100 Mile-ish

Cooking 100 mile definitely helped me make a few discoveries about myself. One is that being able to share my love of cooking with people really made me feel happy and alive. I had always thought I cooked for my family because I had to, but cooking 100 mile made me realize that I had been using cooking as a creative outlet for all these years!  A frustrated artist trapped within the constraints of budgets and time. But 100 mile allowed me to enjoy the process instead of doing it out of duty. I’d also come to the realization that just because I’m a mom doesn’t mean that I can’t pursue a career that makes me feel fulfilled and happy. I’ve always told myself that I wanted to be a stay at home mom while my girls were young, and I’m happy I’ve done it thus far, but the 100 Mile experience made me realize that when you’re fortunate enough to discover your true joy and passion in life you should pursue it whether it be for personal interest or as a career. I now realize it can only enrich an already happy family. I see that I can show my daughters no greater example of the kind of woman to be; one that follows her heart. This is part of my reason for writing this blog. So James and Alisa (and all the film crew) thank you for helping me realize that I can be a good mom, possibly an even better mom by following my own passions!

In this blog you’ll find many 100 Mile-ish recipes and I say “ish” because I’ll sometimes include non-local ingredients. They tend to be non-perishable and small in quantity compared to the other ingredients (things like salt, yeast and baking soda etc) because after all my entire goal here is to change the way people eat permanently. There is no shame in using a few non-local ingredients; I really want people to enjoy living this way, and to feel good about the choices they make. I want to make informed choices that are better for my communities, the environment and for my family and I’m sure you do too… after all life is about choice. It’s your choice how much you want to commit to eating 100 mile; maybe making sure all your produce in the summer is local will be enough for you? Maybe it’s ensuring anything perishable is local?  Maybe you’d like to go a little farther and cut out coffee and sugar-something I’ll never do again! The point is, any change in the right direction is a good one, so let’s not judge each other and instead let’s support one another in making choices that are right for us and our own families!

 On that note feel free to use this blog as a loose guideline or as inspiration, nothing would make me happier than to see people changing my recipes until they’ve become their own. I’ve also made suggestions for alternate items that may not be available in your area or in season at the time.  

100 mile to me is about so much more than food, it’s about life! The life we want to live, the family we want to have and the kind of world in which we want to live. A world where we’re all connected to each other, and are doing what we know in our hearts to be right. Every recipe in this blog was created with true passion and love. I hope they encourage you to change the way you feed your family, even if it’s just a little.

*One of the best stores in my area is Antony and Sons, they specialize in organic and local food. It sure makes my life easier when trying to feed my family both healthfully and sustainably...check them out if you're in the area http://AntonyandSons.com.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
—Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968)

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
—Margaret Mead, American cultural anthropologist (1901–1978)

Pictures from thetyee.ca