{lifestyle} Real California Milk: Modern Day Dairy Farm Tour 2011

Lifestyle
The Modern Day Dairy Farm Tour 2011 was hosted by the California Milk Advisory Board, who’s “Happy Cows Come from California” ad campaigns made celebrities out of their talking cow characters.The tour was staged in Southern California where a group of food writers and bloggers received the chance to see and...

{lifestyle} Oprah's Life Class on OWN Network

Lifestyle
Oprah’s Life Class is a new series of shows on her new television network, OWN. Each class dives into topics and lessons she has learned throughout her career, and penetrating deeper into the those questions and lessons.After each show is a live webcast on her website, Oprah.com and also streaming on Facebook where you can chat...

{lifestyle} Chicago Ideas Week: Food Talk

Lifestyle
October 10-16, 2011, Chicago Ideas Week (CIW) will bring the world’s top speakers together with Chicago’s best thinkers to create an ecosystem of innovation, exploration, and intellectual recreation.Like so many who are in deep in their social media interactions, I find out about events and news through my Twitter stream. This was...

{lifestyle} Soup's On Rotary fundraiser by The Rotary Club of Naperville

Parenting, Lifestyle
“The Rotary Club of Naperville has been bringing local Naperville community and business leaders together since 1941. “In it’s fourth year, the Rotary Club hosted a fundraising event called Soup’s On at Tellabs on Diehl Road on Sunday, October 17, 2011. The fundraiser was to benefit Loaves & Fishes,  Hesed House, and DuPage PADS.In...

{lifestyle} Fooditude.tv Taste of Fooditude 2011

Parenting, Travel, Lifestyle
In the Fooditude.tv website, their mission states, “Fooditude” is a reality based, multi-media program for “Tweens” (children ages 8 to 12) that keeps kids and food as its central theme.”Many reports are showing the rise in childhood obesity and diabetes that were once only thought of as diseases the adults inherited, come from...

Guide to Organic Shopping on a Budget

Parenting, Lifestyle
Organic food is no longer a fad and is definitely here to stay. My dad often chuckles at the organic food "craze" saying that is basically eating food the way "we used to eat". And he's right. Eating food that is pure, with no pesticides and preservatives have become on the...

{lifestyle} Green City Market - Culinary Garage Sale & Bake Sale

Parenting, Travel, Lifestyle
Green City Market is  a non-profit farmer’s market operating in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, operating outdoors until late fall and indoors for the winter, at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.Green City Market boasts being “Chicago’s only truly “green” farmer’s market supporting and promoting local, sustainable agricultural practices, the mission of Green City...

{lifestyle} Food and Fashion Collide at Lillian's of Naperville

Lifestyle
Let me preface this article by stating like so many mothers, since having children, I have not tapped into my inner fashionista in a loooooong time!With that said, getting the courage to ask a fashion editor of an extremely popular local lifestyle magazine to style me for my web-based cooking...

{review} Standard Market Opens It's First Location in Westmont

Lifestyle
Standard Market is changing the game in the grocery store business. Today, I attended their soft-opening in Westmont, Illinois; the first location in the Chicagoland area with plans to open it’s second location in Naperville, Illinois sometime next year.I expected to walk into a “specialty” store type – like a smaller...

{review} Outback Steakhouse

Lifestyle
Because I cook so much at home, and because I have worked in upscale-casual restaurant concepts for a long time, going out to eat at chain establishments doesn’t excite me.Operationally, I expect chains to receive most (or all) of their meatsOperationally, I expect chains to receive most (or all) of...

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)

Lifestyle
GMO’s or genetically modified organisms are in more everyday food items that most people know or like to admit. With organic and healthy eating a more important issue with consumers, the topic of genetically modified foods have become a great issue many want to know more about. And if you...

California Strawberry Commission: Paint Chicago Red

Parenting, Lifestyle
Hosted by Chicagonista.com founder, MJ Tam, the California Strawberry Commission and The Chopping Block brought local social media moms together to learn more and taste California Strawberries.Upon entering The Chopping Block in the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, we were greeted with an array of strawberry themed bites and cocktails. For a foodie like myself, I was interested...

{lifestyle} Arjan Stephens of Nature's Path Organic Foods

Lifestyle
When I found out that I would be given the opportunity to speak to Arjan Stephens, Executive VP of Sales and Marketing of Nature’s Path Organic, and the son of the Founder, Arran Stephens, I have to admit that I was nervous. Should I prepare some hard-core questions, jot down notes or record our...

{how to} Decanting, a quick and painless guide

Lifestyle
By Andrew Stiles, Reel Pour, Cinema SommelierIf wine is a movie, then a decanter is like the theater, it just improves the experience. Aerating the wine is like having popcorn and a comfy seat. Widening the surface area of the wine is like widening the screen you watch it on. Of...

{lifestyle} How to Stay Away from the Chiropractor

Lifestyle
By Dr. Cathy Subber – Advanced Health NapervilleWe moms sure do have a lot on our plates, don’t we?  Between the pregnancy, weight gain, childbirth, lack of sleep, nursing positions, child-lifting, vomit-cleaning, diaper-changing, stress-juggling, and multi-tasking we deal with, how on earth are we supposed to feel good?  Not to mention the...

{lifestyle} 2011 Cadillac Culinary Challenge Test Drive

Parenting, Lifestyle
The Cadillac Culinary Challenge Test Drive event is “where you can experience the very finest of cuisines and the very best of Cadillac.” It is a free culinary and test drive event sponsored by Bon Appetit, Epicurious, Share Our Strength and of course, Cadillac.Held in the upscale, Oakbrook Center, Cadillac encouraged the public to test drive their most popular models, the Escalade, CTS, STS, and SRX Crossover as...

{press release} Two Bostons Pet Boutique: Lose Pounds with Your Hounds Challenge

Lifestyle
###############For Immediate ReleaseMeg KamberisSpecial Projects CoordinatorTwo Bostons Pet Boutiquemeg.k@twobostons.com630-864-8677 Naperville Business Owners Team Up To Help Area Residents Lose WeightDo you have a few pounds to lose before the holidays? Local business owners have teamed up and created a fun and free way to do so. Lose Pounds With Your Hounds...

{bio} Momma Cuisine Contributor: Trixie Taleon, Saved by Grace

Lifestyle
When GRACE is brought up, the name Trixie Taleon comes to the minds of those who know her. At 35, a wife, a mother of 3, she has beat incredible odds that people will not believe had they not seen it with their own eyes.Trixie’s journey as a mother started...

Chicago Fashion Connect features Crystal B. Designs

Lifestyle
Chicago Fashion Connect is a fashion promotions company, including fashion design, photography and modeling, who’s mission is to fill in “the gaps that exist in the fashion industry and removing the obstacles that stand between the emerging fashion talent and their success“.On Tuesday, October 4, 2011, Chicago Fashion Connect featured Crystal B. Designs by local designer...

MORE Magazine's Reinvention Convention - Chicago, IL

Lifestyle
“More is the leading voice of today’s sophisticated, affluent and accomplished woman, who is enjoying the richest years of her life, sharing news and advice on beauty, fashion, health, career, travel, money and relationships from her distinct perspective.” -More MagazineThis past Monday, I was invited by a fellow blogger to...