Meet the Arneson sisters!  These active siblings love to spend their spring and fall playing softball for the township of LaFayette in Chippewa Falls, WI. Their dad, Shane, has coached both girls’ teams!  Most of the year, the girls played on different teams in different leagues.  Kelsey (11) and Gretchen (10) were both pitchers for their respective teams.  However, going into their first tournament this past fall, Kelsey needed a catcher.  Since this was a team made up of players not on their regular team, Gretchen reluctantly agreed to catch for her older sister.  It was one of those mommy moments where Mom was just SURE it was going to lead to a not-so-pretty sisterly fight.  Much to Mom’s surprise though - Gretchen quite possibly found her niche as catcher.  She was fantastic!!  Her years of watching the older girls play definitely sunk in, and she was right on for every play!  Friends and teammates have now nicknamed the sisters “Team Arnie!”  Kelsey even ended up pitching 17 innings with 31 strike outs…AMAZING.  Talk about a work out!  What the Arneson family loves most is that the team has really promoted total family involvement.  Parents, players and siblings are involved, practices are many and long, but the coaches know how to keep the girls active, interested and involved.  It truly is a life sport and they are gaining so much more than just the technical part of softball - they are learning to improve their personal skills as well as learning to be a team player and how important family and being active are in our daily lives.  Way to go Team Arnie!  Keep on keepin’ on!!!  YAY!

Here’s an easy, healthy and hearty soup to serve your team on cool autumn nights!  It’s Coach’s own personal creation- we think you (and your team!) will love it!

2 T. Margarine

1 c. chopped celery

1 bag shredded carrots

1 white onion chopped

6 T. all-purpose flour

¼ t. pepper

2 box Uncle Ben’s Fast Cook Long Grain & Wild Rice Blend (prepared)

4 ½  c. reduced sodium chicken or vegetable stock

2 c. skim milk

1 rotisserie chicken- skin & bones removed, chicken chopped into bite size pieces

Heat margarine in large soup pan over  medium-high heat.  Cook celery, carrot and onion until onion is tender.  Add chicken.  Stir in flour and pepper.  Stir in prepared rice and chicken stock.

Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in milk and heat just until hot, but not boiling.

Serve with a hearty piece of bread and salad or fruit.

Save the family dinner!  Make this soup on the weekend and simply heat and serve during the week for an easy meal you can all feel good about!

 Boot camps are all the rage in workouts right now, so why not copy that concept for your family?  Pull out whatever old ‘equipment’ (and I use that term loosely!) you can find in the garage and set up an informal obstacle course for you and the fam!  Jump ropes, ladders, hula hoops, swings, tires, cones and balls are all example of things most of us have lying around that could make a great course!  Show your  whole team how to do the course.  For example, you could run around the house, swing on your old swingset, jump rope 20 times, do 20 jumping jacks, run through a ladder lying flat on the ground, pitch 5 balls into a bucket or net and finish with a leap into a leaf pile.  Use your imagination, or ask for help from the troops.  Take turns timing each other, and have fun!  Don’t be afraid to get a little goofy and laugh at yourself.  It’s a fun way to get your whole team in the game on a sunny fall afternoon! 

We just had, had, had to write about Sargento’s great reduced fat cheeses!   Not just because we’re true cheeseheads from Wisconsin, but because we think Sargento’s cheese taste divine!  These great tasting, lower-fat cheeses come in a boatload of different shapes, cuts and flavors, but they all have one thing in common- they taste awesome!!!  Your team is sure to fall for this fake-out!  Sprinkle a little of the reduced fat mild cheddar shreds on eggs or pasta, or set out a dish of the reduced fat Mexican blend on taco night!  There’s even deli-style slices with around 60 calories- making them a safe bet for topping turkey burgers.  Fat free cheeses have gotten a bad rap in the past, but the Sargento team has whipped up the perfect recipe for a delicious AND reduced fat cheese we can all sink our teeth into.  And speaking of recipes, check out the website at www.sargento.com for some really great ways to use your favorite new reduced fat cheeses!  Mmmmmm, cheesey!

Emily (9) and Ben (7) Smith recently TRI-ed their best while participating in the Oregon Kids triathlon in Oregon, WI.  Mom and Dad cheered them on while they swam, biked and ran their hearts out!  This super-fun event is hosted by the Oregon Community Swim Club, and is just for kids ages 5-17.  The great thing about triathlon is it sounds really cool and tough, but is actually made up of shorter distances of activities almost anyone can do.  Plus, kids absolutely LOOOOVE getting their race numbers written in PERMANENT marker on their arm & leg!  Fun stuff!  More and more adult triathlons are now offering a kids distance either before or after the grown-up race.  It’s good, clean fun in an unbelievably positive and supportive environment.  Here is the breakdown:

Log on to www.active.com to find a kids triathlon in your area and the whole family can train together!  Thanks for TRI ing to inspire all of us, Smith family!  Love it!!!  Check out these action shots of Emily and Ben:

This is so easy it’s scary!  I picked up this little gem from the Weight Watcher’s Family Power book.  When I read it for the first time, I was skeptical to say the least. But, WOWee ZOWee does it work!  The trick works like this (or at least this is how it worked for me): Put the food for your meal in bowls or platters on the kitchen counter and let your kids dish out their own food onto their plate!  You will be astounded at how your players know exactly how much they need.  It’s like magical portion control.  Encourage (but don’t force!) kids to try at least a little taste of everything.  It’s amazing how much better kids eat when they feel in charge of their own plate!  Imagaine….no more cajoling your third grader into finishing his carrots! Try it….you’ll like it!  I promise!

A great way to keep kids moving is to show them how to set goals and take responsibility for the amount of activity they get.  Of course, we’re not going to explain TO THEM that way!!!!  Tell the troops you’ve got a fun new challenge for the family.  Explain the upsides of keeping active and by all means, make sure to focus on the positives- things like feeling happier, having more energy, being stronger & healthier, able to keep up with other kids, not getting sick, etc.  Kids need to be active at least ONE HOUR every day.  If you’re not even close, you can start with a smaller goal but remember that activity does not have to equal sports.  Swimming, dancing, walking the dog, playing active games, gardening and cleaning are all examples of activity that can be non-competitive.  Be creative and HAVE FUN!!  We’ve even created a Get Moving Log in our gameplans section for you to print out & hang on the fridge.  No thanks necessary- we love this stuff!!  Print one for each family member (YES- this means YOU, too!) and give a small reward for the family members who meet their goals for the week.  You might also want to do a little team building by setting a family goal as well.  Just have fun & keep on movin’!

Heads up!  In case no one told you, today is Labor day and we’ve got an 11^th hour change to your grilling out gameplan!  The team over at Jennie-O makes a mean freezer to grill burger perfect for your Labor Day cookout!  Their Savory Seasoned Lean Turkey Burgers can be found in the frozen foods section, taken to your party and thrown right on the grill!  Easy, healthy, and unbelievable deeeeeLISHous!!  Serve these up on a healthy wheat burger roll (like our favorite from Village Hearth!) for a fabulous meal from the grill.  Beware of fake outs, though!  Jennie-O also sells a ‘Premium White turkey Burger’ which you might assume is even healthier, but actually has almost TWICE the fat!!  YOWZERS!  The stats on the ‘Savory Seasoned Turkey Burger’ are impressive at just 160 calories and 9g total fat per patty!  YUMMMMers!

School is starting, leaves are changing and football season is fast approaching!  Unfortunately, many young fans are imitating some of their more seasoned teammates and carrying on the armchair quarterback tradition!  Why not take advantage of some of this extreme passion and turn it into an opportunity for some FUN activity?  Check out some inexpensive flag football or football practice equipment and challenge your rookies to some fun drills, or an informal family game during halftime of their favorite team?  It’s way better than mowing down more nachos and…who knows?  You may even start a new fun (ACTIVE!) family tradition!  There’s a ton of cool, fun stuff out there, but here’s a few ideas to get you started:

This week we’re falling for the Foslid family!  The Foslid’s have found a cool hiking trail near their home where they visit frequently to take in the changing scenery.  They recently took a trip to their favorite state park and had an awesome family time.   They try to go hiking here 2-3 times per week, and every time they go they say they are walking a little further! Rock on!  The Foslids love going back over and over to see the beautiful and ever changing scenery.  They especially love the challenge of climbing to the top of the observatory tower and pointing out faraway landmarks!  A family walk in nature is not only a great way to reconnect, but it’s also a great way to log some activity time for everyone- even the family pet!!  Bennett, Patty, Ray and Auggie the doggie have found a great way to make fitness a part of their everyday lives!  Nice goin’ Foslids!

There are tons of beautiful state parks with gorgeous hiking trails!  If you live in Wisconsin, you can paste the following link into your browser to see a list of state trails:

dnr.wi.gov/org/land/parks/trails/hike.html

If you’re not in our home area, try www.localhikes.com or www.trails.com to find great hiking trails in your own backyard!