Prairiewoods Tour & lunch at NewBo City Market #iowabloggers

On one of the most beautiful, snowy mornings of the month I had the pleasure of hanging out with some of my Iowa blogger friends for a special tour and lunch in Cedar Rapids. I want to tell you about it, k?

We all met up at Praireiwoods Franciscan Spirituality Center in the morning to tour a portion of their 70 acre site, taking an in-depth look at their eco-friendly features. Emy was our guide, and she was so fun.

You'll remember that I toured Prairiewoods last year on a similar morning, which was just as stunning in the snowfall. I enjoyed checking out the retention ponds, the straw bale cabins, the solar panels, guest house, root cellar, and trombe wall.

And I really enjoyed taking a peek inside the Prairiewoods heated hoop house:

I would love a greenhouse, and have almost got John on board to build me one. I mean, this one is made of thick plastic, hog panels, and held together with zip ties.

After our tour at Prairiewoods, we trekked across town to NewBo City Market for lunch. The merchants at NewBo were very gracious and welcoming, so of course I ate waayyyyyy too much.

My bacon cheesy burger and cheese fries from #TeamSaucy at Saucy Focaccia was killer. The soft, toasted bun and the sauces on the beef burger were over the top. They also have a cranberry walnut salad I'd like to try next time.

After chatting during lunch, we all wandered the market to pick up some goodies before heading home. Being the cheese lover that I am, I picked up some artisan string cheese from NewBo Cheese Company, which will go in my lunch bag for a daily mid-afternoon snack.

Kathy was sweet enough to give us a mini-bag of her Chicago Mix popcorn from Corn Fusion, too. I saved this popcorn until Monday and enjoyed it while I watched The Bachelor. (What? He's Iowa grown, too. I'm all about supporting local, people.) 

Kathy said all of their popcorn they use is grown right here in Iowa, which is then used in over 80 different flavors of 'corn! Go here for a list.

Speaking of flavors, I hit the jackpot when I picked a Monster Cookie and Lemon cupcake from That One Cupcake Place. Best.Decision.Ever. 

I bought myself two more things before leaving. One was my new favorite brand of crunchy multigrain tortilla chips. These are, again, handmade in Iowa by La Reyna. Can you tell that I'm really enjoying finding all these new Iowa-made products? 

I also dropped by Bark and Bloom to get a little something for my dining room table: A Paper White bulb, which will establish roots right in that vase among the rocks. I need to get better at growing houseplants (and keeping them alive). Starting here seems logical:

I'd say my day among my blogger buddies was a success, wouldn't you?