goodies

long weekend, big plans!

May 22, 2015 by Rachel 1 Comment

We have been busy busy bees as of late. But we’ve also managed to sneak in weekend naps and late PJ mornings on the weekends as much as possible.

This weekend, however, may be the exact opposite. There are so many exciting things going on and I’m going to try and squeeze in as many as possible! If you’re in Northeast Ohio, I hope you’ll check some of these out! Maybe I’ll even see you there?!

For The Fitness Fanatics //

Community Yoga // lululemon athletica Akron Showroom // Free // Saturday, 9 am – 10 am
A free all-levels class for the local yogis! Arrive a few minutes early, bring a mat and some water!
SUP Yoga // Portage Lakes, Release Yoga // $33 // Saturday, 9 am – 10:30 am
This is the second year that Release Yoga has offered a weekly SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) Yoga class! What a fun and unique way to get a workout in! Pre-registration is required here.

Northcoast 5k // Kent // $30 // Saturday, 9:30 am
If you’re looking to fit in a fun run this weekend, head to Kent and squeeze in a quick 5k! Awards take place post-race at the Water Street Tavern where finishers enjoy a free beer (21 and over, of course!), a $2 happy hour until 9 pm, and admission into the NPC Northcoast Championship Fitness Show, which is taking place on KSU’s campus! Register here!

For The Locavores + Craft Show Lovers //

Crafty Mart // Thirsty Dog Brewing Company // Free // Saturday, 11 am – 5 pm
Head down to Akron’s own favorite brewery for live music, crafty finds from incredible vendors, food, and brews! These events bring everything wonderful about Akron to one central location and one time! If you haven’t been, I highly recommend stopping by! More information can be found via the Facebook event page!

Sunday Market // Hingetown, Cleveland // Free // Sunday, 10 am – 4 pm
The Cleveland Flea Hingetown Market is back! And the focus is brunch! I’m incredibly excited to visit one of my favorite little places, Hingetown, for the second year of their Sunday Markets!

For the All-American //

Vicious Cycle, a Lynyrd Skynyrd Cover Band // Lock 3, Akron // Free // Friday, 7 pm
The Friday night concert series at Lock 3 is back and if rocking out with a lot of other people is your thing, then this is for you. Bonus? Free parking and lots of bars and restaurants within walking distance.
Marc’s Great American Rib Cook Off // Jacob’s Pavilion, Cleveland // $8 // Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 12 pm – 11 pm, Monday, 12 pm – 8 pm
Lots of options for BBQ, beer, and music. Kids 12 and under are free! You can find more info here.

However you choose to spend your long weekend, I hope you spend it surrounded by family and friends!

better late than never // our weekend wrap up

April 29, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Friday //

My BFF from high school, Carli, moved down to Akron over a year ago. As mucha s we SAY we’re going to get together now that we’re living down the street from each other, we just haven’t been able to as much as we’d like. ‘Cause life happens, y’all. But Friday night we had a date! We planned on hitting up The Office Bistro for a glass of wine and dinner, but the hostess was incredibly rude so we just left. (Note: this is not my typical experience at this restaurant; but her attitude completely justifies us leaving without a second glance).

I told Carli that I had had great experiences with Craft Beer Bar, right next door. Sure there was beer (hey, Bodhi!); but there was also an incredible spread of food.

I will say, Shawn and Dustin did not disappoint! Dustin was insistent that we try some of their new menu items and pretty much force-fed us. Ha! The potato pancakes (in the upper left hand corner) are not yet on the menu, so we were lucky to get a “sneak peak.” And they were delicious! As soon as we were completely full, thanks to the Bacon Queso (upper right), Poutine (lower right), and the Mac and Cheese (lower left), Dustin came out with yet another surprise — an orange creamsicle ice cream sandwich. I honestly don’t know the menu name for this dessert yet because I was in a serious food coma by the time it came out.

While we were out I got a call from my husband that he had a work emergency, so I quickly rolled home — ha! — so that he could run out to Cleveland for a night of work. Unfortunately, he was out ALL night and didn’t get home until 6am. I swear if we didn’t have events scheduled for Saturday, my poor husband wouldn’t have gotten out of bed. And I don’t blame him one bit.

Saturday //

We had a bit of a lazy morning. Between Chad working all night and Moosh sleeping in bed with me, we were all kind of exhausted. We did manage to make it to Crafty Mart, a local artisan and maker show located in downtown Akron, in time for Chad to go to a kombucha-making workshop with the Bearded Buch!

We’ve been fans of the Bearded Buch for a while now; and Chad has been itching to make his own Kombucha at home; so a workshop with the ‘buch guru himself?! Hecks yes!

While Chad was in his workshop, Moosh and I walked around Crafty Mart where the first stop was the Akron Art Museum! The art museum is one of my favorite places in Akron, so the fact that they open their doors for these local vendors to showcase their craft just is that much more awesome.

But it was definitely one of the most popular Crafty Mart locations. And my dearest, dearest, Crafty Mart — as a patron, the one piece of advice I would give you is that as this event grows (which it has!), please locate this event in one single location! 🙂

But one of Mooshie’s fave places is the Akron Art Museum. He ADORES this place. We bought a few things and headed over to Musica, a local music venue. Musica. Oh dear Musica. You are a beautiful location. I would love to see a show at this venue. Scratch that. My early 20-something-year-old self would love to go to a Taking Back Sunday show at your venue. Cause this gal finds herself in PJs by 6pm these days, let’s be real.

I didn’t get any pictures at Musica because it was way too crowded. Way too many vendors in such a tiny space. I think this does the vendors a disservice because people, such as myself, aren’t lingering nearly as long because they are getting quite claustrophobic. After one purchase, we popped out into the alley for some air.

Post-Musica, we ended up at Summit Artspace. It’s a little “off-the-beaten-path,” that’s for sure. It’s a spot I’d heard of in passing, but I didn’t really KNOW what it was.

Apparently this spot is one of Akron’s best kept art secrets. I’ve likely heard of it in passing, but I had no idea that it was a space where local artists have their own little ‘shops’ inside to showcase their art. It’s fantastic to have this, but sad that I had no idea it existed up until this point.

But back to the art and the vendors… I was majorly impressed with the fact that this space was a bit more open. Plus, they borrowed an idea from the way the Cleveland Flea is set up and had vendors on one floor and food and drinks on another (just like the last holiday flea). A HUGE thank you to Nuevo (remember that amazing mod mex restaurant we went to for our anniversary??) for providing tacos á la carte (along with amazeballs guacamole and homemade chips!), Thirsty Dog for the beer, and Stray Dog Cart for the ‘dogs and the (free for kids!) cannolis!

This is exactly what we needed to ‘rest’ until we were ready to do more shopping. I hope next time there are even more food/beverages available.

After Chad was done with his Kombucha workshop I took a terrarium workshop with Land Of Plenty. It turned out beautifully and wasn’t nearly as difficult as I imagined it would be!

Sunday //

I was supposed to go to an event in the early afternoon, but after such a busy busy Saturday and severe lack of sleep, I decided to stay at home with my boys and get things done instead. It was just what we needed. <3 Sometimes you’ve just gotta listen to your body/family. 🙂

It was a wonderful weekend, but unfortunately our week has begun with a sick Moosh, hence the not getting this post up until mid-week! Sigh. Blog fail; parenting win.

The next weekend is just around the corner…

and the coffee addiction grows.

April 15, 2015 by Rachel 1 Comment

I’ve been a self-proclaimed coffee addict since college. That lovely aroma of roasted beans brings me right back to those moments of studying for exams and rushing between class and work. Isn’t that how it starts for everyone?? Just trying to survive and stay awake for those critical moments?

Well, since then my taste in coffee has not gotten any less costly. In fact, my desire for good coffee gets stronger and stronger — pun intended. I’ve gone from traditional coffee pots, but I’m the only coffee drinker in the home, so for some mornings — the quick ones — it was useless to make a whole pot if it was going to go to waste. So I ‘traded up’ to a Keurig. Sometime last year my parents gave me the gift of Starbucks lattés at home in the form of a Verismo system. Life-changing! But still? Expensive. As a four-shot latté connoisseur, these at-home drinks can still be costly.

Enter my newest coffee toy: The French Press. Specifically this beautiful François et Mimi Vintage Double-Walled French Press! This beauty brews 34-ounces of strong, bitter, and caffeinated deliciousness!

I have to say that this french press came with fairly vague instructions. However, a quick “how do I use a french press?” YouTube search produced stellar instructions from a barista! Saved my day! I would have been pumping away at that French press… but it turns out, you’re not supposed to do that. Ha!

Getting the French press gave me a reason to buy fresh ground coffee from Starbucks; their Tribute Blend did the trick! I put about 6 heaping scoops of coffee grounds into the bottom of the press. Then I covered the grounds with boiling water and let it sit for 30-seconds. Then I added boiling water until just two-inches from the top of the press and let it steep for 5 minutes. And then I slowly pressed down on the plunger until I reached the grounds. Per the YouTube video, I poured the freshly-brewed coffee into a decanter so it wouldn’t remain with the grounds and continue to brew.

The coffee was STRONG — which I LOVE! I loved how dark and strong the coffee was. The bitterness of a French press is not for everyone; but for someone who likes to drink their strong coffee sans cream and sugar, this is the perfect way to brew!

Bonus? This press not only keeps your coffee hot, but it’s dishwasher safe (!!!!)! Hello, MOMS! This is a major, major plus! Considering the two chores that need to be done daily are: 1. laundry; and 2. dishes!

Coffee snobs — I know the pour-over is another fan-fave! But how do you like to brew your coffee?

Disclosure: I was selected to receive a Francois et Mimi French Press for my honest opinion and review of this product. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own. Thank you to Francois et Mimi and Tomoson for sponsoring this post.

Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts Review + Giveaway //

February 17, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

In our house, we are always looking for new ways to get healthy, sustainable, protein and nutrient-packed superfoods in our diet. We eat chia seeds by the spoonful. Seriously.

Fueling our bodies for workouts (and just fueling for the day, in general) is majorly important. I’m learning this is especially important during marathon training. Yikes!

Enter Manitoba Harvest, the worlds largest hemp food manufacturer. They have a very small-business, farm-to-table sort of feel about them (which is very clear from their website, mission and values). There business isn’t just about a product; it’s about a philosophy of living healthy and promoting health and wellness.

My first reaction was that the texture was a lot like quinoa. I decided to throw it on top of some salad I brought to work for lunch. When I went to eat it, I mixed up my salad and I could no longer even see the hemp hearts in my salad. Which, let’s face it — when it comes to supplementing your food with nutrients, sometimes less is more as far as flavor!

All of the nutritional goodies just by eating what I normally would eat! Yum-O! Perfection all around! And I’ve been incorporating it into my diet ever since.

Here are some fun facts from the Manitoba Harvest website:

Hemp seed naturally does not contain gluten. However, only one barley or wheat kernel amongst 50,000 hemp seed can potentially result in a positive test for gluten.

Instead of stating our products are gluten-free (which implies an absolute), you will see the following on our packages instead:

All Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods’ products are Non-GMO Project Verified.

Our products proudly do NOT contain additives or preservatives. It is absolutely crucial that packaging be light and air impermeable to protect hemp’s precious omegas and keep the product as fresh as possible.

We try to find the most sustainable, environmentally friendly packaging option that allows for Hemp Hearts and our hemp protein powders to still be protected. We choose pouches because over their lifecycle have 1/10th the impact of plastic canisters and although they are not recyclable, they can still be re-used numerous times.

You will also find that we do NOT include a plastic scoop in our packaging. Not only does everyone have a spoon at home, but we also wanted to reduce our carbon footprint by eliminating extra plastic in the environment.

And now for the fun part — one of my readers will win a package of Hemp Hearts to try out for themselves! Use the rafflecopter widget below to enter!

<a Rafflecopter giveaway

5 iPhone apps I’m loving right now.

February 5, 2015 by Rachel 2 Comments

A girl and her iPhone are never apart. Am I right!? As someone seeking balance, I try not to have too many unnecessary apps downloaded on my phone. Yep, I’m one of those nearly OCD people who clears out apps and keeps them in nice little “folders.” If only I was that organized with my physical things! Ha!

But really, it’s so simple to get lost in the neverending sea of apps. Here are my fave 5 apps right now!

Podcasts. I can only listen to SO MUCH music. I find talk radio soothing. And I like my mind to be stimulated while I’m running or driving. We all have favorite podcasts. I, myself, have like 18 favorite podcasts. I suppose it’s a good thing I have a lot of running to do these days.

Road ID. It leaves “e-crumbs” to keep you safe in outdoor runs. You’re able to set up notifications, or “e-crumbs,” to be sent to friends/family to keep them updated as to where you are. It has a stationary alert so that if you are stopped for 5 or more minutes, it sends out an alert to your friends. We have had several runner attacks in the last year and this app makes me feel so much better on my solo runs! But in general I prefer to run with a partner.

Life 360. At this point it may seem as if I’m obsessed with safety, but we recently had our home security system installed and it includes Life 360. In our area and climate, you can never be too safe. Sure, it’s a safe area; but what if you run off of a snowy road and don’t have access to your phone to call someone for help? Where that’s where Life360 comes in. It’s location-based and doesn’t require a subpoena or court order to find someone. And you can personalize alerts

Plowz and Mowz. I found out about this app at random. But it is my newest saving grace. We are just so far south in Northeast Ohio that we don’t get the snowbelt snow, but we get some snow. (PS. This is totally weird to me. I grew up in an area that gets crazy amounts of snow; and I went to school in Buffalo & Syracuse, which get crazy amounts of snow. When I lived in New York, I always had someone to plow my driveway every day. Every.DAY. That’s crazy! I’m so happy to live in a place that gets less snow… but still a significant amount. So just a couple of times this year we have “ordered” we have been satisfied with our driveway clearing services! 🙂PS. Here’s a $20 off code for your first plow — use code Y5H515 to get $20 off! That’s right – our first plow was only $10! TWENTY DOLLARS OFF!

Camera. Simple, easy, and my way of documenting life. Yeah, I post a LOT of personal stuff on Instagram, Twitter, and FB. But honestly? I take a LOT of photos on my phone. And video, for that matter. Moosh is always doing something cute and I’m always trying to document it.

That’s it. It’s simple. Well, kind of. We all know there are photo apps and whatnot. And obvy GMail runs my life. But these apps? THESE are what run my life. 🙂

My Christmas Wishlist //

December 23, 2014 by Rachel 1 Comment

Ok, so truly I will be happy just to have Moosh and Chad open their gifts on Christmas day. Buuuuut if I had to take a look at my running ‘wishlist’ of items (let’s be real — we all have a list like this), it would include the following:

Mini Crock Pot. Because you bring your food to work and COOK IT WHILE YOU WORK!!?? Say whaaaat? Awesomesauce. That’s what.
Alex + Ani OM bracelet. My husband bought me a tree of life bracelet a few years back and I love it. I want to wear just bunches of their wire bracelets. That’s my goal. (It’s the small things, y’all.)
A Target Gift Card. But let’s face it, I’d spend it all on Moosh. #RealTalk
A new pair of running shoes. Specifically the Mizuno Wave Rider 16‘s. Because these shoes are my everything when it comes to running without injury (ie. without stress fracture pain from my legs). And I’m going to need some new ones when I start marathon training next week! Eek!
Yoga Bliss Gift Card. To be used on copious amounts of restorative yoga (and I’m sure some hot yoga, too. Let’s face it — I can’t stay away from a good ass-kicking workout.)
A Lululemon Gift Card. I almost always run in long pants, but my goal for the marathon next year is to run in short shorts. Because 26.2 miles in long pants? No. And I’d like a GOOD pair of running shorts. But I’m too cheap to buy them myself. Ha.
The entire Starbucks Dot Collection. But if I had to choose just one tumbler, it would be this one. Adorable gold dotted, caffeinated heaven.
Serevina Carry All from Athleta. Is it a gym bag? Is it a purse? For me it would be both.
TOMS. I have 6 pairs of TOMS, and all have been worn to hell and back. I really, really, wear my TOMS. And I wear them out. So this pretty pair would be the perfect next pair to wear out. Ha!

Again, really what I want is just to spend my day watching Moosh play with his new toys and his eyes light up when he sees that Santa has brought him presents (despite his recent naughty streak that consists mostly of climbing presents to try and reach the top of our small tree — or really to reach the ornamemnts that are out of reach…)

What are some items, Christmas or not, that you have on your Wishlist!?