We love to have variety during our teatime snacks.  Season to season there are always a few favorites worth repeating (and sharing).  As fall is upon us, the apples are crisp and the last sweet peppers are being plucked from the garden. We often find ourselves entering the late afternoon with grumbling bellies and the need for a little rest before we prepare for dinner. In order to not spoil our evening meal, I try to have something light and healthy on hand for the little ones. So here you have it, folks—Bjorn and Ula’s favorite fall time snacks. Simple, healthy, and fun (with a tiny bit of fancy).

Ula gobbled up this treat at lightning speed. After an adult slices up the apples, it’s time for the little ones to sprinkle on…Read More

We had so much fun discovering new local treats last month, that I had to share a few of our very favorites with you. My very favorite local goodies are tucked neatly into rows and colorful heaping piles in the produce section, but there are also many local, packaged goodies on the shelf that I previously hadn’t given much thought to.

Here are a few of our favorites:

See you soon for some delicious and cozy Fall favorites!

Ps. You must try the Sacred chocolate bar (vegan/sugar free). I have to admit… at about $6 a bar, even the cute heart shape wasn’t enough to get me to fork over the cash for this treat. However, one afternoon as I was checking out with some groceries, Bjorn wandered over to the chocolate tower, picked up…Read More

Last winter Bjorn and I whipped up our very first batch of homemade playdough. We really went for it and used locally sourced ingredients for coloring.  The extra effort was so worth it!  We have made many more batches of play dough since and on the occasions when we don't have as much time and use other less inspiring ingredients for coloring, the results have been mediocre and somewhat disappointing. This recipe is truly about the process of taking your time, mindfully collecting your ingredients, and making something very special.

You can find many of the coloring ingredients locally right now, so I urge you to do so! Make it fun-- go on an adventure with your little ones and gather some of these simple…Read More

Hey, Co-op Lovers!

I hope you are enjoying the last of summer!  I wanted to introduce you to our absolute favorite summertime treat before it’s too late—the raw, vegan, chocolate milkshake! A few months back I stumbled upon the amazing work of Sara B, a chef and true food genius, who writes the My New Roots blog, as well as the weekly column “Meatless Mondays” for Martha Stewart. Her recipes have transformed our family’s ideas about whole foods and have offered us a great deal of inspiration in the kitchen.

We all know that the last thing a child needs is a bunch of sugar throughout their already wild and precious day… but this shake is guilt-free and good for them. It also only requires a few ingredients, so it’s easy to have…Read More

Tisane is a fancy name for freshly brewed herbal tea. This is absolutely Bjorn’s most favorite afternoon activity—picking herbs from the garden, brewing them, and having a proper tea party. Usually this takes place outside in the garden, but on this occasion, this rambunctious little bear insisted upon dining at (or on) the kitchen table. Oi!

I took this idea from our very favorite book on cooking with children—Fanny at Chez Panisse, written by Alice Waters, the Berkeley legend who started the farm-to-table movement. In this sweetly illustrated book, Waters writes from the perspective of her young daughter, Fanny, and includes dozens of her favorite simple recipes.

Before we discovered the joy of gardening we would make…Read More

I truly think that one of the greatest joys in life is bringing home a fresh flower posey—it’s those small things that are really big things that make life so full of pleasure and beauty.  I can never resist the bargain of $5 Farmer’s Market bouquets every week, which often have more flowers than a typical vase can hold. We usually plop a big handful of our flower bundle into a vessel to enjoy in the family room, but reserve a few stems for creative projects and bits of beauty to scatter about the house.

Here are 3 of our favorite, super-simple ways to get the most out of our market flowers—garlands, head adornments, door wreaths, oh my! A perfect way to fully enjoy the bounty of exceptional summer blooms!

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How do I get my Kiddo’s to eat more veggies?! This is something I often ask myself and hear other parents and caretakers mingling over—it seems to be a great challenge when your littles want to eat every color, except green. Well let me tell you, folks, I have the answer. Your children are going to be chomping down the greens faster than you can keep up growing, buying, and cooking them. The answer: Kale.  Pair it with just two (or more, if you fancy) simple ingredients and you have yourself a crunchy green snack that your kiddos (and you) won’t be able to keep their hands off of!

Ingredients:

Kale (any variety, but Dino Kale is our favorite)

Coconut Oil (any kind of oil will work, but this is our favorite and adds just a…Read More

You know what I dearly appreciate about this Co-Op of ours? Not only is the shop jam-packed with healthy foods and local produce, but the staff-- Oh, the staff-- is just as colorful and vibrant as the edible goodness of CNFC. Each time we come into the store we are greeted with smiles, pleasant conversation, and often times shared advice on delicious recipes and tips. One hot afternoon a few weeks back I popped into the shop to pick up a few things when I ran into the lovely Devon Durst, a Co-Op employee that has just left the store this week on her adventurous move to Philadelphia. On this occasion Devon wasn’t working, rather shopping for produce, so I was able to pick her lovely brain about what she was getting ready to whip up…Read More

Hello Chico Natural Food Co-op Lovers!

I am Ama Posey.  

This grizzly man is my fine partner, Sam, who gave me my cute last name and the happiest years of my life.

Together we made these ridiculously delightful children.

Bjorn is turning 3 this summer, and Ula’s first year around the sun is just a few days after his birthday.

I am super thrilled to be blogging here, for this community that is so dear to me and my family. We are grateful every day for CNFC—for bringing us local, organic, food that is good for our minds and bodies, and for nourishing our soul by creating a community with similar values.

I look forward to meeting you here, once a week, for recipes and tips on cooking with children, and crafting…Read More