FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Summer Fun With Moose Tracks Ice Cream

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Thank you Moose Tracks for sponsoring this post. All opinions included within this post are my own and based on my own experiences.

It’s not quite summer here in Austin, Texas, but there are days when it sure feels like it! This weekend was filled with thunderstorms, a muggy heat, and small slices of sunshine. And when those small slices of sunshine hit, you better believe we whipped out the bathing suits and ice cream!

Moose Tracks ice cream and waffle cones, to be exact.

Haven and Norah {pictured above} both have newborn siblings, which means the mamas have a responsibility to make sure their littles feel extra special in their new roles as big sisters. And honestly, what could feel more special to a preschooler than vanilla ice cream with loads of peanut butter cups and swirls of Moose Tracks fudge? And in a cone!?

We took the girls outside so they could enjoy their cones completely, which meant making a complete mess. Thankfully, they were eager to be ice cream models and let me snap a few frame-worthy shots before they dug in.

I think it’s safe to say they enjoyed every last bite.

The mamas enjoyed every bit of the play date too! I’m such a fan of ice cream with chunks and with Moose Tracks ice cream, we had either a peanut butter cup or swirl of Moose Tracks fudge with every bite. And seeing our little girls run around for hours {with ice cream induced excitement} not only brought us extreme joy, but gave us reassurance that our little balls of energy would soon be sleeping like logs.

To locate Moose Tracks ice cream at a store near you, click here.

Thank you Moose Tracks for sponsoring this post. All opinions included within this post are my own and based on my own experiences.

Stokke Trailz & Tripp Trapp

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We are 9-ish weeks from welcoming our baby boy and I’m in full nesting phase! Which is fantastic, but also means our small home is becoming increasingly crowded. You see, we found out we were expecting shortly after re-signing our lease. And between not wanting to move with a newborn and wanting to know where Haven will be enrolled in kindergarten before moving, we’ve decided it’s best to stay put for a while. That means we need to be smart and selective with our baby gear purchases.

We’re especially excited about two products that will undoubtedly get the most use over the next few years: the Stokke Trailz stroller and Stokke Tripp Trapp Newborn Set. Both of these products fit with our smart and selective philosophy. And infinite bonus points for both products because they also mesh seamlessly with our personal styles.

Other than the Stokke Trailz stroller being incredibly stylish {and I mean, INCREDIBLY!}, there are a handful of features that make this stroller invaluable to us. First, is how close the baby will be to me while strolling him around. I love how easily he and I will be able to interact on long walks and during errands. And my lower back loves that I won’t need to constantly bend over to check up on him or pick him up.

Rewinding back to errands, take a look at this cargo bin! My large purse and even larger reusable grocery bag fit with space to spare. I always struggled with Haven’s stroller because I felt like I had to squat to shove my purse in her stroller. And as she got heavier, her bum crept into the cargo bin. There’s such a good distance between the seat and the cargo bin that I don’t see lack of space ever being an issue with this stroller.

And the all-terrain tires are a must for us. As mentioned before, we don’t have the space for a stroller that fits every one of our needs. We spend as much time walking trails as we spend running errands, so having a stroller that can transition between each condition is so helpful.

And then a fun bonus is the Stokke Trailz Sibling Board. It’s important to me to keep Haven close to me as we’re traveling through parking lots or crowded environments. But lately, as she starts to worry about how having a baby around will impact her only child world, I also see the value in how the Sibling Board helps her feel included.

The Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair carries over a handful of the same qualities that I love about the Stokke Trailz. Most of the baby gear I’ve seen sits on the ground, which makes it difficult for baby to engage with surrounding family. I find it hugely beneficial that the Stokke Tripp Trapp Newborn Set elevates baby so he can engage with us on the couch, at the dining table, or in the kitchen while we’re cooking. Mealtimes are a treasured time in our home and I sincerely can’t wait to have baby boy at the table with us!

And lastly, I couldn’t have asked for a high chair/seat to fit more perfectly with our home decor. The Stokke Tripp Trapp feels like an intentional piece of furniture in our home and I am so thankful for that. This high chair comes with a newborn set for lounging, baby set for feeding and turns into an adjustable seat that our boy will be able to use until preschool. And because this high chair is so attractive, it’s a piece of baby gear that we’ll enjoy having around for the next several years.

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST WRITTEN BY ME ON BEHALF OF STOKKE. ALL OPINIONS ARE ENTIRELY MY OWN AND BASED ON MY OWN EXPERIENCES.

Three Ingredient Homemade Lotion

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With pregnancy has come an increased desire to write again. But between going back to work full-time and step-momming as hard as I can, I have little time for the perfect photo shoot and the perfect setting to write. Writing a blog post used to be a three-hour therapeutic thing for me. But if I keep waiting for that perfect three-hour window to open up, I’m never going to scratch this writing itch.

So here I am with a very imperfect photo of some very perfect lotion.

I stumbled upon this lotion recipe within a week of seeing two pink lines. I’ve never been a routine lotion applier and knew I needed to get in the habit before I started to show {stretch!}. I chose this recipe over others because of simplicity – it only has three ingredients, two of which were already in my pantry. The other, beeswax, was cheap and easy to order.

I waited until polishing off an entire jar and making a second batch to share my thoughts. And my thoughts are that I love everything about this lotion, specifically:

  • It takes less than 10 minutes to make.
  • It not only keeps my body super hydrated, but I’ve been using it on my extra dry preggo face.
  • It’s made with good ingredients.
  • It’s a good product for my husband’s sensitive, eczema skin.
  • It allows me to play with different essential oil combos.
  • It’s CHEAP!

I’ve scented my lotion with bergamot and grapefruit essential oils, which are both on this list of safe essential oils for use during pregnancy. I’m looking forward to trying lemon and lavender in my next batch.

Below are links to lotion ingredients as well as the bulk of the products that I use on a daily basis. Please feel free to add links to your favorite natural/pregnancy safe products in the comments below!

While the links below are Amazon affiliate links, I purchase everything on this list with my own dollars and have no affiliation with any of these brands.

Lotion Ingredients:

Other Products:

Organic Veggie Potstickers

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Thank you Bibigo for sponsoring this post. Visit your local market to enjoy the flavors of Bibigo any day of the week!

{Click on the tags in the image above to shop directly!}

Oh how I love veggie potstickers! I could eat more than a dozen of these savory pockets of deliciousness in one sitting. Bibigo organic veggie potstickers are one of my ultimate comfort foods. And they’re a comfort food that I don’t feel guilty keeping in the freezer to have on hand after a busy or stressful day. Why? Because they are jam packed with a ton of veggies like organic cabbage, organic shiitake mushrooms, and organic carrots. Yum!

Bibigo’s frozen potstickers are quick and easy to prepare. If you’re especially hangry after a long day at work, you can have a boiled potsticker meal in less than five minutes {including bringing water to a boil!}. And if you have an ounce of patience left to spare, pan frying potstickers takes less than 10 minutes.

To distract yourself while you’re waiting, I highly recommend preparing the dipping sauce recipe that’s conveniently written on the back of the Bibigo bag. This dipping sauce is still delicious even if you only have soy sauce and vinegar on hand. I prefer making ours without the optional sugar. And sometimes I use chile oil in lieu of sesame oil for a little extra kick!

If you want to take your potstickers up a notch when serving to friends or family, top pan fried potstickers with a generous amount of sliced green onions. Green onions make every dish look a little more special and they’re so darn delicious. Pan fried potstickers topped with green onions are also the perfect hors d’oeuvre to make when you’re having friends over for dinner or just to hang out.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.