Oregon – Naturally Lindsay

2018 Travel Guide: Birthday Celebrations in Long Beach Peninsula

January 16, 2018 by Lindsay Ingalls 6 Comments

Happy New Year!

My blog vacation ended up being a little longer than I had planned due to some changes at home but I’m back! While my blog vacation was on the longer side I have to say our family getaway far too short.

We kicked our New Year off with a surprise birthday trip for Neil to the Adrift Hotel in Long Beach, Washington and a visit to our favorite Oregon city – Astoria.

This wasn’t our first trip to the Long Beach Peninsula and it certainly won’t be our last. The first time we ever visited Long Beach was nearly five years ago when we first moved here. A friend from Vermont who had lived in the Portland area told us how they would head up to Long Beach, Washington and drive on the beach. We had never driven on the beach before so on our first trip to Astoria we crossed the bridge and headed to the beach. This was our first trip to Washington state, first trip to Astoria, first time driving on the beach and it was also the first time we came across the Adrift hotel. It would be almost 2 years later before we would stay at the Adrift but once we did we knew we would stay there again…. even if it took 3 years.

So why the Adrift Hotel?

First, location, location, location. The Adrift Hotel is located just across the bridge from Astoria, it is located on the beach which means some rooms have a beach view and you can easily walk or borrow a bike and head to the beach. Secondly, it’s incredibly family friendly with it’s suites but it is also fun and modern for friends and couples are looking for a little getaway. One of my favorite features is the style which is a mix of modern, vintage and nautical. Also there are bikes, movies and games to borrow as well as a game area on the second floor which was a favorite of my littles.

Lastly, the food. Pickled Fish is a located in the Adrift Hotel and it offers some really great food. They also are great about accommodating vegan, vegetarian and gluten free diets which is hard time find on the peninsula. On this visit we enjoyed brunch for Neil’s birthday which included this tofu rice bowl, the hash sub tofu for the eggs and crispy potatoes. If you’d rather bring your own food you’ll find a mini fridge and microwave in your room and down in the lobby there is complimentary tea, coffee and flavored water. You can also find lots of snacks, drinks and treats like these amazing coconut caramels that I had and wish I could remember the name of because they were amazing.

After brunch we took a quick visit down to the Discovery Trail to check out the ocean but this was short lived as the rain quickly came.

We checked out of the Adrift Hotel and Astoria to take the kids to the Astoria Column, out to lunch at Buoy Brewing and to my favorite Scandinavian store Finnware.

Check out this post from our 2016 visit to Astoria for what to see and eat as well as our stay Adrift’s sister hotel Ashore. Also this post from our first stay at the Adrift Hotel for Neil’s birthday a few years ago.

Thank you to Adrift Hotel for our stay. We enjoyed ourselves and can’t wait to return. While this stay was complimentary as always all opinions are my own.

Weekend Adventure to Trillium Lake and The Power of Nature

August 15, 2017 by Lindsay Ingalls 4 Comments

This weekend felt like something out of a dream. For the first time in 9 months I felt good enough to get out with my family and get back to nature. We started our Saturday running a bit behind schedule, that was until I reminded myself that we had nowhere to be so schedules were unnecessary. After gathering ourselves and the kids we headed to Trillium Lake not without a quick stop to Target to pick up a pair of shoes because apparently pregnancy makes my feet grow.

Once we made it to Trillium Lake we spent the day wandering slowly walking the loop around the lake. Letting the kids set the pace and stopping for long playing (and nursing) sessions in the woods. We completed the loop, ate our packed lunch and then let the kids splash around in the lake until it was time to head out.

We decided that the thought of heading straight home sounded awful and we made a detour to Hood River for dinner and playtime at the waterfront park. We enjoyed a great meal, the kids while tired were in great spirits and despite the awful sewage smell at the park we all had a nice time soaking up the last bits of sun and watching the kite boarders.

As I drove home I couldn’t help but feel so full of love and happiness. It felt amazing to get out, explore and go back to our normal routine after months of sickness due to pregnancy, feeling so anxious about birth because our baby girl was breech up until 36+ weeks and then all that time I spent healing and not leaving the house. I am slow moving still and everything takes extra effort but I am reminded how much nature can heal the heart, the soul and fill us up.
So here is my request to all of you – spend more time in nature and let nature nurture your soul and heal your heart.

[Dining Out Plant-Based] California Pizza Kitchen

February 17, 2017 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

Many years go when I was a student living in Boston I would go to California Pizza Kitchen on a semi-regular basis. Back in those days I was vegetarian so eating at CPK was super easy for me. Back in those days my go-to menu items were the Tuscan Hummus, Margherita Pizza and Chinese Chicken Salad (obviously hold the chicken).

Once I moved out of Boston I don’t think I visited a CPK again until this Fall when I was kindly invited to visit the Bridgeport Village CPK. One of the reasons that I never visited again was because my diet changed from vegetarian to plant-based and I had it in my head that there just weren’t enough options but I was oh so WRONG. The team at the Bridgeport CPK was super nice and they hooked us up with so many amazing plant-based options so let’s get started.

To start I went with a mojito mocktail however if I could have indulged in alcohol I would have gone for one of their many tasty sounding sangrias.

We started with the Tuscan Hummus which if you remember is one of my old go-to menu items and it’s seriously amazing. I would go to CPK just to get this and only this because it’s that good.

Next us is the White Corn Guacamole & Chips another really tasty starter. I loved the addition of jicama, white corn and black beans and both my littles gobbled up most of this guacamole and chips.

Next up another really delicious starter that could easily be an entree – the Lettuce Wraps done vegan. These were so delicious and was one of Neil’s favorite dishes we tried.

If that wasn’t enough food we also got two different salads – the Roasted Veggie and the Thai Crunch with Avocado (no chicken). I will put a disclaimer here that we eat honey and both of the dressings for these salads contain honey. If you do not partake in honey most of the salads can be made vegan by taking off the dairy and meat and they can do an oil and vinegar for salad dressing.

As for these salads I was really into the roasted veggie salad and Neil was all about the Thai crunch. The roasted veggies were just so delicious and exactly what I was in the mood for at the time. The Thai crunch had amazing flavor, a nice crunchy topping and the avocado was the perfect addition.

We were stuffed at this point but we powered through and tried a few bites of the Asparagus & Spinach pasta. Now this pasta was probably my least favorite dish because without the salty parm that normally would be on it it was lacking a bit of flavor. I would personally recommend asking for a few lemon wedges to squeeze over the pasta to brighten it up and give it just a bit more flavor and then it would be practically perfect.

We also tried a few bites of the California Veggie pizza (no cheese) before packing it up and finishing it off the next day at home. This pizza was really delicious. I loved the crust and the veggies were super fresh. A great option.

Before I wrap this up let’s not forget about the kids! At this point the kids were feeling pretty full as well but Edith was thrilled when her fusilli with tomato sauce came out and she ate about half of this huge portion. CPK can also do a simple fusilli with olive oil for kids as well if you little one isn’t into tomato sauce.

As for Alder he went with a super simple kids mushroom pizza (no cheese) and he thought it was pretty great. I love that there are some simple and tasty kids options available.

Overall we had a great dining experience, we really enjoyed the food and we will be back. Again we would like to thank the Bridgeport CPK for having us in and we are already making plans go come back for more of that Tuscan Hummus.

*Disclaimer: CPK invited us in to dine on them. As always all opinions are my own.

PDX Events | 2016 Oregon Fermentation Festival

September 14, 2016 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

Pickles, kombucha, kraut, kimchi, miso….fermented goodies. All the amazing goodies we got to taste at the Oregon Fermentation Festival this past weekend.

Our house is one that is constantly stocked with delicious krauts and kombuchas and we often have something fermenting (some more successful than others). What can I saw we love fermented foods so when we found out about the Oregon Fermentation Festival we marked our calendars and purchased our tickets and prepared for an afternoon of funky foods.

We sampled some of our favorites like Kevita, Health-ade and OlyKraut. We also tried some new (to us) places such as Rawkstar Creations which not only has really great kombucha but an AAAAAMAZING raw BLT.

We dined on popsicles and the most delicious miso-lemon corn from Obon PDX. We loved it so much we shared 4 ears.

We even got to make a jar of pickled cucumbers and green beans! Which the kids thought was pretty amazing.

Overall we loved the festival and the kids couldn’t get enough kombucha so of course we ended up going home with a box of different varieties.

So fermented foods and beverages- love or hate? What are you favorites?

6 Hours In Portland | Kure, OMSI & the Nickel Arcade

September 5, 2016 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

So you have only six hours to spend in Portland, what would you do? I mean there is so much to do it can incredibly overwhelming. So here I am narrowing things down for you and giving you a few great spots to eat, play and soak up Portland.

9am – Kure
77 SE Yamhil St (or your favorite location – they [currently] have five)

Kure is easily one of our favorite spots in Portland. They have an amazing variety of healthy vegan and raw options that taste amazing. We recommend the Bowl of The Gods (acai bowl), Little Wing (smoothie), Liquid Sunshine (juice) and the Kure Bar (snack). Also take advantage of their awesome grab-and-go section.

9:45am – OMSI
1945 SE Water Ave

Just around the corner from Kure is the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and one of our favorite spots to explore and play. Now you might be thinking isn’t OMSI just for kids? NO! There is so much to see, do and learn that it is fun for all ages. Currently there is a space exhibit which is a must see IMO. If space isn’t your thing don’t worry there are plenty of other things to see and there is always an IMAX show.

When you are done at OMSI head out the side door and you’ll find yourself over looking the Willamette River. Here you can go for a stroll and take in the Portland skyline. So stop, look and take a photo or two.

12pm – Homegrown Smokehouse & Vegan Deli OR Vtopia
1628 SW Jefferson

Now that you have played it is time to feast so we are hopping across the river for some hearty vegan BBQ or if you are looking to go a bit more refined a cheese plate at Vtopia – or go crazy and get both! Homegrown Smoker started off as a food cart here in Portland a few years ago and they now have brick and mortar spot that is serving up their delicious fare. If BBQ isn’t your thing then head next door to Vtopia where you will find some amazing cashew based cheeses and cheesy foods.

1:15pm – Wunderland
3451 SE Belmont St

Save your nickels and head to Wunderland for hours of fun at the nickel arcade. This is one of our favorite spots in town because it is fun and cheap. Again you might be thinking isn’t this a “kids” spot and while you will find yourself sharing the space with children there is more than enough fun to be had. This is actually one of Neil and my favorite date night spots; we stop into Stumptown and grab a coffee, then the nickel arcade and end our night at Sweet Hereafter for dinner and drinks – the perfect date night. If you want a little more of an adult spot and a place where adult beverages are served then head a few streets over to QuarterWorld – but warning these games don’t issue tickets so you won’t have an awesome robotic arm or Mickey watch at the end of the day.

So that is how to spend 6 hours in Portland or a few more than that if you want to add in our favorite date night spots.

If you had 6 hours in Portland what would you do?

[PNW Adventures] Yurting at Tumalo State Park

August 18, 2016 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

As a family with thrive on adventure. We love to get outside and explore the world around us whether it be city or stream, mountain or museum, we just love to explore. One of our most memorable adventures this summer was yurting at Tumalo State Park.

A few things to note about Tumalo while it is a really nice park those falls that share the name are unfortunately not located at the park but don’t worry they are close by so you can make a morning or day out of visiting them. Other than that I thought the park was pretty great. The yurts are on the newer side and while you need to bring all of your linens and cooking supplies there is a table with 2 chairs, a futon and a bunk bed (double, single) inside the yurt as well as electricity and heat! Outside you’ll find a covered entry way with a bench, a fire ring and a picnic table. It’s a pretty great setup. One of the features of the camp that I loved was the outdoor sinks for washing your dishes – such a nice feature! Also if you are more into tenting or have a camper there really aren’t any bad sites for you!

If you head across the street from the camping area you’ll find the day use area that has trails, lots of picnic areas and nice green area with a great spot to wade in the water. Also located at the park is a playground and there are nature paths that you can access right from the camping area. Bonus you’re only 15 minutes from downtown Bend and 20 minutes from Sisters so there certainly isn’t a shortage of things to do!

Now getting a yurt or a cabin in Oregon can be tricky because they seem to the minute that reservations are open. That being said go in see when you can make your reservation and set a calendar alert so you can jump at it. That being said I need to go do ours right now for next summer!

Where are your favorites places to go on adventures? Do you prefer the city or the mountains or maybe the beach?

#FoodFindFriday | Bontà Natural Artisan Gelato | Ice Cream | Bend, Oregon

July 22, 2016 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

A few weeks ago we made our second big trip down to Bend, Oregon for some camping, hiking and gelato eating. Prior to our trip I looked up ice cream shops to visit and Bontà was one of the first spots to pop up. I checked to see what they had for non-dairy options and when I saw flavors such as chocolate coconut, lemon sorbetto, and vegan spiced latte I knew that we just had to give Bontà a try.

Our first day in Bend we headed downtown and to our delight we not only found the Bontà store front but their was a food festival also going on which included the Bontà gelato cart. After perusing the flavors we decided to get the coconut with Jem nutbutter from the cart and the raspberry sorbetto from the shop. We also sampled the chocolate and the lemon which where absolutely amazing and I have dreams about going back for a scoop of each.

The dairy-free gelato was smooth, creamy, and incredibly rich. Exactly what I love in a gelato or non-dairy ice cream. I will say we went for a regular size of the coconut with Jem and it was more than we could finish because it was so rich but oh it was so good.

Overall A+++ when it comes to quality, selection and taste and easily one of my most favorite #FridayFoodFinds.

Disclaimer: this post is in NOT sponsored.

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