading our labels is our weapon against being puppets. We must educate ourselves to the best of our intelligence and human ability to know what we're eating and where it comes from. Be aware of what it really is we're feeding our children (if you have any). It's imperative that we pass this on to them and at least be in control of what we eat.

More and more supermarkets are increasing their organic lines, so the "high price organics" is no longer a valid excuse. Here in South Florida, Winn Dixie Supermarkets carry their own organic line. Walmart also carries a variety of fruits, veggies, milk and other products as well.

Personally, here at home, we've cut down on meats, poultry and fish to once a month each, Maybe even longer. Honestly we don't even miss it. But that's just us.

It just takes a little re-budgeting (I know, I know times are tough) and a little research and it's all worth it. We are 6 and a dog on one income and we still manage to pull it off.