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Five on Friday {Back-to-School}

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Happy Friday!  It’s been forever since I’ve posted a Five on Friday post! I’ve been busy creating the new Thursday “Your Best Weekend” feature that by Thursday night I often don’t have the time or the energy to get a post written for today.  There just hasn’t been enough time to get all the posts written!  #BloggerProblems  The kids went back-to-school (more on that later) this week.  After three days back, they have a four day weekend because of the Jewish holiday.  So they get some extra time to adjust to reality!  Back-to-school means busy schedules! Here are five from this week:

1. Back-to-School – My son started 5th grade this week and my daughter started 7th grade.  They are both in middle school now!  It’s nice that they both get the bus at 7:25 in the morning, the same time that I leave for work.  After two days, they are both slowly adjusting to the early morning wake up time and getting back into the routine of things.

2. Watching – I’ve been back-logged on Bachelor in Paradise episodes.  In the little spare time that I’ve had, I’ve been trying to catch up on them.  Why does each episode have to be 2-3 hours long?!!  I’m almost a bit embarrassed to admit that I watch this show, but it’s really perfect mindless, summer television.

3. Cooking – Back-to-school means meal plans with quick and easy recipes.  This week I made Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas using Penzeys fajita seasoning instead of taco seasoning, like the original recipe requested.  These were really quick and easy to prepare and very tasty!

4. Family Time – Last weekend we got one more trip to Rhode Island in.  We went to the beach and my husband and I went on a fishing boat.  We always have a fun time visiting my parents and enjoying New England life.

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5. Reading – I am currently reading the novella And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman.  I loved his book Beartown and also really enjoyed  A Man Called Ove.  This one is a short, little book. I just started it, but already started tearing up while reading it.  I’ll have it finished by the weekend.

ICYMI this week on the blog:

Tuesday I wrote about our visit to Denning’s Point Distillery.

Thursday I posted Your Best Weekend.

Have a great weekend!  Linking up with Friday Favorites!

Your Best Weekend {Volume 5}

Posted on by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

(This post contains affiliate links.  Please read our Disclosure Policy for additional information.)

It’s time for another edition of “Your Best Weekend” – ideas and recommendations to help you make the most of your Saturday and Sunday.  We are all busy but we need to make time to enjoy life!

“Why wait for the weekend to have fun?”  – Loesje

Make sure to have some fun during the week as well!  

Celebrate:

September 8 is International Literacy Day. Created by the United Nations, this day, “aims to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies.”  Be thankful that you are literate and make time to read today.

Celebrate Grandparent’s Day on September 9.  If the grandparents live close, spend the day together creating memories.  If they live farther away, have the kids make a card for their grandparents.  Older kids can write the reasons why they love their grandparents and/or a favorite memory they have.

Self-Care:

Journal Prompt/Reflection: Who inspires you and why?

Challenge:  Get outside and go for a walk.  Take 15 minutes during your lunch break.  Get the family together after dinner.  Take the dog out and walk solo.  Just put on your sneakers and get outside.  There are many benefits of walking.  While you may not get in 10,000 steps a day, it’s a goal you can work towards and this can help you keep track of those steps.

New Releases:

DVD:  Did anyone else grow up watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood?  The documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor? was released on DVD this week.

Netflix:  Netflix just added a bunch of movies including The Breakfast Club, Black Panther, Groundhog Day and Bruce Almighty.

Amazon Prime:  Lots of movie classics were added this week including Ghostbusters, Jerry Maguire, Robinhood Prince of Thieves and Sleepless in Seattle.

Time for a movie marathon?!

Family Watching:  For families with younger kids, Pete the Cat (season 1) is on Amazon Prime.  Elementary-aged kids might enjoy Hotel for Dogs, also on Amazon Prime.  Netflix has The Ant Bully, Lilo & Stitch and The Emperor’s New Groove.

Books for Kids:  Many children’s books have recently been published.  For toddlers who need board books, But Not the Armadillo by Sandra Boynton went on sale this week.  Boynton was a family favorite when my kids were younger. For elementary readers The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson offers encouragement to kids who feel different from their peers.  Did you read The Babysitter’s Club when you were younger?  Somehow, my daughter never got into the series.  But they have made the series into a graphic novel and book number six Kristy’s Big Day was recently released.

Date Night Idea:

Visit a local brewery – Craft breweries have become very popular.  There are many breweries within a short driving distance from us.  My husband and I have enjoyed visiting several of them, sampling beer flights and enjoying some adult time!

Family Fun:

Dinner Conversation Starter: What is the best thing about being your age?

Go Geocaching – Geocaching is like an outdoor scavenger hunt.  You get some physical exercise while also looking for “prizes.”  Read our  Quickstart Guide to Geocaching Using the app and then read what we keep in our geocaching bag. 

Weekly Recommendations:

Recipe:  I just made these Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas for dinner last night.  This is a quick, easy and tasty recipe.  I used Penzeys Fajita Seasoning, not the taco seasoning the recipe requested.  This is a perfect dinner now that school has started and weeknights are busy!

Song:  I was watching Bachelor in Paradise and heard this song during the Samsung Galaxy 9 commercial.  I then had to find out who sings it since I loved it so much!  It’s LSD’s Thunderclouds featuring Sia, Diplo and Labrinth and I’ve been playing it nonstop.

Meal Plan:  School has started which means busy schedules are back.  If you do not meal plan, I highly recommend that you start!  It helps answer the question of what’s for dinner every night and it keeps your grocery bill on budget.  You can read about how I create our weekly meal plan and you can also find over 85 weeks of meal plans on the blog!

 

 

Dennings Point Distillery

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(Thank you to Dutchess Tourism and Dennings Point Distillery for hosting NY Foodie Family.  As always, all opinions are our own.)

Dennings Point Distillery is located on North Chestnut Street, in Beacon.  The Distillery has been open since September of 2014 and is housed in a former mechanic shop.

When we visited during a summer weekend, founder Karl was relaxing in the Distillery. Because, doesn’t his shirt say it all?! He took us on a tour and gave us a bit of the Distillery’s history.  Similar to many of the people that we have met in the craft beverage trade, distilling started as a hobby for Karl.  He previously had a career in healthcare management and in 1990 bought his first moonshine  still.  Once craft distilling was legalized, many years later, he decided to give it a go professionally.

Denning’s Point makes several different products, though their best seller (and Karl’s favorite) is their bourbon.  The Distillery tries to source as many local ingredients as possible.  The bourbon is made from grains sourced in New Paltz and rye from the Finger Lakes region.  Another great example of their “the closer, the better” philosophy is the apple brandy made with apples from Wappingers Falls.

They make a vodka and their gin is an American-style gin that is more citrusy than the traditional.  Maid of the Meadow is a wheat-based spirit infused with wild herbs and honey. All three are distilled from NY State wheat.

Distilling takes place during the week with weekends dedicated to tours and tastings. Much of the equipment and machinery has been cleverly repurposed by Karl to suit his needs for each particular task.  However, their 250-gallon hybrid still was hand hammered in Louisville, Kentucky for its specific use.  They propagate their own yeast, which takes extra time, but makes a big difference in the flavor of their spirits.

To age their spirits, they use a variety of barrels including 10, 30 and 53 gallons.  Once the spirits are ready to be bottled, it’s an all-hands-on-deck operation. All of their spirits are bottled and labeled in a small room in the back.

After our tour, my husband enjoyed a tasting.  Their tasting room is  small and only seats about six guests.  He tried the 100 proof Beacon Bourbon, Maid of the Meadow and their Blueberry Gin.  The Blueberry Gin is a seasonal product, made with wild blueberries.  As I mentioned, the Beacon Bourbon is one of Denning’s Point Distillery’s most popular spirits.  Of the three that he tried, my husband’s favorite was Maid of the Meadow. He’s always been drawn to honey, whether a spirit infusion or cocktail ingredient.

Denning’s Point Distillery was voted Hudson Valley Magazine’s  “Best Hudson Valley Distillery” in 2015, 2016 and 2017.  Karl would like to continue growing a local presence but increase widening distribution of their spirits.  Most visitors come up from the city, as Beacon is easily accessible by train.  We recommend Hudson Valley residents, too,  make a visit to the Distillery. If you can’t make it, their products are distributed through Manhattan Beer at locations throughout the Hudson Valley.

The Details:

Denning’s Point Distillery
10 North Chestnut Street
Beacon, NY 12508
(845) 476-8413

Website: http://www.denningspointdistillery.com

Tastings & Tours:  Friday 2 PM -8 PM (Tastings only), Saturday 2 PM – 8 PM (Tours at approximately 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30 PM, except for the second Saturday of each month when tours are at 2:30 and 3:30 only), Sunday 2 PM – 6 PM (Tastings only)

Price:  Tastings & Tour $5

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Your Best Weekend {Volume 4}

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(This post contains affiliate links.  Please read our disclosure policy for additional information.)

It’s time for another edition of “Your Best Weekend,” ideas and recommendations to help you make the most of your Saturday and Sunday.  We are all busy but we need to make time to enjoy life!  Sadly, this is officially the last weekend of the summer for us with a three day weekend.  Take advantage of the extra day off!

“Weekends don’t count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.” – Bill Watterson

Celebrate:

September 1 is National Cherry Popover Day.  Of course, you can celebrate by making a batch of cherry popovers!  Check out these other fun ways to celebrate the day!

September 2 is International Bacon Day.  There are so many ways to celebrate:  Bacon, Egg, Cheese, BLT, Bacon Cheeseburger…..you can have bacon with every meal!  My son would totally wear this shirt to celebrate! And who knew they even had a bacon-themed game?!

Self-Care:

Journal Prompt/Reflection: Reflect on your summer.  What were some of your favorite memories?

Challenge: Create a playlist of music that makes you happy.

New Releases:

DVD:  Out this week on DVD of possible interest is Book Club and RBG.

Netflix:  New episodes of The Great British Baking Show began streaming this week.

Books:  As a thriller/suspense fan Tear Me Apart and The Waiting Room are going on my to read list.

Family Fun with Tweens:

Dinner Conversation Starter:  What is your favorite memory from this summer?

Family Fun Idea:  ICE CREAM!!! Sadly summer is coming to an end.  Enjoy the last few days with a sweet treat! You can make homemade ice cream in a bag.  If you have an ice cream maker, try making a new flavor.  Or just go visit your favorite local ice cream shop!

Book Releases:  For fans of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man series, the newest book Lord of the Fleas just came out.

Weekly Recommendations:

Instagram Follow:  Mystery and thrillers are my favorite book genre.  I recently found @angiesbookshelf on Instagram.  She features lots of new thrillers and suspense books with ratings and reviews.  I’ve been adding to my to-read list like crazy!

Recipe: Do you have an Instant Pot?  With school starting again soon, I know we will be using our Instant Pot more.  One of the dishes I’ll be making is this Instant Pot 20 Minute Chicken Burrito Bowls.

DVD:  We watched I Feel Pretty this past week.  I didn’t have huge expectations for the movie, but I really enjoyed it!  It really sends a positive message to women.

 

Letter Board Quotes for Kids

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You can’t scroll through Instagram and not see at least one letter board in your feed.  FeltNook Letter Boards kindly sent us a letter board awhile back.  While I haven’t posted many pictures of the board on my Instagram feed, our family loves it.  We take turns creating or finding quotes for the board to provide some motivation.  Here are some of the quotes that have recently appeared on our board:

Can you tell that we are Wonder fans?  My daughter put this quote on the board.

We want the kids to be awesome and make every day awesome!

My husband and I strongly value experiences over “things.”  We are really trying to instill this value in our children.

We can always try to make someone else’s day better!

What are some of your favorite quotes for kids?  

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A Visit To Hudson Valley Brewery

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(Thank you to Hudson Valley Brewery and Dutchess Tourism for hosting us. As always, all opinions are our own.)

Hudson Valley Brewery is currently one of three craft breweries in Beacon, New York.  Located on Main Street, the brewery resides in a white painted brick building that was formerly a metal dinghy factory.  You enter the brewery through a garage door that opens into a large, warehouse-type tasting room. Visitors can start a tab at the bar with a credit card.  The bar is strictly for ordering beers, as there are no seats to sit at, and it’s constantly bustling with guests.  However, there are plenty of picnic tables, both inside and out to sit at and relax while enjoying your beer.

Hudson Valley Brewery specializes in sour IPAs.  They have a 30 barrel system and last year released 65 different beers.  They rarely make the same beer twice, so there’s plenty of reasons to visit often.   The descriptions of these beers make me want to try them all!  The brewery doesn’t offer flights, but most of their beers are available in three different sizes (4 oz, 8 oz or 16 oz).  Each guest is allow to order two beers at a time, but multiple trips can be had.

The day of our visit, my husband tried two different beers.  He tried the Holocene and the Motueka Incandenza.  The Holocene is a 6% sour IPA that, according to the menu,  tastes like, “poundcake, mango drink and funfetti.”  The Motukea Incandenza is also a 6% sour IPA and the tasting notes include “limoncello, green Boston Fruit slices and Glacier Freeze Gatorade.”  This was my husband’s first time trying sour beer, but after this tasting he has become a big fan.  He enjoyed both of these beers but liked the Incandenza a little bit more.  The Fauna seemed to be a popular beer, as it was ordered several times while we there.  It has an enticing light pink color.

If you enjoy the beer, you can purchase cans to bring home with you.  The colorful, pastel-colored cans are designed by artist Evan Cohen. They have a can release every two weeks, alternating Fridays and Saturdays.  New releases are very popular, and some sour beer fans even camp out before the day of a release to ensure they get to be one of the first to sample it.

We visited on a summer Saturday and the brewery was bustling even shortly after the 2 PM opening time.  Visitors come from all over to sample their sour beers.  The brewery is doing some brisk business and within the next year they have plans to expand into the building next door with a restaurant and tasting room.

The Details:

Hudson Valley Brewery
7 East Main Street
Beacon, NY
(845) 218-9156

Website: http://hudsonvalleybrewery.com
Hours: Thursday & Friday 5 PM – 10 PM, Saturday 2 PM – 10 PM, Sunday 2 PM – 8 PM

 

 

 

 

1

Your Best Weekend {Volume 3}

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(This post contains affiliate links.  Please read our disclosure policy for additional information.)

Happy Thursday!  Welcome to another edition of “Your Best Weekend”.  Enjoy a weekly curated list of ideas for self-care, family fun, date nights and more to help you have “your best weekend.”  We are all busy but we need to make time to enjoy life!

“A Sunday well spent brings a week of content.”  – Proverb

Celebrate:

National Dog Day on August 26th.  Take your dog to the dog park or buy him or her a special treat!  Give plenty of extra pets and cuddles today!  If you, like us, don’t have a dog, take a trip to the local shelter and visit with some pups!  Or visit with some friends who do have dogs!

August 27th is Just Because Day!  So many things you can do today to celebrate!  Eat dessert first, sleep until noon, wear mismatched shoes……just because!

Self-Care:

Journal Prompt/Reflection:  What is one lesson that you learned this week?

Challenge: Make time to read.  I’ve always loved to read.  As a busy, working parent, it has gotten more difficult to find time to read.  I’ve learned, I need to make the time.  I bring a book with me to work and read for part of my lunch break.  I always read a couple of pages, or chapters if it’s not too late, before bed too! Although I post a monthly book review of what I read month, if you want some good book recommendations check out my favorite reads of 2017!

Watch (Based on Books Edition):

On Netflix: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – This movie debuted on Netflix last week.  Based on the YA novel by Jenny Han, this teen romance follows Lara Jean and what happens when her secret love letters to her crushes gets mailed out.  As always, I’m all about reading the book first.

On DVD: Ready Player One was released on July 24th.  Based on the book by Ernest Cline this movie is a sci-fi adventure.  Like the book, it is filled with tons of pop culture references.  I have read and watched the movie and think they are both great…..and I’m not a big sci-fi fan…..so take that as you want.

In the movie theater: Crazy Rich Asians opened with over a $26 million bang at the box office last weekend. While I wasn’t a big fan of the book, it is nice to see feature films with Asian characters.

Family Fun with Tweens:

Dinner Conversation Starter: If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Family Fun Idea:  Have a family game night.  Check out this post for some of our recent favorites!

Weekly Recommendations:

Read:  The Skimm.  Subscribe to the newsletter and get a summary of all the important news each weekday morning.  The short summaries keep me updated on the relevant headlines with links to more in-depth articles, if I’m interested in reading more.

Recipe: Egg Roll in a Bowl.  This is a family favorite recipe that is so quick and easy to prepare.  My kids love this!  It can be a carb-free dish or you can make rice to serve with it.

RISE Together Podcast

Podcast:  I have recently discovered all things Rachel Hollis.  In her newest podcast RISE Together. her and her husband Dave discuss all things marriage and relationships.  They are such a fun couple and I enjoy listening to them talk.

Walking Tour of Bannerman Island

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(Thank you Dutchess Tourism and Bannerman Castle Trust for hosting NY Foodie Family.  As always, all opinions are our own.)

As life-long residents of the Hudson Valley, my husband and I both heard of Bannerman Island, but only recently got to visit the castle ruins and hear the history of the infamous site.  While many, like myself, refer to it as Bannerman Island, Bannerman Castle actually resides on Pollepel Island.  This 6.5 acre piece of land sits amidst the Hudson River.  Over 100 years old, the island and castle are only accessible via tours by the Bannerman Castle Trust and the New York State Parks.

Tours depart from either Beacon or Newburgh.  We took a tour from Beacon, which departs right near the Beacon train station.  Visitors board the Estuary Steward for an approximately thirty-minute boat ride to Bannerman Castle.  Once you arrive on the island, your tour guide greets you for a seven stop, 1.5 hour walking tour of the island.

The story of Bannerman Castle is an interesting one.  On your tour you will hear the story of how and why Francis, “Frank” Bannerman VI had the Castle built.  I’m not posting many photos of the island or writing about the history of the Castle in this post.  It is more fun to hear and see the story in person.  Although Bannerman Castle is part of the Hudson Highlands State Park, the repairs and upkeep of the Island and structures all come from the Bannerman Trust. They really appreciate visitors coming to take the tour and see the Island.

You get to walking inside the family’s summer residence, which acts as a Visitor Center and also houses a small gift shop.  This is a renovation that was recently completed, though the second floor, pictured above, still remains off-limits to visitors.

As you tour the island you will see breathtaking views of the Hudson River and surrounding Hudson Valley.

You will also see beautiful gardens and flowers throughout the island.  These gardens are maintained by a team of volunteers who weed, plant and water them.

Unfortunately, you do not get to walk inside the Castle.  As you can see, support beams are attached to help protect the remaining structure of the Castle.  While this experience is family-friendly and recommended for children ages 11 and up, there were no children on our tour.  My husband and I purposely chose to do this tour on a summer day when our children were with their grandparents.  However, there are plenty of family-friendly events hosted on Bannerman Island throughout the season including Broadway and Theatre shows, movie nights, musical performances and more.  Be sure to check out the calendar of events!

The Details:

Bannerman Island Walking Tours

From Beacon: Saturdays at 11 AM and 12:30 PM, Sundays at 12:30 PM
From Newburgh:  Sundays at 11 AM

Admission:  $35/adults, $30/children under 11

Parking:  Free parking is available on weekends at the Beacon Train Station

Tips:
*Make sure to wear sneakers or comfortable walking shoes.  You will climb 70 steps from the dock up to the beginning of the tour.

*You can bring your own beverages.  Water and drinks are also sold on the boat and at the Visitor’s Center.

*The tour is not wheelchair or stroller-friendly.

 

Dinner and a Beer Flight at Mill House Brewing Company

Posted on by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

(Thank you to Dutchess Tourism and Mill House Brewing Company for hosting NY Foodie Family.  As always, all opinions are our own.)

Mill House Brewing Company is located on Mill Street in Poughkeepsie, right off of Rt. 55.  Surprisingly, the restaurant was never actually a mill and was most recently a Chinese restaurant! My husband and I didn’t realize until visiting that we’ve driven by this place multiple times on our way across the river!  Now that we know that it’s there though, we will be back.  Mill House Brewing Company is a brewery and a pub.  When we talked to people at other stops on our Dutchess Craft Beverage Trail tour and mentioned that we were visiting Mill House Brewing Company, they always commented on how good the food was here.  And they weren’t wrong!

The restaurant has an extensive menu, filled with so many delicious options.  My husband and I debated making a meal out of Appetizers and Bar Bites, because there were so many dishes that we wanted to try!  In the end we took our server’s recommendation and shared the Fried Calamari Salad.  The portion was humongous and could have been a meal in itself!  I had never heard of a fried calamari salad before, but it was so good.  The calamari was so tender and the chili-lime vinaigrette and Srirarcha Ranch aioli complemented the arugula so well.

For our entrees we shared the Fig and “Pig” pizza and a Deep Fried Scallop and Oyster Po’Boy.  The sandwich was messy good!  Unfortunately, it was a daily special and not something that they serve every day.

The pizza Fig and “Pig” is one of five pizzas that the restaurant serves.  This has smoked mozzarella, housemade duck bacon, black mission figs, arugula and aged balsamic.  We were getting full and took most of the pizza home with us!

Mill House Brewing also has several burgers on their menu, including the 50/50 burger being the winner of the Hudson Valley Burger Bash, three years in a row.  They also make several different sausages and offer a variety of pasta, seafood and steak dishes.  There is something for everyone at this Mill House and I can almost guarantee you that it will be delicious.

We were seriously too stuffed for dessert, as much as we wanted to try some of them (I’m talking about you, Peanut Butter Sundae and Cannoli Profiteroles!).  Just another reason for us to go back!

“….our A-Team here, who make “holy s#*t” moments happen at Mill House day in and day out.”

But of course, besides serving amazing food, we can’t forget that Mill House is also a brewery!  They have 16 taps and are always changing the beers that they serve.  My husband enjoyed a flight, where you can choose 5 beers for $15.  His flight included Kold One, which is their most popular beer, Cross Reference Blackberry, Cucumber Blessings, Velvet Panda and Northwest Territory. Although he enjoyed them all, his favorite was Cucumber Blessings. This award-winning cream ale is crisp and dry with notes of cucumber.  Basically, a perfect summer beer!

Assistant General Manger, Chris, told to us that the brewmasters Jamie Bishop and Larry Stock have become more experimental with their beers since they acquired the additional space down the street that houses 20 additional barrels.  According to Chris, asking him to name his favorite beer is like asking a parent to name their favorite child.  However, at the time of our visit, his current favorite brew was Zoe.

Brewmaster Jamie works with a local artist to create unique badges for each new beer.

If you really enjoy your beer, hopefully it is one of five that are sold in cans.  Kold One, Cucumber Blessings, Hubar I DIPA, Grocery Getter and Northwest Territory Imperial are their five beers that you can find in stores like Whole Foods, some local beer distributors and even Grand Central Station.  Otherwise, you can purchase some on your way out of the restaurant to take home with you (along with some of their home homemade sauces made with their beer).

Stop by The Mill House Brewing Company for a delicious meal and a cold brew (or flight)!

The Details:

Mill House Brewing Company
289 Mill Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 485-2739

Website: www.millhousebrewing.com

Hours: Monday – Thursday 11:30 AM – 9 PM, Friday 11:30 AM – 10:30 PM, Saturday 11 AM – 10:30 PM, Sunday Brunch 11 AM – 3 PM, Sunday Dinner 3 PM – 9 PM

5

Your Best Weekend {Volume 2}

Posted on by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

(This post contains affiliate links.  Please read our disclosure policy for additional information.)

Happy Thursday!  Welcome to another edition of “Your Best Weekend”.  Enjoy a weekly curated list of ideas for self-care, family fun, date nights and more to help you have “your best weekend.”  We are all busy, but we need to make time to enjoy life!

There aren’t enough days in the weekend.” – Rod Schmidt

Celebrate:

National Fajita Day is Saturday, August 18.  Make some fajitas for dinner tonight!  We use this fajita seasoning to make chicken fajitas.

Celebrate National Soft Ice Cream Day on August 19.  I see a stop at Carvel in our future!

Self-Care:

Journal Prompt/Reflection:  What did you do this week that moved you closer to reaching one of your goals?

Challenge:  Drink more water.  Many dietitians recommend that people drink half their body weight in ounces of water each day.

Shop: To help keep your water chilled throughout the day I recommend S’well bottles.   They come in so many fun designs and work really well.  We take our bottles everywhere and enjoy having cold water at the ready.

Watch:

On Netflix – The movie The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society recently debuted on Netflix and is getting positive reviews.  While I was one of the rare few who didn’t enjoy the book very much, I will likely watch the movie.

On DVD – Avengers: Infinity War came out this week.  If you’re a fan of Marvel movies, you’ve probably already seen this in the theater.  Now you can enjoy watching it at home as well.

Family Fun with Tweens:

Dinner Conversation Starter: If you could only eat one food for a month what would it be?

Family Fun Idea:  Break out the Mad Libs and take turns creating silly stories!

Date Night Idea:

Try one of the many adult-themed Mad Libs available.

Weekly Recommendations:

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Book Recommendation: The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay is a YA book that I ended up loving.  YA is one of my go-to genres, but even if it’s not a genre you normally read, I think you should give this book a chance.  It’s an emotional read about two teens who have survived tragedies and end up finding each other and helping each other heal.

Adult Beverage Recommendation:  Westbrook Brewing Co.’s Key Lime Gose.  I am not a big beer drinker. Nor do I really like key lime pie.  However, I could drink this Key Lime Pie Gose regularly.  It’s one of their seasonal beers that is tangy, sour and tart.  It’s such a refreshing beer that’s perfect for summer.  Although Westbrook Brewing Co. is in South Carolina, we purchased it at a local craft beer shop.

Recipe Recommendation: I made this Seared Scallops over Bacon and Spinach Salad with Cider Vinaigrette recently for dinner when it was just my husband and I.  Although my son loves scallops, I wouldn’t categorize this meal as kid-friendly.  The spinach salad is fairly simple to put together and the dressing really makes this dish stand out.