It’s scary how fast October is leaving us. Don’t get left behind from all the fall festivities and grab the ghost by the sheet to get all the Halloween treats and tricks in. Saturday October 24th 2-5 pm/6-8 pm The … Continue reading
Plans for Saturday looking a little scary? Treat yourself and others instead by getting fit while giving to charity. We have the pleasure of being run ambassadors for the Run10Feed10 10k this Saturday at Diversey Habor and YOU, Chicago friends, … Continue reading
Food truck, arts activities and dancing, oh my! Foodies, artists and families can all co-mingle ar CrEATeFest on August 9th at the Bridgeport Arts Center to support Changing Worlds. Changing Worlds is a non profit organization that supports in school … Continue reading
Two mysterious events this week entice those strong of heart and sound of mind. Darling, will you wander down dark hallways to weave your culinary wants?
Tonight! The Sauced Night Market makes its way to Emporium Logan Square. This night market takes place once a month on a Tuesday and hops from hip spot to hip spot (how hop hip). Meander through aisles of local vittles like Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits while you sip on a apertif (a·pe·ri·tif noun an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite) from Chicago Distillery. Get sassy (or saucy) to DJ beats and peruse the fine elixirs of Windy City Beard Co (works for your mustaches too ladies and gents!).
Do you dare to join us!?
Sauced Night Market
Tuesday April 21st
6 pm – 11 pm
Emporium Logan Square
1366 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Free
Wait, you don’t dare? You prefer to prep for an impending apocalypse? Build your emergency fridge ideas with Sauce and Bread Kitchen’s event: The Stew Survivalist Supper. After all, if your last moments on earth are filled with culinary delights perhaps you can eat away the memories of those zombie attacks. Sauce and Bread Kitchen outlines it best
“Cooks Anne Kostroski (Crumb Chicago, SBK) and Mike Bancroft (Co-op Sauce, SBK) are digging back into this freeze dried genre after a 5 year hiatus with wide mole eyes. They will wow you with a multi-course menu that without advance warning, one would never know could have come from canned, foraged, dried, or fermented foods. If you are going to survive the apocalypse the least you can do is rock it in style”. And rock it, you shall. Hunker down and bunker up.
The Stew Survivalist Supper
Wednesday April 22nd
7 pm – 10 pm
Sauce and Bread Kitchen
6338 N. Clark Street
Finally! Events are starting to pick up and Chicago is bringing it’s S game. Super. Spectacular. Spring.
We are so excited to share some of our secret spring events this week to put that sprang back in your step.
We got our first taste of Mountain Athletics at the kickoff event at the end of March on a clear 50 degree day and man, we didn’t know what to expect. Our duo of personal trainers explained that each week focuses on a different body area all while integrating the core. We went through a series of intervals all using our own body weight. Exercise sets can be modified to fit your level of fitness which makes the workout approachable yet challenging. We loved the partner exercises so bring a pal and get ready to sweat.
Calling all house heads slash yogis! Bender Flavor Lab serves up a hot serving of unique fitness and jams each Tuesday at the Lab Dance Studio. Each week holds a different theme and DJ set but always gives you snacks and water in an urban street art styled loft space.
Bonus: Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry’s on Tuesday 4/14!
Big City Blonde and Goldplaited presents a trivia and pampering event: “Blondes vs. Brunettes”. Get competitive, red heads and dark locked people can rock the trivia too. Participants can win glam make up prizes, indulge in styling and make up tutorials from Goldplaited, and obvs flex their hair color knowledge. We need to study up! Rsvp here.
Pure Barre is is partnering with Real Simple for a “Beauty & Balance” Weekend April 17-19. Stop by any of the participating locations to take a “Pure & Simple” specialty class. To register for one of these special classes, please visit the local studio page and find the “Real Simple’s ‘Pure & Simple’ Class” on your studio’s schedule and click “Sign Up Now.” New clients are welcome to try a complimentary class using the promo code “REALSIMPLE” – make sure to select the “Real Simple Class” option and enter this promo code upon checkout.
It is time to Live Out Loud Everyday with Lole Activewear. In celebration of the new Lole Southport location, they are having a grand opening party and fashion show brunch across the street at the Yoga Loft located at 1350 W Newport. The store is directly across the street at 3434 N Southport Ave.
image borrowed from Lole
Lole Spring/Summer Collection Preview Fashion Show
Doors Open: 10am
Show Time: 11am
Mimosa’s and brunch from Kitchfix, a $15 Lole voucher, and a Goodie Bag. $10 Ticket donation going to CTF Children’s Tumor Foundation.
Are you ready for a challenge?! North Face, maker of the crazy lightweight jacket that somehow keeps you warm in the windy city (magic, we say!), is putting Chicago’s fittest and finest to the test with their new and FREE Mountain Athletics training program. We are pumped to get pumped for a few reasons:
1) The invite says “rain or shine”. This is serious business, people.
2) Workouts are held on Tuesdays by the Lincoln Park Monument and Thursdays at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion, both gorgeous locations in case of “shine!!”
And the most essential one-
3) Your body changes when it’s challenged! Stop doing the same ol’ treadmill tread and take these 6 weeks to learn how to train your body and excel at outdoor running, climbing or skiing. You can review all the particulars here and follow along online with sport-specific training programs, a Mountain Athletics App, hard core athlete exercise tutorials, and chances to earn badges for making your goals.
Sign up and come join us next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Lincoln Park. Don’t be scured, athletes at all levels are welcome!
We have ambitions of getting in touch with our inner culinary geniuses every week when we head to the grocery store…and then we end up passed out on the couch with a half eaten Morning Star Burger falling out of our hands after work. Like it or not (who really likes it), American culture is one of the most overworked cultures in the world. We need a break! Don’t you often muse about have your own personal chef? Chicagoans, rejoice! There is a pretty fantastic option for you to get your personal chef wishes fulfilled, even without a genie!
We were so excited when Erin Winston Silva, the co-founder of Cooked, reached out to us to sample their pre-cooked meal delivery options. Cooked promises “Nourishing Meals for Busy Folks” and we are 2 very busy ladies so we jumped on the opportunity. We were particularly intrigued as Cooked seemed to have more veggie options than many delivery services that we’ve seen. We also love the values of the organization. Chef Jona Silva’s own health journey inspired him to create local and nutritionally rich (not calorie rich) foods to promote wellness in others. One can tell from menu offers, which change weekly, as well as Silva’s transparency in where ingredients come from. The focus is local partnerships and he is also sensitive to food allergies like gluten or dietary preferences like vegan, vegetarian and T-Rexian. Ok, enough blabbing, we know you wanna know what you get to eat!
For $76 (tax and delivery included) dollars, we got ALL the foods below!! Delivery was timely and Erin was available throughout to deal with a multitude of blogger questions like: “What about Monica’s chickpea allergy” and “Can you change our delivery date? We forgot, we won’t be home!”.
Freshly Pressed Juice: Pineapple Cooler
Loved it! It was refreshing and green-licious with kale, romaine, spinach, coconut water and a sweet touch of pineapple.
Lunch Bowl #2: Organic POWER grains with black beans and salsa ranchera
We split this, yet there was enough for a full lunch for both of us. This puppy is only $5 and is rich in superfoods like quinoa, amaranth and other ancient grains with mysterious origins. The salsa added a nice kick to the mix.
Lunch: Kale, Wild Rice and Cranberry Salad
Again, the portion was plentiful. We enjoyed the sweet touch of cranberry and the kale and rice mix was tender and garlicky with a rich balsamic dressing.
Dinners:
Soup: Kabocha Squash and Apple Soup
Admittedly, we had to google what the heck a kabocha was. Turns out it’s an Asian winter squash! Last week’s weather was considerably still miserable so this warm rich soup hit the spot. It reminded us of a sweet potato bisque with light creamy touches of spices and cinnamon.
Sesame Crusted Tofu
The 2 tofu cutlets came with zuccini noodles and vibrant red and yellow peppers, dressed with a light a soy sauce.
Cauliflower Tacos with Roasted Poblano Salsa
Cauliflower is a vegetarian delight as it has a chunky texture. The taco mix also included cilantro, quinoa, and pumpkin seeds with a side of fresh salsa.
Walnut loaf with Roasted Squash and Broccolini
The squash and broccolini looked ultra fresh and colorful with bright orange and green hues and they were both cooked to perfection. The walnut loaf was a gray meat like color and was hearty for those of you who are familiar with the texture of meatloaf. We really liked the dressing that was provided and it seemed like it had a tahini base.
The meals are supposed to stay fresh for 3 days but we stretched them out until Thursday and basically had enough deliciousness to stave off any grocery shopping for 2 people for the work week. It was like a cooking vacay! We highly recommend Cooked. Meals change weekly to provide variety. This week features a tantalizing coconut dal (aka lentils) and chickpea zuccini fritters. Ready to order? All Chi Organic Girl readers can get 10% off their first order with the promo code: chiorganicgirls so skip the shopping this week and eat cooked!
*We were not compensated for our opinions but were provided with a gift card to try Cooked meals.
One of the highlights of living in our great city is the bevy of food trucks we have. What we don’t have, however, is an eco-friendly juice and smoothie truck! Imagine your summer yoga sesh in Millennium Park and walking out to find a delicious organic juice blend waiting for you in the Chicago heat. Herb-N-Juice is a startup company created by Joe Wehrli. Wehrli, originally a Midwesterner, moved to California for a bit and was inspired by the holistic juicing culture. His focus is on organic, local produce, and homemade vegan protein blends, delivered in a green juice truck (a cool tech-ed up golf cart). Wehrli intends to expand to a store front eventually and will include healthy bowls, cold pressed juice and smoothies.
We had the pleasure of trying the goods this past Saturday at a Chicago Food Bloggers Tasting Party alongside Wehrli’s amiable family and friends. We were treated to 4 different juices, 2 smoothies and 1 bowl. Here’s all the juicy details!
Juice 1:
Orange, apple, carrot, celery, ginger
The color was a vibrant tangerine with a sweet carrot smell. Wehrli intends this to be his morning blend to give you a quick jump in the morning as a substitute for your morning caffeine fix. The taste was a good balance with no overpowering fruit or veggie flavors. It has a clean finish with a sweet aftertaste.
Juice 2:
Beet, Apple, Pomegranate, Lemon, Cucumber, Carrot
This is the detox heavy hitter of the bunch. Kate’s not a huge fan of beets and found the juice to be palatable and less earthy (thankfully) compared to other beet blends. Monica loved the bright rosey color (contributed by the pomegranate) and loved the light texture.
Juice 3:
Granny smith apple, celery, kale, cucumber, lemon, pineapple, pomegranate
This green blend is surprising with it’s limey color and balanced flavor. It is neither too tangy nor too sugary.
Smoothie 1:
Chocolate almond milk, organic peanut butter, banana, homemade vegan protein powder, greek yogurt
We both loved the smoothie which is surprising as Monica detests all things banana. The protein powder (Wehrli’s own mix of hemp seeds, chia seeds, lucuma, maca and a few other vegan high protein sources from a natural provider, Nuts.com) is mild and doesn’t detract from the flavor of the chocolate and peanut butter.
Smoothie 2:
Coconut-almond milk, acai puree, banana, mango, strawberry
This tropical blend is delicate and bright. Both of us enjoyed the frozen purple milk-shakey texture and the coconut touch.
Wehrli also served up a diabetic friendly juice with green apple, mint, parsley and other greens. Although it is not as fruit filled, it is pleasant and maybe even preferable for veggie lovers with it’s alkaline nature.
By now, we’re sure you’re begging to find out where the truck is waiting to grab some easy nutrients. Well, that’s where help is needed. Wehrli’s truck is still in process as it is electric, has solar panels AND, unlike most food trucks, the juices and smoothies are made on site. Many food trucks make their product at a stationary location and then bring it out, pre-cooked, into the world. This emission free concept has run into some financial snags as Wehrli is attempting to be green with every aspect of his business. Wehrli will also utilize plant made cups that are fully compostable. So what are you waiting for?! If you can, help get Herb-N-Juice on the road by donating to their kickstarter campaign. Depending on your donation, you may get a rad Herb-N-Juice Tshirt or every hipster’s fave (including our own), a mason jar with the cute Herb-N-Juice logo.
Juice up! Winter will be over soon and your swimmy suit is waiting in the wings. 🙂
Hey Chicagoans! We’re sure you’ve noticed how easy it is to incorporate local farmer’s market produce into your summer time recipes but cooking in winter, jeez what to make? Then, along comes the Green City Market Cookbook. Inspired by the beloved Lincoln … Continue reading
If you’re like most peeps, you have a bevy of holiday partays, gift exchanges and soirees to attend to in the next few weeks. So what if you need to bring a gift or a tasty treat to your event? You could make several stops or…you could go to Whole Foods! Yah we know, for us with low account balances, Whole Foods may seem a bit intimidating. But we were pleasantly surprised to learn some new developments at Whole Foods this past week at a tour of their River North headquarters. As we walked from room to room we delighted in the holiday goodies. In no particular order, here are some Holly Jolly Holiday ideas from Whole Foods.
DIY Gifts
Did you know Whole Foods is a DIY hot spot? If you have a crafty side, you have all you need to develop a relaxing bath salt, tantalizing sugar scrub, or soothing lip gloss by snooping through Whole Foods’ beauty and bulk section.
Beauty
On our tour, we created our own Epsom salts by mixing 3 cups of salt with essential oil and flower choices. We picked the eucalyptus oil (as cold season is on the rampage right now) and calming lavender oil (cuz the holiday traffic is making us pull out our hair. Then we threw in some bright yellow dried calendula flowers (a relative to chamomile), lavender buds, light pink Himalayan salt, and some crinkly red rose petals.
Floral
Who says the poinsettia is the only petal you can gift? The Whole Foods Headquarters arranged a flower bar for guests to create holiday bouquets. Pluck some deep red and purple buds, add some baby’s breath, and grab a cute mason style jelly jar for presentation. You can feel charitable about your choice too. Whole Foods carries fair trade and organic flowers as well as Veriflora Certified flowers (Veriflora certification indicates better working conditions such as no child labor, fair hiring practices, and access to education, healthcare and other needed services).
Life of the Party
You all know that thing where you’re at a party and everyone is talking around the food set up? Party food can make or break a soiree. Stopping by a gathering? Whole Foods produce, bakery, and cheese departments all offer unique and most talked about treats. Our favorite cheeses at the gathering were the truffle stuffed camembert (a soft, creamy french cow cheese with a layer of tasty fungus…yes that’s a truffle, weird right?) and a pyramid shaped goat cheese. In the bakery section, we delighted in gluten free and vegan options like a rice flour crust blackberry pie and the banana hazelnut vegan cupcake from local cupcake purveyor, Swirlz. And on the non-semi healthy side of things, the gigantic Carol’s cookie was so fresh and chocolately and big enough to feed your whole family. Or be the angel of the party, bring a fresh fruit tray and rejoice on your savings. Whole Foods has heard our wallet cries and is now setting out to price their produce on par with competitors like Marianos and Jewel-Osco.
Hosting your own get together? Lazy it up with Whole Foods catering and wow your guests with gruyere and spinach stuffed mushrooms, ripe guacamole, or ethnic goodies like spanakopita, a greek stuffed phyllo dough appetizer.
Swirlz Cupcake – Vegan Peppermint Chocolate
Feeling inspired? Go out there with confidence and shop, dear friends, and impress those peeps with your Whole Foods Holiday swag.
Chi Organic Girls 