2008 July

Eat Local, Again

July 8, 2008 By bigbinder 3 Comments

Remember my Eat Local Challenge from last fall? I haven’t forgotten about it, but I did stop blogging about it. Imagine my excitement when my Aunt emailed me an article in Hour Detroit Magazine about a woman who went on a ’100 Mile Diet’ last year. The part that really stood out to me were the dollars. Frank Turner, a chef, said that,

“If we all spent $10 a week on Michigan products,we could put $36 million every week back into the state’s economy.”

36 Million Dollars. EVERY WEEK. Also in her email were two lists of Michigan food products. Some of these companies are on the East side of the state and frankly, I didn’t even know about them. First was a list of specialty products. Click here for the whole list which includes essential oils, vita spelt, and free range buffalo among other things. The other list, of non-specialty items I guess, is nicely put together on another blog, which you can view by clicking here. In fact, I ate about half a bag of Garden Fresh Chips just last night while watching the Most Dramatic Rose Ceremony Ever. Always happy to help.

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Filed Under: EatLocalChallenge Tagged With: Michigan Products

Birthday List for Big Binder

July 8, 2008 By bigbinder 5 Comments

It’s been a year!! A whole year since I started Big Binder! It’s a good time to reflect on what I wanted Big Binder to be, what it has become, and where I want it to go.

I think when I started, I had somethin’ to prove. It’s easy to pick on Grand Rapids. Small potatoes, conservative, backwards, mono-cultural… These are all myths. But with any good myth, there is a little truth to them.

So my goal was to show the folks who believe GR is ‘boring’ that it’s not. I wanted to offer suggestions for events, restaurants, and activities that demonstrate our city’s multi-culturalism and energy, and to show ways that they could ease into accepting the broad spectrum of opportunities for learning that surround us.

Whitney Houston and I believe that children are our future. As Big Binder grew, so did my children, my parenting skills, and my goals. So for Big Binder’s first birthday, I have made a list of what I want. One year old blogs can be very assertive.

I want my children, and your children, to be well-nourished.
I want my children, and your children, to be in a healthy environment.
I want my children, and your children, to know that they can make a difference in the world and teach them the skills to do so.
I want my children, and your children, to have exposure to other cultures.
I want my children, and your children, to have fun activities to do that helps their brains develop.
I want my children, and your children, to be able to resist aggressive marketing.

Now that is not to much to ask, is it?

I think I will have a hard time taking a blog to lunch, but I still want to remind everyone of all the yummy birthday deals available in Grand Rapids I posted about previously. I have learned of a couple more since then, and here they are:

Brann’s Steak House will send kids a coupon for a free meal, and if adults go on their birthday they will get a coupon for a sizzler on the next visit. Sign up in the restaurant.
Grandvilla Restaurant in Grandville will give you a coupon for a free meal on your birthday to be used on the next visit.
Baskin Robbins will give you a free scoop on your birthday.
Perkins, Denny’s, and Bob Evans each have a birthday program with a free kid’s meal if you sign your kids up for their birthday clubs.

Thank you all so much, I have loved creating and growing Big Binder, and getting to know my readers in the process.

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Amidst Sadness, Strawberries

July 6, 2008 By bigbinder 8 Comments

First and foremost, thank you all so much for your kindness after my friend died. I missed Big Binder and you wonderful readers, but when I sat down to write it just didn’t feel right. Always a big proponent of following my gut; I waited it out. So here’s a brief (OK not really) catch-up on the past couple of weeks.

The day I found out about my friend dying had been a fantastic day up until that point. I had two friends over to can strawberry jam and it was so fun! You’ll hear more about that later this week. The kids and I attended Great Beginnings Camp and had a blast. I think they did anyway, I was kind of busy chatting it up with the other moms. Hi Rachel and Tammy! It was fun to hang out with you both. They are the next victims students of Jen’s Canning School come tomato season.

I decided to just freeze a bunch of berries at this time rather than make jam as I still have some left over from next year. I got two flats (that’s – a lot) on Wednesday of the following week and set out to freeze. My in-laws were scheduled to arrive that evening and I figured I’d be done by the time they got there. Nope. Fortunately, the amazing woman who recently married my father in law sat down after 10 hours in the car to help me finish up. They stayed until this morning and it has been a wonderful visit. We had so much fun connecting and bonding, I can honestly say I love my new Mother in Law!

We had a Fourth of July Party as well, and one of the guests brought Strawberry Freezer Jam as a hostess gift. I LOVE freezer jam and am waiting until my family forgets we got it so I can eat the entire container myself. I was the hostess, after all. The party was wonderful, we really had a good time and all of our guests were so much fun to hang out with. We set up a cookie bar for the kids and let them sprinkle red, white and blue sugar; candy flags, and little star-shaped decorations on their very well-frosted sugar cookies.

In that time frame there was also a fantastic high school graduation open house for my second cousin (no, not my husband but thanks for asking) and I got to see some folks I don’t see nearly enough of. My sister-in-law also had us over for dinner and that was a fun time too.

Then back to the sadness. By far the lowest on my list but not entirely insignificant, Uga VI died. He was of course the mascot for the University of Georgia, my alma mater. Excuse my French here, it will probably be the only time you see cursing on Big Binder but I must say it now: Uga, you were a Damn Good Dawg.

Also our priest, who we loved, moved away. I bawled like a little baby when he sat down during mass and played guitar for all of us, and sang “You Raise Me Up“. Today was the first mass with our new priest and I am already excited by what he will bring to our church. He is Nigerian, has a (self-described) Funny Accent, and a wonderful sense of humor. After church we also got news that my husband’s Grandmother, who had not been doing well, passed away this morning and we’re very sad about that.

With that, I have put together a menu that is very tentative as we wait to hear what the week will bring with travel arrangements for the funeral.

MONDAY

Leftovers from this recipe for Beef and Chicken Fajitas with Peppers and Onions from Cooking Light. So good…

TUESDAY

Breakfast for Dinner. I am really trying to get ahold of this grain soaking thing, so I am going to try “Nourishing Traditions Waffles” with soaked grains, and serve along with fresh fruit.

WEDNESDAY

Taco Style Lentils & Ricefrom Hillbilly Housewife, along with a mixed greens salad. I also have some Pineapple Fluffs left over that I’ll serve as desert.

THURSDAY

Ham and Cheese Omlette Roll that my cousin made for the open house. This is VERY yummy! It would be perfect for a brunch, but I am going to use it as a dinner entree instead. It is similar to a Pampered Chef recipe. Note: in the recipe, the ingredient ‘slat’ is salt. Maybe that is obvious, but it took me a minute to figure out.

FRIDAY

I think by this time, I will be ready to order a pizza or at the very most, make a crust in the dough maker and let the kids do the toppings. We’re also going to make this super cute recipe for Corn On The Cob Cupcakes.