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Friday Favorites

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It’s been a week, y’all. I know I say that a lot, but we just can’t seem to catch a break with illnesses, and crazy work schedules, and whatnot… I’d like to say that I’m ready for the weekend. But that, too, is kinda busy.

But I’m going to share a few of my Friday Favorites from this week!

Favorite on Netflix: This week I binge-watched Seven Seconds, and I can’t say enough good things. But I also told my husband that it was really hard to watch, especially as a mom.

Still, go watch it. You won’t be disappointed.

Favorite read: This article from Scary Mommy really struck a chord with me this week. No, I’m not particularly depressed at the moment; but as someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression for most of their life in some way (mostly anxiety), this really hit home.

Favorite listen: I still can’t focus long enough to find new music to listen to (which is exactly why my cycling playlist is a hodge-podge of the most random music in the universe); but I am still obsessively listening to podcasts.

My recent favorite podcast and episode is Five Women, an episode of This American Life.

Favorite sip: I’m absolutely loving the Dunkin Donuts Girl Scout Cookie flavors that are out right now — especially the samoa flavor!

I’m not an obsessive Girl Scout cookie fan, but I always, always, buy the Samoa’s. I just feel like there aren’t any other cookies like it on the market. So why not indulge just a little bit more with these delicious coffee flavors, right?!

Favorite eat: I admitted earlier this week that we have been eating a lot of freezer food, so my pregnant mind has been wandering a lot about an upcoming date night we have planned. I can’t wait to eat a grown up meal!

But I did recently take the kids for a ‘splurge’ meal (aka, not a freezer meal) at Retro Dog. I just can’t get enough of their amazing hot dogs and fresh cut French fries!

Favorite link: Shameless plug, but I recently wrote my first article for the Cleveland Plus Blog and it went live last week! Check it out here.

#SorryNotSorry

Favorite place: We’ve been spending a lot of our free time (ha!) at Café O’Play. Their Spring season pass has been an awesome way to get out of the house for just a couple of hours, and we’ve been taking full advantage of it!

What are some of your favorites

from this week?!

Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

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I’ve mentioned several times over the last 8 years that I am a novice cook, at best. My abilities have always been hindered because of my fear of making something that tastes awful. So, for years, I just avoided cooking. I mean, Chad has always loved to cook — and he’s great at it! So I took a backseat.

But 3 years ago Chad bought me an Instant Pot and I started to dabble in making meals for our family. It’s still been something I’m not ultimately comfortable with; but the Instant Pot is an amazing invention. And the growth of its popularity has given me more and more courage to branch out and try new recipes — and adapt old ones!

My most recent Dinner Conquest was a Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup, adapted from this recipe.

[gmc_recipe 12514]

I am IN LOVE with comfort food this pregnancy — and this? paired with some rolls or a piece of toasted bread? Perfection! It’s just what this baby ordered! I’m in love with how creamy and hearty it is — which is perfect for a cold Winter’s afternoon!

We’re definitely adding it to our weeknight dinner rotation! 😉 The kids loved it — and so did I (and so did this baby in my tummy)!

 

a Valentine’s Day Treat for Kids

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I have to admit it — Valentine’s Day is generally not a holiday that gets me super excited. No, I’ve never had a bad Valentine’s Day experience; it just hasn’t been a holiday that holds much tradition in our family.

But, as I’ve mentioned before, KIDS CHANGE EVERYTHING, y’all. They even make some moms who are not crafty (::cough-cough:: me…) bring out their inner crafty.

And my kids constantly remind me about these little holidays that I mostly think are silly. So I’ve found ways to make even the smallest of holidays a teensy bit special for these two nuts!

A couple of years ago I started the tradition of making Valentine’s Day Puppy Chow!

Puppy chow has long been a favorite in my house — I mean, who wouldn’t want sugar-coated cereal as a snack!? So why not turn it around and splash a little pink on it, am I right!?

Here’s how we make our allergy/nut/gluten-friendly Valentine’s Day treat!

[gmc_recipe 5824]
I added pink sprinkles for good measure this time 😉

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These make a perfect classroom treat and I cannot wait to share them with Ari’s preschool this year! Just put them in a pretty little package and you’re good to go!

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! Is there any special thing you do or make with your kids to celebrate!? 

Explore Ohio // Kent

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Ohio in Winter — is cold — but it’s also a gorgeous time to explore our local community. It’s hard not to think about moving when the temperatures are -15 degrees. But heck! even if I could, I wouldn’t move out of Ohio. Nope. I’d move to this gem in the Short North, Columbus. (Listed on HER realty — OMG isn’t it gorgeous!?)

But, alas, I won’t be moving anytime soon. But if you live in Ohio one of the places you’ll hear about frequently is Kent.

Kent, Ohio is home to Kent State University, which is primarily what people think of when they hear “Kent.” But there is so much more to Kent than just the university! Really! I promise!

Fresco Mexican Grill and Salsa Bar.  Fresh is definitely the name of the game of this restaurant, which sits at the corner of Erie Street and Water Street.

Everything is prepared to order and comes out quickly! From their tacos (order three, you won’t regret it but you will be full), to burritos, to salads, Fresco blows those other fast-food mexican restaurants out of the water! And, of course, bottomless chips. FRESHLY made bottomless chips, that is, with a huge selection of house-made salsas! Oh – and 60 hot sauces sit next to the salsa bar, in case you need to turn up the heat a little more! 😉

If you’re coming after work for a quick dinner, grab a frozen sangria or frozen margaritas (or try a mix of Sangria + Margarita combined!)

Haymaker Farmers’ Market.  Every Saturday of the year people from all over come out to this farmers’ market — which just so happens to be the oldest farmers’ market in Portage County. Their mission is to bring local food and community together. Their vendors range from artisan soaps to fresh fruits and vegetables. Oh — and Ohio City Pasta and pour over coffee!

My favorite part is the space — located underneath the Haymaker overpass bridge! It’s a gorgeous location for their outdoor market.

Tree City Coffee.  Stop in at any time of day to pick up one of their signature Tree City Maple Lattés and a homemade biscuit, because they truly are delicious! And I can get behind any place that has ethically sourced coffee with direct trade.

Also? They make their own peanut butter concoctions and offer them in a variety of ways on the menu. Like the fluffernutter sandwich, made with their freshly ground peanut butter and marshmallow fluff!

If you don’t have time to stay and relax, they do offer a super convenient drive-thru (which, I’ve hit up more times than I care to admit).

Brimfield Bread Oven.  Located just a couple of miles outside of downtown, this little gem is a true hidden treasure. All of their breads are homemade daily and baked in a woodfired oven. They serve breakfast treats, like morning buns, pretzel croissants, and danishes, as well as a huge variety of breads — including a local HiHo Beer Bread!

Honestly, everything I’ve had from here is delicious, but I have yet to try their woodfired pizza (served most days, but only in the evenings). I keep telling Chad that we must go for a date night, like, soon!

Freedom Trail.  This trail, I think, is one of the most underutilized flat trails in all of Summit Metro Parks! From the Kent trailhead (located off of Northeast Avenue) to Howe Ave, it’s 2-miles of mostly flat running or biking trail. Which means when I want to take the kids in the double-stroller for a run, this is the most perfect place for it! A total of four easy miles, surrounded by huge trees, close to the KSU airport (so lots of sights for the kids to see in the skies), and the occasional train blaring in the distance.

It’s truly my go-to place for running and if you have never been, I highly suggest checking it out!

Peace, Love, and Little Donuts.  And like any ‘good runner’ I like to eat donuts after my 4-mile run! 😛 I kid (kind of)!

But if you are looking for a place with fresh donuts (and gluten free options), that are customized right in front of your eyes with all kinds of toppings (think caramel, fruity pebbles, and basically any other form of sugar you can think of), you’ll want to stop in to Peace, Love, and Little Donuts of Kent.

I, of course, seem to always opt for the plain donuts because there’s just something about a powdered sugar cake donut — you can’t go wrong!

101 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.  Switching things up a little bit, but this place needs a mention. Kent has no shortage of places to sip and savor your favorite beers and wines thanks to the university students. But 101 Bottles is different. It’s not a college hangout — it’s a craft beer mecca.

Offering individual bottles, six packs, cases, growlers, and kegs of your favorite craft beers, 101 Bottles has truly made it’s name for itself in the area. Want a beer that is hard to find like Bodhi? or Bell’s Hopslam? or the latest from 3 Floyds? This place always gets it. And if you sign up for their text message alerts, you’ll be alerted when all of your favorites are in.

Stop in to check them out and stay for a flight at their bar area!

Lucky Penny Creamery.  I am hardly the farmer type of gal, but I’ve run into the folks from Lucky Penny too many times to fail to mention them. If you’re looking to purchase goats milk, cheese, cajeta, or just see how it’s it made, head to Lucky Penny Farms and see how their beautiful dairy goats make delicious cheese!

If you can’t make it to Kent, you can always find their cheese and milk at the Haymaker market, Countryside Conservancy market, or at Mustard Seed.

Where is your favorite place to explore in Kent, Ohio!? 

 

 

 

 

This post is a partnership with Nakturnal. As always, all opinions herein are my own.

New Year, New Me // Simplifying in 2018 with Curbside Delivery

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GiantEagleDelivers #CollectiveBias

Welcome, 2018! This year brings lots of changes for my growing family! And I’m happy to report that, thanks to some serious growth and self-reflection, there are some things I’m just leaving in 2017. For instance, having too much on my plate.

My one “Goal” for 2018 is to Simplify. Simplifying doesn’t have to mean becoming a minimalist or refraining for doing anything fun. There are so many other ways to simplify your life, so I’m going to share some creative, no-nonsense ways you can simplify to be more present in 2018!

1.  Keep track of time spent doing all things. 

One of the major ways I keep my life on track is by using Google Calendar. Not only is it simple, but it syncs to my iPhone calendar automatically and I can keep my husband in the loop by sending him Google Calendar invites to things we have scheduled (because, let’s face it — he isn’t going to remember unless he sees it pop up on his phone).

But besides the obvious “doctor appointment” notifications, I also schedule time for laundry, cleaning the house, and — here comes the kicker — downtime.

You read that right — I purposefully block off downtime in my Google Calendar and it is non-negotiable! So what if sends me someone an invite? Sorry, I’m busy.

That’s right. Give yourself some time to breathe and make it non-negotiable!

2.  Unsubscribe, unsubscribe, unsubscribe!

I cannot even begin to tell you how many “Hurry! Super Sale!” emails I received this holiday season. Truthfully? Very few of them were ‘super’ in any way; and most of them were from the same handful of retailers. It’s… daunting. And totally and completely unnecessary.

Do yourself a favor and take a few minutes today to unsubscribe from the junk. Do you really need to know everytime that retailer has a 15% off sale? Probably not. And if you don’t want to miss their sales, subscribe to their Facebook notifications instead.

Simplify by cleaning out that inbox and I promise you’ll feel so much better about checking your emails! 

3.  Get comfortable saying “No.” 

If you’re like me, the times I feel most overwhelmed are the times I’m most over-committed. It took me the last 5 years to become comfortable enough saying “no” to things that just don’t serve me or my family.

But a few years ago, I read something that really struck me — that when we say “I’m too busy…” for something, we’re really saying “It’s not a priority.”

So I’ve turned that around to suit me — if I say yes to too many things, I won’t have time for the things that really serve me and my family. And, honestly, learning to say no has been a godsend. However, there is still a learning curve for my friends and extended family. It takes a bit more understanding on their part to see why we’re unable to commit to everything.

Try to simplify your schedule by saying ‘no’ more often.

4.  Take advantage of Giant Eagle Curbside Express Delivery Service.

One of the things I found most difficult with two children is running errands. Grocery shopping became the bane of my existence. The lugging of children out of the car, into the shopping cart, dealing with tantrums, and navigating other shoppers. It’s exhausting.

The allure of having a personal shopper select the freshest, best products for me, based on my online shopping cart, was too much to contain! I first tried out Curbside Express last year and have since hopped on the bandwagon for Curbside Express Delivery! Yes, delivery! As in they deliver your groceries to your home! Squeeee!

It’s so easy to use. I use my Giant Eagle card to log in to an online account where I’m able to personally shop for items ranging from fresh fruits, to frozen foods, to paper products, to deli meats and cheeses. I can even use my preloaded e-coupons and and other sale items!

From there, a Personal Shopper does the shopping for me and I wait for the scheduled delivery (yep, I even get to choose the time and date of delivery!).

I loved that I was able to try it for free the first time and that I was able to add to my shopping cart online during my spare time (which, let’s face it, is when the kids are napping). And delivery was a breeze! Remy was eager to check out what goodies had been delivered and I couldn’t help but bask in the happiness that we didn’t even have to get out of pajamas to get groceries!

Do yourself a favor and simplify your shopping routine by using Giant Eagle Curbside Express Delivery Service.

5.  Save time cooking by using a pressure cooker.

Look, my husband has been “team pressure cooker” for the last 5 years, and I’m on a recent convert (hello, popular electric pressure cooker!). But anything that cuts down on the time it takes to prepare a healthy meal for my family is a win.

Some of the pressure cookers also have a slow cook feature as well, so if you’re looking to toss something in the crock pot in the morning and have it ready by the time you arrive home from work, this would be perfect at helping you simplify your meals.

6.  Take 5 minutes out of your evening to plan your day tomorrow.

Take 5 minutes out of your evening routine and sit down with a pen and paper. Nope, don’t open your email and create a task (you’ll get too distracted from your inbox).

Keep it simple and short. Write down a few must-do’s followed by a couple of action items. You’ll go to sleep with a plan to attack the next day and less stress in the morning. Simplify by planning ahead.

7.  Purge items that no longer serve a purpose to your family.

This is a big one. Like any family, we’ve accumulated ‘stuff’ over the years. Kids stuff, kitchen stuff, other stuff… and it rarely continues to serve a purpose, right? So get rid of it!

I’m not suggesting you do this all in one day. But if you come across something and you realize you no longer need/use it, toss it. Or donate it. But don’t sit and wait for it to become useful again. Simplify by minimizing.

So cheers, 2018. Let’s do this. I’m ready to live more simply and enjoy my family and time for myself!

Northeast Ohio Holiday Gift Guide //

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Hi. My name is Rachel and I LOVE Ohio. Like, I really, truly, have a passion for my home state. We produce amazing people, products, and industry. I always try to buy as local as possible, but it’s especially important for me at this time of year. There are just so many local options from amazing creators right here in Northeast Ohio.

Not sure where to start knocking off your holiday gifts? I’ve rounded up my favorite local ideas below!

 

Pope’s Kitchen Bloody Mary Mix. 

I am a recent convert to the Bloody Mary. The spicy aroma has always been something that has reminded me of my grandmother. But Pope’s Kitchen puts a fresh, local, and extra spicy spin on the traditional bloody mary. When I was pregnant with Remy I used to just drink the mix straight up (I had a craving for spicy!).

Find it in any local Market District or order online here ($12/32 oz.).

Coffee from Akron Coffee Roasters.

Want fresh, locally-roasted coffee? Look no further than S. High Street in Akron! Their love for their coffee and the roasting process is evident in each pour over they serve.

Their coffees are available online for purchase to ship directly to your loved ones, or you can go right into their store on South High Street (and then head over to The Nightlight to catch a flick!). (from $12/10 oz.)

Middlebury Butter from Akron Honey Company. 

Akron Honey is a family operated, artisan honey company, and they have recently opened up a brick and mortar store at the Northside Marketplace in Downtown Akron. I’ve personally tasted all of their honey, but the Middlebury Butter remains my favorite. I put it on everything — bread, apples, you name it!

It can currently be found at a variety of pop up markets (like the Cleveland Flea, Crafty Mart, etc) and their store in Northside Marketplace.

The Vitamix Ascent Series A3500. 

Vitamix is the leader in culinary blenders and food processors — and they are also a local Ohio company, with their headquarters located in Olmsted Falls!

Their products are produced, manufactured, and distributed here locally — and for those of us in Northeast Ohio, that means we’re lucky enough to get the first peak at new products! This past year I received the A3500 and was able to get rid of my old Vitamix. Let me tell you, this new version is incredible and so easy to use!

You can pick one up in their local store in Solon or online here (A3500 $549.99).

A Family Membership to the Akron Zoo.

With the slogan “You’ve never been this close,” the folks at the Akron Zoo truly mean it! The zoo itself is the perfect size to take children of all ages for a few hours or an all day excursion. The recently renovated exhibits are absolutely stunning! And members are able to get discount admission on events ranging from Brew at the Zoo to Wild Lights!

Order a family membership online here or pick one up on-location in Akron (Family Membership, $80/year).

Tickets for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

The CVSR, operated wholly by volunteers, leaves either the Rockside Station in Independence or the Northside Station in Akron. You can hop on with a round-trip ticket or bike one way and take it one way back! Besides just regular train rides, the CVSR offers a variety of special events, such as The Polar Express and Ales On Rails!

Not sure when your recipient would like to go? The CVSR offers gift certificates in denominations ranging from $15 – $150 and can be purchased by calling 800-468-4070 x 1.

Shirts from The Social Dept.

We have a lot of options when it comes to local t-shirts here in Northeast Ohio. My favorites, by far, come from the Social Department. Located in my town of Cuyahoga Falls, they offer an eclectic variety of Midwest apparel.

Their sizes range from kids to adults, so no one will be left out! My personal faves are this Cleveland Indians shirt (which I bought for my husband last year) and this Go Local Sports Team shirt (which I should totally have because, sports!).

You can visit them in store at their Front Street location in Cuyahoga Falls, Tuesday through Sunday, or you can order online here  with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve if you order by December 18th (Prices range from $22+ but gift certificates available in $10+).

Growler of the Month Club at HiHo Brewing Co. 

Located right next door to The Social Department, HiHo Brewing Company is a welcomed addition to Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls this last year. And their beers are incredible, too! Former teachers turned craft brewers, Ali and Jon, have turned this spot into one of Northeast Ohio’s most popular breweries!

They offer a range of beer, from blond ales to stouts, and tapas style food options. Don’t know what you want? Try a flight!

Open Wednesday through Sunday, you can purchase the gift of their Growler A Month Club or just a plain old gift card! (Growler of the month: $180 – includes growler and punch card for 12 fills; gift cards available in all denominations).

The Gift of Play from Café O’Play in Stow.

Café O’Play, located in Stow right off of Route 8, is a safe and fun indoor play place for kids ages crawlers through tweens! They offer climbing activities for young and old, as well as a special toddler-only zone for a safe-space for those who are just past the crawling stage, 7-days a week.

In addition to being a safe place to play, owners John and Carolyn make sure that parents feel like they have a partner in this parenting journey. Sure, it’s not all fun and games, but they make it easy for the kids to have fun while the adults can (kind of) sit back and relax a bit on the café side!

You can purchase gift cards in person or online here (gift cards available in denominations of $25, $50, and $100).

There are so many more options that I could go into — soap from Saint Augustine and Suds; tickets to Playhouse Square; hot sauce from Not Yo’ Daddy’s; just to name a few!

Not from Northeast Ohio and still not sure what all of the fuss is about?!? Well how about this for a reason — Cleveland was recently ranked #14 in the 21 places you need to visit by none other than National Geographic! So get your butt to Northeast Ohio and see exactly why I’m freaking out about where I live all of the time!