Hello from Chatauqua

Good Evening!

We made it to Chautauqua on Saturday night after a bit of excitement! Grandma drove from Des Moines to Cleveland but had a tire blowout on the way and had quite an ordeal getting a tire for her fancy Caddie! It all worked out (whew!) and we arrived by midnight and have now recovered and are in the midst of a lot of fun!




Today is Emmet's 9th Birthday! What a great place to celebrate his b-day. He went to summer camp today and got to row his own kayak as well as ride his bike to and from camp by himself (like a big boy). He also is loaded down with presents-- especially from the generous grandma who bought him a Sony Handy Cam Video Camera that we are having a ball with. We are definitely documenting our first trip here with Grandma.

The weather is absolutely OUTSTANDING! 75 and sunny and I started my day out by going to the 7:15am Meditation Class, followed by a stop at the Chautauqua Farmer's Market to pick up Raspberries, Blueberries, Nectarines and Black Raspberries. Picked up a latte and headed back to house that is absolutely adorable. Took the kid's to camp on our bikes, went for an inspiring run around the grounds of Chautauqua, went to a lecture about the State of Mind, picked up kids from camp, made lunch at the house, dropped kids back at camp, went to another lecture about Contemplative Living (food for thought), picked up kids (via bicycles), stopped for tea, home to chill and then out to celebrate Emmet's B-Day, and am now watching the kids play tennis and will jump in after I finish my post! I LOVE IT HERE!

Grandma and Zoe- lots of good bonding time.


B-Day Boy! He said this was his best birthday ever.


Me hugging the b-day boy! I have to get my hugs in while I can... he is a big boy now.


Daddy and Emmet. Steve is in heaven. He loves this place and is soaking it up.


As far as food, I am eating a lot of my normal things.... Chautauqua Oats and PB & Banana Sandwich Thins! Yes, I finally got to try the infamous Orowheat Sandwich Thins and the new Pepperidge Farms Deli Thins and can't wait to tell you more about them. I am going to pick some up to bring home. They are great and only a 100 calories a pop!

Chautauqua Oats


Grandma and the kids.


I have to tell you that we rented my mom one of those motorized scooters so that she can tool around Chautauqua (she is about to have knee surgery next month so she can't do a whole lot of walking and boy have I been laughing and getting hoot about riding around in her scooter. Of course, the kids are loving the scooter as well.



Off to play a little tennis and will check in soon!

Chautauqua Bound

Good Evening!

We are all packed up and basically ready to go. I have of course, packed too much but last year I did not pack enough warm clothes so I am probably overcompensating for that now but I think we are good to go.

All we have to do now is drop our dog "Gumbo" off at the doggie resort and head to the airport. My mother is going to pick us up in Cleveland, OH and then we will all head up to Chautauqua. I can't wait! I am looking forward to a great week of spending time with the family, going to interesting lectures, hearing great music (ABBA is coming), going to a play, listening to the symphony play and maybe even a little swing dancing! To give you an idea of what this place is like, it is where "Dirty Dancing" was filmed and it is a total throwback to those times. It is a little utopia where the kids are safe, nobody locks their homes, you bike and walk everywhere and there is so much to do.

Why do people come to the Chautauqua Institution? Many of the visitors who return to Chautauqua year after year describe it as an experience rather than a vacation -- a place for renewal. The Chautauqua Institution was founded on the belief that everyone “has a right to be all that he can be -- to know all that he can know.”

A dramatic lakeside setting and the beauty of its National Historic Landmark architecture make the Chautauqua Institution a thriving community where visitors come to find intellectual and spiritual growth and renewal. It is a summer center that encompasses the arts, education, religion and recreation; a place, removed from the day-to-day world, where some of the leading thinkers of our time come to speak to the concerns and issues of today; a place where music, dance, opera, theater and the visual arts create the "Chautauqua Mix."


Okay... enough about Chautauqua. I am not sure how much blogging I am going to be able to do on my trip but I definitely will do some and have asked my husband to be a guest blogger because he gets WAY into all the lectures and speakers and may have some interesting things to say as well!

So my day of eats today consisted of mostly things that needed to be eaten before we leave. So I finished of the rest of the Fage Greek Yogurt for lunch, by having a Greek Go Lean Crunch Bowl.



Greek Go Lean Crunch Bowl

1/2 cup of Fage 0% Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup Go Lean Crunch
1 tablespoon sliced almonds

Delicious!

The kids and I had to go out and run a few more errands today and must admit it included a trip to Yogurt Planet! I did not have my camera, but for any of you that follow my blog it looked like my normal pick. Tart frozen yogurt topped with kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, mangos, sliced almonds and a few dark chocolate covered pomegranates.

Yum!

I did fit in an hour workout today. I did Interval Training in between my weights and it turned out to be a great workout. We will be traveling all day tomorrow so I am going to try to keep my eating in check and will try to drink lots of water.

Dinner tonight was an awesome use of leftovers:

Chicken Pesto Pepper Pizza + Salad

1 Whole Wheat Pita
1 tablespoon pesto sauce
2 oz of grilled chicken, diced
1/2 cup of red, yellow and orange peppers, diced
1 slice red onion
1/4 cup 2% Milk Italian Mix Cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, top pita with above toppings and bake for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly. I served it with a Salad on the side.

Awesome! This is one of my favorite dinners. Pizza is pretty much the best!

Below are some of the supplies I will be bringing with me tomorrow:

Smart Water
Larabar- Gingersnap
Luna Bar- Caramel Nut Brownie (excited to try this flavor)
Sahale Snacks-Pomegranate Vanilla Cashews
Himilalia- Goji Berry Crunch
Coach's Oats- 6 packs (yah!)
Baggie of Ground Flaxseed
Dried Cherries
Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Almonds
Sweet Mint Orbit Gum
Truvia Packets



Once we get to Chautauqua e will be stopping at the grocery store to pick up:

Food for Life Ezekiel English Muffins
a jar of peanut butter or almond butter
Go Lean Crunch
Honey Nut Cherrios
Milk
Boca Burgers
Arnold's Sandwich Thins (if I can find them.... I am hoping to give them a try)

They have a great farmer's market where I can pick up fresh produce daily and then every night the kids and I usually indulge in some fresh ice cream. They have two good spots and the small serving is basically a huge SOFTBALL size! Obviously, I have fond memories of it!

Anyhow, I am off for now and can't wait to show you pictures of Chautauqua and hopefully convince some of you readers to go next year!

PB & Banana on Ezekiel English Muffin

Good Morning and Happy TGIF!

I am getting really excited, one more day before we are headed off to the Chautauqua Institute. I have a some packing to do but feel like I have pretty much got everything under control. I have two more sessions to teach this morning and then the rest of the day to get ready. Yah!

No oatmeal today, we had a bit of an issue with our water last night, oh the joy's of living in the country! I honestly don't think that Steve or I are really country folk and when we have issues with our water well, it really emphasizes that point. So at some point yesterday, the water was coming out a bit fuzzy.... which is cause for alarm because when we first moved into this house we had a major well issue in which we had dirt and sediment in our water (think brown water- ugh!) and it took days to get fixed as well as $$$. So we were outside last night trying to do all the tactics that the well people had suggested last time, flushing the system, making sure the cholorinater is filled with bleach and water, adding salt to the water softner and changing the filter.... hmm... these are the kind of issues that city folk do not have to deal with but needless to say the water is not up to par and I did not want to make my beloved oats this morning with murky water.

So I went with my second beloved meal- PB & Banana on Ezekiel English Muffin.

PB & Banana on Ezekiel English Muffin

1 Food for Life Ezekiel English Muffin
1 tablespoon Naturally More Peanut Butter
1 small banana, sliced
Drizzle of agave nectar

Oh so good!

My scale was back down this morning, so that was plus and I am planning on squeezing in my weight circuit workout in today. My food choices may be a bit boring just because I am trying to eat up all the leftovers and I need to start thinking about what I will need to get foodwise once we arrive at Chautauqua. We have rented a really nice home on the lake to stay at for the week and I can't wait to rent our bikes and tool around the grounds. Obviously, I am excited about this trip! It is hard to explain why it is so great but basically we have found a place to travel where everyone in the family has a great time.

Off to get ready for the day and I will check back with you later in the day!

Boca Avocado Salsa Burger + Waffle Bowl Sundae

Good Evening!

It has been a very busy and productive day today. I finally stopped procrastinating and made myself run, I still need to do abs but am sure I can do that while watching a little tube tonight. The kids and I all got haircuts, went to the dentist, got the dog his shot, went to Kumon and trained my evening clients. I am officially off duty for the day and everyone is happy.

Before heading out into the sweltering heat, I had a quick snack of:



Greek Yogurt + Berries

3/4 cup Fage 0% Greek Yogurt
Raspberries and Blueberries
Drizzle of agave nectar

Simple and delicious.

Dinner was one of my favorites:

Boca Avocado Salsa Burger with Confetti Slaw

1 Boca Original Vegan Burger
1/2 of a Food for Life Ezekiel Hamburger Bun, toasted
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh avocado, mashed
1 tablespoon salsa

Confetti Slaw

1 cup Mann's Broccoli Slaw
1/2 matchstick carrots
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Yum! This meal is super satisfying.

Now, what I have been looking forward to all day! I love the cone part of ice cream cone and saw these waffle cone bowls at the grocery store the other day and noticed that they only had 50 calories. I figured that was not too bad as long as I keep the rest of my ice cream treat in preportion. So I made the most awesome Banana Split in a Waffle Cone and it was soo Good!

Waffle Bowl Sundae

1 waffle bowl
1/2 cup of fat free vanilla ice cream
1/2 banana, sliced
1 tablespoon of chopped peanuts
drizzle of chocolate syrup

I thoroughly enjoy this sundae and can't wait to make another one! Definitely a real treat.




Off to finish up the last of the laundry, do ab exercises and I am reading a really great book that I just started called, In the Sancutary of Outcasts, a memoir by Neil White. It is a fascinating book about a gentleman who was a magazine publisher who ends up having to go to federal prison for bouncing checks and ends up in Carville, LA which happens to be the last leprosy colony left in the continental United States. It is a true story and I honestly did not know there was any people still living with leprosy. I am just delving into the book, but it is a real page turner and I can't wait to cuddle up in bed and read for a while tonight.



Have a great rest of your evening.

Cherry Chocolate Crisp Oats

Good Morning!

Happy Thursday. Today is going to be filled with all sorts of errands and I need to jump on the treadmill and get my workout over with! I am totally procrastinating. We are having a heat wave here in Texas and it supposed to be 106 degrees today. I can't wait to high tail up to New York!

That is the only problem, summer is supposed to be so much fun but honestly it is so hot here that the kids really don't go out and play in it much. My kids went out to play yesterday and I watched the time to see when they would come back in and it lasted about 30 minutes. Okay.... enough of the complaining about weather!

I had a most excellent breakfast this morning. I am on a bit of a cherry toot lately. Today I made Cherry Chocolate Crisp Oats with frozen cherries.

Cherries are packed with powerful antioxidants. In fact, they have among the highest levels of antioxidants – containing about the same as blueberries.


The Antioxidant Power of Cherries
Antioxidant strength is measured in Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) units. ORAC measures how many oxygen radicals a specific food can absorb and deactivate. The more oxygen radicals a food absorbs, the higher its ORAC score. The higher the ORAC score, the better a food is at helping our bodies fight diseases like cancer and heart disease.

Antioxidant Levels of Cherries

* Cherry Juice Concentrate: 12,800 ORAC units
* Dried Cherries: 6,800 ORAC units
* Frozen Cherries: 2,033 ORAC units
* Canned Cherries: 1,700 ORAC units

Cherry Chocolate Crisp Oats

1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup of water

Cook for 4-5 minutes over medium heat.

Top with

1/2 cup frozen tart cherries, heated up with 1 tsp water
1 tablespoon wheat germ
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
7 Emerald Cocoa Roasted Dark Chocolate Almonds, chopped

Enjoy!

Absolutely delicious bowl of oats! So the "happy" numbers on the scale were up by 2 whole pounds today! I knew it was too good to be true. I swear when I eat sweet potatos, I gain weight. I don't think my body processes the carbs well for some reason. No biggy, but that is just something I have noticed. I plan on running for 45 minutes on the treadmill and then running errands all day so I will be busy.

Despite, my weight gain I have a special dessert that I want to indulge in... (my priorities are a little whacked) so I am going to keep my diet light today.

Off to run and will check back in later!

BBQ Tofu and other favorites

Good Evening!

Getting ready for a week trip seems to be taking longer than I thought. I have been doing laundry all day, getting out some cooler weather clothes and gathering everything else I think we might need. I will then go back and weed out things that are not absolutely necessary to take but have at least started the process.

We still need to get haircuts, go to the dentist, get Gumbo (our dog) his shot, confirm boarding reservations but I actually got a lot done today.

I did manage to get in a small workout and of course, EAT!

I am also trying to eat down on everything that is in the house so ended up making the kids and I the best BBQ Tofu with Swiss Chard Greens and Sweet Potatoes. The kids absolutely love this dish and they wanted more tofu. My son is a Tofu head, he literally eats this stuff almost everyday and many different forms and was all disappointed when he was told there was no more!



This is a recipe that I got from my favorite The Flexitarian Diet by Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD. I highly recommend this book. The recipes are great and I love her food philosophy.

This is one of my favorites and it is basically what turned around my thinking on tofu. I was not a big fan before.

BBQ Tofu with Swiss Chard Greens and Sweet Potato

Bake 1 sweet potato in oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.





BBQ Tofu

1 block of tofu, pressed of excess water and cubed
1 tsp olive oil
1 tablespoon BBQ Sauce

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat, add tofu and pan fry for about 12 minutes or until tofu is golden brown.

Remove from heat and cover with 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce and set aside.

For Greens

1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bunch of greens, Swiss Chard or Kale
1 tablespoon BBQ Sauce

Meanwhile, clean and cut your greens. Heat skillet with olive oil over medium heat, add garlic and greens and saute for a few minutes. Add in BBQ sauce and cook for 1 more minute.

Plate greens, top sweet potato with BBQ tofu and enjoy this wonderful comfort food!



My afternoon snack was my favorite Greek Yogurt with Fruit and Nuts. Today's combo was:

3/4 cup Fage 0% Greek Yogurt
1 nectarine, diced
Raspberries and Blueberries
1 tablespoon sliced almonds

Yum! I truly love this mini-meal. Oh so good!

Dinner was a repeater meal. I am really trying to use up the leftovers and this was so good the other day, I decided to have it again.



4 oz of grilled chicken breast
1/2 cup Aegean Edamame Salad
1 1/2 tablespoons of Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.

Delish!

I am contemplating having a piece of Rhubarb Raspberry Pie again...it need to be eaten! We shall see, did not get a whole lot of exercise today.

Have a great evening and I will catch you in the morning.

Cherry Crisp Oats

Good Morning and Happy Hump Day!

I finally got some good rest last night and woke up feeling much better. I swear the oppressive heat is taking it out of me. I have got to toughen up, these hot Texas summers are a bit much.

I have got a busy day planned with teaching Baby Boot Camp and doing personal training sessions. I am definitely going to squeeze in a workout at some point today but not sure when...I was again pleasantly surprised by the number on the scale this morning and am going to try to keep on track today. I have a few things I need to use up before the trip so will be incorporating those into the diet today and of course, want to leave a few calories for dessert tonight.

I started the morning off right with a wonderful bowl of Cherry Crisp Oats.

Cherry Crisp Oats

1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup water

Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.

Top with:

1 tablespoon Pizzey's Premium Milled Flaxseed
1 tablespoon wheat germ
1 tablespoon dried tart cherries
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
Drizzle of agave nectar

The topping really does taste like a crisp between the crunchy almonds and texture of the wheat germ and flax with a bit of the sweetness from the agave nectar. Yum!

I can't tell you how excited I am getting for the trip to Chautauqua! Number 1- I get to pull out the jeans, which are always good weight monitors. The feel of tight jeans always keeps me in check with my eating. We are also really busy there so eating is not the main focus. They have wonderful speakers and lectures everyday and at night they have some sort of music venue which is always fun. We also rent bikes for the week and that is our mode of transportation around the grounds of Chautauqua. I will definitely be blogging while there, but it may not always be about the food!

Off to get ready for the day. Have a great morning!