In In the Kitchen

Get Your (Clif) Mojo On!

In a marketplace evermore crowded with Big Food’s prepackaged pseudofoods, Clif Bar remains an independent, family-owned company producing bars with ingredients you can pronounce (and love). Also, I personally have to love a company that has headquarters in Emeryville, CA, once described by then-Alameda County District Attorney and future Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court Earl Warren as “the rottenest city on the Pacific Coast.” Naturally I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to try the Clif Bar Mojo Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Bars and Clif Mojo Fruit & Nut Bars.  In a tag: #nomnomnom Box of Clif Mojo Bars The new bars come in Wild Blueberry Almond, Cranberry Almong, Coconut Almont Peanut, Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond, and Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt. Despite my love for chocolate, my favorite flavor is Coconut Almond Peanut. The dominant flavors are toasted coconut and nuts—NOT sugar!—and it makes a fulfilling snack.  Here are the ingredients:

Organic Peanuts, Almonds, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Organic Coconut, Organic Rice Crisps (Organic Rice Flour, Organic Cane Sugar, Salt, Calcium Carbonate), Organic Inulin, Organic Honey, Organic Roasted Soybeans, Sea Salt, Natural Flavor, Natural Vitamin E (Antioxidant).

Two Clif Mojo barsWhile I didn’t need to eat more than one at a time to feel satiated, I certainly wanted to eat them all. Eventually I did eat them all, but I did it one at a time so I could really taste each flavor. That made it harder to pick a favorite, but I’m a sucker for a coconut bar that doesn’t taste like it was made with sugary sticky oversweet leftover Mounds or Almond Joy. Two more mojo barsBefore I even tasted the bars, I surfed around the Clif website. Because there is so much green-washing and outright lying going on in the world of Big Food, or perhaps because I practice law, I’ve been pretty skeptical of anything provided in a press release.  (To be clear, I received the Clif bars with only a single-sided postcard featuring a photo of the bars, a short phrase describing each flavor, the suggested retail price, and the Clif Bar social media links. No press release.)

I decided to ask some questions outside of what I could find on the website.  This was both to satisfy my own curiosity and desire to use this blog to only endorse products that I love and believe in.  I was not disappointed!

Here is my mini-interview with Clif Bar:

Q:  I know that the chocolate is Rainforest Alliance certified, but can you tell me about the other ingredients? Are there any specific projects or programs with a single ingredient?

A: We use USDA-certified organic palm kernel oil in many of our bars, which ensures a strong ecological approach to palm oil production. Currently, 65% of our palm kernel oil is Rainforest Alliance Certified. Our organic supplier is currently working towards 100 percent Rainforest Alliance certification. We have worked with our suppliers to understand their commitment to positive environmental and community practices.

Q: What is Clif Bar’s involvement/commitment/aspiration in the Fair Trade department?  I know that the Fair Trade label has undergone some changes, and that it has never been accessible to many small and co-op farms; I’m more interested in the principles (working with suppliers and paying a fair price to the farmers historically disadvantaged by the global market) than the official label.

A: Fair trade is an important issue and Clif Bar wants to ensure a socially just and environmentally responsible supply chain. We recognize the importance of fair labor conditions, community development and environmental sustainability. As of June 2013, all of our CLIF Bars are being made with Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa. In addition we have a responsible sourcing and supplier code of conduct that outline our minimum expectations of how our vendors do business as it relates to legal requirements, ethical practices, and labor conditions. Our code is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions, and covers a full range of ethical trading issues focused on basic labor rights; including a safe working environment, the right to organize, and non-discrimination in the workplace, among many others.

Q: There is currently a certain amount of backlash in the twitterverse against “Big Food,” especially as big international conglomerates are buying up what used to be “mom and pop” organic brands.  Can you tell me more about Clif Bar’s plans for the future? Will it remain a family company for the foreseeable future?

A: We are an independent, family-owned company, continuing to make progress on our 5 Aspirations (Sustaining our Planet, Community, People, Business and Brands). To further invest in our future as an independent, family-owned company, we recently announced plans to build our own bakery in Twin Falls, Idaho, which is scheduled to open in 2016.

Afterwards, I felt even better about liking these bars, which are also gluten-free and low glycemic index. The Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt and Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond are both backed with a thin layer of dark chocolate. It’s not too much chocolate—after all, this isn’t a candy bar—but it is the kind of quality-tasting chocolate that doesn’t require snarfing down an entire bar. Ordinarily I don’t go for fruit in my bars, but the Wild Blueberry Almond and Cranberry Almond both won me over. Frankly, they are delicious.  I’d still choose the Coconut Almond Peanut any day though. One bar You can learn more about Clif Bar on their website, www.clifbar.com or by following them on Twitter (@ClifBar) or Instagram (@ClifBarCompany). Clif Mojo Fruit & Nut and Clif Mojo Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Bars are available now.

Taste the mojo—Clif Mojo Fruit & Nut and Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Bars

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Disclosure: I was provided with a box of Clif Mojo bars, two of each flavor, to sample and discuss on social media.  I did not promise a favorable review (or any review, for that matter). Except where specifically noted above, all words used in this review are my own.

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In Events

Run, Wine, Rain in Livermore, CA

There were not enough porta-potties at the starting line.

You read that right: not enough porta-potties at the starting line. (I only know this because I was talking to one of the nearby merchants after the race, and he said runners were asking if they could pretty-please use the bathroom in his store.  Like the welcoming town Livermore is, said merchant allowed them to do so.) For an inaugural race, that’s pretty high praise–the lack of porta-potties was the absolute worst visible gaffe throughout the entire race experience.  Bravo, Inagural Livermore Half Marathon!

While I would have preferred some race day packet pickup, I understand the logistical mess that could have been.  There were two pickup options, one on Thursday at the Livermore 24 Hour Fitness, and one on Friday at the pre-race Expo in downtown Livermore. Fortunately work had me driving home through Livermore on Friday, so I stopped by the Expo.

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A printout of all of the race numbers was taped down to the tables in front, and after looking up my number I walked right to the pick-up tables–no lines–for my bib and shirt. True to the promise in the pre-race advertising, this is a cute shirt I will actually wear.

 Livermore Shirt  Livermore shirt back

The Expo itself was somewhat small, with tables for maybe 8 vendor-exhibitors.  These included Vega and Culligan, the on-course hydration support team, a few services (chiropractic, massage), a Stella & Dot vendor, and the San Francisco creation “Go Cuff.”

Livermore Half Marathon GoCuff sign

Then I discovered the Artistic Table–turns out they were one of the post-run RunLiv festival sponsors–where I had a delightfully crispy light red while finshing up some work for the week and awaiting my friend Sandy.

Sandy and I had a pre-race pasta fest (yes, I know the science behind carb loading says us weekenders don’t need it, but I like pasta!) at Strizzi’s (http://www.strizzis.com). I would have eaten (and sipped!) more, but I still had to drive home (making Sandy the smarter of the two of us, as she booked a hotel).

Race day morning, I experienced the usual difficult prying myself out of bed.  Arriving in Livermore just about ten minutes before the start of the race, I was thrilled to find ample, FREE, convenient parking.  Score another one for Livermore. During my warm-up jog to the starting line I fastened my SpiBelt and stuck the timing tag to my shoe. As I hit the back of the pack, the race started and I turned around for the run.

The run was beautiful! I’d previously run the Grape Stomp, also in Livermore, but this course was entirely different.  We started right in the middle of downtown, at First Street and Livermore Avenue. From there we ran through some neighborhoods, then through several parks (Independence Park, Sycamore Park, Holdener Park, Robertson Park), and past multiple wineries and vineyards (notably Wente, which I love for its support of numerous charitable endeavors). The weather was perfect, and the surrounding beautiful: verdant green hills surrounded us on all sides! The on-course support was well-staffed and well-executed.  I honestly felt like the entire city of Livermore was quite happy to welcome us.

At the finish line I received my inaugural finisher medal, pretty and with a nifty wine glass spinner in the center.

Livermore Half Marathon medal selfie

More important, I received my RunLiv festival wine glass! It’s a good thing I have a photo of my ID on my phone, since I’d left the car in a hurry to get to the starting line.

Livermore glass

The remainder of the chute area sent us runners through all the typical post-race refreshments, such as Muscle Milk, bananas, and donuts.  (Yes, donuts! I’m not ashamed to say I snarfed my coconut covered old-fashioned…but perhaps I shouldn’t have eaten the second one.) From there it was a party! Live music, a dance area, and about a dozen wineries (plus a brewery) pouring tastes for runners.  Non-runners who purchased a ticket were also welcome to join in the fun.

 

 

 

Shops lining the streets also got in on the action. Caratti Jewelers handed out adorable little gift bags with jewelry cleaner and the new Pandora catalogue inside.  (Learn more at http://www.carattijewelers.com/.)  Pretty awesome, since I have a lot of tarnished silver earrings–thanks, Caratti!

Since the field was reasonable but not huge, I easily found my run club friends at the festival. After we sampled as much wine as seemed reasonable at the time–and stopped by to sample the official event wine for RunLiv–we grabbed some hot slices and watched as the rain started to come down.

Livermore RunLiv Party

(Hey Dianne, how much stuff did you have in that bag, anyway??? Kidding!) On the way back to my car I grabbed a cup of coffee to keep me warm on the way home.

Not only did I have a fantastic time at a race that seemed nearly seamless and flawless, I was stoked to find discount codes for the upcoming RunOak and RunSF events on the back of my bib.  With an inaugural race this good, of course I’m siging up for both!  Now, let’s see if the organizers decide to throw in some bonus bling for those of us who run all three.

Livermore Half Marathon http://www.runlivermore.com
The Town’s Half Marathon http://www.runoak.com
The US Half Marathon http://www.runsf.com

And seriously, about that bonus bling…

 

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In Reviews

Skechers Go Bionic–own the trails!

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESSo 2013 was my year of crazy running: between January 20, 2013 and January 19, 2013 I ran 31 half marathons. The magic number 31 landed me on Earth in the Half Fanatics club. Along the way, I learned A LOT about running. During 2013, Skechers generously offered to let Women’s Health Action Heroes choose a pair of shoes from their new Go collection of performance shoes. If you read any running magazines or health magazines (and you must, because you landed here, right?) you’ve probably seen the ads for the Skechers Performance line of running shoes, endorsed by none other than Meb Keflezighi. When I first saw these ads, I associated Skechers with skateboarders and those rocker-bottomed “toning” shoes, and was a bit dubious that they could turn out running shoes worth my time. (Running shoe design is more complicated than you might expect, and I’ve spent a lot of time poking at them and reading about them and trying them out to learn how they are put together and why.) Yes, just a year of running “for real” turned me into a bit of a shoe snob!

I was taught that accepting a gift honors the giver, so I set aside my preconceived notions about the Skechers brand and wear-test some shoes. At that time I was pretty much married to my running shoes, so I chose the Skechers Go Bionic, which are trail running shoes. Marathon Matt, the coach of my running group, had recently started Sasquatch Racing trail races, and Brazen produces at least two dozen trail races per year, so I thought the Skechers Go Bionic would be a great incentive to get me out and running on trails. I selected the Skechers Go Bionic in pink or purple (we even got to choose the color, isn’t that sweet?) and asked for a size 10.5 since that is what I wear in every other running shoe on the planet (despite the fact that I wear a 10 in regular shoes). Since most of why I love racing has to do with being outside, I couldn’t wait for them to arrive!

Not long after, a huge box from Skechers arrived. I immediately ripped it open and was puzzled to find two pairs of shoes inside (one pink, one purple) in sizes 9.5 and 10. The bottom fell out of my tummy for a moment, because I sincerely feared these adorable shoes wouldn’t fit my amazon feet. Surprise! Not only did the 10 fit fine, I could wear the 9.5 too! Since any runner who has ever run a distance race should tell you to NEVER race in a pair of new shoes, I wore them to work (hooray for a casual-dress policy!), varying the socks I wore with each. The 9.5 were best with Wright’s Double Layer socks (my one true love), while the 10s were best with slightly thicker socks or Injinji socks (the kind with individual toes).

Somehow I just didn’t make any trail runs. The one day I thought I’d go on my own, without a race, I ended up stuck in my office. Excuses, time passed, until I had to find a mere three races to finish my 31 half marathons in 365 days. There are not a lot of half marathons happening in the limited window of time I had available (basically Christmas to New Year) and the nearest options were all trail runs. Without thinking about it too much, I signed up for the Brazen New Year’s Eve (actually held on Saturday, not New Year’s Eve itself) and Brazen New Year’s Day—run both, and you get a cool extra medal linking the two races together. Troy’s Trail Run through Almaden-Quicksilver regional park (a former Mercury mine and surrounding environs) was the last race I needed to make 31. I figured it would be just like a road race, only with gravel and dirt.

Trail running, as it turns out, is NOT for wimps.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESFor the New Year’s Eve race, I decided to try the royal purple 9.5s with my Wrights. They got a little bit of an extra workout as I was literally picking up my bib when the gun went off. Oops. The Skechers Go Bionic had a nice ride for the entire run, which included several sections on blacktop, some on a pretty rough/raw trail with tree roots and rocks and all, and a few areas of well-packed trails (the kind you could easily push a stroller over). The best part of the shoes is that despite how amazingly sturdy the soles are—my hiking shoes have similar lugs–they weigh practically nothing. The design cleverly avoids two of my pet peeves with running shoes. First, the tongue is connected to the shoe so it can’t waggle from side to side while I’m running. Second, the top most portion of the tongue is pretty thin, so it does not bunch up and annoy me. As an added bonus, the laces are a bit wider at the second grommets than they are at the first or third, preventing me from over-tightening the laces and cutting off the circulation in my toes (which is, sadly, something I often do). The only problem I had was running downhill. Up was fine (let’s be honest, there was not much running involved on the uphill!), but on the downhill my toes smashed into the end of the shoe. Lesson: the 9.5s fit well, can be worn casually and feel great, and are awesome on all parts of the trails EXCEPT downhill. I decided to wear the hot pink 10s for New Year’s Day (and also to start in the hikers division—an hour early—because while I’m never first, I’m usually not quite so close to the end of the pack).

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESNew Year’s Day I chose pink Injinjis to coordinate with the hot pink Skechers Go Bionic. (Note to self: buy black socks. Trail running is messy.) The course was the same loop at Lake Chabot, only in the opposite direction; this actually made the race MUCH faster for me (40 minutes!) but put the 10s over the same terrain as the 9.5s. About half way through the run, another runner complimented my shoes and mentioned she was looking for new ones. When I told her they were Skechers, she was surprised—she had skaters and rocker shoes in mind too—and we had a lengthy conversation about what makes good running shoes. (In the end, I think she ran off to buy a pair. Or maybe she’s just a faster runner than I am.) Unlike the 9.5s, the 10s were perfect for me on the downhill. When the hills are steep, there is pretty much no way to keep your feet from sliding a tiny bit in your shoes. Unlike the 9.5s, where my toes bumped the end, in the 10s my toes had plenty of room to slide forward without hitting the end of the shoe.

Overall, I’m tickled pink (and purple, for the 9.5s) that I had the opportunity to try Skechers Go Bionic, and plan to wear them for my next trail races in 2014. They are lightweight, well designed, rugged, comfortable, and cute (in the colors, at least). Despite the minimal non-running break-in period, I did not have any blisters or hot spots from the Skechers. The shoes got dusty and muddy, but nothing stuck to the soles and they clean off very easily. Bottom line: if you are looking for trail shoes, do not overlook the Skechers Go Bionic.

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In Uncategorized

Eat More Kale! (the t-shirt)

Think of “Eat More Kale”

When you see the phrase “Eat More Kale,” what is the very first thing that pops into your mind?  If you went to the website with that name, www.eatmorekale.com what would you expect to find?

kale shirt

Clearly, You Think of Chicken

Chick-fil-A, the $4 billion chicken sandwich specialists with over 1,700 stores across the United States, is certain you will be convinced that “Eat More Kale” has something to do with them.  You read that right, Chick-fil-A believes you will think of Chick-fil-A when you read “Eat More Kale” and be confused because, well, Chick-fil-A doesn’t actually serve kale.

My Love Affair With Chick-fil-A

Before I explain, here’s a little background on my relationship with Chick-fil-A.  As you probably know, I am a vegetarian and have been since 2001.  What you might not know is that before then, I was an ardent Chick-fil-A supporter.  The Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich is far superior to any other chicken sandwich out there.  I liked it so much that when my parents came to visit me in Austin, TX I took them to Chick-fil-A to experience chicken sandwich perfection and some waffle fries.  (I actually felt bad for them, because in Michigan they didn’t have any Chick-fil-A.)  Despite its religious origins, I liked that Chick-fil-A is closed on Sunday, guaranteeing that every employee has at least one consistent full day off to spend with family every week.  The sandwiches are so good that back when Chick-fil-A was only available in shopping malls, I used to say that the path to being a millionaire was clearly in opening a free-standing Chick-fil-A.

Chick-fil-A sponsors an NFL bowl game.  They’re that big. They give away sandwiches to people dressed up like cows on Halloween. More recently, despite the company’s anti-gay marriage stance, I’ve found something else to admire about Chick-fil-A.  (Regarding the company’s view on gay marriage, briefly: I no longer eat chicken, so I don’t have to take any action.  As corporation, Chick-fil-A can choose to what to support; as a consumer, you can vote with your dollars too.)   First, Chick-fil-A has been slowly phasing out artificial colors and trans fats.  Second, Chick-fil-a is testing out new buns without high fructose corn syrup for a future roll-out nationwide, and is also testing out healthier alternatives to other ingredients.  I admire this because I’m in favor of healthier, less-processed food with fewer artificial ingredients.  I also admire this because Chick-fil-A invited a well-known food blogger who had criticized the chicken sandwich contents to address the company’s management and help educate them on what consumers wanted gone and why.

Chick-fil-A: clearly all about the chicken sandwiches.  So much about the chicken sandwiches that their famous advertisements on TV and billboards feature spotted cows holding signs that say “Eat Mor Chikin.”

This Vermont Guy? Not About Chicken.

Enter a Vermonter named Bo.  Bo Muller-Moore, aka “the ‘Eat More Kale’ guy.”  Bo is an artist who makes t-shirts, by hand, with a tiny staff.  He runs what you’d call a micro-business.  Two farmers, Paul and Kate of High-Ledge Farm, asked Bo to make them some shirts, and so in 2001, Bo started to print shirts that simply say “Eat More Kale.”  For a long time you could only get one at a farmer’s market or music festival.  Then Bo paid a friend to make him a website, and people all over the place started ordering “Eat More Kale” shirts (and sweatshirts, and aprons).  Why?  It’s a great idea, and kale is the current media vegetable starlet, with as many articles on kale as on the latest Kardashain escapades.  Kale is trendy.  So trendy, in fact, the other people started to copy Bo’s shirts.

Like any smart businessman, Bo wanted to protect his interests and his business, and filed for a trademark on “Eat More Kale.”  When someone files for a trademark, there is a period of time when anyone can challenge it for certain reasons, and ask the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to NOT issue the trademark.  One of the reasons you can object to a trademark application is that the requested trademark—the name, short phrase, or slogan—is too similar to an existing trademark and would confuse consumers.  For example, if I wanted to file a trademark for my store named “Wall-mart,” you can bet Wal-Mart is going to object.  The proposed name sounds just like Wal-Mart and is likely to confuse people into thinking there is a connection.  Similarly, I wouldn’t be able to trademark the phrase “all the news that’s fit to print” because the New York Times has been using it for decades, and people might be misled into thinking I have some connection to the New York Times.  (Confession: I do not, but I’d like to!)

Chick-fil-A Wants To Stop Him.

When Bo filed for a trademark on “Eat More Kale,” Chick-fil-A stepped in to fight it on confusion grounds.  To be fair, this isn’t Chick-fil-A’s first attempt to stomp out Bo’s kale shirts.  When you own a trademark, you have to protect it, so trademark owners are obligated to ask you to stop when you either use their trademark (hence I’m not opening a vegan chicken sandwich shop called Chick-fil-A) or when you use a mark that is confusingly similar (such as Chickin-fil-A).  A few years ago—five years after the first kale shirts–Chick-fil-A wrote what us lawyers call a “cease and desist” letter, telling Bo that he’d better stop making those kale shirts or Chick-fil-A would sue him.  Bo got his own lawyer to write a letter back, basically explaining that no one who bought his kale shirts could possibly be confused into thinking they were affiliated in any way with Chick-fil-A.  Because, you know, when YOU first read “Eat More Kale,” what did YOU think of?

Unfortunately, the USPTO took Chick-fil-A’s side, and is convinced that you and other consumers are too stupid to understand that “Eat More Kale” is not a Chick-fil-A slogan, and that you will be confused by seeing an “Eat More Kale” shirt.  The USPTO has issued a “preliminary rejection” which means Bo is about to lose “Eat More Kale” as a trademark forever.  This means two things for Bo.  First, anyone can ride on the coattails of his work and make and sell “Eat More Kale” shirts.  Second, Chick-fil-A can shut them ALL down.  With the USPTO ruling that yes, consumers will see “Eat More Kale” and think it is related to Chick-fil-A,  Chick-fil-A can claim consumer confusion and sue Bo (and anyone else making a t-shirt that says “Eat More Kale”).  Most t-shirt guys are like Bo, small micro-businesses run by individuals and families, and many don’t have the means or support to fight Chick-fil-A.  By claiming consumer confusion, Chick-fil-A’s lawsuit could force Bo to destroy all of his kale shirt inventory, pay Chick-fil-A a fat stack of cash (literally all of his profits for every kale shirt he’s sold in the last 12 years), and never make another kale shirt; Chick-fil-A can force Bo to take down his website.

Eat More Bacon?

Funny how Chick-fil-A hasn’t gone after the “Eat More Bacon” t-shirts, isn’t it?

bacon1 bacon4

What you can do

  1. Go to www.eatmorekale.com and buy an Eat More Kale shirt, donate to Bo’s legal fund, and sign up for the Eat More Kale e-newsletter.  Join the community page on Facebook.
  2. Go to Sum of Us and sign the petition to ask Chick-fil-A to get a life and stop harassing Bo, because “Eat More Kale” does NOT confuse YOU. http://action.sumofus.org/a/chick-fil-A-eat-more-kale/2/5/?akid=3200.527922.s9fzcx&rd=1&sub=fwd&t=2
  3. Then go read more at Care2 (the petition closed, sadly with few signatures): http://www.care2.com/causes/eat-more-kale-guy-fights-on-against-corporate-bullying.html
  4. Go to Take Part and read more: http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/04/30/chick-fil-doesnt-want-you-eat-more-kale
  5. Or read about it on the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pete-mason/eat-more-kale_b_1469661.html
  6. Or the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/05/us/eat-more-kale-t-shirts-challenged-by-chick-fil-a.html?_r=0
  7. Tell your friends.
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