NY Foodie Family

Newest Additions to Savor Westchester: The Little Beet And Melt Shop

Posted on July 2, 2018 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

(Thank you to The Little Beet for hosting NY Foodie Family. As always, all opinions are our own.)

Two new eateries, Melt Shop and The Little Beet recently opened at Savor Westchester, the food hall type dining experience at The Westchester in White Plains.

Melt Shop is all about comfort food. We’re talking grilled sandwiches (with, of course, lots of melty cheese!), tater tots, and milkshakes. Sandwiches are reasonably priced, ranging from $5.05 to $8.96.

One of our favorite Melt Shop sandwiches is the Signature Fried Chicken. A generously-sized piece of fried chicken is topped with pepper jack, red cabbage slaw, and Melt sauce. A warning: This sandwich is messy, but so good! Have plenty of napkins on hand.

We also tried the French Onion Beef. Roast beef, frenched onions, Muenster cheese, arugula, and sherry vinaigrette are piled on Country White Bread. This was a tasty sandwich as well, though the fried chicken was definitely preferred.

Melt Shop doesn’t serve fries, they have tater tots. You could choose tots topped with just cheese sauce. However, we opted for the loaded tots which are covered in cheese sauce, bacon, jalapeno and herbed parmesan.

Another new addition to Savor Westchester is The Little Beet. This eatery has a strong plant-based focus, featuring lots of veggies. They have dining choices for special dietary preferences including gluten-free, vegetarian, dairy-free and more.

This is a quick-service create-your-own bowl restaurant. You choose a base of either field greens, brown rice and spirulina (FYI -spirulina is a superfood algae), or a gluten-free ancient grain blend. Then choose two veggies for your bowl. They offer cool choices, like the cukes and tomatoes (which happens to be a fave of the staff at the Savor Westchester location), seaweed slaw and pea and radishes. Warm veggies include chipotle kale, charred sweet potato and more. If you don’t want one of the bases, you can opt for a third veggie instead. Step two is picking a protein. Salmon is one of the best-selling options, since no other eatery at Savor Westchester offers a salmon dish. Other options include chicken, tofu, beet falafel, sesame avocado, and braised pork. Step three is to choose a sauce; Chimichurri, beet hummus dip and sweet chili garlic sauce are a few of the choices. Finally, you can pick a garnish of either super seeds, turmeric almonds, pickled ginger or hibiscus pickled onion. The combinations and options are nearly limitless! Prices are based on the type of protein chosen but range in price from $11.40 for sesame avocado to $14.00 for salmon. You can also just have the veggies and base only for $8.95.

One bowl we opted for was brown rice and spirulina topped with charred broccoli, cukes and tomatoes and braised pork. We chose to top it with avocado bean dip and sweet chili garlic sauce. This combo was definitely one of our favorites!

On this bowl we opted for a third veggie instead of a base. We chose charred sweet potatoes, golden cauliflower and shaved brussels sprouts topped with turmeric tahini, roasted red pepper and walnut dip and pickled onions.

We also tried the Chef Made Yuzu Poke Bowl. We opted for a rice base which is then topped with salmon poke, grilled avocado, cucumber, sea vegetables, pickled ginger and sesame seeds.

I am not kidding when I tell you everything was delicious. The kids loved it all as well and my husband noted that you don’t even need the meat. The veggies and sauces are so flavorful. If we could eat this every day, we could totally become vegetarians!

So the next time you are at Savor Westchester, make sure to stop by either Melt Shop or The Little Beet for some tasty eats! Click the link to read more about some of the other dining options at Savor Westchester.

A Visit to The Amish Farm and House (Lancaster, PA)

Posted on June 28, 2018 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

(Thank you to the Amish Farm and House for hosting NY Foodie Family. As always, all opinions are our own.)

Lancaster County in Pennsylvania is hard not to associate with the Amish. And rightly so. The Amish have had a presence in Lancaster since the 1720’s. The Amish Farm and House offers great ways to give kids an up close look at Amish culture in a relaxed and fun setting. In fact, this unique attraction was the first to offer an inside look at Amish life and essentially created the Lancaster tour industry in 1955.

Unfortunately, commercialization has infringed on the farm since that time, which now sits feet away from a Target store. You enter the Amish Farm through the main entrance at the House. Tours of the house are given every hour. Although the tour guides are not Amish, many are Lancaster natives and are very knowledgeable on Amish culture. Our tour guide Susan was fantastic. She was so informative and I learned so much in the 40-minute tour. The Amish live a very simple life, focused on family and community. These values are reflected in the sights on the house tour as you visit the kitchen, bedrooms and a room set up to show what an Amish funeral might look like.

Both men and women wear solid-colored simple garments. Typically, the older you get, the less vibrant your clothes are.

When we finished the House tour, we exited onto the farm. The farm is 15-acres and tours are self-guided. A numbered map identifies all of the attractions on the farm. There is so much to see and do, including milking a “cow” (see photo). I have to be honest, the kids were not as interested in the House tour as me and my husband. However, they loved the farm! During the summer months, there are several resident artists including a blacksmith, woodcarver and farrier onsite who practice their craft and answer any questions visitors may have.

There are several goats, two of which are pregnant as of this writing. The farm recently welcomed two sets of goat triplets (somewhat unusual) and one set of quadruplets (very unusual). And, yes, goat kids are adorable. I’m still trying to figure out how to keep pet goats inside our house! You can buy a handful of goat food from the dispenser for 25 cents. However Chris, the resident wood carver, shared that the goats really like the dried leaves on the ground. We spent a good amount of time feeding the goats dried leaves galore.

The kids loved Scooter Run where they got to ride scooters similar to the ones that the Amish ride. Since Amish cannot own or drive cars, they use a horse and buggy, scooters, or even roller blades to get around. Surprisingly, they are allowed to hire cars to drive them around!

The farm has many different animals located throughout the farm including goats, chickens, horses, pigs, donkeys, mules, a steer and peafowl (peacocks and peahens). Unfortunately, we didn’t see the sheep or alpacas, which also live on the farm. This steer was one of our favorites to watch.

There are a couple of play areas for younger kids to climb and slide with benches for adults to sit and supervise.

It started to rain quite a bit toward the end of our visit. This didn’t stop my kids from riding the Farm’s newest attraction, Tractor Trails. They pedaled around the track so many times I lost count. There are two tracks, one for children ages 2-7 and the other for children ages 8+, with appropriately sized pedal tractors.

We visited the Willow Lane One-Room School House, Lancaster’s only school house designed for public viewing. Most Amish one-room school houses have 25+ students in grades 1 through 8. It was interesting to see the inside of the school and discover that it looks very similar to my own kids’ classrooms, minus all the technology.

We already had lunch plans elsewhere the day of our visit, but Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Farm has a chicken BBQ. They also have a food stand that sells ribs, chicken, pulled pork sandwiches and more during normal operating hours.

Before you leave, you’ll want to stop by the gift shop. They have a large selection of Amish-made items for sale including soaps, baskets, wooden toys and more. My kids purchases almost every flavor of stick candy that was avaialble!

Goat Yoga is the newest addition to the farm. I wish that I lived closer because I would be at every session! Imagine doing yoga with baby goats running and jumping around: cuteness overload!

We spent three hours at the farm, but we would have stayed longer if we had more time. There’s lots to see and do and you really do get an idea of what Amish life is like. If you have the time, The Amish Farm and House also offers bus tours into the neighboring areas.

The Details:
The Amish Farm and House
2395 Covered Bridge Drive
Lancaster, PA 17602
(717) 394-6185

Hours: Open seven days a week 9 AM – 6 PM

Tips:
*The Amish Farm and House offers many different tour options. Check out the different tour packages that they offer.

*The house tour is approximately 40 minutes.

*Many attractions in Lancaster are closed on Sundays. The Amish Farm and House is open seven days a week and makes a great attraction to visit on a Sunday.

*Make sure your kids wear sneakers or close-toed shoes, especially if you think they will want to scooter or pedal on the tractor bikes.

Five on Friday {Happy Summer!}

Posted on June 22, 2018 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

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

Today is the last day of school and summer vacation officially begins for the kids this afternoon! I will officially have a 5th and 7th grader later today. This week was a super busy one as the end of school year wrapped up. We’ve been going non-stop and are also trying to pack and prepare for a weekend getaway we are taking to Lancaster, Pennsylvania this weekend. I am looking forward to sharing all of the family fun that we have planned visiting some of the local attractions in the area. Here are five from this week:

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1. Reading – I have several non-fiction books in from the library. I’m currently reading The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking. I know I’m late to the game with this one, which had received a lot of hype last year. I’m totally reading this book in the wrong season and should be sitting in front of a fire, wrapped up in blankets to truly be hyggeligt!

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2. Watching – This past week my husband and I did a lot of movie watching! We watched Lady Bird, Molly’s Game and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. They were all really good, although I was a bit disappointed with the ending of Three Billboards. I didn’t realize that Molly’s Game is based on a true story book.

3. Eating – Fried Chicken Sandwiches. I love a good fried chicken sandwich. Luckily, I don’t indulge too often. A Melt Shop opened recently in Westchester County. We visited last weekend and one of the items we tried was this fried chicken sandwich. It was really good!

4. Celebrating – My son’s moving up ceremony. Our elementary school only goes up to 4th grade, so next year he will be attending the middle school with his sister. Tuesday was his moving up ceremony, which was followed by a class pool party. It was a busy but fun day. We are so proud of all that he accomplished during his elementary school years and are excited to see where his middle school journey will lead.

5. Father’s Day – On Father’s Day, we went out to lunch with my in-laws and brother-in-law. We went to a local brewery and then went out for ice cream after. It was a really hot day so we didn’t do the river walk like we had planned. But we got to enjoy some good family time and relax later that evening as well.

This week on the blog I posted 5 Instant Pot Chicken Recipes Worth Making.

Sharing with Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend!

5 Instant Pot Chicken Recipes Worth Making

Posted on June 19, 2018 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

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

My husband and I like to think that we are pretty minimalist with the number of tools and gadgets we keep in our kitchen. We spent years without an Instant Pot and seemed to manage just fine with our slow cooker. Back in December, after seeing so many Instant Pot recipes online, I decided that it was finally time we got one. We received our Instant Pot as a Christmas present and have been using it regularly every since. The Instant Pot is such a versatile cooking appliance. After trying out many different recipes, here are five Instant Pot chicken recipes that we think are worth making. Almost all are Asian-inspired recipes and served with rice.

Instant Pot 20 Minute Chicken Burrito Bowls – Mexican-inspired dishes are always a hit in our house. I’m super happy when I can get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes and this is one of those recipes. This has all the flavors of a chicken burrito in bowl form. I omitted the diced chiles from this recipe but otherwise cooked as directed.

Instant Pot Butter Chicken – Although butter chicken is not the same as chicken tikka masala, it is very similar. When you’re in the mood for some homemade Indian food, you can have this chicken ready in approximately 35 minutes.

Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai – My husband made this dinner for us. This isn’t homemade pad thai, as it calls for jarred pad thai sauce. We used Thai Kitchen Pad Thai Sauce. I’m going to be honest, this dish tastes nothing like authentic pad thai. However, if you want a pad-thai inspired dish, this will do it. Especially if you want or need it made quickly.

Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken – This is another dish that has Asian-inspired flavors but doesn’t quite taste like traditional sesame chicken. This was still enjoyed by the family and is quick and easy. Can’t go wrong with that!

Instant Pot Sticky Korean Chicken – A quick and tasty chicken recipe! I recommend cutting back on the gochugang or chili garlic sauce if cooking for kids. This dish still had some heat, even when I cut back on the spicy sauce. I recommend doubling the amount of chicken if you want to have some leftovers.

What is your favorite Instant Pot chicken recipe?

May 2018 Reads

Posted on June 12, 2018 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

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

It’s time to share my May 2018 Reads with Steph and Jana’s monthly Show Us Your Books linkup. May was a slow reading month for me. I was busy and when I did have some free time, I was just not motivated to read. June is off to a great start though, so hopefully my reading mojo is back! Here are my May reads:
3 Stars

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One Of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus – I started this book months ago, wasn’t into it and returned it to the library unfinished. Then, several SUYB bloggers raved about it. So I decided that I needed to give it another try. It was Breakfast Club-esque. It’s also a YA book and I feel like it read like a YA book. Overall, it was an okay read for me but I’m glad that I went back and finished it.

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Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler – I hadn’t heard of this book until I discovered that Starz was creating a television show based on it. I’m all about reading the book before the show or movie so I had to give it a try. As a foodie, I loved reading about the food and getting a behind the scenes look at the restaurant. However, I found the writing to be overly-wordy and I found none of the characters really likeable. I’m curious to see what the show is like though. Has anyone seen it?!

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You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero – I really liked Sincero’s first book, You Are a Badass. Her second book focuses on bringing more money into your life via manifesting and mindset. Not a bad book if you are into that type of thing.

4 Stars

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Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins – When Nora Stuart is injured in an accident, she moves from Boston back to her small hometown of Maine to recover. While there, she ends up discovering things about her past and forges new relationships. I enjoyed this book and think it would make a good summer read. This was my first Higgins book, but I think I may check some of her other books out.

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Your Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt – This was the second non-fiction book that I read this month. Your Best Year Ever provides an actionable 5-step plan to reach your goals. It’s motivational and helpful in goal setting. However, I think I’d get more out of this book if I owned it, rather than borrowed it from the library.

Five on Friday {Hooray for the Weekend!}

Posted on June 8, 2018 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Happy Friday! It’s been a crazy busy week at work and I am so glad that it’s the weekend! I don’t even have anything major planned, as the boys will be on a Cub Scout camping trip. My daughter and I will find some fun.

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1. Reading – I am almost finished reading How to Walk Away by Katherine Center. This was a book recommendation that I got in the Show Us Your Books linkup. I have to agree it’s a good read.

2. Television – The Bachelorette is back and I am watching it! I loved Becca on The Bachelor and was so happy when Ari chose her. But then when he broke up with her for Lauren….well, I no longer liked him. It’s even more fun because my daughter watches the show with me!

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3. Movies – Last weekend the kids watched Jumanji with my husband. I started watching with them but was not into it at all. But I finally watched Pitch Perfect 3 and I was so disappointed. The first movie is one of my favorite movies. So I hate to admit that this one was pretty bad. I didn’t like the Fat Amy’s dad/action-movie story line. Lesson: don’t mess with a good thing!

4. Family Fun – Last weekend we went on hiking at Turkey Mountain with some friends of ours. It was about a 3 mile hike round trip with a little bit of an incline. It was well worth it to get to the top and see this spectacular view. Plus, I love this kind of outdoor activity where you’re getting good exercise but it doesn’t feel like it.

5. Eating – Surprisingly, the wow of the week was this Harvest Bread that I picked up at our local farmer’s market. It had pieces of apple and raisin in it. We had it topped with butter, cinnamon, apple slices and honey. It was delicious! This wasn’t the best bread for grilled cheese sandwiches, but I made them with it anyway and we enjoyed them!

This week on the blog I wrote about the Reading Pagoda.

I’m linking up with Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend!

Visiting the Pagoda at Reading

Posted on June 5, 2018 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

During a recent visit to Reading, Pennsylvania our family visited the iconic pagoda. Situated on Mt. Penn, the 110-year-old pagoda looks down upon the city and is, “Berk County’s most famous cultural and historical icon and landmark.”

As you drive up Dureya Drive, it is a surprising sight to see the majestic pagoda appear. The walk from the parking area to the pagoda is a photo-worthy view of Reading, even on a cloudy day. It sits 620 feet above the city of Reading and is anchored to the mountainside.

The pagoda was commissioned in 1906 by William A. Witman, Sr. and was intended to be a luxury resort. Completed in 1908, the resort never opened due to the denial of a liquor license and a bank foreclosure. Witman eventually deeded the pagoda to local business owner Jonathan Mould and his wife. They in turn “sold” the pagoda for $1 to the City of Reading in 1911, who has since owned and cared for it.

The pagoda is seven stories high. You enter on the second floor, through the Pagoda-Skyline Gift Shop and Happy Cat Cafe. The cafe sells a variety of snacks and drinks, with plenty of seating to sit and enjoy them. Although there is no admission, donations are requested to visit the top floor of the pagoda.

There are several staircases, totaling 87 steps in total, to climb to reach the top observation level. Decorating the walls of each level are framed postcards and photos of the pagoda through the years. The sixth level of the pagoda houses a small exhibit that details the history of the pagoda and includes a small number of artifacts.

The observation floor is a small space. There are two coin-operated binoculars that give a close-up view of the city of Reading. Hanging from the ceiling is an antique Japanese bell. This bell was cast in Japan in 1739 and shipped to the pagoda in 1907.

During your visit, be sure to walk down the outside steps and walk around the base of the pagoda. There are several benches where you can sit and enjoy the view.

A visit to the Reading Pagoda will probably take about an hour. This is a unique attraction that should be added to your to-see list when visiting or traveling though Berks County.

The Details:
Reading Pagoda
98 Duryea Drive
Reading, PA

Current Hours: (please check with the pagoda or the website for up-to-date information)
Thursday – 2 PM to 6 PM
Friday – Sunday 12 PM to 6 PM

Admission: Free – $1.00 donation requested (50 cents for children 6-12 years) to visit the top floor observation area

Parking: Free parking

Tips:
*Wear comfortable shoes. If it’s a nice day there are hiking trails adjacent to the pagoda.

*Food is available for purchase at the Happy Cat Cafe. Snacks are reasonably priced with bottles of water for $1 and hotdogs for $2 each. Only cash or checks are accepted at the cafe.

*There are bathrooms at the base of the pagoda.

*For geocache fans, there are two geocaches nearby (although we could only find one).

Five on Friday {How is it June?!}

Posted on June 1, 2018 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Happy Friday! I cannot believe that it is already June. The months have been flying by and these past few weeks have literally been a whirlwind. Can you believe that it’s been a month since my last Five on Friday post?! We’ve been busy with end-of-year activities and meetings. It’s hard to believe that my son will graduate elementary school in a couple of weeks! Here are five from this week:

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1. Reading – I have to say that I haven’t been reading very much lately. I haven’t had much free time and the time I do have I’ve been binge watching Safe (see below) and working on the blog. However, I do try to read a little bit during my lunch break at work. I’ve read Viola Shipman’s other books and have really enjoyed them. I just started The Recipe Box, but am enjoying it as well.

2. Watching – My husband and I did a binge watch of Safe on Netflix. When I heard that Harlan Coben created the show I thought that it was based off on one of his books, but it’s not. It has the suspense of his books, though my husband and I agreed that it got a bit ridiculous with all the possible suspects.

3. Listening – After watching Safe I got hooked on the theme song, Glitter & Gold by Barns Courtney. This is one of those great songs that I would have never known about if it wasn’t for the show!

4. Drinking – If you follow me on Instagram, then you already saw these. However, as a huge hard cider fan I had to share. I don’t drink a lot, but if I do, my go-to drink of choice is a cider. I saw these cute Strongbow Hard Cider limited edition mini cider cans at my local Shoprite. I love being able to try four different ciders without having to commit to a whole six-pack that I may not like. Even better, the four-pack was only $2!

5. Family Fun – My brother recently moved to Reading, Pennsylvania. Over the Memorial Day Weekend we took a trip down to visit him. It was a short visit, but we had a great time. Our weekend was filled with lots of eating (of course!) a visit to the Reading Pagoda, a wine and food festival and dinner at a local brewery. It was also so hot that we ended up stopping at Walmart and picking up bathing suits for the kids so they could go swimming in his apartment complex pool. Pictured is the clam dish that my son ordered when we went out for dinner. Out of all of our entrees, he picked the best tasting one! #RaisingFoodies

This week on the blog I shared:

Recent Tween Reads

Have a great weekend! Sharing with Friday Favorites!

Recent Tween Reads

Posted on May 29, 2018 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

(This post contains affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy for more details.)

School has been busy but my tweens have still been reading up a storm. Here is a look at some of the recent books that my 9 and 12-year-old children have been reading. With summer vacation soon approaching, maybe some of these reads will interest your own tweens.

The 9-year-old:

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Big Nate on a Roll by Lincoln Peirce
Published: HarperCollins, August 2011
Pages: 224
Source: borrowed from the library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the third book in the Big Nate series. This series is similar to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series in that there are lots of cartoon-like illustrations mixed with the text. In this book, Nate’s Timber Scouts troop is selling wall hangings. The grand prize is a customized skate board that Nate really wants. But he has major competition from new troop member Artur. Who will win the grand prize?! As a fan of cartoons and comics, my son likes this series. He’s read a couple of other books in the Big Nate series and thinks Nate is a funny character.

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Bunny vs. Monkey: Book Two by Jamie Smart
Published by: David Fickling Books, August 2015
Pages: 64
Source: borrowed from the library
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the second book in the Bunny vs. Monkey children’s graphic novel series. Bunny fights for good while Monkey fights for evil. This book is broken up by seasons, with several comics for each month. Each comic stars Bunny, Monkey, Pig and Squirrel along with some other woodland creatures. Monkey is always unsuccessfully trying to destroy the forest. My son found this book to be hilarious.

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The Lost Hero: The Graphic Novel adapted by Robert Venditti
Art by: Nate Powell
Published by: Disney-Hyperion, October 2014
Pages: 192
Source: borrowed from the library
Rating: 4/5 stars

My son and I read The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan together a couple of months ago. When he saw this graphic novel at the library, he of course had to check it out. This book combines his love of comics with the great story of The Lost Hero.

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Middle School Get Me Out of Here by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts
Published by: Jimmy Patterson, May 2012
Pages: 288
Source: borrowed from the library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the follow-up book to Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life. Rafe is now in 7th grade and has been accepted into art school. The family is now living with Rafe’s grandmother in the city, after there’s a fire in the restaurant where his mom worked. His new school isn’t all that Rafe expected it to be and he deals with bullying and trying to make new friends and fit in. There are plenty of illustrations in this book that help add to the story. Fans of the first book will likely enjoy this book as well.

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Stick Dog Slurps Spaghetti (#6) by Tom Waston
Published by: HarperCollins, March 2016
Pages: 240
Source: borrowed from the library
Rating: 3/5 stars

This is the sixth book in the Stick Dog series. This is another series with lots of simple drawings. Can you tell the type of books my son enjoys reading?! In this book after Stick Dog and his friends get a small taste of spaghetti, they go on a search to get more. He enjoyed this book as much as the others that he read.

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Zach King: My Magical Life
Illustrated by: Beverly Arce
Published by: HarperCollins, September 2017
Pages: 208
Source: borrowed from library
Rating: 5/5 stars

Zach King is a social media star and magician. My Magical Life is his debut novel targeted for middle grade readers. Everyone in Zach’s family has a magical power, but he hasn’t discovered his yet. So, his parents decide to stop homeschooling him and send him to a regular middle school. This book comes with a free downloadable app and it will eventually be coming to the big screen. Prior to reading the book my son was familiar with Zach King from YouTube. He loved this book and thought it was a fun read.

The 12-year-old:

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30 People Who Changed the World – Edited by Jean Reynolds
Published by: Seagrass Press, October 2017
Pages: 144
Source: c/o publisher
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

This is a non-fiction book that includes 30 “bite-sized essay from award-winning writers.” Biographies include Julius Caesar, Cesar Chavez, Rosa Park, Sally Ride, Queen Victoria, Malala Yousafzai and many more. Each essay includes photographs and additional print and media resources to learn more information about the individual. My daughter found this book to be very educational. This isn’t a book that she read straight through, but rather would read an essay every now and then. Her favorites include Sally Ride and Malala Yousafzai.

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The Flip Side by Shawn Johnson
Published by: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers, June 2016
Pages: 309
Source: borrowed from library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson’s first YA novel. In this book, high school sophomore Charlie is training to be an Olympic gymnast. But she really wants to do normal high school things like date boys and go to prom. I read this book when it was first published. I had to remind myself that it is a YA book, intended for younger readers. However, the writing and story is appropriate for even middle school readers. My daughter really liked this book. She liked Charlie and found her double life intriguing.

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Kate Walden Directs: Night of the Zombie Chickens by Julie Mata
Published by: Disney-Hyperion, May 2014
Pages: 288
Source: borrowed from library
Rating: 3/5 stars

This middle-grade fiction book is about Kate Walden, a seventh-grade film fanatic. She’s working on her breakout film Night of the Zombie Chickens starring her mom’s organic hens. Then her best friend ditches her for the “cool kids” and Kate ends up alone at the loser table during lunch. Kate ends up dealing with both family issues and friendship issues all while trying to finish her film. My daughter thought this was an okay book about perseverance.

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Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
Published by: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, March 2010
Pages: 295
Source: borrowed from library
Rating: 5/5 stars

11-year-old Melody has cerebral palsy and cannot walk or talk. However, Melody refuses to be defined by her disability. My daughter loves this book so much and has read it multiple times. She finds it very inspirational and highly recommends this book to middle school-aged readers.

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Pottymouth and Stoopid by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein
Published by: Jimmy Patterson, June 2017
Pages: 336
Source: borrowed from library
Rating: 3/5 stars

Seventh graders David and Michael are still stuck with the nicknames they received in preschool, “Pottymouth” and “Stoopid.” When a new show on the Cartoon Network debuts, with the name “Pottymouth & Stoopid” the two become very popular. Who is making the television show and how do they know so much about David and Michael’s life? This book is a humorous take on the serious topic of bullying. My daughter thought that this was an okay read. She’s read several other of James Patterson’s series and this wasn’t her favorite.

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The Power of Poppy Pendle by Natasha Lowe
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, September 2012
Pages: 268
Source: Courtesy of the author
Rating: 3/5 stars

Poppy is born into a long line of witches and has inherited great powers. Even though she’s a talented witch, she really wants to be a baker. However, her parents disagree and will do anything to keep her away from baking. That’s when Poppy decides to take matters into her own hands. This is the first book of three books in the Poppy Pendle series. Several recipes that Poppy makes in the book are included in the back of the book. My daughter thought this was a good book. She liked when Poppy stands up for herself and makes new friends. She also enjoyed reading about all of the delicious things that Poppy made.

5 Podcasts Every Blogger Should Listen To

Posted on May 24, 2018 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Are there any other podcast fans out there? I am a podcast junkie and am always on the lookout for new ones to listen to. I know that there are hundreds of podcasts out there. As I’ve gotten more serious about blogging, I’m always on the lookout for new opportunities to educate myself about the business. There are tons of podcasts about blogging, starting a business and become an entrepreneur. However, here are 5 podcasts every blogger should listen to (in my humble opinion!). I’ve listened to these regularly and have found them to be very helpful.

Boss Girl Creative
This podcast is hosted by Taylor Bradford. I was first introduced to Taylor with her blog Pink Heels Pink Truck, which is now the Taylor Bradford Blog. She’s someone I was familiar with who has become a bossgirl. Boss Girl Creative provides strategies on social media and blogging to help grow an online empire. To-date, there are 154 episodes. I really enjoyed her Nitty Gritty series where she interviews various influential bloggers about their blogging journeys.

The Chopped Podcast
This podcast is hosted by Marley McMillen, of the blog NamelyMarley. She is also the creator of the Chopped Conference, a one-day conference for food bloggers. It’s been a couple of months since a new podcast episode has aired. However, to-date there are 157 episodes to listen to. While this podcast focuses on taking your food blog to the next level, most of the information is very relevant to any type of blog.

Food Blogger Pro Podcast
This podcast is hosted by Bjork Ostrom, husband of Lindsey Ostrom from the blog Pinch of Yum. Don’t be misled by the title of the podcast. Yes, this is another podcast that is targeted towards food bloggers. However, like the Chopped Podcast, most of the episodes are useful to all bloggers, regardless of niche. To-date there are 151 episodes to listen to.

The Influencer Podcast
This podcast is hosted by Julie Solomon, a New York Times best-selling publicist. This podcast focuses on helping create a brand and business. She interviews various influencers and leaders in the social media realm. To-date there are 60 episodes and 11 influencer insights mini-episodes to listen to.

OK
Pursuit With Purpose
This is one of the newer podcasts that I’ve started listening to. Melyssa Griffin is another blogger that I was familiar with before she started her podcast. This podcast focuses more on, “creating a life and business that is meaningful, authentic, and fulfilling.” This podcast focuses less on the hows and whys of blogging and more on mindset and motivation as a blogger. To-date there are 38 episodes to listen to.

What podcasts do you listen to that help you blog?