5 Tips to Throw a Tournament Watch Party

Posted in entertaining by thechicagogoodlife

Diet Coke and rotisserie chicken for the ultimate final four watch party

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #CelebrateTheMadness #CollectiveBias

One of the best parts of March is the big tournament game. To be honest, I am not a huge college basketball fan, BUT I love following the tournament. There’s something about filling out a bracket and watching the teams go from sixteen, to eight, to four and then finally the big game! I find it so exciting and never predictable. It’s also a great excuse to get your friends together and have a party! I am sharing 5 tips to throw the easiest big tournament watch party for you and your friends. Read more

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Taking a LEAP at the Lincoln Park Zoo

Posted in Chicago, family friendly, toddler by thechicagogoodlife

With a toddler and a baby at home, we are always looking for new things to do around the city. I look for classes that not only keep my busy toddler, Noah, engaged, but also learning. He’s at that age where I need to constantly keep him moving! When Lincoln Park Zoo reached out for us try their LEAP class, I knew we had to check it out.

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20Nov2018

Recap: Why Lil’ Kickers is a toddler must

Posted in Chicago, family friendly, toddler by thechicagogoodlife

As Noah is approaching 3 years old, I am trying to fill our days together with various activities. Especially as the weather gets cooler, finding things for us to do becomes limited. Toddlers have a lot of energy and I am trying to to keep up! He also is at the stage where he enjoys trying new things and learning about everything. “Mommy, what’s this?” is on repeat in our house! During the winter, I like him to be in a least one lesson a week and Lil’ Kickers is the perfect fit for a busy toddler. With 19 locations in just Illinois alone, there is a class and location perfect for all families.

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14Nov2018

What we bought for baby number 2

Posted in Baby, pregnancy by thechicagogoodlife

As we are counting down the days until baby number 2 arrives and we picked up a few things we never had with our first born. Isn’t it crazy there are lots of new items that have come out in just a few short years? I couldn’t believe it. As much as we can, I think we are ready 🙂 So here is our list and now let the waiting game begin!

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13Nov2018

How to throw the best (and easiest) Friendsgiving with Tony’s Fresh Market

Posted in Chicago, entertaining, Holiday, recipe by thechicagogoodlife

It’s that time of the year! My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, but Friendsgiving is a close second. I love having my friends in our home, catching up and spending time together before the craziness of the holidays. But in reality, our home isn’t huge, specifically the kitchen. After years of hosting this annual tradition, my husband and I have somewhat gotten this hosting thing kind of figured out. I wanted to share some easy recipes and tips we have learned along the way, with some help with all the ingredients from Tony’s Fresh Market. They have some specials on turkeys, their produce is some of the best and I even got some of the table decor there. Best part of it all? You are just having your friends over, so it doesn’t need to be perfect! Some time spent together is really what it’s about.

I am sharing 10 tips along with our brunch Friendsgiving menu below. Welcome to cooking with the Good Life!

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12Nov2018

Why you need a Galena Escape at Eagle Ridge Resort

Posted in Chicago, Lifestyle, travel by thechicagogoodlife

As we are winding down to the arrival of our baby girl, my husband and I knew we needed a quick weekend getaway from Chicago. A little time away before the lack of sleep and the craziness begins, right?! Galena, Illinois seemed like the perfect location. Being 150 miles west of Chicago, with rolling hills, a town filled with art galleries, restaurants and history, it was the perfect setting.

I had a few things I was looking for in my search for a hotel. I wanted a spa, several dining options, and a beautiful, quiet setting. This lead me to the discovery of Eagle Ridge Resort, located in The Galena Territory, just six miles from downtown Galena. We would be able to enjoy the amenities of the resort like the pool, spa and dining, but also head to town when we wanted. With a toddler at home, it was the ideal distance away from home while feeling a world away.

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1Nov2018

3 Fall Recipes using Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Posted in recipe by thechicagogoodlife

It’s no secret that I have a love affair with cream cheese. I share it often on my Instagram. One cream cheese brand I like is Philadelphia Cream Cheese because of its creaminess and how many different options there are. Since we are mid fall, there are so many recipes you can use that capture all the fall vibes. They have a pumpkin spread that I have been meaning to try! Over the past month, I have used them to create a breakfast toast, a snack and even pasta. That’s pretty much all the best things right?

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30Oct2018

Meal Planning for a Family of 3 with Tony’s Fresh Market

Posted in Chicago, recipe by thechicagogoodlife

I hate to admit it, but I love grocery shopping and meal planning. I don’t know what it is, maybe it just sets the tone for the week and helps us stay organized? Whatever it is, I do it weekly. Sometimes even on a Saturday night by myself? It’s like a night out right? Hah.

I will make a list of the meals first Monday through Friday and then list out all the ingredients needed for each meal. We have our weekly usual meals, but I try to add in a meatless monday meal, a meat focused one and usually ending with pizza on Friday nights.

One thing that helps meal planning go smoothly is grocery shopping, Some things I look for in a grocery store are: Continue reading →

23Oct2018

Quick & Easy Meatless Meals

Posted in Healthy & Fitness, recipe by thechicagogoodlife

If you have been following me for a little while, one of our New Year’s resolutions was to try to eat a few meatless meals a week. Maybe because we watched the documentary, What the Health, if you haven’t seen it, it’s eye opening. Although we still love a good steak, we just wanted to cut back on how much meat we were eating. We were up to 4-5 nights a week eating meat, so we definitely wanted to switch it up a bit. It’s really been kind of fun experimenting and so far, so good! I have been switching up our weekly meals and found a few that we love. All under 30 minutes, quick and easy.

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16Oct2018

Diapers & Football: Our baby girl’s ‘sprinkle’

Posted in entertaining, pregnancy by thechicagogoodlife

This idea of a ‘sprinkle’ is definitely something new for me. As my mom calls it, its very Millennial. Haha. For those that are unfamiliar, it’s just a mini baby shower for baby number 2. There’s no registry and it’s typically just small gifts or diapers. With Noah, we had a traditional baby shower with lots of family and friends and I had never intended on having anything for our next baby. But some of my friends thought it would be a good idea to get together, especially since I may not see some of them before she’s born (and maybe a while after that!). I didn’t want to make it big deal, but thought diapers are always needed and easy for anyone to pick up. Plus the love of football in our house is strong, why not incorporate the two?! Girls can like football too. 🙂