I burned off a few calories this afternoon snow-blowing and shoveling the HEAVY snow off the driveway- whew!

Now let the fun begin…

It is time for a little sledding & skiing!  Here is an article from Kids Out and About Rochester, NY about the Sledding Hills in Greater Rochester!  Take a look.  Which hills are your favorites? Did you sled at any of these parks as a child? Are you taking your kids to the very same hills to make more family memories? My family has LOTS of stories from our days at Mendon Ponds Park  and my kids love sledding at Webster Park.

You can also go snow tubing at Glacier Ridge Snow Tubing in Spencerport or Polar Wave Snow Tubing in Batavia.

Don’t forget about skiing and snowboarding!  Here is a great list to look at if you are not sure where to go – Great places to ski in central and western New York State.  You will find me at Bristol Mountain!

What a fun way to burn calories!

Get out there  and play in the snow!!

May your 2012 be Healthy and Fun!!

I have baked and cooked with pumpkin puree in the past, but always from a can, never fresh, until recently.

Last week I purchased a pie pumpkin from the Rochester Public Market.  I brought it home and cleaned it, cut it in half, scooped out the guts and seeds.

I baked it in the oven for about 60 minutes.  I let it cool and then scooped out the flesh, then pureed it in my Cuisinart food processor.

That was EASY!

Pumpkins are vegetables that belong to the squash family. Pumpkins have many health benefits.

• low in calories – 83 calories per cup

• no saturated fat or cholesterol, only 1 g fat per cup

• good source of anti-oxidants: beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin

• good source of vitamins: vitamin-A, vitamin-C and vitamin-E.

• good source of minerals: calcium, copper, phosphorus, and potassium

• rich in dietary fiber -  7 g of fiber per cup

Pumpkins are a great food to add to your meal planning if you are working on weight management.  Along with the above health benefits pumpkins make a great fat substitute in baking.

Baking with Fresh Pumpkin

How To Prepare Fresh Pumpkins for Baking

Pumpkin Recipes

Although this is a great book, one of Anna’s favorites, I am not referring to this book with a happy ending.  The pink, pink, pink, that I am talking about is in honor of breast cancer. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year, 2011, NBCAM is celebrating 25 years of awareness, education, and empowerment.

Unfortunately, EVERYONE knows someone affected by this illness.  This illness has touched my family twice in the last 9 years.this illness.  This illness has touched my family twice in the last 9 years.

Ann Agosti, my grandmother, fought her battle with breast cancer. Gram, age 78, died on January 6, 2003. Anna, my daughter, was born in August 2003.  Anna never had the chance to meet Gram, or “Grand Nana” as she’d be named later, but they will always share a name.

I love you Gram!

Wendy Sue Vosper, my Aunt (by marriage), fought her battle with this illness. Wendy, at age 46 died on October 9, 2011. Wendy truly lived life. She was and still is remarkable and I am blessed to have known her.   For those who did not know her, I will let you read Kris’ Eulogy.

You can do something about breast cancer! You need to understand what breast cancer is. You also need to realize that screening and early detection is vital!

There are so many organizations out there trying to help fight breast cancer, even the National Football League. The NFL and American Cancer Society together make “A crucial catch – annual screening saves lives.” Here are a few other organizations:

Susan G Komen
Fight Like A Girl
Stand Up 2 Cancer
Pink Ribbon
National Breast Cancer Foundation

One common theme here:

As far as Breast Cancer goes, early detection is A BIG DEAL!

If you are not familiar with the Let’s Move! initiative…

Let’s Move! is a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. Combining comprehensive strategies with common sense, Let’s Move! is about putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years. Giving parents helpful information and fostering environments that support healthy choices. Providing healthier foods in our schools. Ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food. And, helping kids become more physically active.

So what is Let’s Move, RocKids!

The Democrat and Chronicle Media Group, with the support of several community partners, has developed Let’s Move, RocKids!, a social gaming initiative that encourages kids ages 4-12 to eat healthier and be active to help prevent childhood obesity. The local project was inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative with the same objective.

Check it out. This is so cool!