Supporting Ohio Farmers

As a general rule, Duane and I have always tried to incorporate healthy eating habits into our life. We don't typically stock up on fattening snack foods, avoid white flour at all costs, eat veggies at every meal and choose organic produce (especially the "dirty dozen"), dairy and meat whenever we can. Sure we pay more at the grocery store, but to us it's completely worth it.

In turn we also try and ensure that Emma gets a healthy, balanced diet. One of the first foods we introduced as a baby was avocado - often referred to as "one of nature's perfect foods" for it's dense nutrients and "good fat" content. I still remember when Emma was about 8 months old. We took her out to dinner at a local establishment. I pulled a half an avocado from the diaper bag and proceeded to spoon feed her bites as she clapped her hands in anticipation. A woman stopped, introduced her self as a cardiatric nurse and told me I was doing my daughter such a favor by introducing her the heart healthy food at an early age. To this day Emma eats broccoli, peas, carrots (as long as they are cooked), avocado, and green beans without a fight.

So, when my company announced a partnership with Fresh Fork Market - I was sold before I even attended the first of many informational meetings.

What is Fresh Fork? "Fresh Fork is a virtual farmers market that gets the freshest Northeast Ohio farm products to you within 24 hours of harvest."

To participate, subscribers join a Fresh Fork Sponsored CSA plan. What is a CSA? CSA or "Community Supported Agriculture is when a consumer purchases “shares” of a farm in order to get a weekly basket of in-season foods."

Sounded good to me. And an added bonus, our "baskets" would be delivered weekly right to my workplace, available for pick up Friday mornings or afternoons. After assessing the payment options and basket sizes - I signed us up for delivery of 1 Traditional Large basket starting at the end of May and lasting for 22 weeks.

Each tuesday around lunch time I get an email listing the contents of that weeks basket. This gives us a little time to plan some meals and pick up additional ingredients if necessary. Each week's bag value is about $50 and includes a combination or fruits, veggies, dairy products and meat.

All meats are 100% "pasture raised." This means that the animal is free range and on organic pasture land. Plus, no animals receive antibiotics or hormones. This is incredibly important to me - and what I look for when purchasing meat in general.

The contents vary by what is in season during that time. So early on there is a lot of lettuce, spinach, kale and other greens. Mid summer starts to bring cucumbers, zuchinni and tomatoes. Now we are getting melons, apples, peppers and cheese.

This was the loot from a few weeks back; 1 dozen eggs (from pastured raised chickens), 3 slicing tomatoes, green beens, 4 peaches, carrots, apricots, 1lb of Roasted Red Pepper Ohio City Linguini, 1 package of mild italian sausage, 6 ears of sweet corn, 1 bunch of kale, 1 red onion, 3 hungarian hot peppers, 1 stalk leeks, and 1 head of lettuce.

What I love most about this program is the fact that it forces you to explore dishes outside of your comfort zone, search out recipes using unique ingredients, and fall in love with dishes you might never have tried otherwise.

This dish has become a favorite in our household and can vary based on what veggies and/or meat you have on hand (or need to use up!). While the roasted red pepper linguini from Ohio City Pasta is amazing, our household prefers the spinach - even Emma. If our weekly CSA basket does not include any pasta we purchase it at Heinen's or The West Side Market. In a skillet toss your favorite meat/seafood with olive oil and minced garlic cloves or scapes. Cook through and remove from skillet. Add a mixture of chopped up veggies, such as: red peppers, zuchinni, yellow squash, mushroom, red onion, kale. Sautee with more garlic and a bit of salt and pepper for flavor. In the meantime boil water and cook the pasta. Once veggies are cooked to your preference, toss the meat and veggies back into the skillet for a few minutes. Serve with a little bit of parmesean cheese sprinkled on top.

Trying to incorporate more greens into our diet with out the same old boring salad can be challenging. A few weeks packages included a whole chicken which we've oven roasted. Any leftovers we have we use for yummy salad, like the one pictured above. When strawberries were in season we'd make spinach, chicken, strawberry, mandarin orange and fresh mozzerella salads tossed in a raspberry vinagrette. Yum!

Or for a southwestern twist top a mix of romaine and spinach with chicken, black beans, corn, halved cherry (or heirloom) tomaotes, red pepper, cheddar cheese and tortilla strips tossed with a tangy basil lime dressing (we bought ours at Heinen's).

Heinen's sells their whole rotiserre chicken (using antiobiotic free poultry) for a reasonable price. Often times I'll pick one up for dinner on my way home from getting Emma, serve it with a side of whole grain cous cous and steamed brocolli (by far Emma's favorite meal) and use the leftovers for salad for lunch the next few days.

This week is week 13 of the CSA and I am still so glad that we signed up. I think Emma likes it too!

My ALMOST Two and a Half Year Old

I can't believe my little girl is going to be two and a half in just a couple of weeks (August 19th). Where does the time go? Still a little peanut she weighs in at a whooping 27 lbs and 35 inches tall. Her hair is coming in, slowly but surely. I think the strawberry blond locks might just be a little curly too.

Of all her toys Emma LOVES her baby dolls. She could spend hours changing their diapers, powdering their "doopa's", feeding them milk or juice, or shushing them to sleep. And it never gets old to watch.

Emma also has a mild obsession with picking flowers. So much so that any walk around the block takes forever. And with the hot and humid summer days we've been having any flower we allow her to pick is pretty much all dried up and brown. Except for Ga's pink impatiens!

Emma's favorite summer treats are Popsicles - if only I could phonetically type it the way she says it, it's so cute! She wakes up in the morning asking for one most days. She's such a funny little girl.

Emma has so many funny ways of saying different words and names. She still calls my mom Ga most of the time with an occasion Grandma thrown in once or twice. My sister is Aunt Nee Nee and probably always will be.

Kristy's little pug, Kaliki, who Emma was calling Kiki has now been christened Karicky. Speaking of the dogs it's kind of funny to see my little baldie bossing them around one minute ("NO Dexter!!) to showering them with hugs and kisses the next. What's not so funny is when she decides that it's a good idea to chase them with her doll stroller.

Emma loves to dance - and can really keep the beat. I think I have a future dancer on my hands. Currently her favorite song is Tonight Tonight by Hot Chevelle Rae - she gets SO excited when she hears it come on the radio or when Daddy pulls the video up on You Tube.

Another thing that Emma loves; WATER! Between her multiple wading pools, sprinklers and water table - Emma is so happy outside in the sunshine splashing around in the water. When I ask her if she wants to go outside and play water she claps her hands together and shouts, "Yes Mommy! That would be so cool!"

At home, at Patty's, around friends; Emma is a non-stop chatter box. She doesn't stop talking. She calls everyone on her phone, or if she doesn't have a phone she pretends. She gets super animated, even using her hands for emphasis. It cracks us all up every time. When we are out in public or in new places she is such a shy little thing though - such a funny contrast.

Other things that Emma says that cracks us up:

"Mommy is that a good plan?" after suggesting something to do

"Come sit!" as she orders us into her play room

"Rock you Daddy," meaning, Daddy rock me!

"I want to snuggle Mommy,"

"Emma no yike _____" - I love when she refers to herself in the third person

Cucumbers are Cumbers

Ketchup (or any other kind of sauce) is Dip Dip

Gold fish crackers are FiFi's

Lightning Bugs are Yightning Bugs - the only bugs she likes.

M&M's are m m's - And it's especially cute when she says "Emma's m m's"

She can count to ten, sing her ABC's and knows all of her colors, for the most part, by sight. Still a lover of books she is beginning to look at the pictures more and as she "reads" to me I can tell she is talking about what she thinks is going on on each page.

While she still loves her Yo Gabba Gabba she is equally enamoured with Jack's Big Music Show and Sesame Street, loving all things Elmo and Big Bird. Including band-aids which are more fun than stickers!

We hope to start thinking about potty training soon. And are considering converting her crib into a toddler bed. All changes that really bring home the fact that my little baby isn't a little baby anymore. But no matter how old she gets, I'll still always be her Mommy. And that's my most favorite thing to be.

Lazy Summer Days

It's harder to update this blog when the weather outside has been so spectacular. Coming off of a really cold and wet spring, the warm, sunny days of the past few weeks have been amazing. And we have been soaking up every minute we can under the sun.

Here's just a peak at some of the things we've been up to in the last few weeks.

Emma absolutely LOVES her water table. We have one at our house along with one at "Ga's" house. A typical day usually consists of three outfit changes!

Emma also discovered that her beloved ice cream truck from the Outer Banks also visits grandma's house. And best of all they have the green turtle popsicles she so loves. What a big girl she is getting to be!

She also loves a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, topped with berries (raspberries are her favorite) with a little dollop of cool whip. Yum!

Emma attended her 3rd pride parade this year in support of her Aunt Nee Nee. Emma's is lucky to be surrounded by so many people that love her - and she loves when her Aunt Nee Nee comes over for a sleepover.

Poor Max - even though he looks a little miserable in this picture he absolutely adores Emma. And Emma adores him too. I have to watch that she doesn't knee him in the ribs, or climb onto his head, but for the most part she is gentle. And she still loves to sneak him one too many treats.

When we aren't outside playing with the water table, sandbox or chalk Emma can be found taking care of one of her babies. She is such a good little Mama, changing their poopy diapers, freshing them up with powder and cooking them dinner in her kitchen. It's really amazing to watch her little imagination working overtime.

And if nothing else, she's always looking cute.

Hope you all are enjoying the sunshine wherever you might be.

All good things come to an end

We all had a fabulous week in the Outer Banks last week - to be honest, this week was some what depressing simply because we were back to the same old routine and not spending our mornings poolside and afternoons at the beach! And that's probably why it has taken me so long to get this post up.

I was a little worried that little miss Emma would not enjoy the beach or the water. Why? Well for one, when we took her to the children's museum during the winter and tried to convince her to put her feet in the sand in the Ancient Egypt exhibit she wanted nothing to do with it. Secondly, swim lessons during January proved to be torture - for everyone involved. But, I am happy to report that Miss Emma loves the beach and water as much as the rest of us.

We slathered her up regularly with SPF 50, even putting some on her little bald head. She spent almost every morning into after playing in the water with Aunt Nee Nee and Uncle Brian.

This little tent was PERFECT and allowed for some shade. It also provided some shelter from that cool ocean breeze.

I think someone's hair might be a little curly!

When she wasn't busy playing the ocean or digging in the sand she loved to walk with Ga and pick up shells from the sand.

Some days we started out poolside - most of the beach houses in the area have their own private pools which provides a break from the beach. Even though the beach access was only a short walk up the street it was nice to just relax poolside.

All of my memories of our failed attempt at swim lessons were quickly replaced by a little girl who absolutely LOVED the water. And her Ga's raft which she quickly took over.

At first she was a little unsure...

But that quickly changed- each toss into the air would be followed up with an "Again Uncle Brian!, Again!"

Someone loves their Daddy!

Of course we also set up a little wading pool in the shade for some outside water fun with out the sun burn. It was a hit!

Somone else loved the water - both at the ocean and in the pool.

Each morning when we were getting ready to go out Max would pace by the back door. As soon as the door and gate were opened he made a beeline for the water.

Swimming laps, fetching his toys, lounging on the stairs - it didn't matter as long as he was wet he was a happy dog.

But this guy was more happy basking in the sun - so spoiled!

Once someone went down for a nap this is where you could find me - floating in the pool with a Margarita!

When you live in a beach town it's common for the ice cream truck to make the rounds multiple times a day. It didn't take too long for someone to figure out just what this meant.

And because it was vacation we splurged!

We only ventured out to dinner once - but instead opted to stay in cooking fabulous dinners with all the fresh seafood for sale along NC-12. From fish tacos, to crab legs, to clams - everything was delicious. And led to some very lazy post-dinner's spent on the balcony.

Watching for the ice cream truck.

Playing with toys.

Or checking out videos on the iPhone.

Overall it was a fantastic week - and I would go back again tomorrow in a heart beat. Minus the 11 hour drive and diaper explosion in Virigina. But that's a whole other post.

Family XOXO

Life's a Beach!

Okay, I know that title is incredibly cheesy but I cannot help it. I am SO very excited for Saturday morning to get here. I've spent the past few nights doing laundry, folding clothes, filling the dining room table with necessities for both Emma and Max, and making lists of things not to forget. Tomorrow I took the day off to pack everything into neat little suitcases or rubbermaid containers and run a few last minute errands to pick up things I forgot the first time.
And come Saturday morning we are off. To sunny Corolla, North Carolina in the Outer Banks. This will be our 5th year making the 11+ hour trek from Ohio to the Eastern Coast.

This is the house we will call home for the next 7 days.

Corolla holds a special place in our hearts. For one, where else can you see wild horses on the beach?

Secondly, our first trip to Corolla was in the summer of 2006. My dad was still alive at the time and although he was sick and already on oxygen he came with us and absolutely loved the beach town and talked about coming back each year. Each time we cross from the mainland to NC-12 to drive North up the coast it's a little bittersweet as the balmy salty air blows in through the open windows.

But we still manage to have fun - because dad wouldn't have it any other way.

We are hoping that Emma loves the water as much as she did last summer. After a disastorous attempt at winter swim lessons I am not so sure! But last year we had a hard time keeping her out of the pool.

Same goes for Max who has come with us since he was a puppy. A true water dog you can often find him paddling around the pool. Or jumping into the waves.

Emma wasn't so sure of the ocean last year - instead she liked to sleep on "Gaa"s chest with the cool ocean breeze blowing on her bare skin. I don't think my mom minded one bit.

For the past few years both my Aunt Nancy who lives in Boston and our dear friend Kelley have joined us on the adventure. This year due to circumstances out of their control they are unable to make it which makes us all very sad.

But I am sure we'll manage to still have a good time.

Especially with this little girl; a whole year older and ready to explore.

And eat copious amounts of popsicles in the sunshine.

More to come as our adventure unfolds...