CBDMEDIC + Me ~ Outdoor Adventures in Southern Illinois

September 24, 2019

This post is sponsored by CBDMEDIC but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Experience a new revolution in pain relief! CBDMEDIC is a topical ointment in stick form that is applied directly to the skin to relieve sore muscles. I love being able to choose a safe, effective, and powerful pain relief - allowing me to Play Harder & Live Better!

I visited CVS to grab the stick. I found it across from the pharmacy, in a nice CBD featured endcap. I loved getting to know the range of CBDMEDIC products.

CBDMEDIC - a CBD-infused topical for fast pain relief. Topicals generally do not enter the bloodstream, and they do not have to pass through the metabolic system before producing the effect. This aids in temporary pain relief. This would be great to keep in your travel bag too, since the lid fits nice and securely.

This incredible rub-on CBD-infused stick relieves sore muscles through other active ingredients like camphor, menthol, and clove oil. Many other natural oils and ingredients are utilized.

About the product, from the brand. "Our Active Sport™ Deep Muscle Rub and Solid Sport Stick provide advanced pain relief while continuously delivering our proprietary formulation that increases blood circulation and reduces inflammation. Active Sport™ products can be applied before, during, and after workouts, so they work when you are ready for them. From strains and sore muscles to joint distress and muscle pulls, our Active Sport™ line can offer highly effective relief and get you back in the game"!

Play harder & Live better!

With all the fun outdoor activities we do here in southern Illinois, it takes a toll. Sore muscles are no joke, and while I try to stretch or fight through the pain, sometimes I definitely need something. This lotion was really nice, and easy to apply since it’s in a twist-up applicator.

We are so fortunate to have such immense natural beauty here in southern Illinois. We have lived here for about 13+ years, and we used to hike and camp all the time. We loved it, but the heat would keep us inside more and more. It gets extremely hot and humid here, and there is rarely a cool breeze to greet us.

We recently headed to a friend’s cabin and I tried Stand Up Paddling (SUP). While I have kayaked and paddled quite a bit recently, I have never gotten the chance to SUP. It was great.

As I mentioned, we have kayaked a lot lately. Last Fall, we got a two person kayak, and learned that the best way to actually enjoy summer here is on the water. Paddling can definitely hurt my arms and shoulders, almost making my body feel tight. It’s always nice to know that I have been exercising and working those muscles, and this CBDMEDIC offers fast relief, and then you can go on with your day.

If you would like to learn more about CBDMEDIC, visit them on social media, or their website, here!

Happy Birthday to Me!

September 24, 2019

What an exceptional birthday! I turned 34 last weekend, and we celebrated at a cute pavilion on Devil’s Kitchen Lake. The weather was just perfect, and the full moon that started on Friday the 13th and carried into my birthday things even more special. Wow, I am so thankful for all the wonderful people in our lives!

Big Muddy Monster Homebrew Competition + Brew Fest 2019

September 24, 2019

We love craft beer! We went to the Big Muddy Homebrew Competition in Murphysboro, IL, and it was so fun sampling craft homebrews from all over Illinois and Missouri. This competition leads up to the Big Muddy Monster Brew Fest, in Murphysboro, IL on Saturday, October 5, 2019 (noon - 4pm). Excited to frequent the homebrew tent at the event next weekend!

I’m so happy we had the opportunity to stop by and check out the 100+ Homebrew recipes that were submitted.

Check out the poster I created for the homebrew competition, below. The winner will have their beer recipe brewed at a larger scale, and is a huge honor! **NOTE - Contest has ended.

3-Ingredient Meal- Unique End of Summer Recipe With Hatfield

September 12, 2019

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FALLInLoveWithHatfield, #MakeEasyMoreInteresting #simplyhatfield #CollectiveBias

We recently headed to Schnuck’s Market here in Carbondale to shop for our Hatfield® Dry Rubbed Marinated Tenderloin, as well as the grocery items on the list. Luckily, this meal only took 3 main ingredients, so shopping was fast and easy.

Hatfield has amazing products, ranging from dry rub seasoned tenderloins to slow-cooker-ready pork roasts.

TIME SAVING TIP

Since the pork tenderloin is already marinated, your prep and cooking time is reduced by HOURS! Oh my goodness, the aroma of the Tuscan Herb seasonings made the house smell incredible…our mouths were watering after just a few minutes :)

MORE TO LOVE ABOUT HATFIELD

Cook and serve

Simple

Full of Flavor

Makes dinner less about the hard work of cooking, and more about time spent with family.

#1 Marinated Tenderloin in the Northeast is the Hatfield Tuscan Herb Tenderloin

Hatfield offers a HUGE variety of products and selections in their Marinated line. From Tuscan Herb to Texas Smokehouse, so many flavor profiles are covered, that most anyone would find one they loved.

Hatfield® Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Hatfield® Marinated Pork Loin Filets
Hatfield® Marinated Pork Roasts
Hatfield® Marinated Pork Chops
Hatfield® Marinated Pork Ribs

HOW TO MAKE THIS 3-INGREDIENT MEAL

INGREDIENTS:

1 Package (18.4 oz.) - Hatfield® Dry Rubbed Marinated Tenderloin
1 medium-sized summer squash
1-2 packages asparagus

OTHER ITEMS NEEDED:

Olive Oil
3 skillets (at least 1 needs to have a lid for the pork tenderloin)
seasoning (I used Italian seasoning)
Salt
Any other seasonings you like, such as garlic
Cooking utensils
Tongs for cooking tenderloin, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Hatfield® Marinated Pork Tenderloin

1.) Remove packaging, and heat skillet to medium heat, with 2TBSP or so of olive oil.

2.) Once the skillet is hot, use optional tongs to place tenderloin onto heated skillet. This will begin to help you build a nice sear on the outsides while cooking the insides as well. Place lid onto pan/skillet, check after 2-3 minutes to ensure no sticking). No need to season the tenderloin, since Hatfield has already done the hard job of marinating the pork for you. This saves hours, luckily.

3.) After 3-4 minutes of cooking, carefully use an oven mitt and pair of tongs and flip the tenderloin to the other side. Replace lid and cook for 4-5 more minutes, moving tenderloin around in skillet if needed, to avoid burning or sticking to the skillet too much.

4.) Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes (or even a bit longer), rotating and flipping the tenderloin every couple of minutes. Make sure meat has cooked to an internal temperature of about 180 degrees F. The meat was extremely tender and cooked SO WELL!

Squash

1.) Heat second skillet and add 1-2 TBSP olive oil.

2.) Carefully slice squash and once skillet is hot, add squash to skillet. Sautee about 3 minutes on one side, use tong to flip slices, and cook on other side for 2-3 more minutes, until tender.

Asparagus

1.) Cut bottom 2-3 inches off asparagus stalks.

2.) Cook in hot skillet with olive oil, salt, and garlic, enjoy.

I would definitely recommend keeping a few of these Hatfield Marinated products on hand. Cook one for dinner, have it as leftovers the next few days, and keep 2-3 other Hatfield products in the freezer. They only take a half a day to thaw, so they would be amazing when you need a fulfilling dinner without any fuss.

The other protein that I was considering featuring was the Hatfield® Marinated Pork Roast. It looks incredible, but the preferred cooking method was a crock pot. I would definitely like to keep one on hand for another time.

MEAL PREPPING IDEA

This dish would be super easy to make ahead for lunch or dinner the next day. Simply use clear containers to store the meal, and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days.

I also really love what Hatfield is doing across their social media channels. In fact, they featured my kebabs recipe recently, it was such a nice surprise! Get the full recipe here.

CHECK OUT HATFIELD ON INSTAGRAM HERE!

FIND ME ON INSTAGRAM HERE!

It’s Almost Fall In Southern Illinois

September 8, 2019

I’m sure the warm weather hasn’t “officially” ended / I literally just got the weather app notification staying, “considerably warmer temperatures tomorrow”,

Despite the “Fall weather fake-out”, we took a little time today after the storms cleared and headed to a few places in Cobden, Alto Pass, and all the sprawling hills with orchards and wineries, and it was so pretty. Really happy to have taken full advantage of the weather, and I’m super happy with some of the photos we took too.

Stay tuned for more photos, coming soon! What sort of Fall activities are you looking forward to this year?

Little Grand Canyon

September 5, 2019

We are so lucky to have lots of great places in the Shawnee National Forest to hike and experience. I recently went on a hike on the 3+ mile loop trail at Little Grand Canyon, and I had a blast!

Towards the lower portion of the trail, I saw some of the most impressive set of rock formations, shown above. It’s definitely worth hiking the entire trail just to see them!

Wild hydrangeas grow along creek beds and from rocky ledges. Thank be been so enamored with these gorgeous flowers since we visited the Oregon coast a few years ago and these flowers were everywhere. This year, we also grew them in our garden so when I realized that they grew naturally in southern Illinois, I was so happy! I’ve seen them here, Tunnel Hill, and also at Pomona Natural Bridge.

The native Wild Hydrangea is occasional to locally common in southern Illinois, uncommon in central Illinois, and largely absent from the northern section of the state. Habitats include shaded ravines, rocky stream banks in wooded areas, bottoms of bluffs and cliffs, low rocky ledges, and similar habitats in wooded areas. Wild Hydrangea is found in high quality natural areas.

This was one of the first solo hikes I had embarked on, and it’s said that, “in every walk in nature, one receives far more than he seeks”.

My main intent with this walk was to explore a new place and to spend a little time in nature and I absolutely LOVED every second of it.

While I saw a few other hikers at first, and since there’s little to no signal for most of this trail, I should’ve been slightly concerned about being alone in the woods…but I felt safe. It felt awesome to know that I had a moment to myself and that I could walk as fast or as slow as I wanted and I didn’t have to be concerned with taking too many photos of the little things along the way, for fear that it would take “too long”.

I feel like I should make it a point to hike somewhere different each week and post it here! I’ve gotten so much more in tune with the natural beauty around me here in southern Illinois, and it definitely needs to be a bigger part of my blog!

Flyway Family Mushroom Farm - Makanda, IL

September 2, 2019

I met Mike and Jess at the Carbondale Farmer’s Market years ago, and they are some of my favorite people to this day. They sell their incredible, gourmet mushrooms at the market every Saturday throughout the entire season from April - November. You can also find their mushrooms at various local restaurants, grocery stores like The Neighborhood Co-Op, and at the Urbana, IL Market.

Connect With Flyway Family Farm on Facebook and Instagram!

I recently had the honor of capturing some of their current offerings. They have a Chef’s Mix, which contained some of each. These pink oyster mushrooms were so incredible in a mixed veggie skillet we made recently while camping.

Last year, we also created a really incredible post for Martha Stewart, featuring several of the Flyway Family Farm mushrooms, which I also found at the Farmer’s Market.