A Farm to Table Frolic Guest Blog at Field Notes From Fatherhood!

Last week, I had the pleasure of writing an article for Matthew over at Field Notes From Fatherhood. To be honest, I wasn’t familiar with his blog when the request came in, but after only a few minutes of perusing his site, I could tell, it was something special. Two ex-patriots making their way across Europe with their two kids, they make me want to pull up roots and begin a worldwide adventure of our own! Enjoy!

If you’ve been following Mommy Hiker for a while, you know the importance whole foods play in our daily lives. I am a firm believer that “We are what we eat.” Food is a life source, a healing miracle and a huge part of the beauty of community. That is why I make it a priority to feed my family balanced, nutritious and delicious whole foods.


toddler at farm
Picking Bok Choy!
As my toddler gets older and is able to understand more, I try to impart my knowledge of food and its benefits to her. We get a kick out of hanging out in the kitchen while I’m preparing meals just as my mother and my grandmother and I did when I was growing up. It’s not only an important bonding time for us, but an opportunity to teach her our family traditions and create new ones!

Read the full article here!

[Food Series] Bok Choy and Shiitake Mushroom Soup

Last month we took the baby to Underwood Family Farms and came back with a bounty of bok choy, so I went online in search of a new recipe and stumbled upon a 10 minute soup recipe that is bursting with flavor and loaded with nutrition! I took some creative cooking liberties by adding fresh cilantro and cutting down on the stock by half. I have to say that it is now one of my top 5 favorite soups of all time!! Enjoy!

2 cups of sodium free chicken stock
2 cups of beef stock
4 cups of water
6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 10 large), stemmed, caps sliced
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/3 cup of fresh cilantro (de-stemmed)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon chili oil
3 cups roughly chopped bok choy
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 chopped green onions

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In a large pot, bring broth, water, mushrooms and ginger to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes.
Add fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili oil and simmer 2 minutes.
Add bok choy and simmer until bok choy is tender, about 3 minutes.
Stir in rice vinegar.
Ladle soup into bowls.
Sprinkle with green onions and cilantro and devour!

[Food Series] Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Cashews!

I’m all about roasting things lately. There’s less clean up and less time baby-sitting food on the stove! This is a  super easy dinner packed with nutrition and flavor!
Ingredients
1 lb of organic Brussel Sprouts (de-stemmed & halved)
2 cups of organic grape tomatoes (halved)
4 organic green onions (whites & greens chopped)
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup raw organic cashews
2 cups of Sodium Free, Free-Range Organic Chicken Stock

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss first five ingredients into a bowl and mix together, then pour the mixture out onto a baking sheet, making sure to spread it out in an even layer. Place baking sheet in the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, give the veggies a stir and sprinkle in the cashews, set the timer for another 10 minutes.
At this point, in a sauce pan, bring the chicken stock to a boil, then toss in the grains. Once it comes back to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Fluff & serve grains with veggies! We had this last night for dinner and our two-year-old devoured it! Enjoy!