Inspired by The Little Plantation
Note: I used a scale to weigh my flour, sugar and chocolate chips based on the measurements from the original recipe. Pssst these doughnuts are also gluten free!
FOR THE DONUTS
FOR THE TOPPING
I recommend eating these donuts right away or store them in the fridge. If you and/or your family is anything like me and mine these won’t last more than a day anyways.
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After spending far too many hours screening reviews of swimsuits I chose four to order. A retro inspired swimsuit, a popular off the shoulder style, a swim dress and a high waisted bikini. You can find an in depth review of these swimsuits in my ‘plus size swimsuit’ highlight.
Each of these swimsuits were $30 or less and I received them within 2-5 days of ordering. What I love about this is that they are inexpensive and I don’t actually have to leave my house to go shopping; I’m a mom of three small children there is no time for clothes shopping.
This ruffle one piece came highly recommended by a number of readers and it rates high via Amazon reviews. The material and quality of the swimsuit was good and was exactly how reviews represented it. This swimsuit would be great paired with a pair of cutoff shorts or a skirt to go from the beach to lunch. My only concern is that the ruffle top while cute might cause a bit of a wardrobe malfunction in the pool; I just imagine it would end up getting pushed up and look like a giant ruffle ring around you. Also if you have a long torso you may find it to be a bit short for you and I would suggest trying the high waisted two piece option instead. Overall I think this swimsuit is a win and it comes in a variety of colors and prints to fit your personal style. Rating: 7/10
Plus Size Ruffle One Piece | Straight Size Ruffle One Piece | Plus Size Ruffle Two Piece | Straight Size Ruffle Two Piece
Retro swimsuits are always a favorite of mine because they never go out of style and they generally always flatter any figure. With this retro suit I loved the ruching and the neckline. My only issue was once again I ran into the problem of it being too short for my long torso. I ended up going up a size in hopes that it would provide me with some length but it was still too short and too big in the boobs for me. Once again if you also struggle with having a long torso this looks like a great two piece option. Overall rating: 7/10
Plus Size Vintage Swimsuit | Straight Size Vintage Swimsuit | Straight/Plus Size Vintage Two Piece
I saved my favorite swimsuit for last (and completely ignored the swim dress because it was not worth sharing). This high waisted two piece was by far the best fitting, most comfortable and functional of all the swimsuits I tried. It is fun and playful, a little sexy but also provides a good amount of coverage. I went up a size in it based on reviews but ended up finding it to be a bit big for me so I would say stick to your normal size. Quality, fit, color and price give this swimsuit an overall rating of 9/10.
Plus Size High Waisted Bikini | Straight Size Option | Straight/Plus Size One Piece Option
While inexpensive, hassle free shopping is great you honestly get what you pay for. These swimsuits had a few flaws when it came to fit, the sizing is a little hard to determine but overall I was happy with my purchases (except the swim dress that was a disaster.)
This post is NOT sponsored however it does contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
]]>You may not know it but I am a huge musical theater fan. I spent most of my middle school and high school days memorizing the songs from my favorite musicals, RENT, Aida, The Music Man, so when an opportunity to see Aladdin came I couldn’t pass it up. Aladdin was a favorite of mine growing up and it see it preformed live on stage was a dream come true.
I’ll be honest I expected the show to be a bit closer to the Disney movie of my youth but there were a number of changes and tons of new songs. However, it all worked and the show was wonderful. It was interactive, comical, and magical. While there were new songs I didn’t recognize they still had some of my favorites including Friend Like Me which was my favorite performance of the night.
I couldn’t end this review without talking about the set. I have been to a number of broadway shows and off-broadway and the set for Aladdin was one of the most incredible I have seen. It felt like we were there in Agrabah with everyone and when Aladdin went to retrieve the lamp from the cave; it perfectly catered to the child in me.
So if you are looking for something to do this weekend in Portland find yourself a pair of tickets and head to Keller. Not in Portland? Check out the Aladdin website to see it in a city near you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TICKET AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Aladdin will be at Portland’s Keller Auditorium for sixteen performances. The full schedule for the Portland engagement is:
Thursday, April 4 7:30pm – ASL Interpreted Performance
Friday, April 5 7:30pm
Saturday, April 6 2:00pm – ASL Interpreted Performance & 7:30pm
Sunday, April 7 1:00pm and 6:30pm
Tickets can be purchased:
www.BroadwayInPortland.com
or at Portland’5 Box Office: 800-273-1530
Accessible seating for patrons using wheelchairs and their companion(s) is available at all performances. You can purchase wheelchair seating by phone, in person, and online. Ample seating chairs are available upon request. Assisted listening devices are available at all performances.
For additional information on ADA seating and services, personal assistance selecting accessible seats or for more information about accessibility, please contact the Broadway in Portland Box Office by phone at 503-417-0573 (M-F, 10am-5pm) or email Broadway@PortlandOpera.org
*Broadway In Portland generously provided me with 2 tickets to the show in exchange for my honest review. As always all opinions are my own.*
]]>I know, I know kale salad is so last season but I am still loving it. This version has 2 small bunches of lacinato kale massaged with a sauce of tahini, lemon juice, coconut aminos, olive oil, garlic granules, salt and pepper and tossed with a handful of hemp seeds for added plant-based protein and omega 3’s and 6’s. I had not planned on eating the entire bowl – but I did with the help of my 20 month old and I have zero regrets doing so. Seriously savory, creamy and delicious. Give it a try and share with me on Instagram #bowlsbylindsay
Serves 2-4 or one super hungry mama
Wash your hands well and toss everything in a big bowl; massage until thekale has softened. Enjoy!
Q/ Are you into kale salad? What is your favorite recipe?
I am a proud Ambassador for Manitoba Harvest.
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
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Well today my craving for these fresh rolls hit me hard and lucky for me I had picked up a package of rice paper wrappers at the Asian market a few weeks ago and I had filling ingredients as well. The one thing I didn’t have was peanut butter to make my dipping sauce but I did have a bag of roasted peanuts in my pantry – so homemade peanut butter to the rescue!
Tofu Fresh Rolls with Creamy Peanut Sauce
Peanut Sauce:
Rolls:
Instructions
Sauce:
Assemble:
Who knew it was so easy to make your own peanut butter? It made a super creamy and incredible sauce. I omitted the sambal olek for my kids but added a big dollop to my sauce before devouring.
// What is a dish that you love to order out and could easily make at home?
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This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
I am still working on setting intentions/goals for 2019 but one I know for sure is that I want to reduce our waste. The amount of waste that we make as a family is astonishing and I wonder what am I teaching my children? How can I better prepare them to take care of the world around us, create less of an impact and to really be intentional about how we live. So here are a few things I will be doing to help reduce our waste.
What steps have you taken to reduce your waste?
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
]]>Over the past year I have slowly been transitioning away from Running With Tongs. While Running With Tongs was a good fit for me for many years over the past few years I have been feeling disconnected from my blog and from what it once was. As many of you who are parents know life can often be busy and overwhelming so it has taken me nearly a year to fully transition over but from here on out this space and my social media are officially Naturally Lindsay/Naturally Family.
When I started Running With Tongs I was transitioning from a vegan food based blog to more of a wellness food blog. Overtime my life evolved from training for races, attempting to make fitness a main part of my life and writing lots of recipes to motherhood with fitness, food and adventure being secondary. From this my blog and Instagram evolved into Naturally Lindsay – a space to talk about all things motherhood/postpartum, along with good eats, adventures and centered around conversation and connection.
I want this to be a space where I can be open and honest about my life, what I am struggling with, what I am learning and also about the things I love like adventures, food and fitness and how I manage those things while also mothering. I also want this space to be where you can come and share, find connection and feel a little less alone.
So I welcome you here to this new space and if anyone has a great logo designer send them along because mama needs a new logo.
// I’d love for you to share in the comments topics that interest you, questions you have or anything you would like to see here on the blog and/or my Instagram.
]]>To help myself along I have scoured YouTube for fitness videos that I am going to try this month. Most are beginner and the length range from 5 minutes to 40 minutes which means there is no excuse not to fit at least one workout into my days. To keep things interesting I have included a variety of videos from HIIT to barre3 to yoga to ones focusing on various areas of the body.
So who wants to join me this month in trying out these workout videos? Which video are you most excited to try?
]]>Summer 2018 you’re not what I envisioned and it’s a struggle to mentally process this all.
But I am resilient.
Full moon, Mercury Retrograde and too many weeks of solo parenting.
I am resilient.
If I am being totally honest I went to a new moon circle at the end of June and this was the mantra I received and I didn’t know what it meant for me. I have been sitting with it for the past month and just like that it hit me that this is my mantra for this summer for the last 13 months as I navigate postpartum once again. Becoming a parent to 3 littles, Neil’s new job that has resulted in the most time we have ever spent away from each other In nearly 12 years and add solo parenting has made this a very challenging season of life but I am resilient.
So when I am feeling the weight of things whether it’s parenting solo, working through hormone imbalances, dealing with disappointment that seems to be a trend this summer and having those days where I feel like I’m not enough (be, doing, loving) I have to remind myself that I AM RESILIENT.
pssst you’re resilient too
]]>I am learning to appreciate this body everyday and at very size. I am learning to appreciate this body that has experienced 3 miscarriages, carried 3 babies to term, birthed 3 amazing beings, has nursed 55 months and counting, has carried my children as bitty babies, wiggly toddlers and heavy big kids. It has hiked hundreds of miles and run races. It has been a variety of sizes, weights, and it has also been hated for so long despite all of the amazing things it has done. So while I am a still working to be happy at every size while still working on feeling stronger and confident in my body I now have these images to hold with me. I mean look how incredible my family is. Look at those sweet faces. Look at us together.
Head on over to The 4th Trimester Body Project to read my full story.
]]>Take care of yourself.
This is one of my favorite spots to sit because it means in a few minutes I will enter a space that is just for me. A space that takes care of my mind and body with the help of my incredible acupuncturist Brooke @vetiveracupuncture. I have been going to acupuncture off and on for 6 years mostly when I was ready to get one of my babies out or to help them flip but over the last 15 months it has been a part of my (semi) regular routine. I have gone for support during my pregnancy with Ingrid to help her flip and to help encourage her to join us Earth side, as part of my early postpartum days to support healing, for the pain and numbness experienced in my shoulder/arm due to breastfeeding and now for support as I work to balance my hormones and gain control over my anxieties.
All I can say is make time for things that support you whether you are a mother or not. I am working at it and each postpartum period I have to re-learn this and put it back into action. Sometimes it happens easily and other times (like currently) it takes time and a constant reminder that it is important. That I am important. That my mental and physical health is important.
If someone hasn’t told you today or you’re not feeling it you should know that you’re important too.
]]>I shared this post over on my Instagram but I thought why not share this here as well. It’s been awhile since I have shared an about me and thought why not?
1 | Superpower: Cooking dinner with hungry children at my feet and sharing tips on on how to balance health and wellness while also being a mama. Oh and because mamahood isn’t easy I like to share the good with struggles.
2 | Can’t Live Without: a notebook and a pen, an eye mask for sleeping and pasta.
3 | Believe In: the positive effects of nature while also struggling to believe in myself.
4 | mama to: three incredible little people who teach me something new everyday.
5 | wife to: a rock climbing, computer nerd and incredible man.
6 | health coach: who feels incredible privilege to support women on their journey to optimal health and wellness.
7 | blogger: with two different blogs that are sometimes hard to balance these days.
8| about to turn 33 years old but absolutely hates celebrating her birthday (I don’t mind getting older though).
9 | thinking about how/where I can make time for more self-care.
10 | grew up on the east coast (Vermont) and while I love PDX I’m always an East Coast girl at heart.
Okay, your turn! Share below or tag me in your post so I can learn 10 things about you!
]]>Also I thought this might be the perfect time to share with you five things you probably don’t need but that I love and use regularly. Because why not fuel your shopping addiction while I try and reduce mine?
Healthy Human Insulated Tumbler.
I bought this after having Ingrid because when you’re a nursing mama you basically constantly feel thirsty and the bigger the tumbler the better because it means not having to move or wake a sleeping baby. Bonus this thing keeps my water cold for HOURS like so many hours and despite it being 32oz it is small enough on the bottom to fit in a cup holder of my car. Basically this is the magical unicorn of tumblers.
Soom Sesame Tahini and Chocolate Sweet Tahini Halva Spread.
Basically there was this other tahini brand that I used to subscribe and save on Amazon but then it stopped being on Prime so I had to find an alternative. After trying a bunch of different kinds the Instagram Influencers made me buy Soom and I have to say they were right this stuff is amazing. Also this is women owned business and these women are making an amazing product!
These gluten free, non-GMO, vegan, refined sugar free little noshes are my current go to snack. I love the oatmeal raisin flavor and my runner up is the Simply Sunflower. They are little but are super filling and perfect for my active mom lifestyle, plus my kids are into them as well and with the simple ingredients I can’t help but share (even when I don’t want to.) You can find them on Amazon and if you use code: RWT20 you can for 20% off your BuckWHAT! order.
What are three online purchases you have made recently?
Who else is a tahini addict?
Have you tried BuckWHAT! Noshes yet?
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
]]>If you had just 48 hours to explore a new city what would you do and see? We recently spent (just over) 48 hours in Bellingham, WA and it’s amazing how much you can get up to in such a short time. From hiking to relaxing at the beach to donuts to coffee to breweries.
Saturday
9am – Smoothies, juice and epic gluten free pancakes at Electric Beet Juice Co. Electric Beet is a little hidden gem that has the most incredible GF Chocolate Pancakes that are topped with a luscious cashew coconut cream; I think these were one of the highlights of our trip. I also highly recommend The Punch Bowl green juice to wash down those delectable pancakes. It was located inside of the Bellingham Public Market sharing a large grocery store with several other local vendors.
10:00am – Grab coffee at Camber. See below for more details.
10:15am – Visit the Bellingham Downtown Farmers Market. Saturdays in April-December from 10am-3pm you can find Bellingham locals at the downtown farmers market picking up local produce and goods. You’ll also find talented performers, mushroom beer and incredible ceramics and other goods.
11:30am – Grab wraps and sandwiches from Leaf and Ladle (to-go). If you don’t find yourself with a pile of food treats from the farmers market head up the hill just above it and you’ll find Leaf and Ladle, a small shop selling soups, sandwiches and salads. I recommend grabbing a Vegan Caesar Wrap to take with you on your next adventure – the beach!
12:30pm – Head to Larrabee State Park for a picnic, hike and beach swim. This spot was recommended to me by Autumn (if you don’t follow her go now). She is local to the area and gave us the the low-down on where we should visit and this was one of the places she suggested. I have to say she couldn’t have recommended a more perfect place. There is hiking, a beautiful beach to swim and relax at and it was so incredibly peaceful.
4:30pm – Happy Hour at Boundary Bay Brewing. If I am being completely honest the beer was just fine but we loved the outdoor back patio/picnic table area. It was so relaxing and if you have little ones like us you will appreciate the play structure that will (hopefully) occupy your child until you finish you beer.
8pm – Dinner at Pepper Sisters. Pepper Sisters is a Southwestern inspired restaurant that has clearly marked vegan options. In a city that doesn’t have the same selection of vegetarian and vegan restaurants as Portland does, this was a nice touch! Neil and I shared the Roasted Potato and Garlic Enchilada and an appetizer special. We both love the enchilada, especially the filling. The kids kept it simple with a mound of guacamole, chips, beans and rice – all of which was also delicious.
If you’re young and/or childless you may find yourself heading out for drinks or other night life but since we are old and have a pack of children we headed to bed at this point.
Sunday
9am – Breakfast at Camber + head across the street to Rocket Donuts for a post hike snack. I fell in love with Camber in Portland at our neighborhood coffee shop and Neil and I have been dying to visit their shop. Little did we know how much we would love it. We came for the coffee and stayed for the avocado toast, cashew cream toast, vegan blueberry muffins and incredible breakfast potatoes. Also yes Rocket Donuts has a vegan selection just make sure to ask when you go in as they are not on display!
10:45am – Hike at Whatcom Falls. A beautiful easy spot to get to that has amazing waterfalls and a great easy hiking path. If you have older children or are without children and are looking for more challenging hikes I have been told that Oyster Dome and Fragrance Lake are both fantastic hikes with incredible views.
1:30pm – Lunch at Big Love Juice. You may be seeing a trend now… We like juice bars and avocado toast. Also while we were surprised at how easily we found plant-based options in Bellingham our variety was still limited. At Big Love Juice I highly recommend the Artichoke Cream Toast and any of their green juices.
3pm – Do a little shopping and/or rest. There are a lot of cute small shops to visit downtown.
5pm – Climbing at VITAL Climbing Gym or a ride on Chuckanut Drive. I will admit I am not much of a climber but Neil is and he visited VITAL while on our trip and really enjoyed it. It’s a smaller gym but a perfect spot to visit if you are itching for a climbing session or just looking for something new to try. If climbing isn’t your thing and you’re up for a bit of time in the car take a ride on Chuckanut Drive. I promise you incredible water views and lush green forest.
7:30pm – Dinner at Aslan Brewpub. We were lucky enough to have grandparents with us on this getaway so we snuck off for dinner and beers at Aslan Brewpub. It was some seriously good food and great beer. I opted for their non-alcoholic beer which was the best non-alcoholic beer I have ever tasted.
9pm – Drinks & Games at Aslan Depot. Once you are done dinner head a few blocks down to Aslan Depot.At this former transit station, you’ll find Aslan’s barrel aging facility as well as several of their barrel aged beers on tap alongside a number of other great craft breweries and an extensive bottle list. Tip: ask the bartender for one of the games behind the bar and add a little fun to your night.
So there you have it 48 fun filled hours in Bellingham!
Tell me have you been to Bellingham? What would are you must do/see/eat/stay?
Where in the PNW should we travel next?
Find more photos from our trip as well as our Family Guide To Bellingham over on Naturally Family.
]]>Now Ebates has been around for many years now and I first came across it years ago when a few bloggers I followed were using it. I didn’t sign up for my own account until years later when a friend recommended it to me.
Ebates is a free service that you can use on their website or their mobile app. I simply have the little shortcut on my internet browser bar and it lets me know if the online shop I am browsing has rewards and what the % is for that shop as well as any promo codes.
Basically it collects data on what you purchase similar to a Target Red Card but tons of shops. Since creating my account a few years ago I have earned hundreds of dollars in cash back that is deposited directly to my paypal account. It’s easy, takes no effort and I get paid to shop.
Newer to be is Ibotta which is essentially the same idea as Ebates. However, it takes a little extra work on your part because first you need to check out participating stores, add the deals to your profile and then you take a photo of your receipt after you purchase and you can earn cash rewards. You can also link your loyalty rewards to your account and earn that way as well. While it does take a few extra steps to earn it’s an easy way to save yourself a few dollars. Join today and receive $10 bonus.Digit
Now if you are a Target shopper you probably already know about the Target app but I use it every time I go to target for the coupons and the cartwheel offers. It has been amazing for saving on purchases such as clothes, baby products and food items that we would buy anyways.
The last app I want to tell you about is Digit. So Digit is a bit different than the other three apps in that it doesn’t track your purchases, you don’t have to scan receipts or anything like that it simply an app that can help you save for the things that you want in life or simply your rainy day fund. Basically you connect the app with to your preferred checking account and then Digit will analyze your daily spending and transfers money to your Digit savings each day. You are free to withdraw at anytime and there is no fee to withdraw. Also because it was the first thing my husband asked yes – All funds held within Digit are FDIC insured up to a balance of $250,000.
So you may be wondering why not just add additional savings accounts to your bank? Well for me it was two reasons the first we would have to have a specific amount in our savings at a time and to start off and secondly if it is right there in my regular bank set up I am more app to spend it on things in the moment rather than saving for things that I want in the future. With Digit I am able to set up savings goals for anything such as a vacation we want to take, Christmas fund, clothes fund, new carseats for the kids – basically whatever we want/need to save for.
The one bonus that you do get with Digit is 1% back every quarter based on how much you saved each quarter. The one thing to take note however is that Digit is NOT free there is a $2.99 cost for this service however if you feel like it is of value to you then IMO it’s worth the fee. For us we have been able to save a significant amount of money since starting with Digit and I am happy with the service so far. You can try it out for 30 Days for free if you think this might be something of value for you.
What apps/services do you use to save your family money? Please share!
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
]]>I sometimes forget what a privilege it is to live in Portland where the plant-based options are freely flowing. You can find an abundance of options for every meal, at every price point and in every neighborhood. Unfortunately when it comes to traveling finding food options, especially breakfast options, is often a huge challenge.
Breakfast is often a meal that is centered around meats, eggs and a whole lot of dairy. So finding options that don’t include any of these things can be a struggle. On our recent trip to Seattle and Bellingham I struggled to find good plant-based breakfast options for us however there are a few things that helped us work around the obstacle.
Stock Hotel or Airbnb with breakfast options. Depending on your accommodations you may be able to out fit yourself with a complete breakfast but even if you aren’t there are a number of great options that don’t require anything more than hot water. Stock up on things like instant oats, fruit that doesn’t need refrigerating such as apples and bananas, and nut butter – put these all together you have a filling and delicious loaded oatmeal. Bonus: if you have a hotel with a breakfast take advantage of things such as fruit, toast, bagels and dry cereals.
Seek Out Coffee Shops. Many coffee shops these days have come to also serve food such as avocado and nut butter toasts. Some even sell vegan baked goods or bagels. Bonus: good coffee, shorter wait time and often less expensive.
Order Sides. One of my favorite ways to put together a plant-based breakfast at a restaurant is by piecing together a selection of sides. You will often find fruit, toasts, greens, beans and potatoes offered as side dishes and you can easily put together a satisfying breakfast. Tip 1: remember to as for dry toast and either carry a bit of vegan butter with your or as for jam and/or nut butter. Tip 2: It’s often a good idea to inquire about how they prepare their potatoes because some places use butter.
Visit Co-ops, Natural Food Stores and Farmers Markets. These are all great spots to find plant-based options. Co-ops and Natural Food Stores often will have a prepared food section or even a small cafe that have plant-based options. Farmers Markets are filled with food options from breads, to fruits to vendors selling their amazing foods.
Honestly, these tips work whether you are plant-based or not. My favorite is to hit up coffee shops or food markets because I always want coffee in the morning anyways and I am obsessed with food shopping. However if we have an Airbnb I will prepare as many meals as I can at it because I am always looking for ways to reduce our spending while traveling.
What are you tips for eating plant-based in not-so-plant-based-friendly places?
]]>This was the first time in the last year that I have worn ‘real’ clothes every day and by day four it was evident that I just don’t have enough clothes. I ended up doing two loads of laundry for my family while at our Airbnb just so that I would have enough clothes to last the entire trip plus I ended up having to purchase one t-shirt so that I would have enough tops to make it through the final day. Now if you don’t have kids one laundry load probably would be enough but the thing is having kids means drops of ice cream, snotty noses and dirty hands are all over my clothes in a matter of minutes.
While I am working towards living a more intentional life, filled with less things my minimalist wardrobe is not one of choice as much as a result of my postpartum weight and struggle to lose the weight, the struggle to define my style, the struggle to find sizes that fit and flatter my body and the struggle to find quality clothes that fit in my tiny wardrobe budget. These are the items I brought with me (aka my entire wardrobe):
In total I own (shoes + daywear – excludes activewear): 16 items
I’d really like to have more of a capsule wardrobe which generally consists of 30-40 pieces but at this point even that seems like an incredibly expensive and daunting task.
The thing is having 4 of the same t-shirt in different colors (yes they are all exactly the same) to pair with two pairs of pants is boring and slightly depressing. It’s becoming even clearer to me that the way in which I dress and present myself to the world impacts my confidence, my productivity and my overall mood. I am not looking to be some fashionista who sets trends or even someone who completely follows them but rather I want to feel like each day I got dressed with intention and not just to cover my body up.
So share with me how does what you wear impact your day to day life? If you are a plus size women where do you shop?
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
]]>Tiny Moreso serves up Rawdacious Desserts which has expanded from vegan cheesecakes to a variety of sweets including some amazing truffles. Tiny Moreso is also serving up a menu filled with toasts, smoothies, juices, salads, sandwiches and snacks.
On this trip we were feeling particularly hungry and ordered a spread of food and drinks. Everything was of course delicious. Favorites for us included the purple potato salad which was a special the day we visited, the Eleanor smoothie and the kids were in love with the avocado toast.
Salad with Purple Potatoes and Snap Peas
Kale Caesar Salad
Sandwich with Cashew Cheese, Avocado and Veggies
Sandwich with Cashew Cheese, Avocado and Veggies
Of course we couldn’t leave without having a mini vegan cheesecake.
]]>Our clutter brings me so much anxiety and frustration that I find myself grabbing an empty tote box and filling it with random clutter around the house. Just as it’s filled I have a meal to prepare or a child to console and the now full tote ends up in the living room with an intention to organize it but life gets busy, kids don’t sleep and I find myself shoving the box in the back of our closet. It stays in the closet until I feel motivated to go through it and this happens over and over again. It’s a ridiculous cycle that I have gotten myself into and a lot it has to do with…
So this next month I am challenging myself to conquer the junk boxes.
Goal:
In the end I hope that we will be one step closer to living more intentionally, living with less and hoping that this will conquer the mess!
When is the last time you cleaned out your junk drawer?
]]>This post is sponsored by Lightlife. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Hello Friends! I’m here to share the news you can now find the vegan friendly #TTLA at Whole Foods Market!! This delicious sandwich creation inspired this viral video and has everyone (including me) wanting one.
But wait are you asking yourself um….Lindsay what is the #TTLA? Let me break it down for you: The Whole Foods TTLA sandwich is created by layering Lightlife Organic Fakin’ Bacon Tempeh, tomato, lettuce and avocado between two pieces of ciabatta slathered with a vegan garlic aioli.
I know not all of you have Whole Foods nearby or you simply prefer to make your food at home so I’m here to share my version of the TTLA with a little extra flare. My version has a creamy herb mayo, candied tomatoes aka quick roasted tomatoes that taste like candy and smashed avocado. You could go for slices of avocado but I prefer smashed because there is nothing I hate more than a sandwich sliding apart because of slippery avocado slices.
For my version you will need:
Start with preheating your oven to 425F. Slice the tomatoes in half and place cut side up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper and himalayan pink salt. Bake for 15 minutes.
While the tomatoes are baking work on putting together the remaining elements of the sandwich.
In a small bowl mix together the garlic aioli and herbs; mix until incorporated.
In a another small bowl mash the avocado with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Like your bread crunchy? Now it the time to toast it.
In a skillet add just a touch of oil to prevent the Fakin’ Bacon tempeh from sticking and pan fry until lightly brown on both sides. If you prefer you can also place the Fakin’ Bacon on a sheet pan and cook in the oven.
Once the tempeh has been browned and the tomatoes are sweet like candy it’s time to put your sandwich together. Slather one side of your bread with the herb mayo spread and the other half with the smashed avocado. Top the avocado side with a layer of candied tomatoes and top the herb mayo spread with your favorite lettuce greens. Now it’s time to add the Fakin’ Bacon tempeh right on top of the tomatoes and then put it all together and enjoy!
If you are crunched for time you can use freshly sliced tomatoes or sundried tomatoes instead of the candied tomatoes.
Feeling a little cheeky? Add a layer of sliced dill pickles, tangy saurkraut or your favorite spicy peppers
When we arrived I was feeling snack-y so I had a handful of these Earth Balance Vegan Cheddar Squares that are so incredibly addictive.
Still feeling a bit hungry I opted for a slightly better and new to me protein bar the Square Organics Vanilla Cashew Crisp. This bar was so delicious! It was just sweet enough, a bit chewy, a bit crunchy and not at all chalky.
After a short hike I worked on getting the fire started and things set up for dinner. I brought a spread of fruit, olives, dips and spreads, cut up veggies, tofurky and bread for sandwiches and pita chips for dipping. While I would like to say that I filled up on tons of veggies it was more like a few veggies, lots of pita chips dipped in my green goddess cashew dup and Toby’s Tofu Dip and half eaten tofurky sandwiches. I also enjoyed a beer and a half with Neil.
The next morning we broke out our backpacking stove aka thing we use to boil water and we made oats for the kids. I ended up having this Paleo Muesli from Bob’s Red Mill and it was meh. I also enjoyed a hot mug of Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee with Coconut Cloud Vanilla Creamer.
Not pictured is the sandwich I had for lunch before our hike, the two sips of terrible coffee I bought at a random coffee shop and all the water I drank.
We are headed out camping again this weekend but this time we have a camp stove so things we surely be more fun! If you’d like to see an What I Eat While Camping – Camp Stove Edition let me know in the comments below!
What are your favorite things to eat while camping?
Find my Travel Guide to L.L. Stub Stewart State Park.
There are a handful of foods that I turn to when I am looking for a warm hug in food form and one of those is the dumpling. I love them steamed, boiled or pan-fried. I love them filled with potatoes (pierogis) or tofu or veggies. I love gyoza, shumai, momos, ravioli, samosa, wonton, mandu… basically I haven’t met a dumpling that I didn’t like. Recently I found vegan wonton wrappers so I decided some homemade dumplings were a must so my littles and I made up a huge batch that we all gobbled up.
These dumplings are filled with edamame and seasoned with lot of chives.
Filling:
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process into a paste.
Now it’s time to set up your dumpling making station. You will need your wonton or dumpling wrappers, a small bowl of water and a parchment lined or lightly floured sheet tray. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of your filling into the wrapper, dip your finger in your water and go along the edge of your dumpling wrapper and the seal your dumpling; there are a number of methods when it comes to sealing your dumpling so go with whatever method you prefer. Place filled dumplings on the sheet tray while you complete filling the remaining dumpling wrappers.
When it comes cooking your dumplings you can either boil them or go my favorite method pan fried. On medium high heat add just enough oil to coat the bottom of your pan. add your dumplings in a single layer and cook until just brown on the bottom. Then with your lid ready quickly add 1/4 cup of water and cover immediately and allow to steam for 5-7 minutes. Your dumplings will com out cooked through and nice and crispy on the bottom. I serve mine up with more coconut aminos, sriracha and a sprinkling of chives.
What is your favorite dumpling?
]]>One of the things that I wont’ to really conquer this year is decluttering, simplifying and just controlling the chaos and mess in our home. We have a small house that is filled with lots of people and lots of stuff. A room can easily go from perfectly clean to disaster in under five minutes with three small children and two overwhelmed adults. The only way have I have found to completely prevent the mess is to not be home to make it so instead we head to the mountains or the sea to explore nature.
I know this isn’t a long term solution but it sure makes for a nice start to the week.
This weekend we explored the Columbia River Gorge, both the Oregon and Washington side and it just felt so good to move my body, be in nature and connect with my people. That’s the thing about chaos and mess at home it often gets in the way of connecting with myself, my family and triggers my anxiety. So I spent Friday night getting wild aka cleaning our living room and Saturday we headed to the mountains. When we returned I felt so full of live and love and happiness it was amazing to walk into a house that had (at least one room) clean.
So while avoiding the mess is a short term resolution it is something that sometimes just needs to happen so that you can feel full, bonded and ready to take on the mess another day.
This month I’m all about setting mindful intentions. I want to focus on things that I have been ignoring the past month such as connecting with nature, dreaming big and working hard to achieve my dreams and practicing more patience with everyone. I spent an hour sitting quietly and really thinking about what I want for the next month and I thought I would share my May intentions with you.
What are your May intentions? Share them on Instagram with #AYearOfIntentionalLiving
]]>It has become entirely too easy to buy anything with just a few key strokes. As part of my #YearOfIntentionalLiving project I am challenging myself to go 30 days with out online shopping.
Yes, no online shopping of any sort.
This will truly be a challenge for me because I order a lot of our groceries online, diapers and other essentials online. I mean really it’s so easy to just have everything sent straight to my house rather than heading to the shops but I also wonder is it too easy? Just today I made two Amazon orders without even thinking twice. That right there is enough for me to say, yes this is what you need.
So for the next 30 days I will go without ordering:
This is not a buy nothing challenge. This challenge is about shopping a little bit slower, more locally and with more intention.
Goal:
I’m curious how we will feel after this month.
How will I feel? Empowered? Frustrated? Exhausted?
Will we see more cash in our bank account?
Will our trash & recycle be smaller?
Will we come to find we really don’t need as much as we think?
]]>Can I just say one thing? We should all take off our shoes and climb more trees. It’s so freeing to feel the Earth below your feet and to do something a little daring.
This week we climbed trees, soaked up hours of hot sun, ate delicious food, had a number of parenting struggles and now I’m ready for a nap. Our beautiful sun is turning into rain this weekend and our 80F weather is dropping to 50F and I’m so sad. This little taste of Summer was such a tease. So now it’s back to rainboots and sweaters and plans for a movie (or 2) this weekend.
weekend links.
This snack made with beans (yes beans) is my new favorite treat. I can’t decide which I like better the birthday cake or the fudge brownie – what would you choose?
I just bought yet another pair of my favorite high waisted leggings because they are amazing (and cheap).
This woman is inspiring me this week.
I read this entire book this week.
I’m trying to get my blogging on trend so I’m all about this resource.
Lastly, I want a big bowl of this noodle salad because I love noods.
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here on Running With Tongs at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
]]>I recently shared my intentions for 2018. It’s one thing to set intentions but it’s important to dive a bit deeper and to really define those intentions. So this week I want to dive a bit deeper into why I am choosing to live more intentionally. What are the benefits of living with intention? For me the benefits are…
To Be Free From Debt. While we are not swimming in debt we do have a bit from travel, student loans, and moving that we would like to be free from by the end of the year.
To Spend More Time With My Children. Clutter and cleaning are both huge mental blocks for me. Too often, I end up telling myself and my littles that I need to clean first or I end up staying home on the weekend to clean while Neil goes out with the kids for a few hours.
To Get Better Sleep. I am not looking for 8 straight hours but rather more restful sleep when it does happen (I have a baby so sleep is all over the place).
More Time For Me (and the blog). I have notebooks filled with ideas for blog posts but between a clingy baby, exhaustion, the never ending cleaning and the guilt I feel when I take time for myself nothing has been getting done and it’s weighing on me. For me, living more intentionally means making time for myself and my passions a priority so that I can fill my cup and better take care of my family and our home.
The ability to travel. We love to explore and travel and by living more intentionally we are providing ourselves with the space, time and financial stability to tap into our never ending wanderlust.
Reduce anxiety. I have struggled with anxiety for most of my life. It comes in waves and currently it’s high. My hope is that living life with more purpose and being more present will help to reduce my anxiety.
Increase quality time. Days will be filled with more purpose and presence which leads to a higher quality of life and time with those who are most important.
Stronger relationships. Being more intentional about how we live our lives helps us to foster stronger relationships with each other and ourselves.
As you can see these benefits embrace so many facets of life from health, to relationships, to money, to stress.
Do you seek a more intentional life? What does this look like for you? What steps are you taking?
Spring has sprung at the farmers market and I just can’t get enough of the Spring greens, herbs and the early Spring carrots. As an effort to work through my cookbook stack I have been picking a few recipes each week to try. This week I cracked open Near & Far by Heidi Swanson and when I saw her Spring forward recipe for Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad I knew I had to make it. Unfortunately dill wasn’t anywhere to be found at my market but beautiful chives were so I subbed out the dill for chives and made an amazing salad that had both Neil and I wanting more.
Lucky for you all Heidi has this recipe up on her blog 101 Cookbooks so you too can make it! Enjoy!
]]>Weekly Meal Planning helps us to eat healthily, waste less food, save money and reduce the amount of stress around meal time.
I have attempted to meal plan in the past but was never able to fully commit. I get overwhelmed with having to plan out all of our meals and eventually just give up and go grocery shopping for whatever looks good. Then I attempt to use everything we purchased by creating recipes on the spot. In all honesty, I usually fail to use everything and end up wasting food.
So what changed? Having a third child has changed things. One of my goals for this postpartum period was to limit how much we dine out and order take out. The only way to help prevent this from happening was to create a meal plan with recipes/meal ideas that were easy for Neil to put together and it has worked. Over this postpartum period, we have only eaten out at times when it was already implemented into our meal plan, we have used up 90% of our groceries, and overall we are eating more healthily than when I wasn’t meal planning. Being able to take advantage of grocery pick up from Fred Meyer (Kroger) has been a life saver as well.
Meal planning allows us to spend less money. We aren’t running out to pick up one or two things and coming home with five. We know what we are having for dinner in advance so we are able to prepare meals and are less apt to go out to eat or order take out.
Just remember to…
Keep it simple. Meals don’t need to be elaborate. Many of our meals are as simple as protein, grain/pasta/bread/starchy vegetable, lots of vegetables, healthy fat and sauce/condiment.
Example: BBQ Tofu (simply Amy’s BBQ sauce + Tofu), baked potatoes, massage kale salad (kale + olive oil + lemon juice + coconut aminos), chive cashew cream (chives + soaked cashews + lemon juice + ACV + S&P) and grapes for the kids. Simple, easy and loved by everyone.
Account for snacks, treats & drinks. When planning your meals/grocery list make sure you are including your favorite snacks, treats (ice cream, chocolate, etc) and drinks. These are most often the things that we run out for and then of course that turns into picking up some additional items.
Clean The Fridge Meal. Include a clean out of the fridge meal. This can either be eating up leftovers or simply using up any veggies and/or proteins that are left in your fridge before you do your weekly shop.
Give Into Your Cravings. Have you been wanting pizza all week? Add it to your next meal plan. Either make it at home, pick up your favorite frozen/take-and-bake or plan for a pizza night out. In my experience when I ignore my cravings it just makes me want them more and then I end up going off plan and eating out or buy more ingredients to make what I’m craving. Now I just plan for it and I am able to save money and be more mindful about my food choices.
Weekly Meal Rotation. Make your life easy and plan weekly meals either the same recipe every week or every two weeks. Alternatively have themed meal nights like Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday or Leftovers Night. Here are a few more themed meal night ideas.
Keep Staples On Hand. Meal planning sometimes has it’s hiccups so allow yourself room to improvise. For example I ordered our groceries this week and I ended up with baby spinach with a short expiry date, a bag of potatoes that had a few bad potatoes in it and some avocado crazy kids who ate 4.5 of the 6 avocados I ordered in less than 24 hours. So I had to make a few adjustments to our meals. For this reason I like to order an extra veggie and have a few staples on hand just in case.
At first meal planning can feel like a chore and just another thing you don’t have time to do but after a few weeks you’ll find your groove and it will become easier and easier. If you have a week that gets you off track don’t fret just return to your planning the next week.
Do you meal plan? What are some of your favorite go to meals?
]]>This is my current wardrobe in it’s entirety.
I have excluded workout clothes but since the purpose of my journey is to move away from fitness clothes those don’t count and my workout wardrobe could use an overhaul of its own but that is for another day.
As you can see I have 3 tops, 2 bottoms, 4 pairs of shoes and 3 newly acquired pieces a dress, a romper and a denim jacket. Of these items I could do without 2 of the tops and 2 of the shoes they have basically been included because I have them, wear them or they serve a purpose like the sandals for the beach or camping. Currently I have 12 items.
My goal is to build a wardrobe with 30-35 pieces that I really love and that I feel good in right now. As I write that 30-35 makes me feel anxious after living for the past 15 or so months with only a max of 20 items in my wardrobe but I know that if I could have a bit more diversity I would feel so much better.
Most days I turn to workout clothes basically out of convenience because they are what I have more of and what are honestly clean. When you have three small children its very unlikely that you are able to re-wear things like jeans and sweaters because they end up with food and dirt on them on a daily basis and then there is laundry for five people – don’t even get me started.
So now the question is what do I really need? What is my style? What color palette do I want?
So tell me what do you think ever wardrobe needs? Where do you shop? What are you loving right now?
When I was a little girl I entered a giveaway at our local library to win tickets to a performance at a local theatre. If I’m honest I am not positive what the performance was 25 years later but I do remember the feeling it gave me to sit and watch people perform. From that moment on I took any opportunity to beg my parents to take me the theatre and my big dream was to go see a broadway show in New York City. When I was 13 the time had finally come and we made our way to NYC and I saw The Phantom of The Opera and it was magical.
This week I was able to introduce my oldest, Edith, to the theatre, broadway and The Sound of Music. We have been listening to The Sound of Music for a few weeks and when I found out it was coming to Keller Auditorium March 6-11th I knew we had to go. I searched for matinee tickets that would work for her and I to go but struggled to find seats that worked for us. Then a chance opportunity came up and I was gifted seats at the very last minute and since my usual theatre date couldn’t join me I decided to bring Edith despite it being way past her bedtime and fully knowing me might only make it to intermission.
When I asked her to join me she was so excited and I knew instantly I had made the right decision. She got dressed up and she sang My Favorite Things over and over the entire way to the show and into the theatre. To watch her was like watching myself so excited, amazed and proud to be there.
You’re probably wondering but how was it?
Just before the performance a friend messaged me saying she had recently seen The Sound of Music when it was in her city and that woman who played The Mother Abbess had the most amazing voice and that the performance was wonderful. She was right the performance was everything I had hoped and more. Lauren Kidwell who played The Mother Abbess had the most amazing voice and all of the children were just amazing.
We only lasted until intermission but while I was dissappointed to leave I knew that at 5 years old lasting through 11 acts was a big feat and Edith did amazing. We heard our favorite songs, watched the amazing performers and left with the biggest smiles on our faces. The night was magical and one that I hope we both remember forever.
Do you have a favorite musical? When did you go to your first broadway show? Have you/are you planning to see The Sound of Music?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TICKET AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
THE SOUND OF MUSIC will be at Portland’s Keller Auditorium for eight performances. The schedule for the Portland engagement is:
Tuesday, March 6 7:30pm
Wednesday, March 7 7:30pm
Thursday, March 8 7:30pm – ASL Interpreted Performance
Friday, March 9 7:30pm – Audio Described Performance
Saturday, March 10 2:00pm and 7:30pm
Sunday, March 11 1:00pm
6:30pm – Open Caption Performance
Wheelchair seating is available at all performances. For information on ADA seating, please call the Broadway in Portland Box Office 503-417-0573, email boxoffice@portlandopera.org or visit the Broadway in Portland Box Office in person (Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm)
Tickets can be purchased:
www.BroadwayInPortland.com
or at Portland’5 Box Office: 800-273-1530
# # #
For more information, including the 2017–2018 touring schedule, please visit www.TheSoundOfMusicOnTour.com
www.facebook.com/TheSoundOfMusicOnTour
]]>I’ll be honest since having our third child I haven’t been making fitness a priority. I spent my first 3 postpartum weeks recovering and really caring for my body and since then I feel like I have been surviving and not thriving. I have been just simply trying to make it through each day and have really not carved out anytime for me to focus on getting stronger and losing the baby weight. However, as with most new years I have a new fire to get back to feeling strong, healthy and get to a weight that makes me feel good.
The thing is all of those “obstacles” that I felt in the last 7 months are still there so I am having to figure out creative ways to increase my activity while juggling three kids and all that comes with that. Luckily, I have a little more time these days because Neil’s 2.5+ hour commute has been cut down to 0 which means there is more time in my day to focus on my fitness. That being said life happens so I have also been relying on alternative ways to get active and have my kids involved.
Set Up A Schedule With Your Partner. Your partner wants you to be successful and wants you to reach your goals so TALK with them about your needs and create a schedule together that allows you to have kid free time to workout whether that is at home or outside the house.
Get Your Kids Involved. Ideally you will have time to workout without your kids but that doesn’t always happen so it’s about figuring out what you can do with them.
Utilize Any Down Times During The Day. Find times during the days such as when your kids are napping or having screen time or before the wake up to fit in a quick 7-10 minute workout. There are a few great apps for short workouts search around and find one that works for you or you can try this 7-minute plan.
When All Else Fails Go For A Walk. Get outside and more your body. The change of scenery, the fresh air and the movement will feel good and you can easily bring the kids along.
Get your kids excited to join your workouts with their own outfits just like yours. Make them feel a part of the process and you will all benefit from getting out the wiggles and spending time together. That being said don’t forget about yourself; make sure you too have the gear your need to feel confident and ready to take on each workout. I know it might sound vain but the truth is when you feel good in your clothes you are going to want to workout and want to continue to reach your goals.
Speaking of goals….
This month my goal is to workout 21 days this month. This could be going on a class, spending 7-minutes going hard, getting all the kids out for a walk, hiking or setting up for yoga in the living room. Whatever it is I want to move my body more simple as that.
What are you fitness goals? If you have kids how do you make time to workout? What tips can you share?
Outfits c/o JillYoga.com
JillYoga.com carries yoga clothes for babies, kids and women!
Also JillYoga.com just released their Spring line and I’m dying over these ice cream leggings.
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For me, setting intentions is about living with more focus and purpose. My goal is not to accomplish my intentions by the end of the year but rather work towards living more intentionally from this day forward. My intentions may evolve over time but each one of these intentions has no expiry or finish date.
So what are my 2018 intentions?
1. Find balance as a mama, partner and creative. Balance is another one of those tricky terms. What is balance? Well for each one of us that is going to be different. For me it means ensuring that Neil and I have quality time together as a couple, that I have time carved out each week for me to work on writing, photos and projects that ignite my creative side and that while I am a mama that it isn’t the only thing that I am. Will there be equal time each week for all of these items? No, but that’s not my intent – rather it’s about finding a balance that respects each of these areas of my life.
2. Make self-care a priority. This looks like time for me to sit quietly and re-group, it also looks like a shower without a screaming baby or children popping their head in to ask for a snack. It looks like a trip to the chiropractor, acupuncturist or to do a float. It looks like moving my body or simply sitting still in meditation. There are so many ways to manifest self-care. What does self-care look like for you?
3. Shop with more intention. Online shopping and the dollar area at Target are making it so easy to mindlessly shop for things. Anything that you can think of can be ordered and delivered in two days or even within an hour which is great when the stomach bug hits your house and all you need is more towels but it’s also a curse because we can mindlessly order anything.
4. Create a home that is filled with love, laughter and creativity (without all the clutter). While our home is already filled with these things it is also filled with clutter and just so many things. So it’s time to create a space that is calming and inspirational and not a chaotic, cluttered mess.
5. Listen More Than I Speak. I am very reactionary and feel emotions in a big way and voice them quickly and often sharply. As I focus on living this year with more intention the way I listen and speak is a huge part of this especially with children and my husband.
6. Focus on being present. Yes I am talking about stepping away from screens and spending more time connecting in the moment. Focusing on what is going on right now and giving less time and energy to anxieties, worries and mindless scrolling.
7. Acknowledge my feelings and emotions and take responsibility for them. We are responsible for how we feel, how we react and how we respond.
8. Find the light in everyday. It’s so easy after a hard day to feel like everything has just gone to shit and forget about the little moments that brought a smile and light to the day. So I want to find the light in each day and focus on that and release the dark, frustrating moments.
So now tell me – what are you intentions for 2018?
]]>This year has started off with a lot of changes for our family and myself so we are just trying to find our groove. I have plans to share my intentions for year and will do so when I get a minute to myself to just write or rather type up my notes (psst did you know I hand write about 60% of my blog posts first?) Anyways until then I thought I would share a Currently post with you and I hope that you share below something you’re currently doing/eating/watching/looking forward to/reading/loving. xo.
Doing: Worrying about flu season and earthquakes because anxiety sucks. Also feeding people constantly. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. When I am not cooking or putting together a snack for the big people in my family I am nursing the baby. It’s feeding time all day long around here. Beyond the feeding I have been working to declutter our home and make it a space that we all love and are comfortable in especially since Neil is now working out of our bedroom.
We started the year off with a trip to the coast for Neil’s birthday. Then I had week of solo parenting while Neil went out of town for work. I had my parents here for a bit so we did a lot of running around with them. Now we are finding our groove.
Eating: This month we tried Sun Basket for the first time because they finally have a plant-based box! We LOVED all three recipes (see recipe 1 and recipe 2) that we tried and can’t wait to buy our next box. I have also been eating my weight in Oat Mama bars because they taste amazing and have been keeping my milk supply going strong. Although I made the mistake of letting Edith try one of my bars and now she wants to eat them all. Some other yummy things I have been eating can be seen here, here and here.
Watching: I am still slowly re-watching Grey’s Anatomy again because I am one of those people who loves to re-watch shows over and over. Neil and I have been watching Top Chef and 9-1-1. If you were a fan of Third Watch you might like 9-1-1; it’s not completely the same but similar idea where it follows paramedics, firefighters, cops and also includes 9-1-1 operators.
Looking forward to: The summer, the passing of flu season, feeling prepared for an earthquake. Also on a happier note seeing friends this weekend and hopefully writing a lot this weekend.
Reading: I am still working my way through The Danish Way of Parenting* Life has been a bit crazy these past few months so my reading has kind of dropped off – except for the hundreds of children’s books I read every week. If you are interested in what books we are reading as a family I will be sharing more on our Naturally Family Instagram.
Loving: I am loving that we haven’t had a snowstorm this year (cue storm to happen now- lol). I am loving that my husband now works from home. We are still finding our rhythm but having the extra hours with him is pretty amazing. What can I say we hate to be away from each other.
What are you currently doing, thinking about, watching, looking forward to, reading and/or loving?
As always this post is inspired by Sometimes Sweet.
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.
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Happy Holidays! I will be taking a short break from blogging for the holidays. I’ll be back in the new year with a ton of new content that I have been working on behind the scenes and just maybe a few big surprises. I plan to be back January 2nd but until then you can find me on Instagram.
]]>While there really isn’t much that I need this holiday season there are a few things that are on my wish list. Most are consumable as I work to have less things but of course there are a few things like my favorite notebook that I just can’t give up and a few fun items that would be fun to add to my collection. So here it is my wish list – ENJOY!
Wild Friends Sugar Cookie Peanut Butter. I recently purchased a jar of this peanut butter at our local grocery store and our family polished it off in less than four days because it is just that good. That being said I wouldn’t hate to find my very own jar in my stocking along with a few of Wild Friends new Nut Butter Oats that I have been dying to try.
Conscious Ink Tattoos. While I would love to get a new tattoo that just isn’t in the cards right now but these temporary tattoos are the perfect alternative. Conscious Ink Manifestation Temporary Tattoos consist of a dream list of positive words, inspiring quotes, healing affirmations and empowering invitations. I just love that when I look down at my wrist (where I tend to place these) I can be reminded to Be Present, Breathe, Love, Laugh and so much more. I also love to share these with Edith who is all about the temporary tattoos right now.
Leuchtturm 1917 A5 Dotted Notebook. I am obsessed with notebooks and these are my absolute favorite. I have a handful of these books already that I have filled up with blog ideas and journaling and used for bullet journaling. Some people want bags or shoes in every color – I want notebooks.
Oat Mama Lactation Tea and Bars. Oat Mama was kind enough to send me a variety of their bars and their Chai tea and I have fallen in love. The bars are delicious and perfect for a busy mama like myself. The Chai tea is perfect with a touch of vanilla almond milk and I have been enjoying it most evenings. The problem is however I am almost out so if anyone wants to fill my stocking with tea and bars that would be great.
Splendid Spoon Cleanse. After the holidays I could use a Splendid Spoon Cleanse. I know I share about these all the time and it’s for good reason I love the soups and drinkable soups. I love to keep the fridge and freezer stocked with them so that I can have something easy to grab for breakfast or lunch (seeing a trend? Mom of three = need for quick, easy and healthy food options). While I usually have a few soups on hand I could really use a full week of cleansing for the new year. Also this is the perfect gift for someone who has everything or is more of a minimalist because it’s truly consumable (and delicious). psst you can save $20 on your first box with my link.
Sappho New Paradigm Liquid Foundation. I recently purchased the Alima Pure Liquid Silk Foundation and while I like it fine and will use it up I don’t love it. Prior to purchasing the Alima Pure I had been using samples of the Sappho New Paradigm Liquid Foundation and while I loved it the price tag was a bit higher than I was prepared to spend but now I am having a bit of buyers remorse. I loved the way the Sappho felt on my skin, how light it was in feeling but how great the coverage was and overall I just wish I had waited, saved a few extra dollars and purchased it for myself. So now I am doing just that… unless of course someone wants to buy me it for Christmas in the color Rachel. psst this foundation is natural, vegan and you can purchase your own sample here.
Savage Seeds – Moon Mama T-Shirt. If you know me you know how much I talk about my kids and parenting in relationship to the moon. So obviously this is the perfect shirt for me and I would love kid and baby versions for my littles.
Fresh Milk Made Here. I don’t have much to say about this besides the fact that I love it and need it for my office area. It’s just amazing. I also want this one as well which pairs well with the Moon Mama shirt above.
Honey Mama’s Chocolate. Last but not least I would love a package or stocking filled with Honey Mama’s chocolate. It is easily my favorite chocolate in the world. My entire family is in love with it so much so that we purchased four bars at the farmers market last week and all four were one within the week – oops.
What is on your holiday gift list this year?
This post is NOT sponsored however it does contain an affiliate link. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here on Running With Tongs at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
–>Creamy Curry Vegan Mac and Cheese<–
With three kids and a baby who is protesting sleep I depend on my coffee in the morning to get me going. When it comes to the afternoon however I like to make the switch to tea because I find it gives me a boost without giving me the jitters, anxious feelings and doesn’t keep me up all night. Lately, I have been going for a creamy matcha latte. I love how green and earthy it tastes and I find that it gives me an energy boost while also helping me to feel calm and focused.
So what makes my matcha latte so special? I say the cinnamon! Who knew matcha and cinnamon could taste so good together?
1 tsp matcha
1 tsp maple syrup
1 spoonful artisana organics coconut butter
4 oz homemade plant milk
4 oz hot water
Big dash of cinnamon
I blend mine straight in my breville frother but you could use a handheld frother or add to blender.
What is your go to afternoon beverage? have you tried matcha?
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here on Running With Tongs at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
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This week instead of heading to the kitchen and opening the fridge and cupboards 10x trying to figure out what I’ll have for breakfast and end up gulping two mugs of coffee and eating the crusts of my kids toast I am making my life easier and starting my day with a Splendid Spoon smoothie.
For the next five days I will be enjoying a Splendid Spoon smoothie that I can easily grab from the fridge and sip without having to do any of the work. Instead of chaos I am being intentional with my choice to have a breakfast that is low in sugar, filled with fiber and rich in protein and healthy fats.
What do I hope to get out of this challenge?
If you’d like to join me in 5 Low Sugar Mornings leave me a comment below! I’d love to hear about your experience and why you want to challenge yourself!
You can follow my entire journey over on my Insta-Stories and I’ll be sharing my full challenge experience on the blog next week.
Save $20 off your first Splendid Spoon Plan.
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here on Running With Tongs at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support
]]>It’s finally the weekend and I am planning on catching up on some sleep and enjoying the only date night that Neil and I have all month. This week while good has been exhausting and I can’t wait to relax. Hope you all have a wonderful week!
Three Things For My Health
Weekend Links
Share a link to something you are loving or lusting after right now; or something great your have read, watched or ate!
This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here on Running With Tongs at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.
]]>I’m officially four months postpartum and while I had hoped to write about all the things I am doing to stay healthy and fit while being a WAHM/SAHM to three children the reality is I am still working on finding my fitness. I always say that with most things it’s not that you don’t have enough time to do something it’s that you aren’t making time and over the past four months I haven’t been making time to workout out. So when I came across a list of postpartum fitness plans that I made months ago I thought it was finally time to share them and to actually follow my own advice.
Listen to my body. This is the one plan I actually followed through with. I listened to by body during the first six weeks of postpartum and didn’t push my activity level. If I was feeling exhausted or any sort of pressure around my pelvic floor I took that as a sign to slow down and I did. I ended up with the quickest healing I have ever had and I really attribute this to taking things slow this time around. Allowing myself to heal.
barre3 Online – 10 minutes/day. Okay so I re-activated my subscription at the start of this month and I have only done two sessions. So this is currently one of my top goals especially since I plan to attend The Mom Edit barre3 event in less than two weeks and I would like to make it through the entire workout.
Find Mama & Baby Yoga Class. This is one of those things that I think the time has passed. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a weekend class and since I am home with my bigs during the week I couldn’t attend a class. That’s okay though- can’t win them all!
Daily Walks With Kids. This is one that I feel like I am failing at the most. I really need to get outside and walk with the kids everyday (weather permitting). The fresh air, the time in nature is something we all need so this combined with the barre3 online are my two main focuses.
Get A Gym Membership. Okay so technically I have a gym membership but it’s at my husbands works which takes me anywhere from 20-90 minutes each way to get there so I honestly just don’t go. I could go on swim class days but just haven’t – so that being said I should. I am considering getting another membership to a closer gym but I have my insecurities about this which I’ll share in a later post.
So that is it. My November goals are to do 10 minutes of barre3 per day and walk with the kids most days of the week. I also want to spend more weekend time out in nature with my family.
]]>The last time I shared a Currently was February(!!) I would say life has changed a lot since then so maybe it’s time for an update? If you are following me on Instagram you know life is a bit crazy…err challenging but we can chat more about that in a different post. Today let’s catch up on our normal currently topics and make share yours below!
Doing: My days consist of lots of nursing and making sure that my two older kids don’t get terribly injured. I am finding that my days are full but at the same time I am not getting enough cleaning/laundry done, enough workouts in (or any), spending enough time on bettering myself, blogging enough ….the list could go on and on. But as I write this I wonder what is enough? Maybe it’s time I sit with that and figure out what enough means to me.
Eating: I am eating a mix of super amazing and healthy meals such as this one, this one and this one and then a whole bunch of crap. This is me calling myself out on my horrible eating and sharing that Monday starts my goal to eat more of these and less of these.
Watching: I have been re-watching Grey’s Anatomy again because I am one of those people who loves to re-watch shows over and over. I also just finished watching Manhunt (Netflix) with Neil and if you haven’t seen it yet you should go and watch it now. Neil and I are now on to watching This Is Us and Designated Survivor most weeks.
Looking forward to: This weekend because I am going to clean the heck out of our house AND I am going to the chiropractor! It’s really the little things these days that make me happy. I also plan on cleaning the fridge and doing a big meal prep. I know I am wild!
Reading: I have been reading The Danish Way of Parenting* and this is a good reminder that I need to spend sometime this weekend reading more of it. If you are looking for a gentle perspective on parenting this is a great book to read!
Loving: I am just loving all the colorful leaves. Fall is my favorite time of year and while the PNW doesn’t have the crisp Fall air that I hold so close to my heart from my New England childhood…or rather the first 27+ years of my life there are a ton of pretty leaves out right now.
What are you currently doing, thinking about, watching, looking forward to, reading and/or loving?
As always this post is inspired by Sometimes Sweet.
A few weeks back I was watching Jane’s instastories and she shared how instead of making a to-do list she decided to write down all the tasks she did each day. I thought this was such an interesting approach because as a stay-at-home parent there are many days where I feel that I never cross anything off my to-do list and end my day feeling like a bit of a failure. So I took Jane’s lead and decided to write down everything I did in an entire day but I took it one step further to basically include almost everything. Since I am a mama of a new baby I included nursing sessions because while those are nice to do they can often feel like tasks and like my life revolves around nursing*.
Monday September 25, 2017- start time 6am
– nurse
– package up some mail to ship out
– make breakfast for myself
– nurse
– get my littles ready for the day
– coffee shop and consignment shop date with my littles
– emptied dishwasher
– hand washed a load of dishes
– removed everything from the fridge to clean, organize and declutter to take photos for this sneak peek into our fridge.
– nurse
– cook lunch
– read books with littles
– nurse
– attempt to do a barre3 workout…..but instead nurse some more
– quite time over/prepare snack for littles
– nurse
– check emails
– nurse
– put beans in instant pot for dinner
– nurse
– re-heat coffee for 5th time and play with littles
– nurse
– cook dinner
– nurse
– eat dinner
– nurse
– eat ice cream and watch gilmore girls
– nurse
– catch up on YouTube ….
– nurse
– take a shower
– nurse
11pm go to bed.
This whole process was pretty eye opening in that I honestly didn’t realize just how much I actually do in a day. While I don’t often get all my tasks done for the day I am almost constantly doing something with a few moments here in there to take a break to eat and/or relax. My days will continue to change as Ingrid gets bigger and I would say just shy of a month later our Monday’s are already a bit different.
The reality is being a SAHM/WAHM is not a walk in the park. We don’t just sit around and do nothing all day. Most days are spent cooking, cleaning, facilitating learning (led by our children), driving places, mediating and doing a whole lot of loving.
*This list was made right around Ingrid’s 3-month growth spurt which is why there is so much nursing.
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When it comes to eating I don’t have any major “rules”. I prefer to eat foods that are nutrient dense and nourish my body but there are times when I like to enjoy some pizza, fried foods and the occasional sweet. If you’re looking for nourishing bowl inspiration I post a new one on my Instagram or IG stories most days but if you are looking for something that is delicious but not so healthy read on.
When I was a kid growing up in Vermont (and not plant-based) we used to go to a spot called Charlie’s Red Hots. They had this hot dog that was basically the Vermont version of a Michigan dog. To be honest I don’t remember what it taste like 20+ years later but I thought I would go ahead and attempt to recreate this legendary hot dog but make it a bit healthier and plant-based. Of course it would only be appropriate to make this dog when my parents where in town to give it a try.
Okay, but lets get to it how were they? They were so delicious! Although they would have been better with a New England hot dog bun but the West Coast just doesn’t seem to stock the best kind of hot dog buns. Also these are best enjoyed with a great Vermont beer.
What did my meat eating, Charlie’s Red Hots loving parents think? Well as soon as my mom got home to Vermont she sent about 12 text messages desperately requesting that I get this recipe post live so they could make the sauce at home.
What is a food from your childhood that you love to recreate at home?
Psst: If you need a great place to stay on the Oregon Coast my friend Lisa’s #beachvibescottage is perfect– you can find it on airbnb plus use this affiliate link and get $40 to travel.
]]>Thrive Market Spices // I love the Thrive Market spices. While they are close in price to to the Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s brands I think the quality is superior. I personally love the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and Italian seasoning.
Braggs Nutritional Yeast // This is a staple in our house and the price for the bottle is less than most grocery stores. I will say you can get nooch cheaper in bulk and that is the route I usually go but every so often I add one of these to my Thrive Market cart.
Lundberg Short Grain Brown Rice // This is by far my favorite rice of all time. I love the quality, the taste and that it has some of the lowest arsenic levels (yes most all rice contains some level of arsenic – read more here). This is also one of the cheapest prices I have found for this rice that isn’t a sale or bulk.
Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk // I have tried so many different coconut milks and this one is my favorite by far.
Annie Chun’s Pad Thai Brown Rice Noodles // Have you tried these? They are so good! I always have these on hand for quick and easy lunches and dinners. I use them to make salads, stir fry and add them to soups.
Thrive Market Extra Virgin Olive Oil // I first tried this olive oil because it was a free with purchase item (a perk of Thrive is that they are constantly offering free product with a minimum purchase). I liked the olive oil so much that I continued to purchase it once I ran out of my free bottle.
Thrive Market Beans // We eat so many beans in this house so we always have them on hand. There are a few varieties that I really enjoy and Thrive Market’s line is a new favorite of mine.
Annie’s Naturals Dijon Mustard // I will happily declare this the best dijon mustard – ever. I can’t get enough of it so I am constantly ordering it because not only is it the best but this is the best price. I use this mustard on sandwiches, in sauces, in dressings and for dipping.
Thrive Market Coconut Aminos // Thrive has a few coconut aminos options and I have tried them all and like them all but I tend to most often buy their brand. I love to use this in place of soy sauce or tamari.
Thrive Market Sprouted Quinoa // I think you can’t be plant-based without having quinoa on hand at all times.
Bonus:
Edison Grainery // Edison is a brand that I had no idea about until I ordered their red lentils off Thrive Market. Since then I have ordered their lentils and other beans and legumes countless times because they are the best. They also have the best gluten free pasta which unfortunately you can’t get on Thrive Market – hopefully they add it to the site soon!
What are your pantry staples?
Interested in giving Thrive Market a try? Save 25% and receive free shipping via my referral link! Thank you for supporting me, my family and my blog by using my link.
Neil and I had visited Punch Bowl Social last year on a date night but our visit was quick and we had no idea that it had three bowling areas, tons of games and karaoke rooms as well as some really delicious food. We were all pretty excited to spend the afternoon bowling and eating especially since this was the first time Edith and Alder had ever been bowling.
We opted to eat at our lane because there was no way we were going to get the kids to sit down and eat when they knew that bowling was just a few feet away. So we ordered our food and drinks and after we convincing Alder that the lightest ball would be best for him even though it was blue (his favorite colour at the moment) we got down to bowling.
One thing that I love about Punch Bowl Social bowling is that it’s by the hour versus by the game. This means we can bowl as many games as we can in our allotted time and we aren’t paying for each string. With two kids however we were lucky to make it through one game but either way still fun. I will note however if you are into some competitive bowling these lanes are not PBA approved but are just for gathering with friends for a fun time.
Not interested in bowling? Don’t worry Punch Bowl Social is worth visiting for the food alone. All the food is made in house and is not the normal greasy, heated up food you find at most bowling alleys. This food is top notch and so are the drinks. I am still dreaming about the Superfood Grain Bowl it was legitimately one of the best things I ate all summer.
The Superfood Grain Bowl has crispy farro (something I need to learn how to make), a bunch of great veggies and an incredible miso ginger vinaigrette. We also ordered the Black Eyed Pea Hummus which was was another amazing dish and we ordered the Boiled Peanuts which I was a bit skeptical about and the first few were hard to get down but the more I ate the more I liked them and even our five-year-old, Edith, couldn’t get enough. For drinks we went with a few of their homemade sodas which were all delicious but my favorite was the Season’s Soda.
After we finished up bowling we headed home to get ready for our mini birthday BBQ with friends. Since we had a big morning out we kept it simple with homemade slaw, chips, store bought cake (Whole Foods has the best vegan chocolate cake BTW) and veggie dogs.
We kept our veggie dogs super simple with just a bit of Sir Kensigton mustard and ketchup but this weekend we will be jazzing up our dogs and I just might have a recipe or two to share with you next week.
What birthday traditions do you have? What is your favorite birthday memory? I have to say birthdays for me are kind of a sore subject. I love celebrating others birthdays but I find that for some reason mine just never seems to be great. Oh well. I do have a great memory though when I was 13 or 14 my parents took me and a few friends to New Hampshire to go shopping and stay in a hotel.
But I have good news! Amazing news! Delicious news!
I have found a doughnut that tastes great, free of refined sugar and you can eat as many as you want without getting that awful sugar hangover. You might even call them healthy or at least healthier plus they are covered in some amazing chocolate that it is Loving Earth’s vegan chocolate bars are free of sugar, dairy, gluten and grain.
Inspired by The Little Plantation
Note: I used a scale to weigh my flour, sugar and chocolate chips based on the measurements from the original recipe. Pssst these doughnuts are also gluten free!
FOR THE DONUTS
FOR THE TOPPING
I recommend eating these donuts right away or store them in the fridge. If you and/or your family is anything like me and mine these won’t last more than a day anyways.
Now I need to get my hands on some Loving Earth Caramel Chocolate so I can make these Salted Caramel Donuts.
**Found on ThriveMarket.com – receive 25% off your first order via my link.
Enter baby #2 and we were back at square one. We were over our two girls names we didn’t use and the playgroups were saturated with Henry/Henri’s so that name was out for us. So what did we do? We spent 9 months creating lists of names that were remote possibilities. We would each create a list, exchange the list and cross of any that we disliked and then merge or lists together. We then would return to the list ever few weeks to cross off and add names. We ultimately decided just to wait to meet our baby. I can’t remember what names made our list but I’ll tell you one that didn’t – Alder Grey. Yeah that’s right all that list making and we decided on a name that wasn’t even on our list. Actually a name that 18 months earlier Neil had given me a hard ‘NO’ on when I said that would be a nice name and then he of all people was the one to say “what about Alder?”
Now onto baby #3. We once again were back at square one. We didn’t have any baby names that we were really into or holding on to from previous pregnancies (except for a few that were on my list only – I’ll share below). Our list this last time seemed to be miles long made up of any name that sparked even the slightest interest. We had a few that stood out a bit more than others – like Ingrid – but ultimately there were not many that really spoke to us. Again we decided to wait to meet baby and after she arrived and we spent time with her we knew Ingrid Rose was the perfect name for her.
Okay on to the real reason you are here all those names that made our list that we didn’t use. Okay maybe not all because who has time for that (if you do want to know message me) but here are our top 10….or rather my top 10 because at least two of these names are ones that made my individual list ever baby and Neil vetoed every time.
As you can see we go for names that are older sounding, botanical and Scandinavian. As I write this I realize that that is exactly what we did as well – Edith (older), Alder (botanical) and Ingrid (Scandinavian).
What names made your list that you won’t be using? What name(s) did your partner veto? I could write an entire post of the names that Neil vetoed (there were a ton). Ultimately I’m happy with all the names we picked and who knows maybe a few will end up being used for the future four pawed friends we plan to adopt.
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