Review

Vacationing In The Ocean State: Sleeps & Eats

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Where We Stayed: Warren, Rhode Island.

We rented a three bedroom, two bathroom townhouse in Warren, RI (about 20 minutes from Providence) with my parents. We found the rental on VRBO and were very pleased with our accommodations. The townhouse was located on the top two floors of a a three story historic home and it over looked the water.  It was wonderful because it had two balconies and a deck where we were able to sit out and relax, enjoy a cup of coffee and take advantage of the grill. The townhouse was so beautiful and Neil and I really wanted to just move in, we loved the layout and the location.

We also stayed an extra night at the Hilton Providence which was in a good location (downtown Providence) but we were less than impressed with the accommodations. I am not sure if it was because we had a baby and they worried she would be loud but when we checked in they said they were going to move us to a higher floor and we ended up being in a room across from the ice machine and on a floor with younger (rowdy) adults and lots of little kids. The bed was comfortable but it was so noisy!

Where We Ate:

We actually picked up a bunch of groceries from Whole Foods and Trader Joes and ate the majority of our meals at the house.  The few meals we did eat out included:

  • Kabob and Curry (take out): One of the nights we picked up Indian take out to enjoy at the house.  It was great because the menu had a vegan section and everything was clearly market dairy free and/or gluten free.  We ordered two curries and pakoras and some house pickled veggies.  The pakoras were delicious and I am so glad I ordered two orders of them! The curries were pretty good not the best I’ve had but not the worst either.  The pickled veggies were …um….well they had a really  off putting smell so I didn’t even try them.
  • Wildflour Bakery: Neil and I visited Wildflour last year and instantly fell in love so we had to visit it again.  The first visit (yes it’s so good we went twice) we had a granola scone, a gluten free lemon blueberry scone, a gluten free raspberry cheesecake brownie and a slow drip coffee for him and a (too) spicy coffee for me. My coffee was super spicy because of the cayenne and although I tried to drink it I just couldn’t. On our second visit I had a yummy broccoli cheddar scone and Neil had a granola scone (what can I say it’s really good) and we shared a green smoothie and a slow drip coffee.
  • Julian’s: When we visited Providence last year Julian’s was on the list to try, however since we were just in town for the day we could only go to one restaurant so we didn’t end up making it there.  This trip it  made the list again and not only did we go once we went twice! Our first visit was for dinner with my parents, I ordered the Mediterranean Spice Fried Seitan Skewers with saffron-olive-portobella bulgar, pea tendrils, preserved lemon, & paprika roasted cauliflower purée, Neil had House Made Vegan Teriyaki Sausage with wasabi-salted pommes frites, pickled cabbage, & hot mustard and my parents both ordered grilled chicken one with asparagus the other had a green salad.  We all absolutely loved our meals and would recommend it to both vegans and omnivores. On our second visit we went for Sunday morning breakfast and word to the wise get there early.  They open at 9am, we arrived at 8:55 and there was already a line.  People had been waiting awhile as well and had already put their names on the list.  As we were leaving the line to get in was huge! At least if you do have to wait you can get yourself one of their tasty (sounding) breakfast cocktails to enjoy outside while you wait.  For breakfast Neil and I shared the St. Jamez ‘Benedict’ fried tofu ‘egg’, garlicky spinach, & vegan hollandaise and the special tofu scramble.  Both were good but not as good as dinner.  We wish we had ordered the benedict and the vegan carrot cake pancakes instead of the scramble, oh well there is always next time.

  • Federal Hill Pizza: Federal Hill Pizza was located just a few blocks from our house in Warren so we decided to try it out with my parents for lunch one afternoon.  We shared the bruschetta flatbread, garlic broccoli rabe, the green salad that was topped with grilled veggies and the pasta with garlic, olive oil and grilled veggies.  The star of he show was the green salad with the grilled veggies, it was delicious and we all loved it.  Overall the food was good, my parents had a pizza there one of the nights and they really enjoyed it as well.
  • Crazy Burger: Neil was able to take part of one day off while we were in Rhode Island so we decided to head out of a drive and that’s when we came across Crazy Burger in Narragansett.  Apparently (we learned this after visiting) the restaurant was on Diners, Dive-in’s & Dives, what brought us to Crazy Burger however was the selection of vegan burgers and other vegan offerings. Neil and I really wanted to try everything (vegan) on the menu but decided to go with two burgers one with the slaw and one with fries.  For our burgers we ordered BIRDIE MAE BURGER: Grilled Tempeh, purple sticky rice, sweet potato, roasted sunflower seeds, and rosemary-pumpkin pesto combine to create a wonderful taste & texture; grilled into a tomato tortilla and the WILD & CRAZY MUSHROOM BURGER: Portabella, Porcini & Domestic Mushrooms mixed w/Italian rice & fresh vegetables; served on a vegan bun with a wild mushroom gravy. Both of the burgers were really good but the mushroom burger was extra tasty because of the amazing wild mushroom gravy (which was amazing on the fries as well).  This is definitely a place we hope to visit again, I mean we need to try all of their veggie burgers to really decided which one is best.

Up Next: Coffee Joints and the Happenings in the Ocean State

Where are your favorite places to eat in Rhode Island?

Love Me Some Kale Chips

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I am a huge fan of kale chips, I mean nowadays who isn’t? There is nothing better than having a chip that is also healthy, but for it to be good it needs to also be tasty.  So what I am saying is that not all kale chips are created equal. I love to make my own kale chips (which usually are the best) but sometimes I like to try the number of packaged varieties that you can find in stores today.

The most recent kale chips that I tried (and really enjoyed) were Pacific Northwest Kale Chips which are actually on special right now on Vegan Cuts.

Neil and I took the three flavors of Pacific Northwest Kale Chips on our recent road trip down to Rhode Island.  The first flavor we tired was the Cheezy Crunch which we thought would have been our favorite flavor because who doesn’t love cheezy  flavors? Don’t get me wrong they were good but not quite as cheezy as I would have liked.

The second flavor we tired was the Stumptown Original which were really tasty and I loved the use of hazelnuts in the flavoring.  It’s not often that you find kale chip season made with hazelnuts usually you see cashews or sunflower seeds so this was a nice nutty change.

We liked all three but in the end we decided that the Glacier Peak Greens, which was a combo of cilantro, jalapeno and lime, to be our favorite of the three. We were both surprised how much we enjoyed this flavor combination.  Neil isn’t a huge fan of cilantro and although I am I wasn’t sure if the lime and cilantro would be over powering but in the end the flavors were super subtle and really flavorful.  We finished the whole bag of Glacier Peak Greens down to the last crumb on the way to Rhode Island.

Overall: Big fan of the kale chips and I loved the packaging-the chips stayed super crispy!

Disclaimer: Pacific Northwest Kale Chips provided me with their product at no cost. I was under no obligation to review them if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway.

Baby Wearing Me Out

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Although Edie slept beautifully this morning I was still in need of a little pick me up so I whipped up a 5 Sparrow Snow Ghost Frappe* made with Chameleon Cold-Brew. The frappe tasted just like something you could pick up at a coffee house for an arm and a leg but it was made at a fraction of the cost at home with unsweetened almond milk. I sucked this back quick and I am looking forward to trying the other flavors that 5 Sparrow have including the chai.

After enjoying my coffee frappe I spent the remainder of the day nursing a baby who just couldn’t eat enough; today was one of those challenging nursing days.  When I was finally able to take a quick break and Neil was able to have a little daddy-daughter time I whipped up two big salads for Neil and I for lunch.

Ingredients:

leftover potato-summer squash-chickpea hash

radishes

heirloom tomatoes

greens

shredded cabbage

red onion

mushrooms

Drew’s Roasted Garlic & Peppercorn Salad Dressing for me and Lemon Goddess Salad Dressing for him

After lunch I was back at my nursing station on the couch for a few more hours.  In between feedings I was able to get a little bit of work done on the computer and played with Edie when she wasn’t fussing to eat or needing to be changed (we went through so many diapers today!).

As a snack I decided to try a Good ‘n Natural bar but after one bite (that I couldn’t finish) it ended up in the trash bin; the texture and flavor was awful.  Neil tried the other two flavors that we had but after a small bite of each he came to the same conclusion- they were all awful.  So instead I had a KIT’s ORGANIC bar instead which I already knew was tasty.

Once Neil finished up working for the day (he is working from home this week and next) we decided to head downtown to the local wine shop to pick up a few bottles of wine and use our Living Social deal. When we arrived downtown we put Edie in the Boba wrap and she fell asleep instantly so we headed to the wine shop and picked up two bottles of red and a beer for a gift.  Since Edie was still sleeping peacefully we decided to stop into American Flatbread for a beer. I had a 6oz pour of Juhlia which is a sahti (for you beer geeks) and Neil had a pint of the TLA IPA (and about 1.5oz of my Juhlia because it was a high alcohol beer).  It was amazing to sit outside and enjoy a beer with Neil while Edie just slept peacefully.

This evening I bathed Edie and put her to bed while Neil made dinner (veggie burgers and homemade baked potato “chips”).  Now it’s time to sit back, relax and watch a few shows on Netflix before heading to bed.

Today on Naturally Family check out our post on our DIY Nursery Art.

Disclaimer: 5 Sparrow provided me with their product at no cost. I was under no obligation to review them if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway.

Review: Pure Sweets

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Pure Sweets is an organic, gluten-free, vegan, kosher bakery in Philly.  A few months ago I contacted them about doing a review and the sent me a few items to try which include one of their crisp bars –The Ladybug, a flourless cookie- The Ape, a trio of mini macaroons- The Poodle  and a bag of trail mix- The Camel. Neil and I enjoyed everything so much that we ended up placing an order for a few more goodies for ourselves and an order of mini macaroons for our babyshower.

For ourselves we ordered:

  • The Kitty: Organic citrus cardamom cookies made with organic citrus fruit. We both really loved the flavor of these cookies but unfortunately they didn’t travel so well and ended up having a strange consistency.  I blame the heat and humidity we have been having here.
  • The Kid:  Organic brown rice crisp bar topped with organic peanut butter, organic blackberry preserves from Italy and organic single-origin dark chocolate. After loving The Ladybug we had to order another crisp bar and let me tell you that this one was even better! Neil and I both wished we had ordered two because it was really hard to share (we fought over the last bite).
  • The Bat: Organic single-origin chocolate macaroons peppered with organic cayenne. This was one of my favorite macaroons.  It was chocolately with just a mild hit of spice.
  • The Sphinx:  Organic rosewater cardamom macaroons. These macaroons were really great, such an interesting flavor.  We both really liked them but after trying a number of other flavors at the shower they ddin’t end up being a favorite of ours.  Tip: Crumble and add to vanilla coconut yogurt with sliced strawberries- so good!
   
   

For the shower we ordered:

  • The Sphinx:  Organic rosewater cardamom macaroons.
  • The Elephant: Organic cashew butter macaroons with organic caramelized nuts. This was my favorite of all the macaroons that I tried.  The caramelized nuts really made this so delicious.  I plan on ordering more of these soon!
  • The Owl: Organic salted almond vanilla bean macaroons. This one was good but you can get it dipped in chocolate and I think that would have made it even better.
  • The Panda: Organic single-origin chocolate chunk macaroons. I didn’t actually get to try this one (sad face) but Neil did and he absolutely loved it!
  • The Poodle: Organic lemon lavender macaroons.(I just checked my order and this one must have been snuck in by the good people at Pure Sweets) These are my second favorite ( The Elephant being my first) of all the macaroons. The lemon and lavender is such a great combination.
Pure Sweets photo shoot at our baby shower featuring father-to-be Neil and our friend Laura
   

Other things I love about Pure Sweets:

  • They donate 5% of their profits to charity.
  • The “bonus” details that are included with their products–> example The Poodle: Bonus: immune booster, 60 calories per macaroon.
  • Their products are organic, vegan, gluten free and kosher.
  • They have an amazing and personable staff to work with.
  • I also love that they offer gift boxes and wedding and other favors.
Disclosure: I purchased the reviewed items from Pure Sweets. All opinions are honest and my own.
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If you haven’t stop over to our family blog, Naturally Family, then head over now and Meet The Family.  We have been discussing this weeks pregnancy ups and downs, our baby bucket list and my labor and deliver fears.

Review & Giveaway: Belli Skincare

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There are a number of prenatal and postnatal beauty products out there today and it can be a real challenge to figure out which ones you should try and which ones you should just pass on.  I recently received a package from Belli Skincare containing their Your Best Baby Bump Duo and their Anti-Chloasma Facial Sunscreen.  Although all three items had their pros and cons, I absolutely loved them all and would recommend everything.  I really look forward to trying products from Belli’s Motherhood Line and maybe even their Baby Line. Check out my review of each product below:

Your Best Baby Bump Duo $49.99

I received the “Your Best Baby Bump Duo” which includes the Elasticity Belly Oil and the All Day Moisture Body Lotion

Elasticity Belly Oil (regularly $39)

Maintains the look of smooth, healthy skin with scientifically researched* ingredients that help prepare skin for stretching during pregnancy.

  • A luxurious blend of pure plant extracts to nourish and moisturize the skin
  • The aromatherapy benefit of lavender soothes and calms the senses
  • Contains Vitamin E and grapeseed oil, both are rich in antioxidants
  • Used in fine spas as a pre-natal massage oil

Pro: I love the smell! It is really wonderful and I am looking forward to packing it up and taking it to the birthing center with us so that Neil can use it to massage my back. I also love how it sprays on so easily and isn’t too greasy feeling. Neil also loves the smell of this oil.

Con: The spray is nice but sometimes it goes on a little wild- I have learned to remove my shirt before putting it on now so it won’t get all over my clothes. The other con is the price- it is a little expensive at $39.

Would I recommend? I would and I AM recommending it to moms-to-be.  I would recommend getting the Your Best Baby Bump Duo because it is a good deal and has both the oil and the lotion.

All Day Moisture Body Lotion (regularly $19)

Deeply moisturizes, soothes and comforts dry skin.

  • Features lemon oil which is known for its uplifting qualities
  • Chamomile soothes and refreshes
  • Shea butter moisturizes and smooths

Pro: Smells like lemon cookies! I absolutely love this lotion and so does Neil. We both used it after spending too much time in the sun and it did a good job at soothing our burnt skin.  It also really does a great job at moisturizing.  I also love that it smells like lemon cookies but the smell isn’t over powering and really mellows out shortly after applying.

Cons: I really can’t think of any cons! It is a little on the more expensive side for some but honestly I think the price is pretty competitive for the quality.

Would I recommend? I would definitely recommended this to anyone regardless of whether you are pregnant or not.

Anti-Chloasma Facial Sunscreen SPF-25 $24

Shield yourself from UVA and UVB rays with pregnancy-friendly sunscreen ingredients.

  • Features zinc oxide & titanium dioxide– minerals that act as physical sunscreen filters
  • Sun exposure during pregnancy can result in chloasma– dark brown spots that 70% of pregnant women experience
  • Lightly tinted to blend in with all skin types
  • Oil-free
  • May be worn alone or under makeup

Pro: It doesn’t have the normal sunscreen smell (which I hate). Although it is tinted it blends right in and I find it evens my skin tone out just a bit (maybe I’m the only one who notices though). It isn’t heavy on the skin and it works really well with my makeup.  I usually wear a tinted moisturizer and lately I have just been wearing the Belli sunscreen instead.

Con: It is a little expensive, especially if you plan to reapply frequently or if you are a little heavy handed with it.  I wouldn’t wear this as my go to sunscreen if I were heading to the pool or the beach but it is good for everyday wear.

Would I recommend? I would recommend this, however, if you know you really need a lot of sunscreen in the summer and/or spend a lot of time lounging on the beach I would also have another facial sunscreen for that and use this as more everyday use.

Giveaway: (closed)

Winner:

One lucky reader will win both the  Your Best Baby Bump Duo and the Anti-Chloasma Facial Sunscreen. This giveaway is open to U.S. & Canada residents only. Giveaway is open until June 8, 2012 at 6pm EST.

To Enter:

Mandatory: Visit the Belli Skincare site and tell me something you learned or a about a product that interest you.

Additional Entries (leave a separate comment for each entry):

  • Follow @Belliskincare on Twitter
  • Tweet about this giveaway: “I want to win @runwithtongs @BelliSkincare giveaway http://wp.me/pFVWo-3jU”

Disclaimer: Belli Skincare provided me with these products at no cost. I was under no obligation to review them if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway.

Did you know? You can take advantage of savings on Belli products by clicking on the bright pink Share & Save button that appears on the far right-hand side of belliskincare.com.  When they click the button and share Belli with at least 3 of their friends via email, Facebook or Twitter, they and their friends can receive an exclusive promo code good for 20% off their purchase at belliskincare.com.

The Last Getaway: Part Three

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After our busy morning in Freeport we settled in for a nap before heading out to Soakology. Soakology is a foot sanctuary and teahouse in Portland that Neil and I came across a few years ago and absolutely loved our experience there and have been dying to go back since. Last year we couldn’t fit it into our visit but we made sure to call ahead and make appointments this year.

Source

When we arrived we checked in and chose our foot soaks from a pretty extensive selection.  I was told due to pregnancy I could not do any that had rosemary and there was one specific detox one that was not suitable for pregnant woman; I loved how informative and knowledgeable the staff was! Neil decided to go with a rosemary, seaweed and tea tree soak that was described as being good for runners and bikers and I went with the chai and fig soak which sounds as luscious as it was.

While we waited to head downstairs to the soaking room we looked over the tea and treats menu.  We both decided to go with iced tea, ginger peach for me and ginger mint for him.  We were also a little hungry so we ordered the Mediterranean Plate which had hummus, olives, pita and veggies; it was fantastic!

Unfortunately I couldn’t take any shots of us actually getting our feet soaked or of the downstairs soaking room but I can tell you it was just as amazing as I remember.  We were seated in these big comfy chairs that are elevated off the floor and we were given these wonderful warm scented shoulder/neck pads as we slipped our feet into giant bowls of soaking water that had little smooth stones in the bottom to run your feet across.  We sat back, relaxed and enjoyed our soak, tea and snack.  Honestly, when we first went here we were a little skeptical about just getting the foot soak (you can also get food scrubs, massages, and upper body massages as well) but we were both pleasantly surprised at just how relaxing it was to sit back with your feet in a nice bowl of soaking liquid.  Appointments are about an hour long and during that time they come through and offer you more hot water to reheat your soaking liquid.  This is one of my “must do in Portland” activities and I hope we are able to do it again soon.

After our relaxing foot soak we decided to head out to Portland Head Lighthouse and Two Lights (two other lighthouses), both of which I hadn’t been to in many years and Neil had never been to.  Although the temperature started to get a little cool it was a beautiful night and we took full advantage of it.

After taking over 300 photos and enjoying some time by the water we headed to Silly’s Restaurant for dinner. We had never been to Silly’s, but since it was known for being vegan friendly and for having veggie burgers (what we both were in the mood for) we decided to give it a try.

The menu is huge at Silly’s and although we had gone there on a mission for veggie burgers we ended up having a hard time deciding on what to order.  We finally settled on two items to share:

The Zombie burger A veggie burger, vegan mozz, spinach, onion, tomato, spicy sauce, pineapple & jalapenos on griddled garlic bread with fries Buffalo Fries. We decided to swap out the regular fries for buffalo fries (fries tossed with hot sauce) and served with a creamy spicy vegan sauce.  The burger was homemade and delicious! We were both also pleasantly surprised that the pineapple was not overpowering (our only concern).

We also shared the ZoomaZoom (vegan) Falafel with spicy vegan spread, spinach, lettuce, tomato, onion and black olives.  This was really tasty as well and the perfect companion to the Zombie Burger.  While the Zombie Burger and fries was a little heavier the ZoomaZoom was much lighter; the perfect combination for sharing.

After dinner we headed to Whole Foods (again) and I picked up a kiddie sized chocolate sorbet for dessert and Neil got himself a local beer to bring back to the hotel to try.  We spent the remainder of the night looking at the photos from our day and relaxing.

Sunday was all about picking up groceries and our favorite goodies from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s before heading home.  We stopped in North Conway to do a little more outlet shopping, where I found another maxi dress from Banana Republic on sale from $100 for only $30! Then we had lunch at Moat Mountain before finally heading straight home where we settled in on the couch to relax.

We had the perfect last getaway before the baby’s arrival and I couldn’t be happier.

Recipe of the Week: My Favorite Open Faced Chickpea Salad Sandwich

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There is no denying it bread does not last long in this house, especially if it is in bagel form. Both the husband and I are addicted to toast, bagels with tofu cream cheese and sandwiches. To keep our addiction in check we don’t often buy bread but rather eat it out (which isn’t often) or Neil will bake us up a small loaf (much more manageable). One other way that we have been able to keep our addiction in check are wonderful sprouted breads that are from the freezer section; it seems that if the bread isn’t on the counter we won’t eat a loaf in two days (or less).

 

 

Our current bread love is French Meadow Bakery which makes bagels, wraps and bread both gluten free and not. We seem to always have something in our freezer nowadays and I love it. My favorite products are the bagels especially the hemp bagels with tofu cream cheese, thinly sliced onions and tomatoes, capers and a little salt and pepper- YUM! Also did I mention that one hemp bagel has 19 grams of protein and 13 grams of dietary fiber! This is a huge plus especially since being pregnant I need to make sure I am getting a good amount of both.

When my sweet tooth hits I turn to the sprouted cinnamon raisin bagels which honestly don’t require any topping but are wonderful with almond butter and banana. These t0o are filled with protein and dietary fiber- Win!

 

 

Now I would eat most everything on a bagel but sometimes you just want toast or a sandwich and that’s when I turn to the 16 Grain & Seed Bread.  This bread makes a fabulous sandwich or toast, I especially like to use it for open faced sandwiches.  Recently I made up a bowl of my favorite sandwich filling, chickpea salad, and topped a few slices of 16 Grain & Seed Bread along with tomato, red onion and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.  I stuck the slices under the broiler for 4-5 minutes and voila I had the best open faced sandwich- double yum!

 

My Favorite Open Faced Chickpea Salad Sandwich

  • 1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 carrots, minced
  • 2 celery stalks, minced
  • 2T onion, minced
  • 1/2T Triple Blend Flakes (or kelp flakes) (optional)
  • 1/4 Cup vegenaise or your other favorite vegan mayo
  • Tomato and Onion, thinly sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Nutritional yeast

Place your chickpeas in a bowl and smash them with a potato masher.  Add the carrots, celery, onion, kelp flakes and vegenaise and mix to combine.  Top slices of bread with the mixture and then layer with onion and tomato.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutritional yeast.  Place on a sheet pan and broil on high for 4-5 minutes.

Unfortunately Open Faced Sandwiches Aren't Very Photogenic