Normally, as spring spills into summer, Real Food Farm fires up its farmers market sales. But in the wake of the coronavirus, that endeavor has halted. Instead, the Civic Works program, which operates two farm sites in Northeast Baltimore, has pivoted to supporting older adults across the city.

When lockdown measures and social distancing practices were first enforced, food and farm manager Gwen Kokes—along with director of elder services, Lauren Averella—decided to put the food they had to good use.

“I knew our older adults were going to be anxious leaving their homes,” Kokes says, “so Lauren and I made deliveries to apartment complexes.”

Now eight weeks into the initiative, Real Food Farm continues to donate 3,000 pounds of food each week to seniors free of charge. Taking their commitment to sustainability and building greener neighborhoods a step further, the team at Civic Works reached out to their friends at bicycle advocacy organization Bikemore to make deliveries more environmentally friendly.

“These bikers just have a sense of adventure,” Kokes says. “Biking 10 miles for them seems like nothing, and they don’t mind coming back to put more in their packs.”

Real Food Farm has also turned to local businesses in an effort to reduce emissions and pollutants in the process of transporting the produce, and other essential items, to the recipients’ doors. Every item is purchased within a 100 mile-radius, including hand sanitizer from Mount Royal Soaps, bamboo toilet paper from new startup Lor Tush, and individual meals from Wild Thyme food truck—which make use of the produce from the farm.

“Everything we do, we do in relationships so that we can lean on each other in the future and in times like this,” says Kokes.

The Civic Works team has worked to expand their customer base by putting flyers up around the city and reaching out to elder services at housing co-ops. Older adults call in on Mondays and Tuesdays to place orders, and the team works to get through at least 60 calls every hour. On Wednesday, they get to work preparing and packing the orders so that deliveries can be made before the weekend begins. “The idea is that we are providing for a week,” explains Kokes, “but there is no limit on what they can order until our inventory runs out.”

To keep the couriers and clients safe, a six-foot distance is always maintained and no bagged orders are touched without gloves, which are changed between every order. Clients are also instructed to come to the door only after the delivery person has left.

While starting the initiative was a smooth process, Kokes is now focused on endurance. The initiative has enough funding to continue through the end of June, but organizers are constantly working to find a long-term solution since elderly adults will most likely be the last demographic to safely leave their households.

Every Monday, customers call to voice their appreciation for the meals and let the organizers know how grateful they are to be cared for. Kokes hopes that the initiative has helped to show people how they can depend on local food producers not only in times of emergency, but in their daily lives.

“We are showing how important it is to stick to our communities,” she says, “and rely on each other in our neighborhoods in ways that we haven’t really thought about before.”

Let’s face it, we’re all busy, but we feel a lot better when we take an extra 10-15 minutes to make a quick breakfast before rushing out the door. I personally like to start my day with a nutrient-dense smoothie. Smoothies are a fast way to give yourself a healthy boost to get you through the morning. I aim to include the following in each of my smoothies: protein, fiber, fat, and veggies. Let’s break these down.

Your protein can come from a variety of sources, but I usually reach for collagen peptides, or pea protein. Collagen peptides, which either come from bovine or marine sources, are an easy, flavorless way to sneak in some protein. I personally love Further Food Collagen Peptides, and add a scoop to my smoothies every day (which gives you an extra 7-9 grams of protein per scoop depending on the collagen company you choose).

Plus, collagen provides even more benefits than just extra protein. Since our collagen production starts slowing down in our 20s, adding a scoop of collagen peptides can help give your skin a youthful glow, as well as give you stronger hair and nails. Pea protein is an amazing option if you follow a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. However, make sure to read the ingredients.

As far as fat and fiber go, I either add a tablespoon of chia seeds for a boost of Omega-3 fatty acids, or ground flaxseeds. I’m not afraid of fat. It is a great way to satisfy hunger cravings and keep you from reaching for that 11 a.m. granola bar (which is usually packed with sugar). How you include fat in your smoothies is totally up to you, but great options include chia seeds, ground flaxseeds (also called flax-seed meal), avocado, coconut oil, or coconut butter.  

I try to sneak some veggies into my morning smoothie, which ensures I am getting some additional fiber. Even if I don’t eat another vegetable for the remainder of the day, I can feel good knowing I had some for breakfast. I usually go for organic spinach in my smoothies. You can add 2-3 handfuls and not taste a thing. Other great options include frozen steamed cauliflower and frozen zucchini, which will also thicken your smoothie.

Below are two delicious smoothie recipes, which are always being blended up in our kitchen. The first is a chocolate crowd pleaser. I love the combination of chocolate and berries in a smoothie. The chocolate I use in the recipe is raw cacao powder, which can be found at any health food store.  Not only does it give a wonderful chocolate flavor, it is full of antioxidants, magnesium, iron. and calcium. It’s a wonderful thing to keep stocked in your pantry.  

The second smoothie is my go-to green smoothie. I make this smoothie about four days a week because It’s a low sugar option and is totally delicious. Both of these recipes call for about ¼ cup of your favorite non-dairy milk. If you have a high-speed blender, this amount should be fine, but feel free to add up to ½ cup. Keep in mind: the less liquid, the thicker the smoothie will be.
 

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Chocolate Chia Berry Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic baby spinach
• ½ cup frozen mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries)
• ¼ cup frozen steamed cauliflower
• ¼ to ½ cup Non-Dairy Milk of choice
• 2 tablespoons Raw Cacao Powder
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1-2 drops of liquid Stevia (optional)
   

Go-To Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic baby spinach
• ¼ to ½ cup almond milk
• ¼ avocado
• 1 scoop Collagen Peptides or protein powder of choice
• 1 tablespoon nut butter of choice
• ½ tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 1-2 drops of liquid Stevia (optional)
   

Instructions: Add all ingredients to your blender and blend until well incorporated.