Giveaway & Review // Mamma Chia

Disclaimer: As part of a FitFluential campaign, I received a Mamma Chia gift set in exchange for my honest review and for the purpose of a giveaway. The opinions shared are my own.

Mamma Chia Yum EaterCha-Cha-Cha Chia!

I just had to. Now we aren’t talking about those pets that were popular in the 80’s/90’s and apparently are still on the market. We are talking about the good stuff. The stuff that you eat. Chia seeds are packed with Omega-3s and are an excellent source of dietary fiber, complete protein and antioxidants, the ancient seed was held in high esteem by both the Mayans and Aztecs for increasing vitality and strength.

IMG_7160Now this isn’t the first time I have talked about Mamma Chia on the blog; the first time was back in March of 2013 when I told you how much I loved the Chia Squeeze. Guess what? We still love them around here. They have become a weekly purchase around our house for Edith and myself (and sometimes Neil if he is lucky enough to get one before they are gone). Edith has one about every other day as a snack (her favorite) and I have 1-2 per week usually as an on the go snack whether we are out at the playground or I am out for a nice long walk.

I usually buy the Green Magic or the Blackberry Bliss but since trying the two new flavors Mango Coconut and Wild Raspberry I am anxiously awaiting their arrival to our local stores. Seriously they are both super delicious.

IMG_7147A new exciting feature from Mamma Chia their new organic bagged chia. You can purchase white or black chia seeds and they are so much fun to use to create your own recipes or just to simple sprinkle on a salad or yogurt or add to a smoothie (what I usually do). If you’re looking for recipe inspiration Janie Hoffman the Mamma Chia founder and CEO just realized a book called Chia Vitality. I haven’t finished reading the book yet but so far it’s a really great read and if you so desire there is a 30 day meal plan that centers around chia seeds and improving your health that you can follow.

mammachiasqueezeGiveaway:

Fitfluential Giveaway

Total retail value: $75


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Mother’s Day Weekend

Happy Monday! I’m seriously exhausted today and I don’t know if it was the terrible sleep I got while away, the running around all weekend or just the third trimester slump – or maybe it’s a combo of everything? Anyways I am wishing I could have a coffee IV right now but I don’t think my midwife or body would approve.

IMG_7299This past weekend Neil, Edith and I escaped to the coast for a little family get away. We hadn’t planned to do any more trips away before baby #2’s arrival but at the last minute we decided to use our gift certificate to the Surfsand Resort that my hardworking husband received as a gift from work. Since the cost of rooms there are a little out of our normal vacationing budget we had planned to just go to the coast for one night but around lunch time on Friday I suggested to Neil (who apparently was already looking into hotels) that we might go for an extra night away. We agreed and decided to extend our weekend as an early anniversary celebration. We found a room in Seaside and headed there once Neil got out of work, which was early thankfully!

IMG_7339The forecast for the weekend was pretty ominous but it didn’t matter we were ready to enjoy a little family time away. it rained the entire drive to Seaside and then off and on all evening. I checked the weather forecast one more time (just in case) to see what Saturday would be like and again it predicted rain however to our delight it ended up being the most beautiful day!!

Seaside-MothersDayWeekend-ToddlerWearing-KissesWe decided to spend Saturday in what has become our favorite spot in Oregon –> Astoria. You might be familiar with Astoria from the 80’s film The Goonies or Arnie’s Kindergarten Cop. Anyways over the past 13 months we have visited Astoria three times and we are seriously in love.

IMG_7476 astoria-bagelsOur adventure in Astoria started with a stop to the 14th Street Coffee House for a (second breakfast) and coffee. Then we were off to the Columbia River Maritime Museum which we had heard was pretty great but had never visited on our previous trips. We were seriously impressed with the museum and all three of us had a blast. We will be back!

IMG_7493After the museum we decided to take the Astoria Riverfront Trolley which we were able to pick up right outside the maritime museum. We had never really considered riding the trolley until this trip and Edith’s love of all things trains (choo choo!). We were pleasantly surprised to find that the trolley was actually a lot of fun and something we will be doing again. We were hungry so we only ended up doing half of the ride (you can get on and off all day for only $2pp).  Next time we are in Astoria we will be riding again.

Our last stop in Astoria before heading to Cannon Beach was at Buoy Brewing Company, a new brewery that just opened this year. We stopped in for lunch, beer (for Neil) and to see the sea lion that lives under their building. The food was insanely good, Neil loved the beer and we all loved the sea lion. Now you might be wondering how does a sea lion live under the brewery? Well the brewery is in an old building that is literally over the water so when the owners were renovating they decided to put in a glass floor in one spot where you can look down into the water and there is one giant sea lion who loves to stay there and sometimes you can see as many as 20 sea lions there at one time. Processed with Rookie

After lunch we headed straight to Cannon Beach and to our hotel. We were about 20 minutes early to check in so we went straight to the beach to get a view of Haystack Rock and for Edith to play a little ball. Once we were able to get into our room I took advantage of it being Mother’s Day weekend and decided to take a soak in the giant tub with a view of the ocean while Neil and Edith headed back to the beach to play in the sand. That evening we got some dinner and called it an early night.

IMG_1768

Sunday (Mother’s Day) Neil went for a run and Edith and I played in our room for awhile. Once Neil returned we headed back to the beach for awhile to play in the sand. We decided to head back to Portland early to get lunch since while the beach is beautiful the food options are lacking so we were in need of a good meal. We spent Mother’s Day eating, grocery shopping and enjoying some time in the sun.

IMG_7539What did you do this weekend? How did you spend Mother’s Day? Happy Mother’s Day to all the mama’s and mama’s to be!

Check out more snapshots from our weekend over on Naturally Family.

Five Things Friday: Thoughts, Toddlers, Workouts, Blogs and Food!

Astoria-Blue ScorcherThis post was inspired by Nicole.

Is it finally Friday? This has been quite the week!

5 Thoughts in my head:

  • We have someone coming to fix our pantry door in an hour or so and our landlord decided that this would be a good time to do “an inspection” and I am less than impressed.
  • I’m wondering what time Bowery Bagels opens tomorrow morning so we can pick up jalapeno salt bagels with vegan savory cashew spread for our road trip.
  • Wishing that we could head to the coast RIGHT NOW and not have home repairs, inspections, work (for Neil) and have to get our car serviced before we can FINALLY just be there.
  • Thinking a latte sounds really good right now.
  • Also thinking I just want to sit on the couch and watch TV today but alas not a (good) option for a SAHM.Astoria-Sunset

5 Things about Raising a Toddler:

  • They force you to take a deep breath and relax because if you don’t you’ll go crazy.
  • They surprise you everyday with someone new they have learned- this week Edith sang (her version) of Rock-a-bye baby.
  • They often have impressive eating habits and I swear Edith has at least two stomachs. This morning she had two bowls of oatmeal and stole a number of bites from my and Neil’s breakfasts.
  • They are surprisingly helpful especially if you ask them if they want to be your helper. Edith helped me with laundry and putting away dishes yesterday.
  • Sometimes I need coffee and The Lorax to make it through the day.Mamma Chia Yum Eater

5 Foods I Ate This week:

  • Homemade vegan mac and cheese. I have had it twice this week and we have leftovers for lunch. What can I say? It’s that good.
  • Nectarines. Seriously one of my favorite fruits and when I saw them at Whole Foods for a good deal AND they smelled amazing of course I had to buy some.
  • Cuban Food. We had a mini family date night out and tried a Cuban place that has lots of vegan options. It was decent but a little greasy for us.
  • Graham Crackers. I don’t know why but I had this crazy craving for them so I bought a box on Sunday and well between the three of us that box didn’t stand a chance.
  • Ranch Kale & Cabbage Slaw. I have been making this the past few nights and it’s simply vegan ranch dressing, shredded kale, shredded green cabbage, shredded carrots, a little garlic powder and a bit of red wine vinegar. YUM!

5 Workouts to try:

5 Blog Posts to Read:

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and Happy Mother’s Day to all the new mamas, old mamas and mamas-to-be! xo.

#GirlsNightIn // Mocktails

Pregnancy has really had me thinking about mocktails. I don’t know what it is about being pregnant that has me craving interesting drinks, maybe it’s all the water I have to drink? Anyways I have been in the mood for mocktails and have been making them regularly at home and ordering one often when we go out.

I prefer my mocktails fresh, fruity or citrusy and not too sweet. They can be super complex and interesting or simple like seltzer, lime and cranberry juice. One of the best mocktails I have had lately was when we were in Vermont and it was a combination of seltzer, fresh grapefruit juice, fresh orange juice and just a splash of cranberry juice for color. Bonus mocktails mean I can have a few without feeling guilty (or tipsy) and can share with Edith if I want.

All this mocktail talk though had me crafting ideas for a fun Girl’s Night In with mocktails or mocktails that could be turned into cocktails. Pair these mocktails with fresh and tasty appetizers such as fresh rolls, veggies and hummus, stuffed mushrooms or light salads. Add in a game or a movie and it sounds like the making of a perfect Girls’ Night In.

Here are a few mocktail recipes that I have been lusting after and ones that I think would be perfect for a Girls’ Night in.

Let’s talk about a few of these mocktails:

  • Cucumber Mojitos: cool and super refreshing! This is the perfect summer recipe using fresh and easy ingredients. It is also a beautiful drink so it would be perfect to enjoy with friends. Pair it with some spicy appetizers for a perfect combo.
  • Acai Grapefruit Raspberry Mocktails: This is exactly the type of mocktail that I crave. Made with at Trop50 Raspberry Açaí juice blend it is lightly sweet with a tart component to balance it all out. It would be wonderful paired with some fresh veggies, dip and pita or light salads.
  • Cantaloupe-Ginger Spritzer:  This mocktail caught my eye immediately because it’s not often that you find a drink made with cantaloupe. It is also so beautiful that it will impress your guests! This would pair well with some Asian dishes such as fresh rolls, dumplings or seasoned edamame pods.

I hope that these mocktails help to inspire your next Girls’ Night In and for additional inspiration check out the Trop50 collection on Foodie.

What is your favorite type of mocktail?

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Trop50 via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Trop50.

 

Cinco de Mayo- National Enchilada Day

I know Cinco de Mayo isn’t until tomorrow but I wanted to share this recipe in case you were in need of a last minute Enchilada recipe to celebrate National Enchilada Day and Cinco de Mayo.

enchiladas
I could eat Mexican food everyday if my husband let me but alas I am the cook and he only likes it once in awhile so when I do make it I like to go all out. Although not completely traditional this recipe is wildly delicious and a  little spicy so I recommend serving with non-dairy or dairy sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (if you do the whole dairy thing).

Serves 4-6
Red Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3oz chili pods
  • 1-28oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 10 unsulfered Turkish apricots
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup vegetable broth or water

Ingredients for Enchiladas:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 8oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 8oz baby spinach
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Red sauce (recipe above)
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded vegan pepper jack cheese

Directions:

For the sauce: Remove the stems and seeds from chili pods. Place in a bowl and cover with boiling water; let sit for 10 minutes. Place apricots in a bowl and cover with boiling water; let sit for 10 minutes. Heat the olive oil in the saute pan over medium heat and add the onions; cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and cook uncovered for 3 minutes. Drain the chili pods and apricots and place in a blender. Add the tomato mixture, lemon juice and vegetable broth to the blender and puree. Use as is or strain through a mesh  sieve for a smoother sauce.

Preheat oven to 425F.

For the Filling: Heat the olive oil in the saute pan over medium heat and add the onions; cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add the mushrooms, cover, spin and reduce heat to low; cook for 3 minutes. Add the spinach, return the cover, spin and cook for 3 minutes.

Assemble:

Place a layer of sauce on the bottom of the roasting pan.
Dip both sides of the tortilla into the red sauce (you may want to wear gloves for this) and then fill with about 2 tablespoons of the mushroom and spinach mixture; roll and place in the roasting pan. Repeat until all of the tortillas are filled.
Top with the remaining sauce and then sprinkle with a layer of pepper jack cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5 more minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.