A new love... SOAP!

So "living off Local Love" is not just about eating but any consumption, right??  Well, I have found the most amazing soap store: On A Branch Soaps.  Tara is the genius behind the soaps and she is located in Burlington, for those of you that are local to her, I highly, highly recommend this soap.  (She can also ship to you)..Without a doubt this soap has changed some of mornings when I am feeling somewhat "dragged down" and I pop into the shower and use the soap (currently using Vanilla Bean, which is earthy and beautiful) and it wakes me up, makes me feel awake and alive.  Sounds cheesy maybe, but it's true.  And as a Mommy of little ones, this makes a HUGE difference in my day.  Join their facebook site and place an order, support a local Momma and get some amazing product out of the deal!! <3  Think of me when you are in the shower with your new soap... ohhh, wait... no, no.  LOL.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Soap!

Beer Soap!! <3

Lots of other products I can't wait to try! And really cute packaging!

refreshing!

On A Branch Soaps - you have a customer for life with me!!  thank you for what you do!

Saucy Girl!

ok - so again I am blogging about Borealis Grille and if I keep on going this way I will have to change the name of my blog to @Borealis Addict or.. @Crazy for Borealis.  I dunno.  But this is a DIFFERENT piece of info on Borealis.  (ok, every time I say Borealis you have to take a shot....) LOL.

Ok. So I LOOOVE sauces.... I would say I am a bit of a sauce connoisseur.  A sauce snob.  


When we ordered our wings this last time at Borealis (SIP) our server, Erin suggested
 "go with the salt and cracked pepper and have the Tonawanda hot sauce on the side"


sounded great to me - I love hot sauce!!  She explained that ALL the sauces are made
in-house...


I have to say I was disappointed that the Mill St Weiss was no longer available on tap (BOO!) 
but I did have a great half pint of the apricot beer (I forget who makes it!) and Sean had 
a pint of the Mill St Organic.  


OK - wings arrive and there is a small problem BUT it is handled with complete
professionalism and courtesy.  As Sean said "any restaurant can be great when everything 
is running smoothly, it is a true test when there is a blip and they handle it like that"  nice.  
and I totally agree.

the Tonawanda Hot sauce is really, really good.  Not too hot and great flavour.

The ranch is EASILY the best ranch sauce I have EVER HAD.  this is not a joke.

I don't care what you order when you go to Borealis (SIP) but you HAVE to ask for some ranch on the 

side - just to try it.  HOLY CRAP. it is THATgood.

Ok - so we decided to share the Spicy Mushroom burger.  And we asked (sheepishly) "could we have half reg fries and half sweet potato fries??"  Look how they brought it out for us.

BOREALIS (sip) IS AMAZING!! <3

Summer = Busy = FUN!

Ok - so I have been lacking in the posts lately... first I was sick, so we missed the Asparagus Festivus at Barrie Bros. farm which was really disappointing - really hoping to be there next year!!  My second excuse is that I have been very, very busy with work (Green Baby Clothing Co.) which is great but then other things get pushed to the next day, then the next, etc, etc.

First I would LOVE to tell you all about this amazing product I found from Glow Baby!!!   The Organized Family Menu Planner ($20)!  I am in LOVE with it!  There will be more posts all about it - I will be using it thoughout our local eating journey!  The feature I love the best so far is the tear out grovery list... I add to it as I am working out our meals for the week... :)

The Cambridge Farmers Market is one of our favourite places... it is on every Saturday throughout the year and also on Wednesdays in the summer... great selection of: natural, hormone free/antibiotic free meats, cheeses, bakery treats, breads, international foods, fruits, veggies, etc!!!

this week we bought CUPCAKES - they are SOOOO good!

the cupcake was about twice the size of Scribbles hand but she managed it just fine :)

YUUMMMM-O!!

Biddle literally hoovered his.  LOL.

The GBCC mobile - parked at the Farmer's Market <3

Ok - so another AMAZING local find??  Reid Chocolate's (this is Biddle walking in the store)

(this is Biddle after his sample) LOL

Baby Scribs loves Reid's too.  My personal fav?  The chocolate covered toffee sponge.  WOW.  SOOOOOO GOOOOOD.

IT WAS IN BOBCAYGEON.... where we saw the constellations....

this past weekend we met friends in Bobcaygeon to see The Tragically Hip in concert!!  The kids were with the grandparents and it was nice to have a little mini-vacation!!

So as soon as we got there we wanted to pop a beer!! (hey, we ARE Canadian, eh??)

our newest beer of choice?? Mill St. beer!!

We bought the sampler pack at the liquor store in the Ontario Craft Beer section....

...pop!

ENJOY!!!  YUM!

so we enjoyed our beer (my fav in the sampler pack was the Organic) but still stuck on the Mill St Weiss we had at Borealis Grille (LOVE LOVE LOVE that place.... )

FAST FORWARD 20 hours (concert was AWESOME!!)

we are on our way home and wanted to stop somewhere to try some BOBCAYGEON local food!!

this beautiful place was just outside of Bobcaygeon and was cute, friendly and offered many local delights!!!  (great name too!!)

as we got out of the car the owner called us over "come check out the bunny we just discovered in the garden!!" 

I have to admit it was the mushrooms that initially drew me to this place - they are SO cute for the garden!  One for us and one for the grandparents looking after the kids!! :)  $8-$25 depending on size

this is one of my favourite saying (originally quoted from Walt Disney)

we bought radishes, strawberries and mushrooms!!

Oakridge Acres - another AWESOME find!!

Well on Wednesday, Biddle, Scribbles and I went to Oakridge Acres!   

To start - the property is just stunning.... the driveway leading up to the store is long and beautiful with rolling hills on either side ... really nice!

when we got out of the van I knew I had to be quick because we were getting close to dinner time and the kids were a bit cranky.... 

but thankfully there was a mini tractor right outside the store - two thumbs up!!

pretty darn cute, eh??

ohhhh and apparently they put hay in the fields just for Biddle - he was SO excited about the hay!

this kid is going to be an organic farmer AND a goat farmer (think goat's milk soap) ohh yeah and a MONSTER TRUCK DRIVER .... 

the kids didn't want to go in the store - they just wanted to play outside!  

another GREAT teachable moment - solar panels x 2

AWESOMENESS!

now into the store (finally!!!)  these posters sum it up Healthy, Local and Convenient.  

Check. Check. Check.

They have an AMAZING selection of local farmer's items (over 40 farms represented) as well as a really nice selection of organics, gluten free and fresh bakery items (YUM!)

oh wait - they serve FREE Baden Coffee Company while you shop!!  This is my kind of place! :)

and they have toys for the kids to play with while I shop.  Hold on a minute!!  LOL.

Baby Scribs is checking out the Oak Manor selection (she knows Momma LOVES that stuff!)

Well we ended up buying:  more Barrie's Bros. items (our all time fav!) including their asparagus pasta sauce (highly recommended) and their asparagus salsa (haven't tried it yet!), cookies, eggs, Stemmler's pepperoni (free of: msg. gluten & soy) and local pasta noodles.

Two more awesome points to make: they have Harmony Organic milk in a bottle as well as local butter which we will be buying once the butter we have now has run out...

Also, they offer local delivery on all ours over $100... 

We LOVED it and will be back at least twice a month to load up on our groceries!  Thanks to the Gerber Family for making us feel welcome and providing such great selection!! <3

Two thumbs up!

Borealis Grille - Crazy Good.

Well, Sean and I have a standing date every Tuesday night.   We started doing this about six months ago when I finally felt comfortable to leave my youngest (well both little ones) with a babysitter that wasn't already a friend or family... that being said - it has been a GREAT leap, wonderful for our relationship and liberating as a human being!!   When we decided to go forth in the local eating journey, our Date Night came to mind pretty much immediately as I didn't want to have to change anything about date night (ie. I didn't want to have to pack a "local" picnic and prepare and clean up, etc... I like having one night a week not worrying about that!)....

Sooooooo... our first date night in our journey brought us to Borealis Grille in Kitchener less than 10 minutes from our house.  Holy Crap -= we NEVER have to worry about date night again -= this place is WAY RIDICULOUS.   As I pulled up this is the sign that was painted on the side of their restaurant:

ummmm... YES I THINK SO!!!  WICKED!

Borealis Grille & Bar (http://www.borealisgrille.ca) ***figured out the link thing yay!

We were at the Kitchener location: 4336 King St E

here is the scoop:

 "Serving up the best from Ontario farmers, food artisans, breweries and wineries"

Ok - so we ate in the "school house" which is a restored 100+ year old school house, complete with photos, original floors and some original paint on the walls.  Holy Wow - I am already impressed and we haven't even eaten yet!!! <3

this is my super hot Hubby and our super awesome server, Genevieve (she was AMAZING)..

**note her shirt says: By Neighbours / For Neighbours (cool, ya?)

OK so Genevieve was super knowledgeable, full of info and ready to make great suggestions.  When you go to Borealis (which you WILL) ask to be in her section - you will not be disappointed!

My super supportive husband even posed for a "checking out the menu" photo

and we quickly learned that 3pm-6pm appetizers are HALF PRICE!!  woohoo!

Baked Ontario Goat Cheese Candied heirloom beet carpaccio, arugula, Rootham’s red pepper jelly, beet reduction, crostini 10.99 ... really, REALLY yummy!

Dry Ribs Ontario pork buttons, sea salt, cracked pepper, fresh herbs 8.99 ... super good but more my husband's thing...

Since Lemons can't be grown locally, there are cucumbers in the water!!  FRESH!

Since the appetizers were half price we decided to order two more...

these are the fish cakes (below)

SOME OF THE BEST FOOD I HAVE EVER HAD!  **husbsters agrees!!

Flannigan’s Fish Cakes Fresh Ontario pickerel, dill, lemon, panko crust, roasted red pepper remoulade 12.99.. these were my favourite - I am not even a big "fish" person - but these are a must have! 

Barrie Bros corn asparagus chips, bruschetta, scallions, hot peppers, mozzarella, cheddar, sour cream, salsa 13.99.... these chips are the chips we got when we went to Barrie Bros. (see post here)

and of course my latte!! <3

SO all in all 10 out of 10~highly, highly recommended!! 

**LOVE FEST!**

Mama's impression: "the fish cakes were my fav!  Service was outstanding!"

Daddy's take: "It feels like we are on vacation"

tomorrow's post will be on Oakridge Acres!

first Epic Fail...opps.

Today we had to go to Milton to drop off a customer's order (about a 30 minute drive)... so I thought, since we are using the gas to go to Milton, we should find a local farm to explore while we are there.

Thus - today's adventure led us to Springridge Farm (www.springridgefarm.com)

I should have known by the fact that the first football field size parking lot was already full that it was going to be kinda stressful.....

walking in... there is a big store (full of beautiful items, pickled items, jams, preserves, etc)

but then to get into the play area (sandbox, mazes, animals) we had to pay $8...  :(

the kids were excited but I was already getting anxious as it was a sea of people (lots of little kids, school trips, etc) and I was constantly scanning for mine... especially Biddle (3) who has a tendency to get excited and RUN ....ack.

.

it is a really neat place if you are a one adult-one child ratio.  this is my opinion.  Especially if your kids are under 5.

they DO have GREAT play areas for the kids... tractor rides... hay mazes, etc but we are on a Local Food mission so, while it is a wonderful place to visit, it wasn't the greatest spot for the kind of education I am hoping to share with my kids.

Baby Scribs loved the giant sandbox full of trucks - you go girl!!! <3

I wonder if 50 years ago they had any idea how much $$ they would be making on a daily basis from NON-farm "stuff"

on TOP of the tractor!

sure there are animals BUT they are behind/in cages and you have to pay to feed them... such a difference from our experience yesterday - but all part of the journey.

Biddle actually turned to me and asked "can we get into the cage to see the goats, Momma?"  I am GLAD he asked that - because I want it to be the norm to be WITH the animals ...

Biddle said "Momma look at the Leopard Chicken!!!!'  bahhaha!!

you could spend a small fortune ...

OK so on to the Epic Fail... it is about 12noon and time to head into the store to buy our LOCAL treats....both kids are starting to lose it and I am stressed out with the crowds.. just too many people for me... we get inside to do a quick browse and buy some local food and there are literally 15+ families in line for the food.... I look down on the ground and there is Biddle on the floor "I'm soooooo hungry" so I grabbed some jars: Strawberry Jam ($7.99 ack), Harvest Salsa ($5.99) and Strawberry Jam Scone Mix (yum) pay for it and half drag the kids to the car... both still starving.

OK - so that DID NOT go as planned.  Guess where we stopped on the way home??  :(

SERIOUSLY POOR PLANNING on my part = EPIC FAIL.

This is what we bought at Springridge - will post photos of the scones tomorrow!

ohhh and I got these yesterday at Barrie's Asparagus Farm & Country Market 

(sooooo in love with that place!!)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barries-Asparagus-Farm-Country-Market/188187407892947?ref=ts

moral of the story (in my opinion)... there are ALL kinds of farms... Springridge to me felt like a 

"Wal-Mart farm" while there may be a time and a place for Wal-Mart, this family plans to avoid 

Wal-Mart as much as possible.  Hope you know what I mean....