I had read online that a new playground opened recently in Prospect Park that used trees that fell during Hurricane Sandy as play equipment for kids, so we decided to check it out.The little man loved it and it was really fun to climb the huge branches and tree stumps. It goes to show that you don’t need fancy park equipment for a kid to have a good time!

I love Prospect Park because it is quiet, serene and makes you feel like you’ve escaped NYC, but you can walk a few minutes in any direction and hit the busy streets. We had a lot of fun exploring the less trafficked paths through the park. I was surprised to see that not all of the leaves on the trees had changed colors, but it was fun spotting the bright reds and yellows among the green.

I am definitely soaking up the warm and sunny days before it gets too cold to go on these types of adventures. I wish fall never had to end!

What’s your favorite local nature spot?

P.S. There’s a winner on my Skinny Limits Juice Cleanse giveaway! Congrats Elena!  Congrats Jesse! Send me an email at frolicthroughlife@gmail.com so we can get you set up with your cleanse!

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I am always the mom who is climbing on the monkey bars because Alex is always calling me over to play with him, but yesterday we went above an beyond. We started out with playing tag, which is the little man’s favorite game lately, before moving on to rolling down the hills and practicing handstand and cartwheels. It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time, and time flew. Before we knew it the sun was down and it was time to get going home.

The whole experience made me think. Why do people ever stop playing? Why does it suddenly become uncool in the 6th or 7th grade to play tag at recess? Why do we sit on benches and gossip while our kids run around at the park? Why do we complain that we have to exercise, when it comes so naturally to kids? Why do we loose the need and the drive to play?

When we stop playing, physical movement becomes a chore. If you tell a six year old they can go to the park, they are overjoyed. They run, jump, climb and have a blast. When you tell a 40 year old they have to start working out, it is a chore. It is an extra thing on a to-do list that is already miles long. I am lucky enough to live in a place where I have two adult playgrounds within walking distance, with a third opening at the piers probably next spring, but not all people are so lucky. Not everyone sees exercise as fun, and it is something that needs to change within our culture. Studies show that increased physical activity can cure diseases, everything from depression, to obesity, to diabetes can be controlled with a proper diet and more physical movement. But even so, most people turn to medication to control their health issues, instead of starting within themselves.

I don’t know why we stop playing, but I do know that I am having too much fun to stop.

Do you see exercise as fun or a chore? Do you remember how old you were when playing became uncool?

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Since we were hungry we got a bit of everything, and everything was so yummy!

Margherita Pizza. The crust was thin, crispy and delicious. It wasn’t even a little bit greasy, which I loved!

We split two pizza dough flat-bread sandwiches. I chose the ham, brie, arugula and tomato, and it was so good I didn’t want to share. (but I did!) I know I will be going back for this baby!

Last but not least, fresh mozzarella, cherry and sundried tomatoes and lentil balls. I have been kicking myself all day for not writing down what was in these lentil balls because they were incredible and I need to recreate them.

Where’s your favorite place for a picnic?

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We started off with a picnic…

We got sandwiches from a little deli called Hana next to the subway in Brooklyn. I found the deli on Yelp and the reviews sold me. People called the deli the best sandwiches in NYC, so I knew I had to try it. All the sandwiches have really funny names – mine was called the Crazy Bitch and was so so so so good. I don’t remember all the things that were on it, but it did have prosciutto, avocado and alfalfa sprouts. We also got a seaweed salad to share and some chips and guac to munch on.

Munchkin fell asleep before we got to the park, so he enjoyed a nap while Tommy and I relaxed.

Soon the little man was awake, and it was time to get moving. We started off by playing ball. We ran up and down the hill a few times and saw lots of horseys going by.

We had some ice cream and got a little messy so we needed a wardrobe change.

We rode the carousel.

After riding the horseys, we headed over to the playground and played in the sand.

It was an awesome day and I can’t wait to go back. We were all surprised how fun and relaxing spending a day in the city could be!

What did you do this weekend?

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We got to the High Line in time to catch the last glimpse of the sunset.

It was our first time visiting the park and I was beyond amused by the fact that there were exposed railroad tracks that you could walk on without worrying about incoming trains.

I was more than happy to pose for a photo, especially since I had been telling Tommy that I want to go to the LIRR tracks near our house to take pictures just a day earlier. He told me that I’m crazy BTW. I have a strange fascination with train tracks, I guess.

As we wandered along the the park, we came upon a few food carts and since we didn’t have dessert, we decided to get some ices from People’s Pops.

Tommy had the Blueberry Peach pop, which was amazing, but I opted for a Rhubarb shaved ice.

And to my surprise, there was a huge block of ice which was actually shaved in front of us to make my ice. Pretty awesome!

We didn’t have a chance to walk all the way to the other end of the High Line, but I made Tommy promise me that we would come back soon before we got on the steps to go down. I can totally see us picnicking there on a sunny afternoon!

What did you do this weekend? Are there any unconventional parks in your city?

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The trails took us around the lake itself and through the woods. In the end, we did 5.2 miles in a little less than an hour.

Munchkin had an awesome time and did not mind the bumps and having to be carried over some parts of the trail.

He did love yelling quack quack at the ducks, which I was later informed were actually geese. Whoops, I grew up in the city, so you can’t blame me for not knowing!

The trail also had strength training points scattered throughout it, so we stopped to try the monkey bars and the dip bars. I am proud to say that I was able to get halfway across the monkey bars. Tommy’s little bro said that he will have me doing pullups by the end of the summer and I am holding him to it!

Even though it was in the high 80s, the trail was shady and kept us cool. We really didn’t feel the heat until we returned to the parking lot.

Have I mentioned how much I love Munchkin’s bike seat. It is soo much better than the kind that goes on the back of the bike and I am sad because I know that by next summer he will be too big for it.

After our bike ride, we stopped at The Pit Stop for lunch. Tommy had seen the Pit Stop on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network and we’ve been trying to go there ever since.

I ordered the Spaghetti Squash which is one of the thing Guy Fieri tried while there and it was pretty darn good. They ever share the recipe on their website, so if you can’t get there to try it, you can recreate it at home!

Munchkin got a bit tuckered out after our ride and napped on the way back.

Since the weather was perfect in the afternoon, we decided to grill for dinner. We made two grilled pizzas, corn on the cob and baby bok choy in a soy sauce sauce.

I am also in love with my new tray from Target. So summery and fun.

Mushroom and pepper with mozzarella cheese.

Buffalo chicken and blue cheese.

Baby bok choy.

Corn of the cob which turned out great because we grilled it without peeling. It really makes a world of a difference. We ate it without any butter or salt. Yum!

Hope you had a great Holiday Weekend!

What did you do on Memorial Day? What’s your fav BBQ dish?

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As usual, another Wednesday, another WIAW. This one doesn’t have everything I ate though because as soon as I left the house, WIAW fell out of my head. I blame the weather.

The only difference between this and my usual oats is that there were Coach’s Oats. I had been hearing tons about the company and since its one of the sponsors of Bootcamp, I ordered some samples to try it out. It was the best Steel Cut oatmeal I’ve ever had.

Lunch didn’t happen until I got home from work because we were busy bees. I made a salad with iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, red bell peppers, veggieballs, mozzarella cheese and topped with Newman’s Own Sesame Ginger dressing. Hits the spot every time. It was my first time trying the veggieballs, and I really enjoyed them.

After lunch, I got my workout on. I did Workout A from Bootcamp and by the time I was done, my arms and legs were feeling like jello. I am honestly loving the Bootcamp. I always have trouble thinking of workouts for myself, but it’s so easy to stay on track when it’s all done for you. Not to mention the support and incentive of prizes.

After working out, I had a Wasa Crisp with peanut butter and jelly.

Munchkin woke up around this time and decided to get his workout in too.

After Tommy got home from work, we got some pizza and headed out to Long Island City to spend the evening at the piers. I got a veggie slice, which is my absolute fav pizza ever. Enjoy the recycled picture.

We spent most of our time at the piers enjoying the views and watching Munchkin try to learn to ride his new scooter. He is more interested in pushing it around than riding it. To each his own I guess. As usual, the views from the piers were spectacular.

There were also an unpictured grapefruit and Magnum ice cream that happened throughout the day.

Have a great Wednesday!

What’s the best thing you are today? How’s the weather in your area?

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Sesame Noodle Spaghetti Squash

• 1 large spaghetti squash squash, baked and shredded into noodle strands.
• 4 tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil
• 4 tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoon White Vinegar
• pinch of Garlic Powder
• 3 tablespoons toasted Sesame Seeds
• 1/2 cup diced Green Onions
• 1/2 cup cooked & shelled Edamame

I was surprised how well the Spaghetti Squash held up. I bought the one I used for this recipe in October and had him lay out on my counter for all this time. Next year, I’m stocking up on squash when it’s in season and storing it in the basement to enjoy all winter.

On Saturday monring, I woke up feeling pretty darn good too. We took a family grocery shopping trip and I picked up a lot of good stuff. Tommy and I started looking into vacations we might want to take this summer – exciting stuff! In the early afternoon we decided to take a trip over to the piers for a walk since we hadn’t been there since the fall.

I was very excited to see that the next section with the Pepsi Cola sign would be open soon. Can’t wait until the weather is nice enough to spend lots of time there and take in the views!

As the day went on, I started to feel worse and worse. I medicated myself up and headed to bed early in hopes that I would feel better in the morning, but that didn’t happen.

I woke up on Sunday feeling the worst that I’d felt all week. Tommy drove me to the pharmacy that I used to work at and the pharmacist gave me some other medicine. When I worked there, I never went to the doctors. I would go talk to the pharmacist and they always knew what meds I needed to feel better.

I spent most of Sunday in bed sleeping and hoping that I would be all better by Monday and it kind of worked. I woke up this morning with no sore through. The only thing left bothering me is my stuffy nose and cough, but I think I can deal. I’m not sure if I can make it through all 12 hours of school and work that I have today, but I’m going to play it by ear. If I’m starting to feel crappy in the evening I’m going to skip class and just get the notes from a friend. I’d rather feel even better tomorrow than suffer through class and feel horrible tomorrow.

Have a great Monday and stay healthy!

What did you do this weekend?

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Since it was sunny, Munchkin was wearing his sunglasses and I didn’t realize he fell asleep until we got there.

I didn’t have the heart to wake him up so while he slept, I enjoyed a newborn trip to the park aka sitting on a bench with mandatory coffee, reading a magazine while your child sleeps. It was great.

Since it’s Wednesday, you get to see what I ate, and you’re in luck because it was some gooood stuff!

Breakfast: Whole Wheat Bagel thin with a fried egg, melted Mozzarella cheese and turkey Pastrami. I also had coffee which I poured into my Tervis tumbler to take to the park with me. I bought the top for it at Bed, Bath and Beyond over the weekend.

Post-Park Snack: Nutz Over Chocolate Luna Bar with H2O.

Lunch/Dinner: Stuffed Acorn Squash with ground turkey, quinoa, mushrooms and onions topped with Sargento Four Cheese Italian.[Recipe to follow!]

School Snack: Chobani peach yogurt with Love Grown Foods Raisin Almond Crunch and Mango Peeled Snacks. I also had my first Skinny Peppermint Mocha in a Christmas cup from Starbucks.

**********************

For the letter E, I am thankful for exercise.  I’m thankful that I have the option to get up in the morning and go for a run, lift some weights or ride my bike because so many people are not physically able to do this. There’s nothing like the feeling after a good workout and exercise is something you will never regret.

Now I gotta run because I’m heading out for a run!

Have a great Wednesday!

What’s the best thing you ate yesterday?

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After the park, Munchkin was ready to nap and I got to do some homework, which was oh-so-exciting.  After school, Tommy met me at the subway and we went to get some Mexican for dinner.  We have both been craving Mexican for weeks and have been looking for a good place to go in our area.  We went to a place called San Loco in Williamburg and the food was pretty good. As we were walking up, I told Tommy that we used to hit up this place after a long night on the town in college. The place is open all night long and they also serve alcohol, in case you don’t get enough at all the surrounding bars.

We both got Burrito Grandes which had chipotle chicken, rice, beans, cheese, pico de gallo, onions, sauce and sour cream in a flour tortilla.  They have hot sauces in four levels of spiciness, with the hottest being called stupid.  We opted for just the hot one. The burrito was your basic burrito, but I really liked it.  They use refried beans which are my absolute fav in burritos.

We also shared a side of Macho Nachos that were topped with chili, guacamole, pico de gallo, cheese, jalapenos and sour cream. These were good, but the way they were served, left some naked chips on the bottom and there is nothing worse than naked chips. The chilli was also lacking some spice.  We both agreed that the actual chips were better than other nachos, but the topping were a bit lacking.

We still have a few other Mexican places we want to try, but overall San Loco was pretty good and since it’s only three blocks from my subway stop, I might be making pit stops there occasionally.

Continuing with my Thankful November list, D is for dishwasher.  Now I know this seems like a really silly thing to be thankful for and so many people go without one, but our broke over the summer and it really sucked having to constantly hand wash all the dishes. I especially loathed washing all of Munchkin’s cups that have tons of little parts which have to be cleaned thoroughly.

Munchkin and I are going to run to the supermarket because I have a plethora of squash in my kitchen and I want to put them to good use for tonight’s dinner.

If you like Mexican, what’s you favorite dish?

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