Blogger Family Distelrath Farm Tour

Had the pleasure of joining fellow bloggers an a great tour of the awesome Distelrath Farm - located nearer to downtown Indy than you think! Just east on Raymond St.

The tour walked us along a mulched path past a fenced in chickens, a rabbit hutch, muddy pigs, goats and sheep and back to the chickens. The kiddos were given bags of old bread and were allowed to toss hunks of bread to the happily awaiting animals. Even got to hunt for eggs in the chicken coops! Delaney found one!

We cannot wait to go back and visit on a Saturday morning (open to the general public at that time) and to learn more about joining this great farm co-op.

Links to learn more:

Distelrath Farm
Follow them on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/DistelrathFarms
Find Them on: Facebook

Distelrath Farm Tour - Coming Up

Very excited to take part in the upcoming Blogger Family Farm Tour at Distelrath Farm. We drove past this new-to-us location on our way to our fairly ill-fated strawberry picking family adventure earlier this year (too hot outside for my wee babes that day) and have been wanting to go ever since! I creaned my neck in the passenger seat to see more as we drove past - I did see some lovely chickens and have been seeing write-ups about the location. Cannot wait to fill you all in on this gem!

Fresh Thyme Farmers Market Greenwood

I am so incredibly excited about Fresh Thyme Farmers Market coming to Greenwood! We are in an area pretty devoid of much in the way of natural food stores - and if you can find them - they are fairly small and not vary diverse what they carry. I cannot find what I need from one store - I end up having to go to different ones each week for what I need.

Was lucky enough to be on invited to the Friends and Family Night this week for Fresh Thyme to get a little beforehand sneak peek at what this store has to offer.

And woah.

You guys are going to love this place!

Really good prices - talking like 77 cent strawberries! Kinda unheard of for a health food store. So much produce, so much deli items, so many bulk pantry items....you can pour your own honey, olive oil and more! So happy!

And for all the dairy free and gluten free peeps - this store has your back! From pizza, to ice cream and more - happy dairy free day!! I wanted to skip joyously down the aisles! Ha! This stuff is hard to find on our side of town unless you count the tiny natural foods section in Kroger.

Essential oils, bath and beauty products, cereals, it is pretty cool.

Check it out!

--------------------------------

ABOUT FRESH THYME:


At Fresh Thyme Farmers Markets we believe you shouldn’t have to give away the farm to feed your body nutritious food. We’re on a mission to improve the way our communities eat by offering fresh and healthy food at amazing values -all in a vibrant and fun shopping environment, with smiling friendly faces.

The foundation of healthy eating is often based on incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables in our diets. Therefore, at the core of our offerings is an abundant produce department, overflowing with fruits and vegetables, fresh from the farm, often locally grown and much of it organic. We’re so passionate about produce that we’ve made it the nucleus of the store, ensuring the bounty of fruits and vegetables is visible from all other departments.

Here is more on the Grand Opening:

http://freshthyme.com/news/fresh-thyme-farmers-market-opening-first-indiana-store-on-june-12-in-indianapolisgreenwood

Summer's here!

So glad to be done with winter - but my do we have some catching up to do! Time flies with two! :)

Diving Into Dairy Free

So we have decided to go dairy free for our little miss Ainsley. Bouts of fussiness and arching her back through all hours of the night even on reflux medication (same as we had done for Delaney 3 years ago) lead us back to the pediatrician and also a chiropractor for insight and answers and also to rule out any ear infection, etc. Everything ruled out - so the elephant left standing is dairy in my diet. (and possibly soy- but we are going to talk about that right now - because if you take out dairy there is almost nothing left it feels - and so to also remove soy - omg let's just not go there right now). Tofutti sour cream and cream cheese are my saving graces right now - take those out and then what?? Yikes. Ok..on to the dairy free stuff.

When you first think about going dairy free it is pretty crippling. All you goes through your mind is what you cannot have. But there is light at the end of tunnel for all you fellow dairy-free people out there! I know you have that deer in the headlights look as you grip your bottle of powdered probiotics and stare at your pantry and fridge...because it is ALL DAIRY...but rest easy. There are options, choices, and you WILL feel better - and obviously baby will too.

We started this journey about a month ago and it has made a big difference for me even. I cheated and had a cupcake with dairy cream cheese and was in so much pain myself afterwards. Oy.

So here are your first steps if you are going dairy free that I found helped me.

1. Stock up on the staples: Kroger has an awesome natural food section that features a lot of what you need to go dairy free. The idea of trying to fit in an extra trip to the healthfoods store was daunting to think about when toting around two children during our limited weekend time - but really I have been able to find almost everything I need at Kroger. Yay, Kroger! :) Meijer has limited items and I haven't foraged Walmart for dairy-free so I cannot report on the scene there if there is one...but save your sanity and go to Kroger.

Buy dairy free staples that will help you daily in cooking, baking. Almost any recipe can be modified to be dairy free - this is freeing to think! Creamy casseroles, cookies, etc....modify, modify, modify.

Here is your staple list:

• Dairy Free Butter
• Dairy Free Cream Cheese
• Dairy Free Sour Cream
• Alternative Milks (coconut, almond, or rice)
• Alternative Cheeses (mozzarella, cheddar, etc)

I found it helpful to go ahead and buy half gallon cartons of several different alternative milks...so yes, there is an entire shelf in my fridge dedicated to milk.

I have found that almond milk has much more subtle taste than soy milks or coconut milk - making it great at modifying recipes that call for cows milk. I haven't tried rice milk yet - but may here in the future just to see how it compares to almond milk.

On the dairy-free cheese - do not hold much hope on these folks. Unlike the easy substitutions from dairy to non on the milks, sour cream, etc....cheese is in a league of it's own and I haven't tried enough of the alternatives out there to say what works best. I have tried what I read was the best and...eh. Just not cheese. Helps ease the transition, but so obviously not cheese. Especially cheddar. Just a word of warning on that.

In my fridge:

• Almond Milk Original - is slightly sweetened. Works as a great substitute in baked goods, cereal milk, french toast, and frostings.
• Almond Milk Unsweetened - for things like mashed potatoes, cooking dishes like casseroles etc where you wouldn't want a sweetened taste at all.
• Almond Milk Chocolate - helps with those chocolate milk cravings! And yum!!
• Coconut Milk - Coconut milk is a fattier milk than almond milk and works in recipes calling for whole milk. I have used mine to make an uh-mazing dairy-free ranch dressing.
• Tofutti Cream Cheese - great for subbing in recipes that call for cream-cheese including frostings.
• Tofutti Sour Cream - goes great on tacos, and any recipe calling for sour cream.
• Daiya Cheeses - Cheddar and Mozarella

My dairy-free sanity savers:

• Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Homemade Dairy-free ranch dressing - mix up a jar to keep in the fridge - you will be glad you did
• Hummus (do yourself a favor and add a clove of minced garlic and some olive oil, stir, and warm it up - yum) - sooo good and filling with warmed, soft pita bread cut into triangles.
• Bacon
• French bread loaves 
• Burger King French Fries

In the event that  I decide it might be worth it to try going soy-free:

• homemade soy-free "soy" sauce
• subbing  greek yogurt (something about the yogurt cultures eating the lactose making it ok for dairy free - haven't tried so not sure) for the tofutti sour cream
• kraft lactose free cheese ?? (statement found on Clarks Condensed: *Most brands of Kraft Natural Cheese have had the lactose removed, along with the whey, resulting in 0 grams of lactose, including the 100% Grated Parmesan that is used in this recipe. However, some remnants of lactose could remain, just not at a reportable level. From most that I’ve talked to that are lactose intolerant, Kraft Cheese does not bother them, but if you have an extreme intolerance, be cautious.")

Helpful Links:

• http://www.wikihow.com/Live-Without-Dairy-Products
• http://www.cookiesforbfast.com/2012/09/dairy-free-faves-snack-edition.html
• http://jennifermendelsohn.com/dairy.htm
• http://willingcook.com/surprising-premade-allergy-friendly-foods/
• http://mustfollowrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/pre-packaged-dairy-free-egg-free-peanut.html
• http://www.clarkscondensed.com/food/best-lactose-free-products/
• http://www.pinterest.com/hemhawseesaw/cheese-substitutes-dairy-free-soy-free/

Milk Conversions for Recipes (borrowed from: Cooking with Curls)

• Heavy Cream = Coconut Milk (can)
• Whole Milk = Coconut Milk (box) or Soy Milk
• Non Fat Milk = Almond or Rice Milk
• Half & Half = Half Coconut Milk (can) & Half Coconut Milk (box)

Delaney-isms

"Oh no! My hands are cracked!"

(She is just now noticing and referring to the lines on her palms and also that her skin is so dry from this brutal winter. She originally wanted a bandaid or "bandage" as she refers to them as for the cracks. Ha!)

-------------------------------------------------------------

"Delaney, who is your new friend at daycare?"

"Angry."

"Angry? Is she mad? Or is that her name?"

"That is her name."

"??"

(Turns out her name is Avery and, small world that it is, she is the child of someone we went to high school with!)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Also "Octopus" can be easily confused with "Apple Purse" :) 

Daddy and Delaney were having craft time and he asked her what she wanted him to make her out of the craft paper. And she said an Apple Purse - so that is what he made...and she told him no and took it from him and cut the bottom all up (for legs) :) 

It wasn't until a few days later when he was retelling me the story that we put it together. 

(Indianapolis) To Do with Toddlers: Veal's Ice Tree

This has been one of those soul sucking winters that just makes you want to pack up and move to the equator. I mean S.E.R.I.O.U.S.L.Y. Now add in an on-the-go toddler and an infant and you practically spell out stir crazy.

We packed everyone up this past weekend and spent a day at the mall (ugh), the three-year-old burnt some energy with Dad at the indoor playground (yes, germ-city - we know...)and Mom took the baby around to cross off some returns from our list of to-do's.

Afterwards we revved up the GPS and headed towards I-74 in search of the fabled ice tree. I have heard about it off and on for the last several years but never made it out that way. It really is a must-see! In person this ice sculpture is just magnificent and jaw dropping - makes you stand there in the family's backyard in utter awe and silence. Definitely will be a seasonal family tradition from now on! In fact Delaney asked to see it again this morning -- a full two days later! Next time we will remember to bundle the baby - so THAT's why those pink baby snow-suit things exist - aha!

Pick up a brochure while you are there and read more about the tree and it's history - fun little back story.

Leftover Magic and Improvised Refridgerator Cooking

There is something exciting about taking ho hum leftovers and creating something fantastic out of it. I also see the random left overs in the fridge as a bit of a challenge. Sour cream, whipping cream, half a box of vegetable stock....bring it.

We had went out Saturday night on a rare double date night with some new friends and came home with half of a chicken. I told him to order pasta but he swears he didn't hear me - but either way we came home with an entire half a chicken that he didn't touch much of. I do admit it didn't look good - neither of us enjoy picking meat off bones.

Sunday night rolled around and I was still looking for ways to use up the half a box of vegetable stock that has been in our fridge from a pasta sauce recipe we tried. Perusing through my evernote recipes for inspiration - it hit!

Half a left over chicken fully seasoned and cooked from the restaurant + vegetable stock + sour cream + 1/4 bag of tortilla chip crumbles = Enchilada Soup!

It is a recipe I have saved in my evernote account for awhile now that has sounded so good! Though at first, as it was cooking up I was skeptical - wasn't hitting me as great as far as smell or taste with just the chicken, store-bought veg stock and tomatoes. Not to mention that I forgot to grab heavy cream from the store - boo! Nothing else to do but improvise! Took advantage of the "cream of something soup mix" I had made up quite a while ago in the pantry - put in 2-3 tablespoons. And a few tablespoons of flour, a few tablespoons of butter - lots of salt and pepper.

But what really made this meal come to together are the add-ins. They take the soup from mediocre to sheer inhalatino-mode.

Here is what we added and suggest making mandatory if you plan on trying this recipe at all - of course they cannot be added on until last minute right before serving.

- crumbled tortilla chips (enough to make up for the thickness of the soup depending on how much chicken you put in etc - I never got the base to actually become creamy as the recipe states - of couse I didn't have heavy cream so this could why - no I take that back - it is definitely why - but I didn't want to NOT make it or run to the store again - so two handfuls of crumbled chips it is! 
- cheddar cheese
- monterrey jack cheese
- sour cream dollop
- green onion
- and inhale :)

Instagram: Let's be Friends

Who wants to join me on Instagram!?

More Easter Goodness

Just a little internet (Zuily) window shopping - carry on, carry on! :)

Think long, dark curls and a 3 year old + this purple dress












And this macaroon lip gloss - because, hello!

Web Finds Wednesday: Brace Yourselves Its a Long One ;)

10 Parenting Hacks that Changed My Life

My latest dinner inspiration = Buns In My Oven

Hometown Tourist Desitnation (where I want to visit next) = Holliday Park

Loaded Baked Potato Fritatta

Learn Web Design Guide

The Best Parenting Books I know

Colicky Babies May Have Wrong Bacteria

Crispy Chicken Wraps

The Way We Work Is Soul-Sucking, But Social Networks Are Not the Fix

Crispy Pork Carnitas

Inner Child Fun

10 Things Moms Need to Remember

12 Reasons the RIE Craze Isn't Crazy

Easter Basket Ideas 2014

Love learning gifts for our little ones and who doesn't love a good deal?! - this week Zuily has both!

Animal Puzzle Spelling Set

Octpus Bow Hair Clip

It's an "applepurse!" as my husband would say. (It's what he thought our little one was saying when she was tyring to say "octopus") 

P.S. I MUST find way to make these - too adorable!

More hair clip adorableness:

Ballet Slippers Clip (PERFECT for our ballerini-obsessed 3 year old!)

Animal Grabber Set

Also a little family inside joke here - and would totally replace the two beloved "sharkies" that managed to make it back to Indiana from our North Carolina vacation but have since met their demise through various tragedies that are inevitable to befall a flimsy plastic stick toy. :(

Maubs

Maubs is 3-year old speak for boobs. lol.

As in, "You maubs leaking, mom? Are they leaking?" Seeing my soaked shirt (hello nursing oversupply and overactive letdown) or watching as I scramble to locate where I put my nursing pads.

Ah the fun of having a 2 month old and a 3 yr old. :)

Web Finds Wednesday (Saturday Edition)

Awesome Story about a Bullied Kid Growing up to be an Awesome Adult

100 Things to Do in Indianapolis Before Your Kids Grow Up

To You Who Bring Small Children to Church

Deep Dish Cookie Pie (with a secret ingredient)

Wow

So a little behind is an understatement.

Our household as grown! Not only was baby #2 born (10 days late!) in a whirlwind of a labor and delivery (only 4 hours total! - holy wow!) but we also took in and bottle fed a kitten.

Gah!

So we are now at two kids, two dogs and two cats! Oy vey!

Hoping to jump on here more often - ya right - TWO kids remember?? No, but really I miss it and need to get back to it! :)

Anyone faithful enough to stick around and still be reading??

Babies Have Guess Dates

One more I have to share --- reminding myself. :)

Post by Marsupial Mommy.

Everything is a Symptom

My Baby Bump Shadow on the bathroom wall - Nov 12, 2013

At now one day over my "due date" everything is a symptom of early labor. :)

Think I am kidding?

Google: "runny nose and 40 weeks pregnant" or "sore throat and 40 weeks pregnant" - and you will see what  I mean.

Not convinced?

Try "heartburn and 40 weeks pregnant" or "hot flashes and 40 weeks pregnant".

Any day now! But trying to be patient this time around! I wasn't last time - walked and walked and walked, spicy foods, pineapple, anything I tried it - except like castor oil - did not and will not try that.

But ended up with a high tear and had to be induced three days after my due date....hadn't even had a contraction before the pitocin. Which kinda scares me because I don't really know what a real contraction feels like that isn't medically induced.

Was at the hospital last Sunday (long story - but just stress and nothing I could control myself stress-wise) - and was all hooked up and the doctor said I was having contractions which I could kinda feel but they were nothing compared to what I have felt a few times and NOTHING like what the pitocin contractions are like.

Anywho, this is my mantra today...my focus.

Post by Mother Health International.

VoxBox Love

I want to post how much I truly appreciate being a part of the Mama Vox Box program! As a mom it is hard to keep up with new products that might make my life easier or that I would love. A store run means milk, eggs and bread - and usually I forget at least one of those things - so looking at new things to try?? Ha!

So a box full of the latest goodies for me to test and try out and share with my friends is just AWESOME. There hasn't been an item that I haven't fallen for actually.

Here is my 3 year old testing out the latest BB Cream by Pond's. I love this stuff - and she does too - lol! Received two different shades in the box - a light and a medium tone and I use both! Light first to conceal my dark circles (hello, tired mom) and then the medium over that. Blends nicely and is just a smooth cream - love it! Has taken over as my favorite when I had been using the same old concealer for YEARS. What can I say - too easy to get stuck in your ways. But glad to have the opportunity to try a new one - because it is great!

There's More to the State Fair than Food & Rides

What I like about making our annual trip or two to the Indiana State Fair every year is that is it about so much more than just food and rides, in fact, if we can manage it we avoid those altogether - bringing our own food and drink, etc. So much money and a gut-ache afterwards. Yes, of course, there is the obligatory Lemon Shake Up and we do usually end up buying something yummy to split and eat - but for the most part - the fair, for us, is not so much about those things.

Why we visit the fair is more for the experience, creating memories as a family, and to learn new things. Which we certainly did during Indiana’s Family of Farmers Blogger Day at the Indiana State Fair on Monday, August 5!

 

We visited the DuPontFood Pavilion where we watched the Food Demo stage in the Red Gold Culinary Corner and heard great cooking tips and so much more. 

Then we caught a ride on the Soy Biodiesel Tractor Shuttle to the north side of the fairgrounds, - the shuttle is the WAY to go at the fair with little ones in tow. ($1 per person per ride - 2 and under are free)

 

 

We experienced the brand new Glass Barn and watched a live video chat with Heather from Hill Farm at 11 a.m. Got an inside peek into pig farming and go to see cute squiggly, wiggly baby piggies. What is great about these video chats and the exhibit at the Glass Barn is that it makes you truly realize that there are FAMILIES (people, men, women, and children) behind the farms that produce our food.

 

Like the Glass Barn on Facebook 
Follow the Glass Barn on Twitter
Visit the Glass Barn Website 

Like Indiana's Family of Farmer's on Facebook
Follow IFOF on Twitter
Visit the IFOF Website to Learn more

We're headed back to the fair for trip #2 here soon! 

Pregnancy Skin Issues Begone with Beaute De Maman

Had the pleasure of trying the awesome Beaute de Maman line of skincare products developed by a board-certified OBGYN especially for the delicate skin of pregnant women - and while at first a little skeptical of noticing any sort of different beyond the already gentle approach I was taking - I was blown away.

I am typically not one for boutique skin creams as I prefer to be able to grab my beauty products at any local grocery - I am, after all, a busy mama! (the Beaute de Maman website says you can find their products at CVS now!) One stop trips are key nowadays. Sadly I still have a Kohl's gift card from Christmas 2012 I haven't used yet because I just never make it that direction - but I have SOOO been meaning too - this mama is in need of a new wallet and purse - mine is looking downright shabby :/ - wallet is missing the zipper pull and the interior coin zipper is broken and the purse is getting worn edges. Work, home, grocery store, park, not much time or energy for extra trips with a toddler in tow to just pleasure shop. Oy.

Anyways, back to this skincare line. :) Sorry, got off track for a bit.

Between the face and body acne cream and the facial scrub blackheads that have been on my nose for as long as I can remember have vanished - and we are talking post baby #1 blackheads here!  Pretty much a miracle worker this stuff! In fact I plan on using it after pregnancy to see if it will continue to help with light my adult acne issues - because it most definitely cleared everything up and nothing that I have before now has! It is made with gentle and natural ingredients like tea tree oil - which you can smell hints of in the acne cream and with hormones being crazy with breastfeeding etc I am sure I will get way more than 9 months of benefit out of these products.

If you are suffering from pregnancy skin issues, like hormone induced acne, sensitive skin when you didn't have that before, and stretch marks - this line is a great product to try. I imagine if you are not accustomed to the smell of tea tree oil that that might set you back at first on the acne cream, but I found it was still just faint enough to not bother my queasy tummy and the facial scrub is indeed a scrub which I don't prefer to use everyday - just feels so harsh to have sharp, rough granules scrap at your face both morning and night - this typically doesn't bother me at all but if I am having a particularly sensitive night it does.


Follow Beaute de Maman on Facebook
Join Beaute de Maman on Twitter
Visit their website

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe would be good for my readers.