A Busy but Wonderful Saturday in Canton

Not only is Canton, Ohio home to the Smiths, but it is also home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (HOF).  Cantonites can feel it in their bones as HOF week approaches.  And if they don't, the crazy traffic will give it away in a hurry.  R.T. and I don't typically get too involved with the festivities like some, but we generally go see the fireworks and occaisionally the Grand Parade.  We missed the fireworks because they changed the day but decided to get up early Saturday morning and head toward Cleveland Avenue for the parade.  People camp out the night before so they can get the spot they want.  HOF week is serious business in Canton. When we strolled into the packed crowd at ten minutes prior to the start of the parade, we were able to find a patch of concrete just big enough to roll out our blanket with our friends Becca and Jason.  The lady sitting next to us had been there since 4am so we considered ourselves lucky. 

The local tradition is to get doughnuts at Dunkin Doughnuts or Mary Ann's and eat them in mass as you wait for the parade to roll by.  As much as I enjoy a chocolate covered cream stick, doughnuts are not in my plan these days.  So, the night before the parade, I made a better breakfast to take with us.  I brewed and refridgerated a pot of coffee that Becca and I used for sugarfree hazelnut iced coffees.  I also tweaked a lemon poppyseed loaf recipe by using wheat flour, splenda, skim milk and greek yogurt.  That't not all... I threw in a bunch of frozen handpicked blueberries and they were soooo juicy and delicious in the lemon poppyseed loaf, I could hardly stand it!  With a sweet and creamy iced coffee, it was better than a doughnut. 

After the parade, I had a back to school picnic and it was great to see my teaching partners and a good chance to meet the incoming 7th and 8th graders and their families.  Even my wonderful students from last year who are now moving on to high school came back for the second annual picnic!  I took a taco dip that was way easy and a big hit.  I mixed two packages of low fat cream cheese and a cup of fat free sour cream with two packages of low sodium taso seasoning then topped it with shredded lettuce, black beans, corn and some shredded cheddar cheese.  Yum! 

Of course, after a day of seemingly non stop eating as described above, I felt the need to go on a run.  I hate to run!  I blame it on junior high sports coaches who made us run for every mistake.  But I know it's good for me and even though I am consistent with other types of cardio, I try to run at least once every week or two, if even for a short time. Alas, it was a cool evening so I ran down to the McKinley Monument, did four sets of the steps and the quarter mile loop, then ran back to the track.  I was feeling pretty good after that so I decided to push myself to make it a total of 45 minutes of non stop running which I did... and then ran for five more minutes.  50 minutes of running!  Definitely a personal record!

And now for the best part of my day.  I came inside from playing in the yard with the pugs and went upstaris to take a shower.  The bathroom lights were off but there were candles everywhere, relaxing music was playing, there was a bubble bath in the tub and a note hanging over the side: "I'm so proud of you!  Time to relax!  Love you, R.T." 

Work and Play

Today was all about getting stuff done before the iminent start of school in a couple weeks.  After my usual breakfast of champions- 100 calorie wheat English muffin with natural peanut butter and sliced banana- I completed our online FAFSA for grad school which I've been putting off.  I cleaned the entire upstairs like a maniac and finally moved the dining room back to normal after it has been used for storage all summer during the kitchen remodel (photos coming soon).

Then I headed to the gym for some cardio intervals and upperbody work.  I finally have lost the ten pounds I gained during the school year and (bonus) sculpted my arms enough that I notice a difference even if no one else does!  My goal now for the school year is just to maintain that progress. 

Lunch was a delight after a tiring workout.  I made Boca brand chicken patties on 100 calorie sandwich thins and garnished them with pepper jack cheese and avocado- YUM!!!  They were so good, R.T. and I both ate two of them... which totally defeats the purpose of the 100 calorie bun... oh, well. 

Here's where the work turns to play.  After R.T. and I did our rounds at Menards and Lowes to pick up a few new lights for the house, it was date time.  That's right, a Thursday date.  He treated me to a fat free Mocha Coolatta at Dunkin Doughnuts, one of the few sugary treats for which I am still willing to sugar splurge.  Then we caught "The Killers" at the cheap seats, had a few laughs and just enough suspense for me to chew off my pointer finger nails.  This is what a call a good day!

Lazy Sunday Italian Mini-Feast

If this doesn't look like a good start to a Sunday meal, I don't know what does!  Fresh basil and garlic- yum!


During the school year, weekends tend to be pretty hectic for us but we try really hard to make Sunday (or at least part of it) very restful.  I'm definitely a believer in the Sabbath so I have been trying to maintain it in the summer too, so that it is second nature when school starts back up. Today, we slept in, went to the 10:30 service at church and spent a leisurely afternoon around the house with the pugs.  Sunday night is our favorite day of the week for summer TV.  We wait in anticipation all week for the Next Food Network Star and HGTV Design Star. 

But before we can snuggle up in front of the TV, we like to have a good dinner and take a walk around the neighborhood.  I wanted to use up a bit of leftover spaghetti squash and R.T. requested chicken and garlic bread so we collaborated to come up with quite a delightful dinner.  He seasoned and baked two chicken breasts.  I sliced mine and ate it atop my romaine salad with red peppers.

Garlic Bread:

Using some left over Italian bread from my bruschetta, I placed four thick slices on a baking sheet.  I melted a couple tablespoons of natural yogurt butter because it has 45 calories per tablespoon unlike the 100 in regular butter.  I added some chopped garlic, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and some chopped parsley from my garden.  You can put it in the fridge to firm if you want or just drizzle it over the bread as is.  Then, top it with a little shredded cheese.  I considered parmesan, asiago and romano but the Big Dog prevailed with mozzerella this time.  I didn't even feel guilty for the carbs since we had squash instead of pasta. 

Not-so-secret sauce:

I plan to try my hand at making homemade spaghetti sauce when my tomatoes ripen but in the mean time, I have been using inexpensive store bought sauce that I tweak to my liking.  This time, I added a bunch of chopped basil from my garden (pictured above), crushed red pepper, pepper and chopped garlic.  I would normally add some chopped roasted red peppers but was, to my surpise and horror, out.  It was delicious nonetheless and perfect with the crisp spaghetti squash.  What do you do to your sauce to get it just right? 

Time to go for a walk and get ready to root on our favorite food network star- gooooo Aarti!  Hope you found a way to enjoy your Sunday too!

Day Trip: Toledo Botanical Gardens

So, yesterday my friend Esther and I drove four hours to Michigan for a bridal shower being thrown by her fiance's family.  We had a nice time at the shower and Jason's family is as nice as he is... but the highlight for me was definitely our stop at the Toledo Botanical Gardens on our way home.  We had seen the sign from the highway on our way there and both Esther and I instantly wanted to stop but decided it would be the perfect detour after the shower. 

I looked up the gardens on my iphone just to make sure of the hours and the admission.  Conveniently, the gardens are open til dark seven days a week and admission/ parking are free!  We parked, grabbed a map from the welcome station and proceeded in awe into the gardens. 

From the parking lot we could see and hear a wedding reception in the large grassy area in the middle of the gardens.  As we wound our way down the paths, we could hear plenty of great wedding music.  Not only that, but at one of the gazeboes, there were two lonely wedding favors left on the benches- big round, woven fans- just what we needed in the 90 degree heat. 

This was my favorite garden- the English Garden.  All I needed was a book and an iced tea and I probably would never have left.  In the future, I would pack a picnic lunch and spend the day rotating from garden to garden and bench to bench. 

Travel tip:   For a great one day vacation, take advantage of free admission sites in nearby cities and pack your own snacks/ meals.  You can save tons of money (since all you are really buying is gas) and are more likely to eat well. 

I am used to seeing geese and ducks like crazy in the park near my house.  There were plenty at the botanical gardens and even a few aggressive ones that we had to speed up to get by.  But, these swans took my breath away!  Not only are they gorgeous and graceful, but they swam right up to us from all the way across the pond!  They probably thought we had food for them, which we didn't but it was amazing to get an up close look at them.

Other than the English Garden, there was a Rose Garden, Pioneer Garden, Grass Garden and an Herb Garden.  Another great garden was the children's vegetable garden.  There were several varieties of peppers, lettuce, huge patches of chives and tiny little eggplants- too cute!  More to come on my own little backyard gardening attempt...

Here is Esther by a statue called "The Bird Lady" which totally reminded me of Mary Poppins! It was all I could do not to burst into "Feed the birds, tuppins, tuppins...."

Esther and I eventually meandered back to the car, stopped for a not so quick/ healthy bite to eat and drove the remaining two hours in a major heat lightening and rain storm- an intense end to a really lovely afternoon.

Sun, Sand, and Savory Snacks!

It's hard to imagine a summer without at least a little bit of swimming.  My grandparents had their own lake and boat so I practically grew up in the water- swimming, skiing and tubing- and loved every minute of it!  So yesterday, my not-to-little sister, Whitney, and I decided to head over to a small, local man-made lake called Lake Cable.  It's only $5 a day for an adult pass so totally worth it.  We packed a bunch of delighful snacks including bruschetta, pita chips and hummos, light babybel cheese, Italian sodas, strawberries and a dark chocolate bar.  We snacked away on a beach blanket and watched a really brutal mom yell at her smart mouth kid.  Whitney commented that he probably got it from her literally about 20 seconds before he said the same thing to his mom! 

The lovely Whitney herself, and Mocha, of course!


It was one of those the sun- keeps- peeking- behind- the-clouds-so-I-don't-have-to- wear- sunscreen type days, even though Whitney ended up with a little bit of pink on her shoulders when we got home.  It even poured down rain for about 15 minutes, just long enough to scare everyone away but us and one other family.  Whit and I hightailed it to a table with an umbrella to enjoy our strawberries with dark chocolate.  We waited out the rain and the sun popped right back out so we were able to swim for a couple more hours with the lake almost all to ourselves. 

Yum!  Bruschetta is one of my favorite summer dishes.  I've made it for lunch, dinner and an occaisional snack.  It's usually not filling enough for the Big Dog but it's quick and easy for me because my basil plants are growing like crazy in my little garden and I generally have everything else on hand.  Try it out and let me know what you think! 

Bruschetta

4 Roma tomatoes, cut into small chunks

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/3 cup coarsely chopped basil

2 T. olive oil

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 thick slices of your favorite crusty bread per person

Chop all the tomatoes, basil and garlic and place in a bowl with a lid.  Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top.  Season with salt and pepper and give everything a good stir.  I even like to add a couple tablespoons of chopped red onion if I have it on hand.  Let the flavors mingle together in the fridge for a half hour or so or throw it in the cooler with a cold pack on your way to the beach, but don't forget a spoon.  Put a couple of spoonfuls on top of a piece of toasted or untoasted bread just before you are ready to eat it- don't prepare ahead or the bread will get soggy. 

Making the Most of a Sunday in Pittsburgh

Recently, my husband, R.T. and I went to a friend's wedding in Pittsburgh.  Since R.T. was a groomsman, we had to be in town by Friday evening and were busy all day on Saturday.  The wedding was beautiful and we had a lot of fun seeing old friends and dancing the night away.  Check out the Big Dog in his hot orange and cream tux!

When we woke up Sunday morning we decided to make the most of our two hour drive to PA and take advantage of some of the local sites.  So we headed down to Station Square and decided on having lunch at The Island Cafe.  We both had delicious, messy and surprisingly affordable Greek paninis.  We walked them off by the river and took in the water fountain show for a bit.  And then it was time for a little ride.  On the incline train, that is.  When I say incline train, I mean literally a train that goes up a hill at a super steep angle. So we paid our $2.75 (cash only!) each for a round trip and headed up to Mount Washington.  I am just enough of a history teacher to get excited about the background of these incline trains, so of course it is worth mentioning.  In Pittsburgh's coal era, the immigrant population was booming and housing became an issue.  Workers needed to live as close as possible their jobs since they didn't have their own transportation.  So, many of the German immigrant workers lived on Mount Washington and they remembered the incline trains from their homeland.  Pittsburgh eventually built their own to be used as public transportation.  It was definitely a fun ride for us because we would see for miles, but imagine the incline train being your daily commute to work! 

I took this picture at the top before we walked a little further and got smoothies at a local coffee shop.  Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh.  We made a fun day of it and got on the road soon enough to be back home before dark.

Sugar Free Drinks that hit the Sweet Spot!!!

Diabetes (among many other ungly words) runs in my family and I've known for a long time that I am officially border-line diabetic.  My doctor seems to think I can keep the pre-fix and avoid medication  longer if I cut sugar now.  To say that this was depressing news would be an understatement.  I love sweets, desserts, and all things carbs.  I've said before that if I didn't teach, I'd open a bakery- not a sugar-free one.  But, alas, I am all about making healthy changes and ones that are best for my body.  I will say that it has not been as difficult as I had imagined, which is a huge relief!  The key for me has been substituting, not completely abstaining.  In fact, sugar free syrups have been my lifesaver.  In the spirit of summer, here are a few wonderful ways that I've used the syrups in refreshing, guilt and sugar free, delicious drinks!

1.  Italian Soda- too easy to be true!

Buy a bottle of club soda and keep it in the fridge. The generic store brand should cost you less than a dollar for a liter and you will get 3-4 drinks out of it.  Fill a tall glass with ice and club soda but leave an inch or two at the top for your syrup.  If you are one for measureing, I'd start with 2 Tablespoons and add a little more at a time if you like it stronger.  I stir mine with a straw on my way out to the back yard.  My current favorite is Black Cherry or Strawberry Kiwi but any fruit or fruit combination would be delish!

2.  Iced Coffee- Look no further when you need an energy boost.

Brew your favorite coffee or espresso.  I like to transfer it to a pitcher and refridgerate so it doesn't get watered down when poured hot into a glass of ice.  You can use your one ounce shot from your latte kit to measure out the syrup or just a couple of tablespoons depending on how strong you like your flavoring.  If you like yours with cream like me, give soy or almond milk a shot- they are a bit thicker like cream and might just add a delighful depth to your drink.  My classic iced coffee flavor choice is hazelnut, but get creative with almond, brown sugar cinnamon or chocolate chip cookie dough, all available in sugar free, of course!

3. Flavored Iced Tea-  An old fave, just better for you...
Everyone has their own preference about iced tea and I'm not here to step on your toes.  I grew up on sweet tea.  I'm talking just-keep-dumping-cupfuls-of-sugar-in-the-pitcher sweet tea.  But once again, SF syrups to the rescue!  I've been making unsweetened decaffenated tea, cooling it in the fridge and sweetening a glass at a time with 2 Tablespoons of a flavored syrup.  I recommend Peach and Raspberry.  Here's another bonus: this drink has zero calories so keep the refills coming!

So, where to find sugar free syrups?  Your grocery store might have a few options like vanilla, caramel or hazelnut.  World Market carries a lot from Torani or you could order even more variety online.  My  friend , Becca C. and I stocked up a few months ago and bought several bottles online from DaVinci and got free shipping.   Check out www.davincigourmet.com and www.torani.com for dozens of flavors.

Let me know your favorite drink and flavor combo!