Let’s Celebrate Food!

My Lil' Chef

My Lil’ Chef

May 15, 2015 will be Food Revolution Day but I want to celebrate all month. With posts and giveaways, photos and videos, and an invite to you to come on over and tell me what you’re eating this month.

Jamie Oliver has started a revolution, one that shouldn’t have been needed but we made it something that is desperately vital. He wants healthy foods in schools. Easy, right? Not so much but it can be.

Your kids go to school, let them eat actual food!

Schools should be teaching about fruits, vegetables, the process of planting and growing our own food. Cafeterias should be accessing a community or school garden to fill the plates of our children yet we’ve been letting other businesses profit from our kids!

Businesses of owners who would cringe at the idea of their own kids eating what is being served so let’s make a change.

Food Revolution Ambassador’s Are Here!

I’ve connected with other like-minded individuals this month who, though they may not have the official title, are working to improve what we all eat and are here to talk about it. Please make these awesome people feel welcome and eat up!

And please also sign Jamie Oliver’s petition on his site to be a part of the change!

Thank you for reading and following along. Let’s make a difference today.

Sarah Butland

New Glasgow, NS Food Revolution Ambassador


Food Revolution and Pictou County, Nova Scotia

My name is Sarah Butland from New Glasgow and I volunteer for the Food Revolution. I give my spare time for free to further the mission of the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation. The Food Revolution has selected a number of volunteers from around the world who showed a deep commitment to real food and I’m thrilled to be one of them.

In the past, before my official title, I hosted Food Revolution Day events at a local Sobeys in New Brunswick. Sobeys was started in Stellarton, Nova Scotia and has consistently shown it’s support for the local little guy but now it’s tackling Food Revolution in a big way by partnering with Jamie Oliver directly!! See their press release for further details.

I also recently connected with the local creator of The Eating Game which helps kids make the right decisions and keep track of what is eaten.

Things are going in the right direction with respect to promoting farms versus processed in Pictou County, Nova Scotia who does everything in a big way and they do it right.

I can’t wait to get started and represent Food Revolution to Sobeys in as many ways possible.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland


Food Revolution Atlantic

Chef Jamie Oliver made progress in his home country of England with having schools and families switch to a healthier lifestyle.

Then he came to America and produced an amazingly informative show titled Food Revolution and took the country, and in turn Canada, by storm. As we watch a lot of American tv and so are impacted by the scenes of kids not recognizing common vegetables, the speeches about hair being in cookie dough and the disgusting attitude from the cafeteria workers in charge of handing out food but the presence ended there.

Until now…

With the first Food Revolution Day coming up on May 19, 2012 I have decided it’s time for Canadians to meet their own hero and, in our case, he’s from and living in Canada and loving it. He’s also loving eating right, exercising often and sharing his adventures and success with everyone – especially children.

So as Food Revolution Day approaching it’s no wonder BananaBoy is wiggling in his peeling, trying to get out and fulfill the need.

So come on over, share your thoughts and support the Canadian movement today!

Let’s make this powerful!

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland


Clover Leaf is Re-Inventing Fast Food with Michael P Clive!

Clover Leaf, with the help of celebrity chef Michael P Clive, is helping Canadians get healthy in a tremendous way through their recently launched Re-Invent Fast Food campaign.

I’ve been invited to help share the news with you and I’m ecstatic to do so as it’s something Canada needs right now. With Jamie Oliver focused on America it’s great to see such a well known chef in Canada take charge of our community.

As part of my efforts to share this wonderful campaign with all of you I have asked Chef Michal P Clive and Clover Leaf 10 questions relating to their campaign, goals and 5 recipes they created in support of our health.  (I’ve tried 2/3 of these tuna recipes and they are amazing! Everything they say they are and more.)

Keep reading to know how Chef Clive enjoys his Mac and Cheese, from a drive thru and his phrase he’s trying to make known.

Meet Chef Michael P Clive:
1) To start us off on a light note do you prefer creating a meal, talking or eating your creation?

I like all three, in that order. I prefer to create the meal, discuss its attributes and then consume the meal. I tried coining the phrase “I’d much rather feed the masses than eat the masses” – it wasn’t widely accepted.

2) Michael, when you decided to become a chef did you ever imagine you’d have to help Canadian’s get healthy and avoid a pandemic of childhood obesity?

Not so much. Growing up at home my family taught me the importance of relatively healthy eating. Later my culinary training I focused on the standards of French cuisine which introduced me to the various ways of using rich creams and butter. Taking all this knowledge and finding a balance became something I was intrigued by.

3) What is your favourite healthy meal to make for you and your loved ones?

I really like to spend time with my loved ones so in order to have more time and still deliver a flavourful, meal explosion that is quick and easy, I’d choose any one of the Clover Leaf take 5 recipes. Something easily prepared in under 5 minutes. Perhaps you’ve heard of Take Five? 5 ingredients, five minutes? Reinventing fast food? Intriguing recipes? Chef Clive? No? C’mon.

4) Tell us the truth, do you ever get something unhealthy at a drive thru or do you make all of your own dishes?

Fast food drive thru is a slippery step. Once upon a time I could lean that way due to exhaustion after long hours of work. But I also learned some time ago that I simply felt better about myself if I kept my fast food selections “clean”. For example, fresh sandwiches and salads, cow calorie vinaigrettes instead of creamy dressings, and limit the road tacos. My wife also pretends not to know me if I frequent such places.

5) What kind of cheese do you prefer on macaroni with Clover Leaf tuna?

I prefer a five to seven year old Cheddar cheese – something with creaminess and tang. However, I suggest preparing your next Mac n’ Cheese utilizing the awesomeness of the Garlic & Hot Pepper flavoured flaked light tuna to add a new dimension to this classic comfort food.

6) Speaking of macaroni and cheese, do you recommend with ketchup, without, or with honey mustard? What is your favourite way to eat a classic?

Condiments don’t so much complete my Mac n’ Cheese experience, but rather spinning it around to include more protein. Whether it be smoked ham, grilled chicken, poached lobster or even canned tuna.

7) With Clover Leaf you created 5 recipes with tuna that are pitted against popular, easy and quick favourites such as pizza, burritos and a cheese burger. What is your favourite fish that could be used to compare to these items, besides tuna? Is there a fish you would recommend to regular non-seafood eaters to start?

Well, tuna is a favourite of mine but if the world were to run out I suppose I’d choose something from the fond memories of my youth. Salmon. So versatile, so much flavour. I’m a lover of so many species. Sole, Perch, Catfish, Swordfish. So may faves! Hard question.

8) Michael, do you have any advice for up-and-coming chefs who want to make a difference by lowering the rate of childhood obesity while making eating affordable and easy?

Keep it clean and keep it simple. Avoid grazing and prepare more food at home. Your home is less likely to have a deep fryer…for the time being that is.

9) And lastly, but maybe most importantly, if you had to eat one meal for a year what would it be?

Wow, I’m never ready to fully answer this question. Right now I’m feeling like the original Shawarma every day. Maybe some fruit infused soda water to go with it! If not that, then perhaps a captain burger…or beef wellington.

10) Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Check out these recipes and many more for your next culinary adventure at www.cloverleaf.ca.

Thanks for reading, sharing, eating well and cooking!

Sarah Butland

author of Sending You Sammy


Jamie Oliver is Making a Difference in America

BananaBoy is making a difference in Canada and you can help! I have recently created a petition for you to sign in support of bringing more healthy foods to our schools, just like Jamie is doing for the school’s in the United States.

The support for Jamie Oliver’s newest petition to remove flavoured milks from the schools in the United States has been tremendous but he still doesn’t stop his effort with getting more signatures. Only I’m not able to sign it because I’m in Canada. A lot of people have been publicly voicing this same concern and even though we’re not in the USA and our children do not attend their schools we are showing that our support goes beyond our countries borders.

But let’s show our own government how we feel about sending our children to eat foods that are making them unhealthy and eventually obese.

Adventures of Sammy and BananaBoy are all about supporting a healthy today just as Jamie Oliver is.

So come on over to sign my petition today and share it with friends and family. I hope to forward this to my local premier at the end of May 2011 depending on the amount of signatures collected. This is the information on the petition:

I was the first signature, will you be the second?

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland