If you’re looking for ways to keep your favorite team active during the upcoming winter months, why not set a family activity night (or day- I don’t carjust keep movng!)?  You could make it the same activity every week such as a Saturday morning walk, or make it a more general date and switch to a new activity each week.  Get your team involved by taking turns selecting the activity for the week.  For example, you could designate Sunday afternoon as ‘Fun Family Active Time’ and let a different family member select what ACTIVE-ity you’ll do together each week.  The first week, your son chooses a trip to dog park.  The next week, your daughter chooses sledding (sorry! it’s coming!).  The only rule is it has to be something that gets you all moving and having fun together.  Cuz by now we all know that the only way to keep our kids active is to teach them how to make it fun. 

Now, GO GET IN THE GAME!!

Remember when a caramel apple was a regular sized apple covered in a thin layer of caramel on a stick~ and you could actually eat it off the stick?  Those delicious and relatively innocent treats of yesteryear have recently morphed into ginormous apples slathered in inches of caramel which are then rolled in full sized nuts or candies and often drizzled with more chocolate!  They’re usually sliced for eating because not only are they impossible to eat without becoming engulfed in caramel yourself, but they’re also often large enough to feed a small dinner party!  I miss those reasonable caramel-y treats!  So, imagine my delight when my Aunt Patty told me about the wonderful recipe she found on FamilyFun.com!  This fabulous recipe is not only the perfect treat to serve at Halloween, but also makes an excellent birthday treat for school or party pleaser.  You can see the original recipe by clicking HERE, but we FFC’d it up by using natural peanut butter instead of those plastic-y peanut butter chips and it worked great!! The basic idea is to use a melon baller to creat mini-apples, dip them in the peanut butter and then sprinkle with a few festive jimmies.  Just microwave the peanut butter for a few seconds, and be sure the apple balls are dry before dipping and you will not miss!  These ‘caramel’ apples were a huge hit with adults and kids alike.  Everyone wanted to know where we got those adorable little apples!!
 SNNNNNEAKY~ I love it! 

Hip, hip, hooray!  We’ve found more FAAAAAB-U-LOUS fruit snacks made of…..you guessed it, FRUIT! (what a concept!)  The folks at Fruitabu (cool name, too!) have come up with some s-s-stunningly delicous and totally portable fruit snacks you can feel good about tossing in lunches, snacks or sports bags.  They come in Smooshed Flats and Smooshed Rolls (a HUGE  improvement on the popular snack Fruit by the Foot)!  Recently, a very official Family  Fitness Coach tasting panel (AKA Ms. Esselman’s third grade class and Mrs. Gantner’s first grade class!) gave Fruitabu in all varieties rave reviews!  Good stuff that tastes great!  Winner, winner!!

p.s.  the flats make especially great Halloween treats, too!  BOO!

Soon, little ghouls and goblins from all over your neighborhood will be standing at your door shouting that famous Halloween phrase, “Trick or Treat!”  So, let’s all vow to stop tricking our kids into thinking candy is the best kind of treat and instead give them some REAL treats we can all feel good about!  Here are the 10 best ideas we’ve heard…

FFC’s personal fav- Jump Ropes! (check out www.smalltoys.com for some great deals!)

Coupons for Apple Dippers or low-fat ice cream cones from McDonalds

Temporary Tattoos

Fruitabu or Stretch Island Fruit Leathers (www.fruitabu.com)

Pencils

Stickers

Snyders Peanut Butter Pretzel Sandwiches

Sticky Eyeballs (gross!)

Individual instant hot cocoa or hot cider packets

Mini note pads or trading cards

….don’t be AFRAID to use your creativity to come up with your own REAL treats! (and remember to share your fabulous ideas with all of your freinds at Family Fitness Coach!!!)

Tis the season for pumpkin patch frivolities!  So, take advantage by getting your young monsters out for a fun and active time!  Climb over hay bale mountains, wind your way through a cornfield maze, dance to live music, jump in moon walks or just walk (and walk and walk!) out to the pumpkin patch and spend TONS of time walking around to pick just the perfect gourd!  These fun and seasonal farms can be the ideal autumn way to sneak in some extra activity and fresh air for your team.  Just be sure to steer clear of the sugary snacks and soda sometimes offered at these festivities.  Pick a patch that doesn’t sell snacks, or opt for something a little less ’scary’ like a fresh apple with caramel dip.  Now go get in the game!!

If you’re lucky enough to live in an area where the leaves turn magnificient colors of orange, red, purple and yellow get your team out to take a closer look!  The awesome beauty of this season is truly inspring and it’s a great way to spend some quality team-time!  Check out your local state parks or hiking websites for a cool trail near you.  Make it an adventure by collecting fallen leaves for framing or a collage, or find a tower to climb to see the most amazing views!  Church steeples, lookout towers and lighthouses all provide excellent (and often FREE!) opportunities for climbing and viewing. So, go take a hike!

Oh, don’t worry~  this is STILL a family site!  I’m just all worked up over Stacy’s Simply Naked Baked Pita chips!  These babies are an awesome school snack or cold lunch side!  We’ve only tasted the most basic version ‘Simply Naked’ but they come in tons of other (and we’re sure equally DELISH!) flavors including Tuscan Herb, Hot & Spicy, Cinnamon Sugar and Parmesan Garlic & Herb- YUM!  This easy chip-type snack is a great healthy on the go choice!  It’s low in calories and fat (NO transfat, of course!), has a little fiber and protein and less than one gram of sugar PLUS it is super satisfying and the kids love it! Can you say WIN-WIN?! Serve it instead of tortilla or potato chips- your team will thank you & you will feel great knowing you’ve snuck in another awesome play!  Here are the stats on the ‘Simply Naked’ version per serving:

130 resonable calories; 5 g fat (NONE trans!); 2 lovely grams fiber; 3 adorable grams of protein and less than 1 gram of sugar- WOOHOO!  Go, Stacy, go!

For stats on the rest of Stacy’s Pita Chips, or to learn more about this awesome company, visit their nifty website .

These little magic packs really bring the noise!  100 calories of just about every fabulous snack known to man- or at least known to kids!  From super chocolaty brownies to gummy bears to potato chips and crackers, you can find your players’ favorite weaknesses in a reasonably sized, super convenient pouch.  These little wonders may be slightly more expensive than their bulk counterparts- but the built-in portion control makes them worth every penny!  Stock up on these smart little snacks and be prepared to tame your team’s fiercest cravings the sane way.   A word of caution:  if one pack won’t be enough, it may be best to forgo these tasty little devils.  Remember…..they’re still TREATS and thus not really full of good stuff~ just an easy way to keep portions under control. 

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Find a new active hobby that sounds interesting and….GET CARRIED AWAY!  Buy some new (or used!)equipment, read up online, subscribe to a magazine, check out books at the library, become a complete (you-fill-in- the blank) nut!  Nothing makes kids (and adults!) feel more comfortable trying something new than trying it out with someone they trust.  Have fun!  Show your loyal teammates that everyone has to learn a new activity before they can get good at it.  Really ham it up and show your not-so-coordinated side.  Your team will feel like superstars showing the coach (you!) up and you’ll all come out winners!

OK, so most of us know that the ‘regular’ peanut butter on store shelves is loaded with artificial junk like trans fats, high fructose corn syrup and other flagrant fouls we’d never want to serve our kids.  But, in desperation, most of us serve it to them anyway after trying many soupy, oily and EXPENSIVE natural versions that just don’t fly with the troops!  Well, compromise no more!  Skippy has a natural brand that looks and tastes just like regular peanut butter, requires absolutely no stirring and is sure to fool your finickiest family member.  Better yet, Skippy makes their yummy natural peanut butter in creamy AND super chunk varieties!  You’ll find it right next to the regular Skippy in the peanut butter aisle at your grocery store.  YAY, Skippy!  We think choosey moms should choose YOU! 

Check out these stats:  (per 2 tablespoons) 180 calories, 17g fat, 2g fiber, 7 g protein and only 3g sugar!!!  Skip on down to the grocer and grab some!