Finally! A Non GMO Parenting and Cooking Meetup for Moms + Dads

Meetup.com has seemed to completely slip off the radar of social media websites. And yet to my surprise, there are quite a large number of folks that still use the site even though there hasn't been any drastic improvements in comparison to the utter annoyance of Facebook. But then on second glance,  nearly %25 of my 996 FB friends have a Meetup account and many with very little to No Meetup Group attendance.

Why is that?

My theory is any Meetup nowadays has to be both really fun and really on topic or you will see messages from the organizer saying, "What do we want out of this group?" with no meetups planned for months.

For me, starting this was easy! I was reminded how much fun talking about kids and food can be after seeing these photos from this past Mother's Day. I was reminded that I had no plans nor reservations at fancy restaurants and yet our good friend called me up and said, "Let's meetup at the Park (near Morley Field) and hang out with the kids!" And when we got there, the food was amazing... quinoa salad, organic fruit, healthy snacks, and beer! Everyone there were health nuts, or back yard farmer's with chickens, and at one point were all part of a small gourmet food club.


To us, the ingredients really did matter. Our kids ate what we ate without thinking twice. We talked for hours because the weather was perfect, and kicked the balls around, and chased the kids until they passed out. All the elements were just right!

So, how do I recreate that magic?

Simple! Meetup allowed me to select the following interest tags to bring like minded folks to the page: Cooking And Recipes, Parenting, Organic Foods, Playgroups with Moms and Dads, Parents of Food Allergic Kids, Healthy nutrition, Health, Fitness and Wellness, Natural Organic Living, Healthy Lifestyle, Organic Gardening, Organic Farming, Sustainable Farming, Fresh Organic Local Food, Take Action Against GMO's, Label GMOs



Next we're going to meet for lunch and swap Non GMO recipes. Visit community gardens and volunteer, and perhaps throw a huge summer picnic to show others you can eat Non GMO foods in this town on a budget!

Join out group today: http://www.meetup.com/Non-GMO-Parenting-and-Cooking-for-Moms-Dads/ 

Are you not on the same page yet? Want to get your kids started on the right track? Click here. And stay tuned! My next few posts will be about Growing food with your kids, Party planning with all Non GMO ingredients, Great Craft Beer choices, and Shopping for the right CSA box! 

Happy Thanksgiving - Giving Thx to Non GMO Project, Label It Yourself, and Yes On Prop 37 Staff

A sticker template for labeling foods with GMOs!

I don't think I have enough words to describe my appreciation this Thanksgiving for the people on the ground who organized, strategized, and campaigned against Monsanto (and all the other Big Food Corps) against all odds to label genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in California. I want to give thanks to all the hard working folks at Food Democracy, the Non GMO Project, and to Jeffrey Smith and the film makers for Food Inc., Fresh, and Genetic Roulette for elevating the conversation to the highest point ever.

So, what we lost on Prop 37. I'm thankful for the anyway. So what's next?

Well, the Label It Yourself (#LIY) movement is full swing in which controversy is yet to seen in the mainstream media, but I also want to give thanks to the local farmers. My local farmers like Don, Phil and his son Justin at Sage Mountain, to Suzie's, Homegrown, Seeds @ City, Taj, Living Earth Ranch, SoCal Shrooms, and my Farmer's Market organizer friends like Catt and Dale. I'm also especially grateful for Rachel at Springhill Cheese for making a killer FireHouse Jack, Forager Mike for making his killer hot sauce Dang!!!, and to Greg Koch for keeping it real at his bistros and for brewing #EnjoyBy!

Now, I'm off to finish shopping at the San Diego Public Market! Happy Thanksgiving!


Check out my new Facebook page & my new website for GMO Free supplements!

Men And Our Meat - The No GMO Way

There's just no doubt that Beef prices are about to get whacky in early 2013. And with GMO, hormone injected cuts projected to be the most economical choice, well then maybe it's a good time to quit.

Now I'm not going to tell someone to stop eating red meat. I still eat it from time to time and it's un-American to tell people what to do.  However, meat eaters must beware of the new normal created by the devastating realities of Climate Change. The Great Drought of 2012 by in large will change how and where you buy your next prime and if you choose to shop at the big box stores, you better believe your "Choice" won't be GMO free.

So, let talks about What you should buy and how you do it. A buddy of mine once joked that Whole Foods really means Whole Paycheck. While that may be funny now, no one will be laughing over the rise of food cost by 3% - 4%, and Beef to rise by 4% - 5% (not to mention the pending bacon apocalypse)! But I'm determined and joyous after searching around San Diego for solutions.

First, I can join a beef CSA. My new buddy, Justin Noble, works for his Father Phil Noble at Sage Mountain Farm and they both tout that their steers only eat grass and vegetables and have never even seen corn or dry grains. These are good people selling local certified organic food and their prices are reasonable. I believe that buying into a CSA now will lock in the price for 2013 but you'll have to check with my boys. http://www.sagemountainfarm.com/

Also check with Edibles San Diego: http://www.ediblecommunities.com/sandiego/

The other way to do this is to find a good ole fashion butcher who sells Grass Fed Beef where the cows graze on native, organic grasses (aka a GMO free diet) like our new friends at Homegrown Meats up on Palomar Mountain.

I recently tried a Chuck Roast (top picture) for a beef stew and it was amazing! Their selection was great, their hours are convenient, and their prices are decent considering we might have another Dust Bowl on our hands.

By the way, did anyone see Ken Burn's The Dust Bowl on PBS? It was awesome!

Read more about their cows and take a trip over to see them before the lines look like a Black friday sale! http://www.homegrownmeats.com/about-our-cows/about-our-cows

I also recommend a good GMO free Digestive Enzyme. 

Happy Movember - Mo Bros over GMOs

It's time to get serious about GMOs this Movember. And I want to start with my Bros and I leading the charge to be the change we want to be. After spending 10 or so days scrubbing the bitter taste of defeat from my mouth over Prop 37 not passing (California elections) I've found myself more engaged than ever and commenting on every Facebook post I could, trying to keep the conversation alive. I've become a voracious advocate and I want to move the battle to label them square into the domain of men's heath.

Why men's health?

Men want to be 'cool' and do cool shit. But do you know what's really cool? Becoming a 'foodie', drinking craft beer, and eating local organic food. Yeah, that's me and I'm all about that! But not all of my Bros are up on that and if they somewhat are... its not like we're talking about GMOs like we should be. Not to mention, if you're lucky enough to have kids like I do, they learn from you. They watch what you eat and they'll do what you do and not what you say. That's why I believe my daughter's favorite veggie is Kale (because we grow it together in our community garden)! So to get serious, I chose to sign up on Movember.com today and for the rest of the month I'm going to blog my talks with my Mo Bros and about what I'm doing starting with my supplements.

I think all men have to start with questioning their supplements like I just did recently. And make it black or white... Are they GMO Free? I can't begin to tell you how many friends I have that are avid runners, cyclists, ball players, etc and not once can I recall a conversation on the topic of supplements where the concern of GMOs even came up!! We talk about surfing and riding our bikes, but not this? Well, I just changed that and ordered USANA's HealthPak with active calcium, mega antioxidants, chelated mineral. And of course, I did it because USANA made a corporate commitment to not use genetically modified organisms in their product lines. Don't believe me? I swear to Google.

Game. Set. Match.

And from now on it's Bros over GMOs.

Follow me here:
http://mobro.co/nogmoman
@No_GMO_Man

I will also participate in Fight Back Friday on Food Renegade! http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-november-16th/