Last night I got to be a kid again…
Chalk and I go way back.
Did I mention that when I was a kid I used to ‘play school’ a lot? I would pretend I was a teacher and I had a whole room full of ‘students’ which were all of my stuffed bears, of course. Sometimes, I managed to con OSGMOM or my sister Kristi into participating for a bit or a friend that was over. I used to make up attendance lists and everything. :lol: I remember calling out everyone’s names on the very long list and say things like, ‘James? JAMES?! James isn’t here today I guess.’ [heavy sigh].
Eric and I started gathering some items for the Oakville Organic Farmer’s Market that begins very SOON. Orientation is this Saturday and the market begins the following Saturday on June 19th!
We went for the cheapest canopy tent we could find- on sale for $69 at XS Cargo a couple months ago.
The jury is still out as to whether it will keep out the rain. We are going to test it this weekend…fingers crossed that it does…
I bought two chalkboards that I will hang from each side of the tent. I am going to list the Glo Bar flavours and prices on the boards. If this isn’t home-made, I don’t know what is!
The jury is still out as to whether our $69 tent will hold up two chalkboards. Minor details! We also need to make cement pails to tie the tent to (it’s a safety requirement).
Then I got dizzy from chalk fumes because I had to erase and start over so many times. I certainly have lost my touch!
Speaking of dizzy…this placemat never fails to make me feel like I spent all night at a club or an amusement park.
See any resemblance?
I used to love the Gravitron!
:pinch:
This angle is a bit easier on the eyes…
I really wanted to show you something new for breakfast because you are probably sick to death of looking at Banana Soft Serve Vegan Overnight Oats, but I could not bring myself to make anything else.
Don’t even mention the word Green Monster…I will shed a tear. My Kitchenaid blender is in a very sad place where blenders go to die. The body still remains in my kitchen, but the spirit has left. (I hear that Vitamix blenders are never found in the blender graveyard.)
Speaking of Energizer Bunny Blenders, check out the top 5 blenders according to a Consumer Report’s test of over 80 different blenders:
1) Vita-Mix: for $499 from Pleasant Hill Grain.
2) Oster BCBG08: for $39.99 from Bed Bath and Beyond.
3) Breville 800BLXL: for $277.91 from Amazon.
4) L’Equip 306500: for $163.13 from Amazon.
5) Blendtec Total Blender: for $399.99 from Amazon.
[Of course, Consumer Reports wants your cash forked over before they will let you see the entire study in their June 2010 issue…I just may have to buy it!]
I thought it was very interesting that Vita-Mix came out on top while Blendtec was 5th. I have been debating between the two for a while. I also loved that the second best blender was the $40 Oster! Anyone have this one?
Back to breakfast.
I had my parfait with raw cacao nibs sprinkled on top:
Some of you have been asking me about the raw nibs. Raw cacao nibs are very nutritious- they have more antioxidants than blueberries, red wine, and green tea, and they are rich in many vitamins and minerals such as zinc, magnesium, and beta-carotene. The nibs are also high in fibre with about 9 grams per 28 gram serving.
Be warned though, raw cacao nibs are very bitter (now I know why chocolate has so much sugar added to it!) and are best enjoyed along with something very sweet (like banana soft serve). They are very crunchy and add a wonderful texture to other sweet foods.
Giveaway Alert:
- Check out this fun giveaway over at Eating Journey for a chance to win GLO Bars, the Operation Beautiful Book, and gorgeous cards!
I realized I promised you a post about tri talk, however that clearly did not happen. It is coming. I am still processing a few thoughts in my mind… :whistle:
Enjoy your day!
I agree on the Oster. I have a different version, but until I feel like shelling out for a Vita-Mix, it does the trick :) And it gets serious mileage too- I use it almost everyday. I’m talking nut butters, green monsters and banana soft serve.
I love how cheap the second best blender is!
It’s a hypnosis place mat! You’re getting verrrry sleeeeepy… ;)
Thats interesting! The oster is better than the blendtec. I would get a vita mix if I won the lotto….
I <3 my oster though, 30$ at target.
You and I are kindred spirits. There is a story I wrote for the book about my love affair with the Gravitron.
I had the Oster. Let me tell you, there is a huge range of performance difference between #1 and #2.
haha LOVE IT.
Your sign looks great so far! I’m sure it will draw in the crowds! :D
I used to love making huge chalk murals on my driveway when I was a kid. I miss those days!
I LOVED playing school when I was little! I made my sister be one of my students, and we had this easel thing with a painting station on one side and a chalk board on the other. It was THE best. Yours look so cute!
My blender is ancient – it’s an Osterizer, and my parents bought it before I was born. Looks a little old school but it’s an absolute beast!
My two cents on the blender debate – I had a (supposedly) very nice Breville for a while, and would not recommend it just based on what happened to me. First, the one that came from Amazon initially was broken, wouldn’t power on. They sent me a new one and it worked okay for a while, and then after less than a year a part broke that was not easily fixable. I wasn’t doing anything crazy with it, just smoothies and soups and stuff. I probably could’ve gotten it fixed, but at that point I was so tired of it I just went and got a $30 model at Target, which works okay. My ultimate dream blender is the Vitamix, they’re so amazing!
Your “playing school teacher” story sounded like a page out of my own personal memories – minus the occasional “real student”. I could never sucker anyone in & I don’t have a sister :-( . I even made copies of coloring pages and worksheets that I pretended students turned in. My mom even found a life size chalk board at a thrift store, I was so sad to leave it behind…
I used to play school all the time with my sister, but the one my mom still teases us about is when we used to play church and use potato chips and juice for the bread and wine! Once she caught us holding up an american flag with our hands on our hearts singing Silent Night before beginning the service;)
Just had to comment about playing school. I also was a total dork as a kid… had the assignment book with student names AND grades, etc. My mom even has a picture of me as a little lass with all my stuffed animals and dolls lined up on the couch as I read to them. 20-some years later, I still LOVE buying school/office supplies… and I guess it was meant to be, because I am now an elementary school teacher! :-)
BTW, I love your blog. I know it’s a painful subject right now, but I am a new convert to the Green Monsters and looooove them… I have even gotten my spinach-hating husband to drink them. He still can’t believe that something so delicious is actually good for him! And speaking of things to blend, I have been an Oster girl for years and have never been disappointed. The only “fail” by my Oster blender was my own fault (used my old one to make paper pulp for a homemade paper project for my students… probably a bad idea!).
Are you calling me a DORK??? bahaha ;p
Love your story
VITA.MIX! VITA.MIX! VITA.MIX! VITA.MIX!VITA.MIX! VITA.MIX!VITA.MIX! VITA.MIX!
As a Vita mix owner that’s my humble opinion. $400 but I will have it and use it for the rest of my life. I never put it away. I use it at least once a day. You cannot beat a 7 year warranty. I also find it so easy to clean. Total bonus.
My blender is sadly in the graveyard too…I had the Oster fusion, and it totally crapped out on me! I woudl LOVE a vitamix, it’s just not in the cards right now…but I do like that there’s one on that list for $40! Hmmmmm…. ;)
I would also love a vita, but I don’t think that will come for many years. :( haha You do deserve one though! As far as the Farmers’ Market tent, I have a few tips:
ALWAYS bring tent weights or bleach bottles filled with sand to tie the legs of the tent to. Those things blow around like mad!
Bring plenty of bungee cords, they’re good for hanging up signs, fixing the tent, or tethering your tent legs to your neighbors if it’s still blowing.
Bring a tarp; if you can’t park close and you have to put your back stock under your table you don’t want the boxes getting soggy touching the ground.
Bring a big pin or metal stick or dowel that would fit in one of the holes if a pin in the tent were to break. I’ve had to go into the woods looking for a stick, so now I always bring a little “just in case” pin.
Duct tape. for when the sign or table cloth isn’t sitting right, the table is on an angle and wobbly or a box tears.
I hope this helps a little bit! I’m sure you already know most of it, and if not they will probably tell you at orientation. Good luck!
I have an Oster blender and I LOVE it. I got it with a food processor attachment, and it is my baby. Plus, you can buy replacement blades, glass containers, and lids on amazon for cheap!
I started making Green Monsters in my parents’ Oster blender that they’ve had since the 70s!!!
The great thing about Oster is that all the bottoms are interchangeable. I can put my top on my parents’ base, and vice versa. :) Definitely worth the $40!!
I love your luck with all things kitchen :( I loveee the Oster- excellent for crushing ice in smoothies!
Oh my gosh, when are you going to be at Oakville Farmer’s Market?! I love that place, and even though I live in Toronto, I always trek out there for goodies : ) Can’t wait to be able to pick up some Glo Bars, too!!
izzyy
x
Starting June 19th!!!! Hope to see you there.
I have a VitaMix and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I use it at least once a day, if not more and it works really well. The only issues I have are that it is really tall and doesn’t fit on my counter/underneath my cabinets as nicely as I’d like and it can’t blend really small amounts (that causes me to resort to my Magic Bullet which I hate using because it has BPA’s in the plastic cup). My co-blogger Danielle recently found out a couple of cool things about her Osterizer and posted about it here: http://www.thatveganblog.com/2010/06/falling-in-love-again-with-my-blender.html
Yes I have heard that is a downside about the vitamix….I measured and it would not fit under my cabinets either. I would have to pull it out.
I’ve actually figured out a way to get it to fit but it’s kind of crazy. There’s a lip at the front of my cabinet that hangs down about an inch or but the space underneath the cabinet is a little roomier. I don’t know if this will make sense but if I pull the base out from underneath the cabinet, tilt the blender back as I’m putting it onto the base and then slide the whole thing back under the cabinet I can clear the “lip” and once it’s underneath the cabinets the cup will stand upright (without the lid/plunger – which I just store in a nearby drawer). It seems clumsy but once I figured it out it works really well and prevents me from having to move it in and out of a cupboard. So, you may be able to make it fit if your cabinets are like mine.
haha strangely I do understand what you are saying! lol. I will have try it thanks for the tip. Well, that is if I buy one I guess.
I have an Oster!! Although, its not that one :( Mine is pretty good, but I don’t think it could compete with what a Vitamix can do (not that I have one…but from what other people seem to do in theirs). Another major positive of Vitamixes is that its so easy to clean, and that you don’t have to unscrew the bottom parts and individually wash the blades..which in most regular blender you need to do in order to avoid rust or broken rubber rings, etc.
Ugh, your picture of the Gravitron makes me ill just looking at it! I rode one when I was in high school and felt sick for hours afterwards!
The Gravitron is STILL my favorite ride :)
If you need access to the review I have a consumer reports password (well, it is really my husbands).
Awwe Angela you’re so cute with your childhood stories!! But chalkboards really are a lot of fun. At my old job waitressing, there was a board up front to announce all the specials and I would just sit there for as long as I could drawing on the board. Luckily they were pretty cool about it as long as the tables got taken care of. :P
Your booth looks cute already! You’re going to thrive at a farmer’s market- congrats!
And no, NO nut butters in sight over here in Hungary! Unless you count Nutella…
Quick note about blenders – I’m in a week and a half long raw foods course right now, and have been using both the vitamix and blendtec – the vitamix is FAR superior… I have been disapointed in the blend tec a few times…
Just a thought though!!
I have the top two blenders, and I haven’t used my Oyster since getting the Vitamix. I love them both though!
I’d go with Vitamix. I know the price is super freaky but I’ve had mine for almost two years and It has been the best money spend on a kitchen appliance ever. Well, besides a fridge of course :P I make raw nut milks with it at least 3 times a week, not to mention sauces, ice creams, soups, nut butters, GMs, and more. Sooo worth every penny!
PS Good luck with the farmers market! I work at one every Sunday. It’s a lot of fun when you trade with other vendors :)
~a
Oops! Please excuse my typo errors ^^^
I’m literally laughing out loud reading your description of playing school because I used to do the EXACT same thing…especially the part about making up an attendance list of fake names and then calling each one out one by one! I literally would make up classes of like 26 students, first and last names! haha glad I’m not the only one! The good thing is, I guess all my hard work payed off because I am currently a special education teacher and couldn’t be happier! It’s such a great feeling to be able to become “what you want to be when you grow up!” :)
I was cracking up over the school and attendance paragraph. James?! hahaha I loved playing school too…and majored in elementary ed!
So exciting about the farmers market! I hope you sell out :)
Perfect timing- I’m looking for a new blender!!!!!!
I LOVE that picture of the chalk. Something about Crayola products make me feel SO nostalgic!! :D
I love my Vita-Mix, I totally agree with the list.
Jenn
Hi Angela, I have an Oster and it is amazing- can be quite loud, but blends to perfection!
awww i wish i could visit you at the mkt! have you guys ever done anything like this before? i want to say no, but don’t want to assume :) the chalk board is such a unique touch! love it!
I used to play hopscotch a lot with chalk. Fun times!
I’d love to be able to afford a Vitamix, but for now, I’ll stick with my old still working Oster blender. Woohoo!
Are you going to be doing any Toronto farmers’ markets? I’d love to have Glo Bars easily available so close to home!
I have an Oster blender, but not the one mentioned. I have the Fusion. While it’s a bit loud, it does blend very well. No chunks are ever left.
Never heard of Oster but I just remembered something very useful;
At Bed and Bath and Beyond if you sign up on their email list (American site) they send you a 20% off coupon. It works in Canadian stores too =D
Have you tried banana soft serve with chocolate soy milk? Mmm so yummy and you can’t taste the soy part
Re the blenders – I am all about price-per-usage. You’re going to use it daily – you know you will – so it’s worth getting one that’s awesome and going to deliver! This is how I have justified my handbag, hair straighteners, Uggs and Fitflops. I argue my point so well that darling fiancé wouldn’t let me buy knock-off Uggs, because their price-per-usage would be rubbish! Oh dear – I might have shot myself in the foot there…
hi, where can i find those cocao nibs? Ive been to whole foods and couldnt find them
My two cents regarding blenders is to go with the Ninja! I have a $50 version from amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Master-Prep-Black-Silver/dp/B003QB575S/ref=sr_1_37?ie=UTF8&qid=1396290825&sr=8-37&keywords=ninja+blender) and it’s amazing! I love it!
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