PS – Otis is the CHAMPION of Fat Bear Week 2021!!

The 25 year old dude is once again the Fat Bear Champion making 2021 his 4th win! This informative CNN article gives a great action photo & details on 480 Otis and Explore’s link outlines this year’s competition details.

And I confess I was one of the over 51,000 people who voted for him – I think it is his ears.

Now his final match up was against 151 Walker who really does have a VERY impressive “bear bod” but Otis was a fan favourite plus he came from behind starting his annual salmon eating late this year. And it is reported he is still busy fishing & eating – salmon MUST be Fun Food!!

Salmon – A Fun Food for Bears!

I haven’t polled any bears but I think most would consider salmon a Fun Food. Berries may be more fun but I think salmon ranks high on their Fun Food List. And lots of salmon makes for a very Fat Bear!

Fat Bear Week is NOW – Wednesday Sept 29 until Tuesday Oct 5!! The 2021 Fat Bear Champion is crowned on Fat Bear Tuesday October 5th. Explore.com is the home of All Things Bear Week. Plus ongoing competitive & fun comments as everyone has their favourite Chunky Hunky!

Last year’s champion Bear 747 is back and is considered the “bear to beat”! However it is hard to predict who will be the 2021 Fan Favourite with the 2021 twist – a “Chubby Cubbie” has been included that introduces a cute dynamic. 2019’s Champion Holly is back in 2021 and this Hall of Champions link outlines the impressive winners!

This great article from Mentalfloss gives you background on Fat Bear Week at Alaska’s Katmai National Park & Preserve. It all started in 2014 with Fat Bear Tuesday and has expanded to Fat Bear Week!

The Explore site gives you the “Bear Bracket” plus voting details (March Madness take a seat) and here is Explore.org’s Bear Cam link!

Not “goat milk”, OAT milk…

If I got a free coffee every time I have had to clarify my OAT milk request… Oat milk is Fun Food.

We Canadians are lucky with So Fresh Earth’s Own – what I believe to be the best tasting & easy to find brand of oat milk! The price is right and it is made in Canada, no surprise given all the oats we grow. So Fresh is soooo plant based it has a Plantifesto. Fun Foods could all aim to get Plantifestos!!

One of the earliest brands – maybe the first – is Oatly from Sweden. This LIVEKINDLY article reviews the recent history and huge success of the brand – the company is about to proceed with an IPO (Initial Public Offering).

The world is discovering oat milk and this handy PureWow article ranks 6, unfortunately they are mostly available in the US. While I prefer So Fresh, I want to try the Oatly Chocolate Oat Milk!

This #earthdayweek, I highly suggest having your morning coffee AND oatmeal with oat milk as your April 22 Earth Day celebration! And if you are not sold on giving oat milk a try, give this One Green Planet article a read and see if there is another non-dairy milk/mylk that convinces you to help our planet.

All things lemon

Lemons have Vitamin C which is a noteworthy & helpful quality but most importantly their taste goes in MANY Fun Foods – lemon cheesecake, lemon loaf, lemon meringue pie as well as various liquid lemon concoctions.

Who knew there was a wrong way to make lemon water – there is. This great PureWow article not only lays out the 3 steps to correctly make it, it also outlines the 5 health benefits of lemon water which I plan to try out now.

AND I love lemonade but I have never had Lynchburg Lemonade and intend to order one! This handy Thrillist article includes the history of the drink & recipe variations so I can make it myself and expand my fruity cocktail repertoire.

Can Fruit be Fun Foods…?

Are bananas a “Fun Food” ? Is any fruit…?

It is crystal clear that banana bread is, especially if it has chocolate chips & walnuts & granola. A different post will focus on killer banana bread! But what about a good old banana?

Without getting philosophical, the “Food” part is clear but what defines “Fun”? I already think Fun can be healthy so the nutritional angle is not a defining characteristic. And never forget a banana has its own packaging.

I’m deciding that the definition of “Fun Food” is subjective and floating – it is not black & white but lives in the grey.

SO, no matter how YOU decide to define “Fun Food”, bananas are amazing & fun and as this handy article from One Green Planet sets out, a banana is ALWAYS a good thing to eat.