June 2016 - NY Foodie Family

Quickstart Guide to Geocaching Using the App

Posted on June 29, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

My family has become big fans of geocaching. It is a fun summer activity and we’ve recently been doing a lot of it. Geocaching uses navigational techniques, or in our case, a phone app, to find hidden caches. In other words, it’s a scavenger hunt in the great outdoors.

If you’ve never geocached, then read this post and you and your family can get started in as little time as it takes to download the app. Yes, it’s as easy as downloading the free geocaching app and creating a user profile.

Now, let me preface this tutorial by noting that my family and I are recreational geocachers. We have only been geocaching a couple of times and as of today have found nine caches. We do it for the thrill of the hunt and it’s free outdoor family fun! If you want more detailed information, check out geocaching.com.

So, now you have the app downloaded and you’ve created an account. The app will identify your location, noted by a blue circle, and load the caches near your location. The free caches are identified by a dark green circle. You will also notice dark blue circles (mystery caches), orange circles (multi-caches) and locked dark green circles (noted as premium), which are only accessible with an upgraded premium membership. We recently upgraded to a premium membership, which cost $9.99 for 3 months, as we found there to be a limited number of free geocaches in our area, and thought the price was worth it.

Choose the geocache you’d like to find by touching a green dot. You will then see information at the bottom of the screen like in the image above. Each geocache has a name, given by its creator. The distance from your current location is noted in miles. The bug icon indicates if there is a trackable item in the cache. (We have yet to find a trackable geocache). Once you are ready to begin geocaching hit the green start arrow.

An orange line will show the path from your location to the cache. A compass appears along the bottom of the screen as well. As you walk, use the compass as your guide. You want to keep the orange compass needle centered on your screen. As you walk, the needle will move and the distance in the bottom right will change, hopefully decreasing. Once you get in about 30 feet of the cache it will alert you and let you know that you are close. The GPS on the app isn’t exact, so once we get in approximately 10-12 feet we start looking for the cache.

You can swipe the screen up to get additional information about the cache, like its difficulty, the terrain and its size. From our experience, extra small (XS) caches are usually camouflaged film canisters, while small and medium caches have been lidded plastic containers. We have not done any geocaches higher than a 2.0 terrain rating, and the 2.0 cache required us to climb up a steep incline in a forest. In the about section you can also view hints, if there are any, as well as owner photos, if provided.

Once you find the cache, sign and date the physical log. Be sure to hit the log geocache bar at the bottom of the screen as well. (We weren’t able to find this particular geocache!). It’s nice to comment when you log the cache. A simple “TFTC” will suffice, though I usually add if it was easy/difficult to find. Your info will then appear in the activity log. The green dot will turn into a smiley face icon once you have logged the cache. The app keeps track of your caches.

Depending on its size, some caches have trinkets. The kids especially love finding larger-sized caches so they can trade trinkets. We have seen small toys, pins, shells and more. We only take a trinket if we have brought something to leave behind. Otherwise, we just sign the log. Be sure to place everything back in the container and return the cache back where you found it before leaving.

And that is a quick overview of geocaching that will get you started! We learned all of this through trial and error and are continuing to learn as we go.

Beware though, geocaching is addicting! Once you have found your first cache, you will then want to find your next one!

Some helpful info:

We have dedicated a small book bag as our geocaching bag. We keep it in the car along with several pens, some small pieces of paper and a bag of trinkets (goodie bag toys) to trade. With the app, you can geocache anywhere so we are always prepared!

The two most used acronyms that we have found helpful are:
BYOP – Bring Your Own Pen (as seen in the “about section” of several caches, to be able to sign the physical log)
TFTC – Thanks For The Cache (a way to say thanks to the creator of the cache)

Please share any geocaching tips or tricks that you have!

Weekly Meal Plan {Week 44}

Posted on June 27, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Today is the first Monday of summer vacation for us! Follow along on the blog as the kids and I enjoy our 69 days of summer! Menu planning has gotten a little more challenging since we have our weekly CSA pick up on Tuesday. I am trying to use everything, but I don’t know what I get until pick-up. Here is a look at what was on our menu this past week:

Saturday: My husband had a fundraising dinner to attend, so the kids and I went to Moe’s and then watched Zootopia. Mom was not cooking tonight!

Sunday: We celebrated Father’s Day with my husband’s family. He grilled some london broil which he marinated the night before. I made sauteed spinach and a Caesar Salad and my brother-in-law brought macaroni and cheese and roasted potatoes.

Monday: I was going to wait until later in the week to have leftovers from Sunday night, but the fridge was packed and I need to make room for our Tuesday CSA pick-up. So, leftovers it was tonight.

Tuesday: I made Curry Turkey Naan Bread “Tacos” from Everyday with Rachael Ray, with some roasted broccoli from the CSA. This dish was a bit messy, but really tasty. I omitted the red jalapeno pepper so it wasn’t too spicy for the kids. From the pics you can also see that for toppings I only used plain Greek yogurt and tomatoes. I did not add lettuce or toasted sliced almonds. The meat was sweet from the mango chutney and the kids loved the naan. I used boxed garlic naan that I found in the freezer section of the grocery store.

Wednesday: I made Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry from Cooking Light, June 2015, which I served with some rice. I added bok choy and mizuna from the CSA to the stir fry. This stir fry had more flavor than the one that I had made last week.

Thursday: I made Cowboy Hash from SimplyPotatoes.com. I adapted the recipe quite a bit….and not for the better. I used regular Simply Potatoes diced potatoes and sauteed my own onions. I didn’t add the can of diced chilies and used fresh garlic instead of garlic powder. Instead of spinach, I used escarole from the CSA. This dish lacked flavor and we added hot sauce to pep it up a bit.

Friday: I used the leftover ground turkey meat from the Curry Turkey tacos from Tuesday on one pizza, and added caramelized onions and mozzarella cheese. I roasted the beets from our CSA which I added to the other pizza and added the rest of the caramelized onions and some goat cheese crumbles. Both pizzas were delicious!

69 Days of Summer

Posted on June 24, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Today marks the official first day of the kids’ summer vacation. They have 69 days of summer vacation before school starts again September 1. This year, both kids opted not to go to camp. Now that I am working part-time from home, this is the first time in awhile where camp was an option and not a necessity. Despite the variety of camps presented to them: town camp, Girl Scout/Cub Scout camp or sports camp, neither of them wanted to go. I reminded them that they shouldn’t expect to “hang out” with their friends every day since most of their friends are at camp all day. So, now, what is a mom to do with 69 days of summer?

Well, first I bought myself a mini notebook to journal our summer adventures. Yes, I said adventures. If you know me well, “adventure” is not a word that you’d normally associate with me. I’m a creature of habit and routine. However, if you read Wednesday’s post, I wrote about my daughter’s moving up to middle school in the fall. With this upcoming change I know that spending time with her mom will soon be replaced by wanting to spend all her time with her friends. So, I plan to take the kids on outings. We can tackle our Hudson Valley Summer Bucket List as well as explore New York City. We can eat our way through Westchester County and spend lazy days at the park. Whatever we do, I am taking advantage of this time that we do have to spend together.

I also found two notebooks for the kids to decorate and use as their own summer journals. Not only will they keep up their writing skills, but they will have a souvenir of their hopefully fun summer!

And for those days that we spend at home, this sign was made. Now, my son won’t be constantly asking to play the Xbox.

Follow along with NY Foodie Family on the blog and on Instagram, as we fill our 69 days of summer!

Moving Upward and Onward

Posted on June 22, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Yesterday, I attended my daughter’s moving up ceremony. She is officially a 5th grader and will be heading to middle school in the fall. I share the sentiments of many parents that time is going by too quickly. It seems like yesterday, that I was putting her on the school bus for her first day of Kindergarten and today she walked across the bridge to middle school. My baby girl is growing up.

I am so proud of all that my daughter has accomplished in her five years of elementary school. Her teachers have nurtured her love of learning and she is constantly seeking knowledge. She has made many friends throughout the years, and this past year in particular, she has developed friendships that have the potential to become life-long relationships.

Like Shonda Rhimes, 4th grade was my daughter’s “Year of Yes.” She embraced her last year in elementary school with enthusiasm, wanting to participate in everything. The Gym Show, the school musical, the Tae Kwon Do club, the spelling bee, book club, the school newspaper, band and the science fair…..she did it all. Plus she had outside of school activities including piano lessons, Girl Scouts and religious education. While it was not always easy for her to fit everything in and get her homework done, she somehow managed to do it all. It wasn’t always easy, with early mornings, late nights and little free time. But she never gave up and stuck with it all.

I will admit that I’ve been a bit over-protective of my daughter; not wanting to see her fail at anything and to always be prepared and have whatever she needs. I am learning that I need to take a step back and start letting her spread her wings. In his speech to the parents, my daughter’s middle school principal noted that his job is to help our children become independent. Mistakes need to be made so she can learn from them. And as her parent, I can help guide her towards making good decisions, but ultimately, she needs to make the final choice. And as difficult as that may be for both her and me, I think we will be okay. Because we both know that I will always be here for her.

My daughter’s official last day of 4th grade is tomorrow. Then she is home with me (and her younger brother) for the summer. Neither of the kids wanted to go to camp this summer and since I am home, I didn’t push it. I’m hoping to spend some quality time with the kids while they both still want to do things with their mom. As excited as I am for my daughter to start this next chapter in her life, I know that middle school will change her (and I’m hoping that it’s for the better!). I know that pretty soon spending time with her friends will be more important than spending time with her family. So, as elementary school is ending for her, I am hoping that this summer we will be able to make memories that both she and I can look back on with fondness.

Weekly Meal Plan {Week 43}

Posted on June 20, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend celebrating the dad’s in their lives. We had a great Father’s Day, in which we did some geocaching and had a picnic lunch at a local state park. Then my husband’s family joined us for a BBQ dinner. Meal planning has gotten interesting for me. I picked up my first CSA haul last Tuesday (and weekly from now until October!). So I have lots of fresh veggies to use. This past week, most of it was of the leafy green variety. I didn’t want to make the greens the same way, so it took a bit more time researching different and interesting ways to make use of the veggies. Here’s a look at what was on our menu this past week:

Saturday: My husband and I attended the Westchester Wine & Food Festival. We got to sample amazing dishes from local restaurants and sample some wine and liquor as well.

Sunday: We had our monthly supper club Sunday night. The theme was Vietnamese and I made Bun Ga Nuong (Grilled Chicken and Vermicelli Salad) from Food.com. I don’t get to eat Vietnamese food a lot and the meal was delicious. Everything was light, summery and so good!

Monday: I made Tilapia Curry with Basil from Every Day with Rachael Ray. I served it with some cucumbers marinated in rice vinegar and sugar and cooked rice vermicelli noodles sauteed in soy sauce and sesame oil. I’m trying to eat more fish and tilapia is tasty and easy to cook. This dish was flavorful with the red curry but probably not a dish that I’ll make again.

Tuesday: I made Pork Chops with Zesty Tomato Sauce & Swiss Chard from Every Day with Rachael Ray. I am not a big pork chop maker or eater. I’m always afraid of not cooking the pork enough and usually end up overcooking it, where it ends up dry. The pork in this dish was okay in flavor. We loved the swiss chard cooked in oil and garlic. It was simple but really flavorful.

Wednesday: I made Penne with Sausage and Escarole from the Cooking Channel, courtesy of Chef Emeril Lagasse. I have made this dish before with broccoli rabe. The escarole, which has a slight bitterness to it raw, tasted great in this recipe. This was a winner with the family.

Thursday: I made Chicken and Bok Choy Stir Fry from Epicurious, which I served with rice. My daughter helped get the marinade ready while I cut the chicken up. I will admit that the chicken did not sit in the marinade for thirty minutes as recommended. It probably marinated for a good twenty minutes though and unfortunately, didn’t have as much flavor as I would have liked. I also used chicken breasts instead of the boneless thighs that the recipe called for.

Friday: I usually make pizza on Fridays, but not this week. Instead, I made One Pot Stovetop Creamy Kale Mac and Cheese from White On Rice Couple, which I served with a ham steak. I should have cut the kale smaller, but otherwise, this was a great way to use the kale. My son was happy to have the mac and cheese and I was happy he was eating the kale with no complaints!

Westchester County Family Dining: Umami Cafe

Posted on June 17, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Are you looking for a casual, family-friendly restaurant in Northern Westchester? Umami Cafe in Croton-on-Hudson fits the bill. Umami Cafe is aptly named after the fifth primary taste (umami translated from Japanese meaning “pleasant savory taste”), as the restaurant offers a menu of dishes featuring flavors from all over the world.

Umami Cafe opened in 2002. Owners Jonathan Pratt and Craig Purdy also own Peter Pratt’s Inn in Yorktown Heights and Tagine Restaurant & Wine Bar, also located in Croton-on-Hudson. The restaurant is conveniently located on South Riverside Avenue and has its own parking lot.

I mentioned that the restaurant is family-friendly and they really make an effort to cater to children. Near the entrance sits a shelf of toys that kids can grab and bring to the table to play with. The children’s menus are seen via a Viewmaster, bringing back fond childhood memories! We prefer to have our kids not order from children’s menus whenever possible. Even though the kid’s menu is cool to view, it still offers the usual chicken fingers, mac and cheese, pasta with butter or tomato sauce and grilled cheese. The most interesting items are a Fluffernutter (Marshmallow fluff and peanut butter) or Fluffer-Nutella sandwich, both which can be easily made at home.

In contrast, the adult menu offers many interesting dishes. Main entrees include Grilled Salmon with Yuzu Ponzu, a Lobster Roll, Grilled Marinated Shrimp Siracha, Curry Wurst, a Bahn Mi Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Vietnamese Pork Chop, Evil Jungle Prince (spicy chicken curry), Barbecued St. Louis Ribs and more!

They sell a variety of wines by the glass and bottle. If you prefer, you can bring your own bottle and pay a $10 corkage fee. There are a limited number of draft and bottle beers on their menu as well.

We especially like going to Umami Cafe for their Thursday, $5 appetizer nights. We make a tapas-like meal by ordering a bunch of appetizers for dinner. On our most recent visit it was just me, my husband and our son. The three of us enjoyed a meal out of the following appetizers:

Peking Duck Quesadillas

Pork Potstickers

Gnocchi with Duck Confit

Cubano Spring Rolls

Truffled Mac and Cheese

Seared Ahi Tuna Mini Won Ton Tacos

These appetizers are normally priced between $6.75 and $8.95 each but on Thursday nights, they are only $5 each. We’ve eaten here several times and had tried all the appetizers before except the Gnocchi with Duck Confit and the Seared Ahi Tuna Mini Won Ton Tacos. Everything was delicious! My son found the wasabi sour cream to be a bit too spicy on the tacos but my husband enjoyed them. We were satiated with our appetizers for dinner but didn’t leave stuffed. We didn’t even look at the dessert menu, as we planned on making a stop at the nearby Hot Dippity Donuts!

The restaurant does not take reservations, so we always make sure to arrive close to opening. They are open daily from 5 PM to 9:30 PM Sunday through Thursday and from 5 PM to 10 PM on Friday and Saturdays. In addition to their $5 appetizer night on Thursdays, Umami Cafe also has a $10 burger night on Tuesdays. Yet another reason for us to return!

May 2016 Reads

Posted on June 14, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

It’s time once again to link up with Jana and Steph for their monthly Show Us Your Reads link up. May was a good reading month for me. I got a decent number of books read and I was able to read several newer releases that had come in from my holds at the library. June is looking to be a busy reading month. I am participating in a Goodreads group team challenge which will run from June until October. So, I may not end up reading books that are on my to read list, but rather those that will fit the different challenges. Note to self, I should probably not put a bunch of books on hold at the library, since they all seem to come in at the same time!

3 Stars:

25387896

The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee – This book tells the story of three American women living abroad in Hong Kong. Their lives end up intertwining after a tragic incident occurs. I found it interesting to learn more about the expat community but overall found the story to be just okay.

Opening Belle

Opening Belle by Maureen Sherry – Isabelle, “Belle,” is a managing director at a financial firm on Wall Street. She is trying to juggle being a mom, a wife and a high pressure job and at times appears to be failing at all. I enjoyed getting an inside view of working at a financial firm on Wall Street, although I didn’t understand much of the market talk. I found her husband, Bruce, to be really annoying and unlikable. And unfortunately, I’m sure that the sexual harassment stuff that occurred in the book happens more often than we hear about, in such a male dominated field. Overall, this was an okay, chic-lit type read.

4 Stars:

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld – This is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice……but I’m pretty sure that I’ve never read the original! Regardless, I found this book to be humorous and engaging. It seems this is the fourth book in the Austen Project and although, they all appear to be stand-alones, I’m now curious to try reading the other three.

26109394

Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben – Along with James Patterson, Coben is one of my go to authors for quick, suspenseful reads. This book didn’t disappoint, as I found it to be fast-paced and had me guessing until the end.

25781157

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney – Three of four siblings are counting on the family trust fund, dubbed “the Nest” and have lived well beyond their means, in expectation of their inheritance. When they discover the money has been used to cover their fourth sibling’s poor decisions and actions, they end up examining their own lives and making changes to adapt. I was surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I do. Literary fiction is not one of my go-to genres. However, I found that the author captured family dysfunction in a realistic way and spun a story that kept me interested.

17838528

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson – Let me first note, that my kids loved the cover of this book and asked me, “Is this book about a dog walker?!” Second, although this book is over 500 pages, it flies by. After reading this, I first thought about giving it three stars. I’m a big fan of YA books, but this book just felt SO YA, if that makes sense. However, if I fell into the YA age bracket (which I don’t by many years!) I think this book has everything a good YA book should. Family drama, friendship drama, boyfriend drama. It’s all in here. Plus, it takes place over the summer, making it fitting for a light, summer read.

25614847

Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood by Lisa Damour – I have a 10 year old daughter and I will willingly admit that I am terrified of her becoming a teenager. Not only for what she will be going through, but for what I will also be dealing with. So, I’m trying to prepare myself for this upcoming transition, since times have changed since I was a teenager. I thought Damour did a great job of describing the seven developmental transitions and providing example scenarios and advice on how to help both daughter and parent get through them. This is a book that I will probably revisit in a couple of years. I realized that this is the only non-fiction book that I read this month.

5 Stars:

15881

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling – My son and I got through book two in the Harry Potter series and watched the movie. It’s fun doing this reread with him. Since I read these books so long ago, I don’t remember a lot of what happened, so this is a nice refresher!

What have you been reading?

Weekly Meal Plan {Week 42}

Posted on June 13, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Did everyone have a great weekend? We did! Our weekend included lots of great food! My husband and I went to a local wine and food festival on Saturday and then had our monthly supper club on Sunday! I can tell that summer is almost here in my motivation, or really lack of, in the kitchen. The weather is beautiful and I’d rather not be in the kitchen slaving over dinner. You will be seeing more Cooking Light and Every Day with Rachael Ray recipes on my weekly meal plan, as I’ve been going through all my magazine recipe tear outs. Here’s a look at what was on our menu this week.

Saturday: We went to my son’s Cub Scout camp out and end of year award ceremony at Fahnestock State Park. My daughter and I just had dinner and stayed for the award ceremony, while my husband and son camped overnight…..in the rain!

Sunday: My husband made burgers with blue cheese, sauteed mushrooms and frizzled onions, which we had with fries and onion rings.

Monday: I made Antipasti Chopped Salad from Everyday with Rachael Ray, July/August 2015. I adapted it and added some olives, eliminated the radicchio. I used a smoked provolone that I found at Shoprite and I thought that it added nice flavor to the salad.

Tuesday: I made Ham and Honeycrisp Quesadillas from Cooking Light, April 2014. I love how versatile quesadillas can be. I used Gala apples in place of the Honeycrisp ones. My only problem with the dish is that the apples don’t stay in the quesadilla! When you take a bite, the apple slice falls out. I didn’t put the arugula in the kids’ since they aren’t biggest fans. Overall, these were okay.

Wednesday: I made Paprika Shrimp and Farro from Everyday with Rachael Ray. This was quick, easy and tasty! I’ve only recently started liking farro and my son isn’t quite a fan. I used up some of the arugula from the quesadillas in an arugula salad with peaches and goat cheese.

Thursday: We went out to a local restaurant, Umami Cafe for their Thursday $5 appetizer special. We had a tapas-style appetizer dinner that included Truffle Mac & Cheese, Duck Quesadillas, Pork Cubano Spring Rolls, Pot Stickers and more.

Friday: I made Garlic Basil Chicken with Tomato Butter Sauce from Pinch of Yum over pasta. I bought a large basil plant and have been in search of recipes that use fresh basil. This recipe was delicious and fit that bill.

Our Hudson Valley Summer Bucket List

Posted on June 10, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Our family is so fortunate to live in the beautiful Hudson Valley. We are close enough to enjoy all the food, culture and arts of New York City. However, we also love living close to the Hudson River and enjoying all the family fun that our community and neighboring areas offer. Summer is quickly approaching and we have made a bucket list of fun things in the Hudson Valley that we would like to do over the next couple of months. Please note, although there are some date specific events and festivals that we are interested in, I did not add them to this list, as I wanted to keep our summer plans and this list flexible.

Go strawberry picking at Fishkill Farms. We went strawberry picking for the first time last year and really enjoyed it. Freshly picked strawberries are amazing!

See a Renegades baseball game. Last summer we went to a Rockland Boulders baseball game and this summer we’d like to see a Renegades game.

Take a hike and geocache. Our family has caught the geocaching bug and we plan on finding as many caches as we can! On the top of our list is to return to Fahnestock State Park and probably a trip to Bear Mountain State Park.

Visit the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site and the Vanderbilt Mansion. My daughter has her Every Kid in a Park pass that expires in August. We enjoyed visiting the home of FDR back in November and we said that once the weather got warmer we’d like to go visit the Eleanor Roosevelt House and the Vanderbilt Mansion.

Walk the Walkway Over the Hudson.

Have a picnic.

Play mini golf and have lunch at Red Rooster Drive-In.

Enjoy an outdoor concert.

Visit Untermyer Gardens and the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers.

Summer is all about ice cream! We are definitely going back to The Hudson Creamery (the Breakfast Club Sundae was so good!) and I’d like to visit The Blue Pig.

And when not indulging in ice cream, we’d like to eat some doughnuts. While we like Dunkin’ Donuts, we hope to get to Gypsy Donut and Hot Dippity Donuts.

We will be having lots of fun this summer! You can follow along on Instagram and read about it here on the blog as our family hopefully completes our bucket list this summer!

Do you have any recommendations for us to add to this list?

All the Podcasts {Volume 2}

Posted on June 8, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

My name is Nancy and I have a podcast addiction. My family is aware of this addiction but I won’t go as far as saying they support it. My daughter can now identify Gretchen Rubin and Heather Dubrow by their voices though! Showering, driving in the car and grocery shopping are the main times that I will listen to podcasts. I tell my husband that working at home all day by myself, it’s like almost having conversations with other adults, or in my case, at least listening to adult conversation! Back in September, I first posted about the podcasts that I was currently listening to. Looking back at that post, the only podcast that I still regularly listen to is Happier with Gretchen Rubin. So what am I currently listening to?

Heather Dubrow’s World – I love the Real Housewives shows and was excited to see that Heather, from the Real Housewives of Orange County, had a podcast. In her podcast she talks about her family, what’s going on in her life as well as beauty, health and fitness. If you’re not a fan of the Real Housewives or her in particular, you may not end up enjoying this one!

Sorta Awesome – This podcast is hosted by Megan Tietz. Each week she is joined by one of three other co-hosts who discuss various topics including blogging, books, Myers Briggs and much more.

For Crying Out Loud

For Crying Out Loud – I’ve just started becoming a regular listener of this parenting podcast. It is hosted by Lynette Carolla (wife of Adam Carolla) and author, Stefanie Wilder Taylor. Be warned, there’s bad language and telling it like it is, which some may find inappropriate. However, that’s what I like about it. Both women are brutally honest about the good and not so good things going on in their lives. They both are parents of twins and Stefanie has recently experienced one of her young daughters identifying as a boy.

Spawned with Kristen and Liz of CoolMomPicks

Spawned with Kristen and Liz of CoolMomPicks – This is another parenting podcast that I enjoy. Two moms, both divorced who discuss a variety of parenting topics. I especially like their Cook Picks of the week.

lohud food podcast – This is a local food podcast which I love to listen to, so I can hear about new restaurants and dishes to try.

The Armchair Librarians – Steph and Jana are fellow bloggers and book lovers whose monthly Show Us Your Books linkup I join every month. They have just started a book podcast that I am listening to and enjoying where they talk about all things books.