Chalk and Cheese Chronicles

The Real Reason My Boys Play Soccer - Junk Food!

I tried to set the precedent, by bringing a relatively healthy snack when I was snack mom for my boys' soccer team. After polling my Facebook friends, I decided to bring orange slices for half time and chocolate spreckled homemade muffins plus water for the after-game snack.

Those muffins have always been a hit with my kids and their friends.

Today, the post-game snack was a bag of popcorn (artificially flavored) and a brightly colored beverage called Little Hug Fruit Barrel. My boys were overjoyed at such luck. They held onto their drinks tightly and gulped them down. So yummy. "You never let us have drinks like this, " they scolded.

"I think it's Gatorade, " added clueless hubby.

A press release describes the beverage as  having a "big fruit taste they love without the sugar overload" but to my tastebuds, that drink is one of the sweetest drinks I've ever had.

The press release goes on to proclaim that Little Hug Fruit Barrel drinks contain, "75% less sugar than other leading brands and only 10 calories" and apparently is also fortified with vitamins "B and E" for energy.

So what is making that drink so darned sweet? Surely, it must contain an articifial sweetener. Surely,  the drink doesn't get it's uber bright rainbow of colors from real fruit? What is in it? Is it really a Gatorade-like drink, as hubby thinks?

A Google search failed to come up with the list of ingredients.

I generally allow my kids to partake in what everyone else is eating when we are not at home (social acceptance trumps mom's control issues) but let's just say I cring. A lot.

Even the promise of a post-game chocolate milk at Starbucks will be rejected by my kids in the face of a brightly colored, sugary drink offered to them on the soccer field.

I know I can't control everything my kids do.  It also seems that parents of kids age 5 and under are more health-food conscious - it all seems to slide downhill after 1st grade, as kids get out from under our protective umbrella and see what else is out there.

But the question remains, why is there so much junk food on the soccer field?

 

This is an original post to Chalk and Cheese Chronicles.

Bakesale for Japan - The San Jose Event 4/2/11

I will be there, selling and buying, buying and buying. I love desserts. I also love knowing that we are all helping in this global relief effort for Japan.

Who else will be there? Many folks.

 

Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people,
can transform the world. -- Howard Zinn

San Jose Japantown is getting in on the national bakesale for Japan. Want to take part? Here's what you need to know:

When: Saturday, April 2nd from 10am-2pm

Where: Roy’s Station (197 Jackson St. in San Jose)

Who: Professional and amateur bakers, cooks, artists, artisans, and musicians coming together around food to make something BIG happen.

How: Want to help? We’ll need bakers, artists, volunteers, and lots and lots of customers. Please send offers of help to sanjosebakesale@gmail.com

Why: So we can donate BIG BUCKS to Peace Winds Japan and help our brothers and sisters over there in the best way we can. Stay tuned for details.

We will be folding 1,000 paper cranes to send to friends in Japan. Do you have origami paper to donate? Can you teach others how to fold cranes on the day of the sale? If so, send me an email.

After the bakesale is over, we'll be continuing our celebration and support of Japan. From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Ukulele Jams and Ukulele Source will be holding a Kanikapila at the Roy's Station to benefit Japanese Red Cross Tsunami and Earthquake Victims.  Smiley and Janet Kai of Ukulele Source will be donating a Ukulele for the raffle.  Baristas will be donating all of their tips for the day, and Roy's Station will be donating 10% of their sales.

Roy's will have some great prizes to raffle off, including a Kala soprano travel 'ukulele (MSRP $225.00). 100% of the raffle proceeds will be donated to the relief fund.  We will be using Jim Beloff's The Daily Ukefor most of the songs for our monthly kanikapilas.  This books is a compilation of 365 songs (one for every day of the year) with a good variety.  If you would like your own copy, you can pick one up at Ukulele Source.  For each book sold between now and April 2nd, Ukulele Source will donate $5.00 to the relief fund. 

For more information see the Facebook Event Page and National Bakesale for Japan website.

 

Please stay tuned to this page as we post updates leading up to the event!
Thank you!

Canning With Paige

A few of us lucky locals (Grace, Valerie, Eunice and I) were invited to a canning party hosted by Paige of Canning with Kids. Paige has a prolific persimmon tree in her backyard so our plan that day was to can persimmons.  I hadn't known the tree was the cause of much strife but from my ignorance is bliss perspective, it was the perfect tree, heavy with ripe persimmons.

I've never canned before, despite being the daughter of a canning enthusiast father. It was kind of like the Little Red Hen situation over at our house, with my dad as the Little Red Hen and I as, well, the one who showed up at the end.

So I headed over to Paige's house, hoping to redeem myself.

Paige and her workhorse of a vintage stove pair together to create nothing short of kitchen magic. Paige in her kitchen reminds me of that final illustration in Blueberries for Sal where you can almost feel the heat of the stove and inhale the aroma of warmed fruit.

I love Fuju persimmons. Without them, it would be a lonely autumn of apples and pears. My family refers to persimmons as Kaki, a Japanese term.

In the end, I brought home 4 cans of brandied persimmons. I'd wanted to enjoy them on Thanksgiving but forgot, so I think they'll be a special Christmastime treat instead.

If you would like the recipe, go here.

A warm hug to Paige for hosting the canning party. You can be sure I told my dad all about it so that he'll think there's hope for me in the kitchen yet.

 

This is an orignal post to Chalk and Cheese Chronicles.

 

Getting Kid Friendly at Whole Foods Blossom Hill (San Jose)

The long awaited grand opening of the new Whole Foods Market Blossom Hill is today!

I got to tour the store a day in advance of its opening and let me tell you, this is a store that was thoughtfullly built, with emphasis on eco-friendly and energy efficient development and design. That said, I toured the store from the perspective of a parent shopping with young kids. The sheer size of all these massive new Whole Foods Markets makes it not kid friendly in my book. When I'm pressed for time or have kids in tow, I need to be in and out of a grocery store fast.

So let's have a look...

Coffee Bar

The first thing that caught my eye was the location of the coffee bar. It was right there at the entrance where I could hit it on the way in or on the way out. The coffee bar serves Allegro coffee and organic, soft-serve Straus frozen yogurt which I know my children will love. For Kombucha fans, the elixir will be available on tap.

 

 

Restrooms

Restrooms are on the front right side of the store, not far from the in-store dining area. Each restroom is equipped with a swoon worthy Dyson Airblade hand dryer which is always fun for kids to use.

Grind-Your-Own Nut Butters

One of the places in Whole Foods where I always stop with my kids is the grind-your-own nut butter section. It's a fun way to show kids how peanut butter and almond butter are made. Of course, once my kids spot the chocolate chip blend, they aren't content with grinding up plain old peanuts.

Healthy Eating Specialist

There are store tours just for moms as well as classes and free consultations with the store's in-house, full time Healthy Eating specialist, Georgia Brown. Georgia caught my attention when she re-quoted the warnng that "this might be the first generation of children who might not outlive their parents" due to unhealthy lifestyle choices. You can bet I'll be seeking out Georgia's advice whenever I'm in the store.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mommy and Son Date Night to Korea House

My Cheese Boy is an eater. Some things he's picky about despite my best attempts at getting him to try everything, but generally, he is an eater. The other day, we were out together and I asked him if he'd like Chinese or Japanese food for dinner (as those were my cravings) and he replied excitedly, "Korean food!" He has a classmate who is Korean and I think the mom might have brought in some Korean food for the kids to try and of course, my kid loved it. My son had been out to Korean food before, but this was the first time he'd requested it. Daddy was home with our other son, building things.

So my little Cheese Boy and I had a mommy-and-son date at Korea House. My husband is a picky eater but our sons are a lot more adventuresome eaters than he, thank God. Cheese Boy devoured the Chap Jae. Then all the little dishes arrived and he went to town on that, avoiding the Kim Chi and anything spicy. He rubbed his tummy as he crunched on the little dried fish; he couldn't get enough of them.

By the time our steaming hot pot of Bibimbap arrived, we were done. The only thing we could manage to eat from that was the egg. Cheese Boy was a most excellent date. Most people have date night with their husbands. I have date night with my sons. Next up in Cheese Boy's culinary education? I'm thinking Ethiopian fare, mmmm!

An original post to Chalk and Cheese Chronicles.

How to Make a Smoothie

Chalk Boy made a smoothie over at Grandma's house. I occasionally make smoothies for my kids, but it  was the first time he'd made one by himself. Chalk Boy likes to assert his independence and this is an easy recipe that he can make all by himself.

This is a PJ clad Chalk Boy in the kitchen last week. He wrote out the recipe. I'll try to transcribe what he wrote.

Frst step

Numbr 1. Pot Froots (juice)

2. Pot Yogrt

3. Pot red fod or yelo food

Then poot grind it.

And enjoy!

By Chalk Boy, age 5

Original post to Chalk and Cheese Chronicles.

Bi-Rite Creamery, a Genuine Treat

For a few weeks back in the spring of 2009, I was really, really into the frozen yogurt craze. Then, like all crazes, this one settled down, summer ebbed into winter and I haven't craved a frozen yogurt since this past July. I've had my fill. There's something about the whole franchise thing that I find off-putting. Here a froyo, there a froyo, everywhere a froyo!

Then there's San Francisco's Bi-Rite Creamery. I've been hoarding calories there for about a year. Ice cream steeped in handcrafted goodness. No gummy bears, no sprinkles, no crumbled cookies, no artificial flavoring, just pure organic ice cream through and through. They haven't over expanded into every downtown across the nation; they are one neighborhood's treasure.

My word for the year: Genuine. I want to get back to my real self. Real foods and real friends.

Salted Caramel is a real food and a real sweet salty friend.

We passed by Bi-Rite Creamery yesterday, swearing we'd be back after an early dinner at Tartine. But a couple of Croc Monsieurs and one enormous banana cream pie later, I simply had no room for ice cream.

"We'll just walk by and look," muttered my optimistic friend.

Tea for three (generations)

Today was a day for the ladies, a day to savor a few moments of tea with my mother and grandmother.

The rain poured down.

Huddled next to warm yellowed walls and forget-me-nots on teapots, we sat, stopping time, three generations, together.

Tiny, tender greens.

The aroma of tea steeped to perfection.

Savory delights.

And Sweets.

We are making tomorrow's memories, smiles my grandma, her eyes tearing a bit.

I smile back, shy with sudden emotion.

We chat, we munch, we share. 

At home, boys run circles around Grandpa.

Tea cups leap out of memories, from cupboards of the past. 

We are linked, we three.

Alive at the same time.

Scones disappear in a puff of clotted cream, leaving us wanting more.

Always more.

Original post to Chalk and Cheese Chronicles.

Is Frozen Yogurt Just a Craze?

The first time we went to Yogurtland, it was serendipity.

The second time we went to Yogurtland, it was with preschool friends.

The third time we went to Yogurtland, it wasn't my fault. We were addicted.

That was just the first week. That's right. We went to Yogurtland three times within one week. I think I already need an intervention.

My kids and I cannot go a day without thinking of frozen yogurt, especially now that summertime weather is here. We want our yogurt and we want our toppings! Unless you've been in a cave, it would be hard not to notice the frozen yogurt craze that is sweeping the nation, particularly here in Silicon Valley. Everyone is talking about Pinkberry and Red Mango and up in Palo Alto, there's Pamela's favorite, Fraiche. There's even Tartini, Green Cup, and Orange Tree, all serving up frozen yogurt and a toppings bar. (Potential franchise owners are probably chomping at the bit here.)

Lattes and Things That Go

On the site of a former rail yard, sits the gateway to one of my favorite little known tot spots. You must drive to get there, winding your way through what is now the parking lot of a typical ugly San Jose strip mall of big box stores and fast food joints. Your adventure begins by way of the Starbucks drive-thru where for the price of a latte, you and your transportation loving children will jump straight into a page out of the Big Book of Transportation.

Not interested in things that go? Neither am I. But I do love a good cup of hot coffee and for 10 blissful minutes, I can savor my java uninterrupted while my 3-year-old boys take in all the action around us. (For the record, my boys have never been into Thomas or Hot Wheels or tractors; it's the live action they like.) We sometimes hit this spot when on our way to the popular Purple Museum. Surely, some of you are questioning my motivations. All this for a 10 minute truce? And via a gas wasting drive-thru at that? Hmf. Well, yeah, I hear you but 10 minutes is golden in my book and let me assure you, it doesn't happen with any frequency.