Sustainable Seafood
September 13 is National Celiac Awareness Day
National Celiac Awareness day is September 13th according to the Celiac Sprue Awareness Association.
The date of September 13 was chosen because it honors the birthday of Samuel Gee, MD a British physician and pediatrician. Dr. Gee published the first modern description of the clinical picture of celiac disease and is credited with being the first to identify the link between celiac disease and diet. One of Gee’s famous quotes on celiac disease is “if the patient can be cured at all, it must be by means of diet.”
The increased awareness of this disease has helped more be diagnosed and avoid consuming gluten, allowing their bodies to heal.
Slather Brand Foods supports those who avoid consuming gluten by making all our products gluten free.
We’d love to hear your stories of how you became aware of the issues in your life. Will you share them with us here? Tell us how you have adapted your eating preferences and recipes to support your healing.
In the meantime, we share these tips on how to celebrate National Celiac Awareness day from the Celiac Sprue Awareness Association:
IDEAS FOR HOW TO CELEBRATE CELIAC AWARENESS DAY
- Sponsor a party complete with gluten-free cake.
- Have a gluten-free baking contest.
- Talk to a local class telling them about Samuel Gee and his contribution
to medicine. - Create a display in a public library, clinic or shopping area and promote
Dr. Gee’s 173 rd birthday!
We look forward to hearing from you!
School Fundraising
Y’all know that my years as a teacher gave me a big heart for supporting our neighborhood schools. Every year students, parents and teachers work to raise money to help each school gain extra funding to do many desirable things.
Some schools raise money for playgrounds. Others for supplies for children who don’t have them. Others raise money to pay for field trips. So many schools sell nuts, oranges, gift wrap, and even coupon books. But why not sell products made in South Carolina?
That’s the question that I’m sure Ken Carey answered when he established LocalHappiness. Ken writes that LocalHappiness supports “both our schools and our local communities by offering top notch products made or designed by South Carolinians.” He continues,
We’re extremely excited about Local Happiness and want to get as many schools and other organizations as possible on board.
If you’d like to see your child’s school support South Carolina’s small business to include, farmers, specialty food producers, artists, authors and musicians – tell us and tell them!”
Ken, we’re delighted to participate as one of your product partners. There are some mighty fine folks in that line up and some good eating too.
If you’re in South Carolina and want to get your child’s school on board to sell all these fine South Carolina products like Slatherin’ Sauce, contact Ken and LocalHappiness via their website.
Legare Farms Fall Harvest Dinner
Helen Legare invited me to participate in Legare Farms Fall Harvest Dinner. I’ll be using Legare Farms beef to create “Slather Burger Sliders.” This great event is one that’s close to my heart. Helen and I both are John’s Island girls who care deeply about teaching children about where their food comes from. Her Foundation will be using the proceeds from this dinner to do just that.
According to Helen’s information, “Legare Farms Education Foundation is celebrating the fall harvest with a “Meet the Farmer” social followed by dinner on November 6, 2011. The social will start at 4:00 pm followed by dinner at 5:00 pm.”
Farmers participating include:
Chef Fred Nueville from The Fat Hen
Chef Micah Garrison from the Middleton Place Restaurant
Chef Craig Deihl from Cypress Restaurant
Chef Jacques Larson from Wild Olive Restaurant
Chef John Ondo from Lana Restaurant
Chef Craig and Stephanie Bente from Main Street Restaurant
Chef Nathan Thurston from The Ocean Room at Kiawah
Sarah O’kelley from the Glass Onion
Chef Nico Romo from Fish Restaurant
Chef Robin Rhea from Slather Brand Foods
Chef Drew Hedlund from Fleet Restaurant
Chef Andy Harris from Funky Little Kitchen Restaurant
“This dinner will consist of dishes prepared from Legare Farms’ beef, pork and fall harvest vegetables. The dishes will be prepared by some of Charleston’s finest chefs. The proceeds from this event will go to Legare Farms Education Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit initiative whose mission is to help raise awareness and educate Lowcountry communities and school children on the agricultural history and heritage of this region and the need to maintain this heritage for future generations.”
“Legare Farms was established in 1725 and has been continuously operated as a working family farm. Linda, Helen, and Thomas Legare are the ninth generation of Legares to farm on Johns Island.”
“The event will be held at Legare Farms picnic area under a large tent. Dress is casual. Local beer and wine will be available, but guests can bring a favorite wine to have with dinner.”
“Tickets for the dinner may be purchased by calling Legare Farms at 843-559-0788. The cost of the event is $60.00 per person. For more information contact Legare Farms at 843-559-0788.”
Slather Brand Foods Sponsors “Rub My Rib”
Y’all know I love fun events and this one which starts with a great sense of humor is one we know will be a stand-out.
Rub My Rib to benefit Communities in Schools
As a former teacher, it’s important to me that all children get the education that helps them be the best people they can be. Communities in Schools does just that by helping at-risk youth to remain in school.
There will be a rib cook-off with local restaurants vying for two titles and bragging rights. My mouth is watering now just imagining the moist, tasty morsels plucked from those smoky ribs.
What are you waiting for? Go ahead and register (FREE) for Rub My Rib and look for our Slatherin’ Sauce to be Slatherin’ It On in support of education for all!
Nifty ways of getting ready for school lunch packing
Back to Packing School Lunch
Here in South Carolina, many schools return to classes in August. In Charleston County that’s August 16. Hard to believe that summer’s over for school children and parents in this part of the world. Many years I, too, was preparing to return to the classroom. I taught special education classes to children, later going on to be a Master Teacher instructing students at The College of Charleston. However, nowadays, my focus is on Slather Brand Foods and my twin passion, promoting healthful eating for families.
If you’re like me, you’d rather your kids eat lunches that help them stay healthy. Planning your children’s lunches on a weekly scheduling and shopping for all that you need at one time will help you stay on track. Also, making sure you have the right lunch kit or lunch box or bag can help keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
Superheros Superseded by Japan
Back when I was going to school, everyone wanted a metal lunchbox with their favorite superhero or Barbie stenciled on the exterior. A great idea that has crossed the Pacific is the use of a Bento Box to contain packed lunches. These nested boxes present food like a gift (which is what it is—a gift of health for your children.) Today there are insulated bags, Thermos bowls, and frozen gel packs to help keep lunches to the appropriate temperature. With all the handy ways to pack lunch, you’re only limited by your creativity!
If your child who likes soup, you can pack their insulated bowl with some of your homemade soup. OR you can portion out leftovers from your yummy homemade dinner and heat that up and pack. If your kids will only eat sandwiches, roast a hen on Sunday then slice from it to build freshly roasted chicken sandwiches. You can also experiment with wonderfully flavored hummus and crispy veggies in a sandwich. And there are other nut butters other than peanut.
I love that Disney has some great lunch ideas. The most intriguing to me is the one for Sesame Peanut Noodles (Providing your child doesn’t have allergies to peanuts and gluten!) And the Chicken Ravioli Soup will have your kids licking their Thermoses.
7 Tips to Help You Pack Healthful Lunches for Your Kids
- Shop for a snazzy lunch box for your kids
- Get freezable gel packs to keep food cold
- Get Thermos lunch bowls to keep hot food hot
- Review interesting lunch ideas across the web
- Make a weekly shopping list for school lunches
- Plan each day’s lunch and stick to it
- Don’t cave in to demands for too many processed foods
Superman Lunchbox Photo credit: flickr user hyku
Tasting Spoons Going Green
Every time we do a tasting, we use the familiar small plastic spoons. You know the kind I’m talking about? You get them in ice cream shops all the time.
I have a great commitment to reduce/reuse/recycle and I’ve been bothered by the hundreds of spoons that get tossed by all vendors at tastings and shows.
At the upcoming NASFT show, we’ll be using a new solution to mitigate the issue of plastic spoons. Our solution is called the EcoTaster. Marketed as “Ecotaster®Award Winning, Ultra-Green Biodegradable, Recyclable, Renewable Tasting Spoons” they are really clever! And invented by a women too!
Photo credit: flickr user Renee McGurk
James Beard Awards Winner’s Statement
Like many in the food world, we were looking forward to hearing who won recognition as the USA’s most outstanding chef as determined by the James Beard Foundation. That designation has been given this year to Jose Andres. When he accepted his award, he said:
“Food is the most powerful thing we have in our hands. Not only chefs, but everyone in the food community. The right use of food can end hunger,” Andres said Monday after accepting his award. “We have the responsibility to make sure that not only our great nation, but the world will always be better using food in the right way.”
Andres is singing from the same hymn book with me! We can all work together and end hunger in our community. I’ve pledged to do what I can with Slather Brand Foods. That’s why we advocate so for Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and remaking our school’s lunchrooms and for family dinner.
Bravo James Beard Foundation and to Jose Andres for his heartfelt stance!
Photo Credit: Flickr User DC Central Kitchen
Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Season Premiere
I’m a Food Revolutionary! That’s right, I’m enlisted in Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution army.
Tomorrow, April 12, 2011, the new season premieres and Oliver is asking us all to have a Kum-by-ya moment of linking hearts, hands and minds in the changing of our children’s food and eating patterns. Click to view Jamie’s e-mail about how you can be a Revolutionary.
I want this to be a Call to Action Item. Slather Brand Foods supports this initiative 100%. I want all my Slather Family to get involved!!!!! How can you do that? I encourage our readers to host Tuesday night to “Slathered dinner” with family and friends as they gather around the TV to watch the season premier and discuss how you can make a change in your town, in the lives of the children in your neighborhood and in your family.
Click to Sign Oliver’s petition.
Great ways to make it at home
If you’ve been reading my blog and following what I care about, you know that my causes are family dining at home and good nutrition for family and children (at home and at school). I know that a good life begins with eating well!
For months I’ve been enjoying the blog posts on Good Life Eats, and cheering on Katie Goodman in her quest to promote the same goals.
Her post on Homemade DIY Dry Pantry Staples as part of a series of Eat Well, Spend Less really caught my attention, so I’m sharing it with you. Go read, and learn some great ways to save money, and have your own pantry staples right at hand.
Sustainable Seafood
If you have been reading my blog posts for a while, you know that I’m really concerned with many issues and have worked to focus attention on the ones that matter most to me. These are: what we and our children eat, our environment and consuming locally grown food.
Part of my own actions are making sure our packaging is completely recyclable, and using recycled paper for the labels on our Slatherin’ Sauce bottles.
A big part of being concerned about our environment is the issue of sustainability; making sure we tread lightly, renew and improve our earth, our communities and our relationships.
Slather Brand Foods supports initiatives to focus attention on sustainable seafood and when possible, wild caught seafood.
Do you stop to think about the fish you consume? Where did it come from? Who caught it and how far did it have to travel to reach you? Are you eating fish that is under environmental pressure or is over-fished?
Answers to these questions and resources to help you learn more about sustainable seafood can be found at the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative. The SC Aquarium even has a chart showing which fish are available month by month. You can download the PDF of that here. In California, the Monterrey Bay Aquarium also has a Seafood Watch section with advisories and other details.
Shrimping was once a major industry for the Carolina Coast, now, there are fewer shrimpers for many reasons. You can learn more about the issues and locate providers who sell wild caught shrimp via the South Carolina Shrimp Marketing website.
Now I know it’s hard when you live in Iowa to get fresh wild-caught fish and shrimp, but you can choose to purchase wild-caught fish and shrimp from U.S. fisheries waters. It may cost you a bit more to purchase, but the taste is sweeter knowing that you are helping an entire industry survive, not to mention species.
photo credit: Flickr user Bruce Tuten