A Sweet Find: Lincoln Park Zoo - Café at Wild Things!

I am really sorry to say that this post is LONG overdue, but better now than never! I’ve been putting this off since we got back from the states in July… why? A number of reasons: I was waiting for Jon to type up the notes (he took notes while I talked to the chef and managers), then I thought I lost the pictures and then I got sidetracked. Anyway, doesn’t matter now! I am very excited to share with you about this wonderful café at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Now, let me start from the beginning…

While we were getting ready to head to the states and making plans, my in-laws mentioned that they wanted to take Naomi to the zoo. We thought it was a great idea and figured Naomi was old enough to really enjoy it without getting too overwhelmed. It wasn’t till the day before we planned to head to the zoo that I suddenly realized I needed to prepare food to take with us.

I don’t know about you, but when we go to places like the zoo I always assume there’s only the standard fast, processed, sugary & greasy food available… so, we bring our own food. Why would we want to eat food that we know will make us sick and miserable for the rest of the time? I want to be able to enjoy myself and be full of energy… not irritable and feeling half dead. When you have kids who are full of life, energy and storing in memories… you want to make it as memorable as possible for them and yourself, right?

Anyway, back to the zoo… I was trying to figure out what I could prepare to take with as we didn’t have much in the fridge, but my extremely thoughtful hubby was one step ahead of me. He went to the zoo’s website and looked up their restaurant listings to see if there was anything decent. What he found was more than decent… it was organically, sustainably perfect!!

With no further delay I present to you… Café at Wild Things!

I was very excited to check out this Café and enjoy a clean, nourishing & delicious feast… and that’s exactly what we got! We were all feeling very content and ready to tackle the zoo when we finished licking up our plates & parchment papers. Over all, I was very pleased with the freshness of the food and presentation of everything. I was even MORE pleased to be able to ask questions and chat with the chef & two leading managers of the Café. After chatting with them… I firmly believe that they were very committed to bringing the best organic, local food to the table. I loudly applaud your efforts Matthew (Chef), Alicia (1st manager) & Samantha (2nd manager)!! Thank you so much for giving me some of your time and your efforts with the café!

Samantha, Matthew & Alicia

While chatting with them I learned that the zoo and Levy Co. first opened the Café last year (2008) with a very simple menu, but not everything was organic. Better to start with what you got and go from there, right? But it became too complicated. They were often asked to explain what on the menu was organic and not organic. Example: sandwiches made with organic veggies, but the bread and meat weren't organic OR salads made with some organic veggies, but no organic dressings OR the only thing organic in the wrap is the tomato. I can see how that can be complicated and a little frustrating! For most people… it should be 100% organic or forget it. They also struggled with keeping a constant supply of organic where they needed it. So, after many struggles and getting some not so great press reviews, they decided to switch gears in 2009 and launch a new menu serving 100% organic food from local & sustainable sources. Talk about a totally perfect set up in the zoo where they repeatedly urged people to do their part to take care of the earth, recycle & care for the animals' environments .

I asked the managers what kind of reactions they have received from people since the Café opened. Both shared that many customers are very happy with what they now offer, because they had a lot of backlash last year (2008) for not being totally clear about what organic meals they offered. They still get their share of complaints... two complaints that are particularly common are the prices and people wanting the old menu (hot dogs, hamburgers, etc…). I personally thought the prices were pretty fair for what they offered there and if people want the “old menu”… they can go to the other restaurants that I saw around the zoo that all offered the same “classic menu", but they will be missing out on really good stuff!

Now the food… gotta talk about the food. They had everything! Salads, sandwiches, wraps, chips, fresh fruits, baked goods, ice cream and they even had organic sugar cones! They also had a great selection of bottled teas, juice, fair-trade coffee & Lifeway kefir… and get this… they had a sign at the top of their store front that read, “ For your convenience we now offer non-organic soft drinks at Café Wild Things” (look at picture above). This gave me a good laugh, but also made me think how unfortunate that people will choose convenience over common sense. They also provided Wholesome Sweeteners sugar packets for their coffee and condiments from Annie's Naturals, Seeds of Change & The Wizard's for your meals.

(this is what I had)

Mediterranean Salad

Baby greens, japanese eggplant, feta cheese, grape tomatoes, spanish onion, kalamata olives, almonds and lemon dressing.

My rating: Refreshingly Good

(this is what Naomi had)

Go Bananas Pressed Sandwich

Ripe bananas, honey and peanut butter

Naomi's rating: Speechless (she wouldn't stop eating)

(this is what Jon & my in-laws had)

Beef & Blue Cheese Wrap

Roasted beef with caramelized sweet onion, baby greens, tomatoes and blue cheese mayonnaise

Jon & in-laws' rating: Delicious

Of course, we all tried each other's food and we loved it all. I especially liked Jon's wrap because I was very surprised that the blue cheese mayonnaise was very mild and tasty. I hate blue cheese... so that's a compliment coming from me. Naomi also tried our food and asked for more of Jon's wrap. Tabi missed out on all the fun because we decided to hold off on food till she was a year, but she did get most of it through my milk :o)

Now, I know most of you are probably wondering how generous the portions were and if it justified the cost of the meal. The sandwiches, wraps & salads ranged around $5-$8 while the sides, sweets & beverages ranged around $2-$5. We talked about that and were very pleased with how filling everything was. My in-laws shared their wrap along with some chips and said it was perfect for them. Jon shared some of his wrap with me, but ate it all while I cleaned up my salad. Naomi ate about 3/4 of her sandwich (and that's a lot for her!) plus grazed on our food too. Would we go back again? Oh yes!

When I asked how much of their food is local, I was very impressed with their sources. After my hubby looked them up on the internet and found their websites… I was even more impressed with the suppliers and what they offered. I REALLY want to visit the Red Hen Bread... to walk in there and be overwhelmed by the smells of fresh bread baking (oh yummm!). Oh! I absolutely MUST visit the Bleeding Heart Bakery (of course!) the next time we are in Chicago. Gotta let my sweet tooth run wild once in a while [wink] and their pictures on flickr are AMAZING! Who wants to go with me?!

The list of their sources:

• Red Hen Bread
• Crop to Cup Coffee
• Bleeding Heart Bakery
• Green City Market
• Green Acre Farms
• Testa Produce

This place not only serves tasty organic dishes, but they also proudly use sustainable earth-friendly plates, containers, napkins, silverware & cleaning products. That’s what I meant when I said this place was sustainably perfect! Their plastics are completely compostable and all their paper products are made from recycled sources and are non-bleached.

After the feast we explored the zoo and actually had a great time. I am happy to say that Naomi enjoyed herself very much and her favorites were the polar bear & otter swimming in the water (she loves anything that's in the water!!). We didn't get to see the seals, but we saw lots of other animals that live in and around the water.

Over all, we had a great time and might someday go back again when Tabi is a little bit older and Naomi can be the big sister to educate her baby sis on the names of the animals :o)

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Grocery Store Wars

A good friend emailed this to me (Thanks, Becca!). Star Wars was created during my hubby's generation, so of course he loved it.

This is a great video of organic foods battling against the dark side, conventional foods, in a grocery store setting. Very creative and funny, but also very real and scary as we are battling against the big guys of Monsanto, Syngena, DuPont, Misui, Aventis, and Dow for our organic food today. We need to be watchful, wise and careful as these guys are always trying to find ways to kill the organic movement that is making a HUGE comeback. If Monsanto and the other guys have it their way... EVERYTHING would be GMO, sprayed, radiated, gassed, cloned, pumped with hormones and antibiotics. Read about the HR-875 that is being pushed by Monsanto that will make natural seeds, organic food and farmer's markets illegal, no joke.

Here's a information flyer: Defeat HR-875 Please read it carefully as it contains a lot of information that Monsanto doesn't want you to know about.

If you are thinking, "So what's the big deal?"... Read this.

More good information and websites:

Top 10 Dangers of Genetically Modified Food

The Future of Food

Seeds of Deception

Food Renegade

Organic Consumers Association

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Raw Food Cures From God

I found this article through my NOAH (Nourishing Organics Affectionate Homes) group. I will be posting some information that I've learned through this amazing group of women. If you are in the Des Moines area or live in Iowa, please join this group. Teresa, the group leader, has been (and still is) the most influential part of my decision to live a healthier lifestyle. I met her almost three years ago and thank God that He brought her into my life when I started researching on how to have a healthier lifestyle for my family. I bought two books at the time that she confirmed were the best books to start when you want to turn your health around naturally: The Maker's Diet by Jordin Rubin and Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (Look at the Bookworm Collection on the right sidebar) . I will be sharing a lot of valuable information from these two books. I HIGHLY recommend all of you to run to your nearest library and check it out or order it off of Amazon.com (Bookworm Collection: click on the "buy now" and it will take you directly to Amazon).

Now, I just love how God is so good to provide for the body's needs. When God created the earth, He wasn't just making a ball with a pretty garden on top. He had a specific plan for EACH plant and food that He brought up from the earth. He knew (and still knows) what our bodies need to survive even today where there is so much pollution and toxins all around us. I always tell people: Eat God-made food, NOT man-made food. So, if you look at the ingredients on your bag of chips or soda, is the ingredients made by God or by man? Was it grown from the ground or made in a chemical lab? Chew on that for a while.

Raw Food Cures From God
by www.SixWise.com

Raw food proponents have long been spreading the word that a predominantly raw food diet will give you more energy, slow down aging, improve your skin, boost your mood, and fight a host of chronic diseases including chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn's disease and even cancer. Walnuts are a perfect example of the doctrine of signatures; they look like little brains, and they contain omega-3 fats, which support brain health.

Yet, long before that, sometime in the early 17th century a German mystic named Jakob Bohme realized a philosophy known as "the doctrine of signatures." According to Bohme's writings, the doctrine of signatures refers to the notion that God marked objects with a sign or "signature" revealing their true purpose. The original theory has been traced back to Galen, a well-known physician and medical researcher around 159 A.D. What does this have to do with food? The doctrine of signatures says that plants look like the body part they're meant to heal, nourish and support.

''God created plants,'' Dr. Stephen H. Koslow, director of Neuroscience and Behavioral Science at the National Institute of Mental Health told The New York Times of Galen's realization, ''as a provision for the health of human beings, and left a sign on them -- some feature of their shape, color, habitat or behavior -- for human beings to decipher.''

Many scientists call the philosophy superstition and mere coincidence, but those in the natural health arena believe God left us these clues on purpose so we could nourish our bodies.

Which Raw Foods' Appearances Reveal Their Uses?
Take a look through the list below and decide for yourself … do raw foods contain clues from God?

1. Sliced Carrots:
They look like the human eye (complete with pupil, iris and radiating lines), and research shows carrots enhance blood flow and function of the eyes.

2. Tomatoes:
Like your heart, a tomato has four chambers and is red. Tomatoes contain lycopene, which is excellent for your heart.

3. Grapes:
A cluster of grapes is shaped like your heart, and each grape could be a blood cell. Science shows that grapes are nourishing for your heart and blood. (NOTE: seeded grapes are better because they have lower sugar count. Eat the seeds, they are full of antioxidants!)

4. Walnuts:
These wrinkly nuts look like little brains, which makes sense considering walnuts help develop more than three dozen neurotransmitters for brain function, and are a rich source of brain-healthy omega-3 fats.

5. Kidney Beans:
Of course these look like your kidneys, and they contain nutrients that can help maintain and heal kidney function. Kidney beans are also an excellent source of the trace mineral, molybdenum. This mineral helps detoxify sulfites, a type of preservative added to many foods (and to which many people are sensitive), from the body.

6. Celery, Bok Choy and Rhubarb:
These and other rigged, ribbed veggies resemble your bones. They are also 23 percent sodium -- just like your bones -- which is important since your body will pull sodium from your bones if it doesn't get enough from your diet.

7. Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears:
Ever notice how these raw foods resemble a woman's womb and cervix? Well eating one avocado a week has been found to help balance hormones, prevent cervical cancer and help women shed birth weight. Ironically, it also takes nine months for an avocado to grow from blossom to ripened fruit.

8. Figs:
These fruits are full of seeds and hang in twos while growing. They're also known to increase the number and mobility of sperm and help overcome male infertility.

9. Sweet Potatoes:
These veggies look like your pancreas and help to stabilize your blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance. They're even known as an "anti-diabetic" food.

10. Olives:
Shaped much like a woman's ovaries, olives actually support the function of the ovaries.

11. Oranges, Grapefruits and Other Citrus:
These resemble mammary glands, and the fruits assist the health of the breasts.

12. Onions:
These look like your body's cells, and science shows that onions help to remove waste materials from your body's cells.

How to Get the Most Benefit From These Food "Cures"

Alive in 5: Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes is the perfect cooking companion for anyone who wants to explore raw food cures from God, or simply get more fresh, healthy and great-tasting foods into their diet -- but doesn't have a lot of time to do it.

Going along with the doctrine of signatures, it's been said that God put everything on the earth -- land, plants, animals and fish -- so that humans would have all they need to survive.

Raw food advocates maintain that eating those plants in their natural form, raw, is the best way to get their nutrients.

"When you cook something, you destroy the enzymes," said Karyn Calabrese, a well-known raw foodist in the Chicago-area in an NBC5 article. "You need enzymes for every metabolic purpose in your body. When you lose enzymes, that's when you die."

Raw foods, advocates say, are also higher in vitamins and nutrients, which are also destroyed by cooking.

If you would like to try out some delicious raw food recipes for yourself, Alive in 5: Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes, is highly recommended. Even those who are new to raw foods will enjoy the simple recipes (most can be prepared in five minutes!) for lasagna, spaghetti marinara, stuffed mushrooms, broccoli in cheese sauce, apple pie and more. They're healthy and delicious, whether you're a raw foodist or not!

Click here to get more information.

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