CSA Basket Week One

One of the parents at my school owns a few business that deal in organic vegetables and fruit.  She even owns a Hydrophonic Farm that I'm hoping to tour with the kids in a few weeks.  She graciously started a CSA at my school for the summer and I'm so excited about it.

It's a pilot program at the moment with just families from our Kindergarten class but if it works out, we'll open it up to the whole school!

I've always wanted to participate in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) so I'm really excited about it.  I can't wait to see what kinds of things we get and what I can do with them.

Here is our first basket!

This week's basket contains: Dozen Eggs, Curly Kale, Mixed Salad Greens, Bibb lettuce,  Gala Apples, Mini Seedless Watermelon, Limes, Rainbow Carrots, Red Onion, French Fingerling Potatoes, and Celery.

I don't think I've ever purchased Curly Kale before.  Does anyone know what the difference is?

What I Ate in San Francisco

I don't mind spending money on food if the food is good!  But I don't like spending too much money on food for my kids because they eat like little birds and they are hungry again an hour later.  On our trip to San Francisco I found many places that were a good value.  The key here is to do your research.  Many restaurants post their menus online and Yelp was super helpful also.

Sunday  

Fishermen's Grotto on Fisherman's Wharf, built in 1935 was the first sit down restaurant on the wharf and is a great place to sit on the patio, people watch and eat a big bowl of chowder in a bread bowl. Kids meals here are under $10 and large and filling.

Monday 

One of my favorite food days!  When searching Yelp for good restaurants to try I stumbled upon Darren's.  It was a block from my hotel and served breakfast and lunch.  It's a Vietnamese place so they have all of your Asian favorites and breakfast food too.  Kids had pancakes and I had a bowl of Pho!  It was amazing!

This was also the day I visited Trader Joe's and bought breakfast and snacks for our hotel room.  At lunch time the kids and I were shopping on Pier 39 and they just wanted a snack.  We sat on the patio at the California Wines Bar.  I enjoyed a Pinot Noir flight and we shared a fruit and cheese plate with a bottomless basket of sourdough bread. 

Tuesday

We were on the run all day!  Our lunch meal was at the Academy Cafe at the California Academy of Science.  This meal was not affordable but it was fun!  They offer a multicultural menu with  highlights including spring rolls, paninis, tacos and fresh pastries.  Grab a tray and go from station to station until you find something that strikes your fancy.  I had Mac and Cheese and began my obsession with Chinese Pork Buns.

For dinner we ate at a Tian Sing near Union Square.  It wasn't crowded and was very good.  I tried a new dish that I would never have ordered....Tripe!  Surprisingly good!  The prices are good and the choices are great!

Wednesday

The kids and I were at The Exploratorium and even though they have a restaurant, I really wanted to visit The Ferry Building again.  We walked (forever according my children) and watched lots of people jogging which just made me hungrier!  Unfortunately, we arrived right as all of the people in the financial district were there to eat lunch so the lines were long. We found a hidden corner with a coffee shop where I let the kids eat apple turnovers and cookies for lunch. I had a Carnitas Empanada and I loved it!

Walking back through we found Boccalone Salumeria and bought a salami cone so that kids could have some protein.  I had some special salami sliced for iKeith because I know how much he loves meat!

Then I spotted the Blue Bottle Coffee Co and I wanted to try it so I got a cup of joe and a cup of milk and then the kids and I bought a couple Macarons at Miette.

I scoured the menus for the restaurants at Pier 39 and the best value for kids and adults is the Pier Market. Make sure you print out their coupons before you leave and you can get several kids meals free during your stay.

Thursday

You can not go to California and not eat at In-N-Out.  My kids loved it!  I'm going to call this THE best value on the wharf because they don't seem to be hiking up the prices because of their location.  I'm looking at you Denny's and your $12 Grand Slam.

After taking a boat tour of the bay, we made our way to Ghiradelli Square.  After a little light shopping, we were on our way back to the hotel when I found the most adorable cafe.  I needed some caffeine so we stopped in for a snack and I did something I've never done before.  I ordered a Cappuccino!

The Black Point Cafe made me fall in love with Cappuccino! I loved it so much that I made iKeith come back with me the next day to have one.  He loved it too.  According to yelp, they are known for their Lavendar Lattes, I'll have to try one when I go back.

Keith and I like trying different cuisine so I searched Yelp again and came up with Stroganoff.  A cute little Russian restaurant across the street from our hotel! We enjoyed a appetizer of Beef Tongue with mushroom sauce and I loved the Beef Stroganoff.  Keith liked the Russian Beer and we had a fun dessert.

Last but not least.  We found a great ice cream place called Normans.  It's in the Cannery and only takes cash.  iKeith had Rocky Road and we learned that good Rocky Road is made with walnuts and that is how it used to be made many years ago.

I hope you enjoyed my foodie tour of San Francisco! Coming up next....Food of Ventura Beach!

How I Saved $200 on Food on Vacation

When we traveled to San Francisco recently, our hotel (who shall remain nameless) did not have a refrigerator in the room.  I believe this is an attempt to extract every last penny from your bank account so that you are forced to eat breakfast out for every single meal which can run you $45 a day, even at Denny's.  Yes.  You heard me correctly, $12.99 for a Grand Slam.

I found a way to beat the system and give those folks at the Inn the middle finger.

First, I always travel with gallon zip lock bags because my daughter gets motion sick and you never know when she's going to hurl.  Plus, they are great for keeping wet swim suits separated from other items in your suit case.

Next, I found a Trader Joe's within walking distance and purchased cereal, milk, peanut butter, bread, brie, crackers, chips and a bunch of other things like wine.  They also had an awesome soft sided cooler for $6.99 that was perfect for what I was about to do!

This also came in handy to transport all of the kids souvenirs home on the airplane.

I put all of the perishable items in the cooler and filled zip lock bags with ice.  Each day, I'd replace the ice and our milk and cheese stayed perfectly cool!

 

We had breakfast each morning and snacks for our entire stay! 

Thanks Trader Joe's for saving the day!

Come back tomorrow to see where we ate in San Francisco! 

Disclaimer: I was not paid to write about Trader Joe's.  I'm just smarter than the average mom and know how to save money.

Ink! Coffee

I love this place!  From the funny signs on the coffee beans to the fantastic iced coffee...it's my kind of place! 

618 16th Street on the 16th Street Mall
Denver, CO
@inkcoffee

Food Trucks

My son made this picture of a food truck a few months ago when we were at a restaurant. I can't wait to take him to a real food truck this summer. So that means it's time to make a list of places we want to visit.

First on my list is Pink Tank.  I'm after some Chicken and Waffles after I having them at  Elitch Garden's VIP event a few weeks ago!  I'll list the rest in bullet points because that's how I do things.

• Pink Tank
• Manna From Heaven Gourmet Food Truck
• Baba's Falafel
• Baba & Pop's Kitchen
• Denver Caveman
• Basic Kneads Pizza
• Biscuit Bus
• Capt'n Crabby
• Denver Pie Truck
• Panna Cotta Peddler
• PInche Tacos
• Sully's Slice Truck
• Uber Sausage

Do you have a food truck recommendation for me?

The New Twinkie

I was on my way to my first PTA board meeting yesterday and I wanted a fountain Pepsi with those little bitty ice cubes.  My favorite convenience store is on the way to my co-president's house so I swung in for a drink.

I was checking out when I saw something familiar!  My heart began to race!  Could it be?  A Twinkie replacement?  From Little Debbie?

I grabbed a package and ran to my car.  Well....I paid for them first.  Don't want to see my name in the paper.  PTA President steals Twinkie like dessert from convenience store! I ripped the package open as pulled out of the parking lot and started to take small bites.  I have a bad habit of sneaking treats in the car.

Yes, fluffy cake....creamy center.  Euphoria when it touches your tongue.  Lump in your stomach when you finish.  YES!!  This tastes just like the Twinkie of my childhood! 

When you're ready come and get it!  Cloud Cakes for the win!

Disclosure:  I was not paid or compensated for this article about Twinkies.  Little Debbie is not sending me a box of sweet sponge cake and they don't even know who I am.  Also, my husband doesn't know I eat in the car.  Shhhhh.....