Bits of my weekend volume 18

the cooler fall temperatures have arrived in nashville, and that's given me a case of fall fever.

but fall was not completely on my side.

i set out to bake pumpkin cupcakes, but not a can of pumpkin could be found in either of the grocery stores we visited.

and to make matters worse, the pumpkin yogurt i was craving at sweet cece's was all gone.

i guess i'm not the only one getting in the spirit of fall, but girl, please. i need me some pumpkin.

speaking of pumpkins, our grinning jack-o-lantern is now wearing a goulish sneer. the heat has caused him to contort and he stinks to high heaven. each day he gets scarier and meaner looking. i can't wait to see what he looks like by the time halloween gets here.

it was a perfect day for baseball.

until the boy got hurt. he collided with a team mate as they both went for the ball (they think it's a race and every hit turns into a pile-up).

what you see here is a mixture of dirt, tears and slight bruising of the cheekbone.

he declared he shall never play baseball again!

but a trip to sweet cece's afterward cheered him (despite the lack of pumpkin fro-yo).

and he insisted on wearing his baseball jersey to church the next day.

yesterday afternoon the boy deemed our apartment "not scary enough," and so we set out to make halloween decorations. we got out the safety scissors and the elmer's and construction paper.

there were bats.

and ghosts.

and mummies.

oh, how i love fall.

what i'm eating wednesday volume 5

what have i been eating lately? glad you asked.

this is a fabulous tofu taco from moe's burrito. as far as i know, the other chains in town don't offer tofu.

i asked at Qdoba and they laughed in my face.

so i e-mailed corporate.

that's how i roll.

and speaking of rolls ... ken's sushi is my regular haunt. it's by my office and the staff are out of this world. and ken's a sweetie.

one avocado roll and a california roll. plus a side of edamame. and green tea.

i don't eat raw fish unless i'm on a coast, and even then, well, i'm not one for raw fish.

last night we hit cheesecake factory and i landed on an old stand-by, the tomato and basil pasta.

wow, that was a lot of garlic. i can still taste it.

lastly, let's me just say this: sweet cece's has PUMPKIN yogurt.

it is fall indeed.

What are you eating? take a picture, post it to your blog, and link it here! pretty please?

exclusive booch interview!

recently i had to go looking for a new brand of kombucha, when g.t. steve's was pulled from shelves.

luckily, i soon fell in love with booch, a brand of kombucha brewed right here in nashville.

even the boy loves it.

and the best part? it's super healthy.

owner kelly granted us this exclusive interview.

i am not receiving any free booch as a result of the interview – i just love it and wanted to share it with you.

(although, i wouldn't turn it down!)



blogofjoan: How did you hear about kombucha and why did you decide to start making it as a business?

Kelly: i have always been interested in health, fitness and well-being, and earned a bachelor’s degree in health and exercise science from oral roberts university. shortly after moving to nashville in 2005 I was introduced to kombucha tea. I was hooked at first sip. i loved the tart sourness, fizzy feel and lingering refreshment.

right away i began brewing it and friends encouraged me to sell it. i sold it to a few friends. then the owners of the green wagon found out about me and they were excited to find a local artisan brewer. my hobby has turned into a business!



where do you make it and how many bottles do you brew per month?

in a commercial kitchen – about 200 gallons each month. each batch takes about 14 days.



what makes booch unique?

we use quality ingredients. i use organic sugar and organic black tea. booch is bottled and taken right to the stores, so there is no time sitting in a warehouse or truck.



recently g.t. steve’s kombucha was pulled from shelves due to an alcohol content that increased as it sat in transit to stores. has that increased demand for Booch?

yes!



does booch have an alcohol content?

the alcohol content is less than .5%. booch is bottled and delivered right to the refrigerator at the store. fermentation essentially stops while refrigerated.



does booch have caffeine? What about calories?

booch contains approximately 25 calories per 8 oz serving. there's less caffeine in it than in a cup of decaf tea.



is it safe for kids?

in limited amounts. my daughter started drinking it in her sippy cup when she was about 2 years old. I diluted it so she didn’t get used to having something fizzy all the time. she is very healthy.



how much does booch cost?

it costs $3.50-$4 for a 12-oz. bottle; $16-$20 for a ½ gallon and $26 for a gallon. You get a discount if you return your bottles.



what health benefits have you experienced from drinking booch?

i rarely get sick! i do live a healthy life and feel like booch is a great addition. it helps to keep my energy level up as well.



what’s the best thing about having your own business and what advice do you have for other entrepreneurs?

i love working at my own pace and having my family involved! my daughter has been such an inspiration and my husband is my numbers guy. my advice is to grow your business organically and debt free, and have a good quality product or service that people want.





where can i buy booch?

you can find it several places:

the green wagon
1100 forest ave. in east nashville, tenn.

greenlight market & deli
2905 12th ave south, nashville, tenn.

The Produce Place
4000 murphy rd, nashville, tenn.

sunshine nutrition center
621 s, church st, murfreesboro, tenn.

to learn more, visit www.mybooch.com or e-mail kelly@mybooch.com.

Bits of my weekend volume 15

Oh, there is so much to tell.

did i mention the boy turned five over the weekend?

[[sobs]]

we started off the weekend with a trip to the park.

but not without first stopping for donuts at fox's donut den. a nashville icon.

is there anything cuter than watching a five-year-old eat donuts?

i think not.

the weather was perfect. perfect, i tell you.

for lunch we went to pf chang's, and the boy successfully used chopsticks for the first time.

it was a birthday miracle!

we were all decked out for the football game, and set out on foot since all the parking lots near the field were full.

but a mixup at the box office left us ticketless.

it was a long walk back to our car, and we were all exhausted by this point.

so we thumbed a ride on this trolley.

the boy said this was the best day of his whole life!

wow. ticket debacle forgotten.

the next morning we revealed the secret hiding place of the birthday presents.

if the sack of presents is actually larger than the child, does that mean you went overboard? hmmmm ....

as he opened the presents, he kept saying, mommy, how did you know i wanted this? how did you know?

i told him that i know everything. afterall, i am his mother.

and then, there was the bouncy party.

we joined forces with several other kids from his class with september birthdays and split the cost.

not only did we save money, but i don't have to go back to the bouncy place again for a while.

see how that works out?

it was truly a great day for the kids. they couldn't have been happier.

after all, there was pizza. and goody bags.

and of course, cupcakes.

the boy is five! huzzah!

it's official. pinkberry is coming.

pinkberry is coming. nay, it's here, people, and you know what that means!

well, it means the homogenization of america continues.

and californians can no longer say "we have pinkberry and you don't."

but mostly it means music city has another frozen yogurt place to get excited about.

it's located in the old blockbuster (RIP) on west end ave. i'll be checking it out.

and you should to.

but then be sure to go to sweet cece's and support our local homegrown folks, ok?

what i'm eating wednesday volume 4

what am i eating? glad you asked. recently i had a tasty lunch at the picnic cafe in belle meade.

now that the weather is (hopefully) going to cool, off their patio is going to be one of my favorite spots.

i love the picnic because it has civilized southern food, like egg salad (pictured), pimento cheese sandwiches and fruit tea.

they also have darling cookies and cupcakes and the blue and white decor is divine.

if i have anything interesting for lunch today, i'll post it later!

Bits of my weekend volume 13

our weekend was action-packed as always. we played, we ate, we took naps. what else is required? nothing, i think.

oh, except we did do a big clean-out in anticipation of the boy's upcoming fifth birthday. he went through all his stuff and pulled out the items he no longer plays with to make room for the inevitable avalanche of birthday presents.

after that, we rewarded ourselves with lunch at Porto Via, an italian spot tucked away in a shopping center that might be easy to miss. please don't.

start with focaccia bread and olive oil? yes, please.

oh, and crispy pizza with kalamata olives and fresh basil. it's so thin you have to fold it in half when you eat it.

look out or the delicious homemade sauce and cheeses squeeze out the sides.

yummy.

my only complaint? i had to request more basil leaves. one just wasn't enough.

seriously, what were they thinking?

here's the lasagne. out of this world.

and the gelato, the gelato.

it will change your life. literally.

trust me on this.

see what i mean?

they have multiple flavors in the case up front.

and you can get samples.

the boy and i love our samples.

we had chocolate at the table, then later sampled blood orange and "donatella," which was divine: a mixture of chocolate and hazlenut.

after church on sunday we went to play baseball in the park.

the boy starts in the west nashville wookie league in a few weeks and it's time to practice.

and yes, i realize that spider-man shirt is actually a pajama top, but you have to choose your battles.

then it was off to bobbie's dairy dip: a nashville institution.

it's not gelato, but it's darn tasty.

baths were in order.

and the traditional silly jammies fashion show.

what did you do this weekend?