The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle

The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle
I am thrilled to be a part of this organization, The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, as a new volunteer. The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle partners with over 200 agencies across seven counties to get healthy food into the hands of hungry people and has been fighting hunger in the Triangle for twenty years.

The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has a focus on fruits and vegetables. They are working with diverse partners to expand access to and increase consumption of local and healthy food through development of community and container gardens and their own teaching and production farm sites.

The information below is a summary of information given to me by the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Registered Dietitian, Katherine Andrew, MPH, RD, LDN and also from their website, www.foodshuttle.org.

Hunger and Children:
Approximately 17% of all children in the U.S are at risk of hunger and the number of children who went hungry in 2008 increased by 50%. Over 1 in 5 children in central NC face hunger every day.

While typical American families spend about 13% of their income on food, low income families tend to spend closer to 17%, limiting their food choices even more. The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle is making great efforts to combat the poor nutrition status for these impoverished kids and families through various nutrition, feeding, and gardening programs.

BackPack Buddies

The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle offers a program called “BackPack Buddies” that fills backpacks with healthy foods for children enrolled in free or reduced school lunch programs to take home for the weekend. For more information on their BackPack Buddies Program, click here.

Food Recovery and Distribution 

Food Recovery and and Distribution is a way to prevent an estimated 130 pounds of food per person from ending up in landfills each year.  Food Recovery and Distribution is actually the first program the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle started.  This program is run by picking up food that is still wholesome but would otherwise by thrown away from retailers and wholesalers such as grocery stores, big box stores, hotels, hospitals, caterers, corporate kitchens. One of their biggest contributors is the North Carolina State Farmers Market. After picking up this food, the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle safely transports it organizations such as shelters, outreach missions and soup kitchens to name a few.

Instead of donating specifically to a shelter or a soup kitchen, it can be more beneficial donating to an organization like the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, which can help even more as they donate to all of those places serving those in need.

The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle now accepts an increased quantity of fresh produce and stabilizes over half-a-million pounds of perishable product. In 2007, the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle rescued approximately 5.3 million pounds of food thanks to 220 donors and 11 refrigerated trucks.

Operation Frontline

In 2008, the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle partnered with the national initiative, Operation Frontline launched by Share Our Strength in 1993, to offer nutrition and cooking education courses for kids, teens, adults, and families. Operation Frontline is a healthy cooking program that was established as a long-term solution to hunger.

These classes teach participants about nutrition, healthy meal preparation, food safety, menu planning skills, and grocery shopping on a limited budget. The materials are given to participants for them to keep, which is helpful for maintaining the skills they gain during the 6-week long course.

The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Farms and Community Gardens Project

As mentioned above, the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has been getting nutritious food in to the hands of hungry people across the Greater Triangle Area for twenty years. The Farm and Community Gardens Project continues this mission by creating local sources of fresh fruits and vegetables for under-served communities.

Local food, food that has not traveled, excels in taste and nutrition. The Farm and Community Gardens Project helps everyone have access to the best foods available.The Farm and Community Gardens Project does so much more:

• Gives people power over their food choices
• Builds and strengthens communities
• Creates opportunities for people to apply skills they learned in Operation Frontline Classes
• Teaches children and adults gardening skills and the importance of physical activity

For more information, please contact the Food Shuttle at 919.250.0043

How can you help?

You can help in many, many, MANY Ways! You can help by Donating HERE, Volunteer,  Sponsor an OFL class by calling or emailing Katherine Andrews at 919-250-0043 or katherine@foodshuttle.org or help fill the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Wish List found HERE.

Please check out more of the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Programs by Clicking Here

and also stay tuned for more information from the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle as I will be providing updates on here as well.

Sunshine is back to Grey…’s Anatomy

I just finished watching Wheel of Fortune, still in a puzzle mood I guess.

Breakfast:
I made one serving of quick cook Steel Cut Oats ( 1/2 cup) with water
I added 1/4 cup frozen blueberries and pineapple and natural peanut butter and the last little bit of greek yogurt (Fage 0%)

I was still hungry so I had a half a banana with some more peanut butter.

I was still really hungry after the banana but I had to study and didn’t want to fuss anymore with food. I also knew it would only be a couple hours before I ate again too- This was definitely not enough protein for me.

Mini Lunch:
I finally remembered to go easy on lunch because I would be eating again in 2 hours from lab, with today being chicken, I knew I would be munching again. So I chose a smoothie with:
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 scoop protein
1/2 banana
Blueberries/Mango

Snack/ Lab Eval:

Chicken Picatta

Tandoori Chicken

Beef Stew

Fried Chicken

Pre Run Snack:
NOO Organic Apricots and a Whole Grain Peanut Butter Organic Brownie

Dinner:  

Leftover chicken picatta from last night- The sauce got even better overnight! I heated up lots of frozen veggies and I made… French Fries!

I used a combo of smart balance oil and NOO Oil and shallow-fried three julienned white potatoes. Whites are waxier than russets but still higher in starch than a “waxy” potato like reds or fingerlings or red la soda.

Delicious!

Body:

My Day 10 (? – I don’t know how to count my days- do I include rest days as part of the 30 days? ) of 30 Day Shred Challenge… Oh, that jillian. I put on XM radio from my TV (hits from the 90’s) and didn’t listen to Jillian. I find that she talks too much. Does anyone else notice that she talks about how there should be “no breaks in 20 minutes, you want results you gotta be working the whole time” but then between stuff she stops to talk !? 

I did Level 2 with my 8 lb dumbell ( I alternate one hand with the other…or use just one dumbell if I can) and then I did the first 2 circuits of Level 3. 

I was going to rest from running today but it was GORGEOUS! If you have read my posts since Friday of last week- It has been raining raining raining! It is supposed to rain this evening too! So when I left Food Principles class, the sun was shining and it was a breezy 72*.

Jack Brown was “telepathically” telling me to take him for a run…

So we ran around the neighborhood, out and back is just about 4 miles +

I have run just over 27 miles in the past 8 days…. I am definitely feeling close to a marathon

Mind:

Our terminology quiz was pushed back to Tuesday! I didn’t exactly get as much studying done as I wanted to but I felt fine going in- oh well-

I was surprised in lab today when the professor made me switch groups! A girl dropped out and left one group of 2 girls… so I had to leave my FABULOUS 3 lab partners and even out groups.

Having to immediately adjust to a new kitchen with new partners was harder than I thought at first! Especially when our group just clicked so well, we were always having a great time. It was the cutest though, when they finished their recipe- they gave me a plate and a folded napkin to sample with them! I heart you guys!

My new lab group and I made Tandoori Chicken but other recipes made in lab today were Beef Stew, Southern Fried Chicken and the Chicken Picatta I had made yesterday.

Recipe adapted from Williams and Sonoma…

Ingredients2 chicken breast halves, bone-in1 tablespoon lemon juice* When chicken is ready to bake: 1 tablespoon canola oil **For the marinade (cut in ½)1 ½ cups low-fat plain yogurt1 small onion, chopped2 cloves garlic1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger2 teaspoons ground coriander2 teaspoons ground cumin1 teaspoon paprika¼ teaspoon each, ground turmeric, cardamom, and cinnamon1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
 Directions1. Remove the skin from the chicken breasts, place in a small baking dish, and brush with lemon juice.

Select a baking pan large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer

2. Make the marinade:
In a blender or food processor, combine the yogurt, onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, and cayenne. Process until thoroughly combined.

3. Pour the marinade over the chicken and stir to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for at least 8 hours or overnight.

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
   
2. Remove plastic wrap from chicken, drizzle chicken with oil.
3. Roast until the chicken shows no sign of pink when the thickest parts are cut into near the bone and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 170 degrees F  ( took us 30 minutes).NOTES:  Sear the chicken breasts prior to marinating with salt and pepper. The spices were definitely “tandoori” but the chicken itself and the sauce for that matter came out “bland” yet flavorful. The searing might help the spices develop better as well. More yogurt = more creaminessMy fabulous old group made the Chicken Picatta using recipe as I posted yesterday…. with the stock and the butter… and chicken thighs as well as breasts.
   
   It was DELICIOUS, the thigh meat was of course more flavorful because it is higher in fat. The bits in the pan got crispy as well which was delicious.

   The beef stew was sweeter than I would have preferred, and I think their beef did not sear as well either because it was more gray in color vs. a nice pungent brown.

   I also tasted the fried chicken… it was fried chicken. It was tasty if you like fried chicken but I have never enjoyed fried chicken… too greasy for me.  

   Soul:

   What a bummer about switching lab groups!? It did make coming over to my group at the end even better because we all get along so well. On the positive side, I really like to meet new people even if it is forced. One of my new group members just ran a marathon a couple weeks ago and is training for another one May 2 ! With my competitive nature, that was an instant inspiration to get my butt moving on an actual marathon date for myself.

   I absolutely LOVE nice weather, I know I said it before, but it is a serious instant boost in my mood, my outlook on the world, ah.

   My sister got an offer on her house! She has been trying to sell it for what, about a year now ?  The downside is that she probably can’t do girls weekend in April.

   I found a ” pretty ” good deal on a flight to see my brother… the downside is that it is still a lot of money.