why hit the gym when you can just go to your kid's playground?

Just this last month our neighborhood received a makeover at one of the little parks.  I thought, "Oh, fun some new playground equipment!"  Well, the other day I drove by and found lots of kids playing enjoying all of the new equipment and out of the corner of my eye I spotted something that slightly confused me.  It was an elliptical machine.  I kid you not, an elliptical machine.  Right smack in the middle of it all. I think I even asked my husband, "WTF, is that what I think it is?!?"

I wanted to find a photo online to share and wow, there are lots of companies who make playground equipment that looks oddly like the inside of a gym mom and dad would join.  So, what are we saying?  "Hey, kids fitness is fun!!"  Or do the makers (and buyers) think, "Darn there are some really fat kids at the park."  I would love for it to really be more about teaching kids that fitness is fun.  Today P.E. classes are nothing like they were when I was a kid.  I think my kids had less P.E. classes than I did.  I'm pretty sure I took it every semester from grade school until I graduated high school.  I would love to see kids learn to enjoy being physically fit and learn about health and living a healthy lifestyle.

As I am getting older I have learned that the body I have TODAY is the body I will have when I am say, SEVENTY.  What do I want my life to look like then?  Am I killing it off slowly now that I will have a low quality of life at 70?  I have become a believer that my body is a temple and I need to treat it as such.  There comes a day you have to look further down the road of your life and decide how you want that trip to look.

Overall I am just glad to know that I now no longer need to join the gym.  I'm sneaking down to the park when the kids are sleeping and getting in my workout!!

Staying on the whole "kid" theme here I have an EASY and HEALTHY snack that not only will your kids love, but you'll love as well!  I LOVE my dehydrator my husband bought me and found that making fruit roll ups are SO easy to make!!  This past weekend I whipped up a batch of Peach-Banana-Blueberry Swirl Fruit Roll Ups.  You can use ANY fruit which makes this so fun to make.

Peach-Banana-Blueberry Swirl Fruit Roll Ups

Ingredients
1 Banana
3 Cups of Peaches (fresh or frozen, thawed)
1 Cup of Blueberries (fresh or frozen, thawed)


YES ONLY 3 INGREDIENTS!!

Directions
Place banana and peaches in blender and blend until smooth and creamy (if using fresh fruit, peel and remove pits as needed).   I like to light spray my dehydrator sheets with a little cooking spray and light wipe off.  Pour peach/banana mixture evenly onto sheets.  Then place the blueberries into your blender and blend well (I left mine a little chunky).   Drip onto the peach/banana layer here and there and using your spatula swirl into the first mixture.  Place the trays in your dehydrator and "cook" at 115 degrees.

Keep checking on your leathers but I’d say it should be about 3 hours before they start to get firm. Once they are close to being done (all but the very center should be ready) carefully peel the sheet of leather and flip it over onto a mesh sheet and continue drying for another hour or so. I have found they can take anywhere from 6-10 hours total to "cook" depending how thick they are.  You don't want them paper thin but you don't want them too thick as well.  Once done cut into sections and wrap in cling wrap to keep fresh.

Some people like to add in honey or sweeteners, but I like to keep mine healthy and trust me they taste GREAT!  Perfect for keeping on my desk at work for a quick sweet snack.  Enjoy!