Kale Chips

   You'll have to forgive me if I already posted this (I seriously can't remember). I went through my old posts and didn't see it, so I'm pretty sure I didn't. But if I did, oh well! Here it is again!

   One of the things we get in our farm share each week is kale. After trying a variety of different ways to cook it, I personally believe this is the best way to eat it: by making Kale Chips! They are so crunchy and delicious and way healthier than potato chips! You'll love your guilt-free late night snacking sessions with these while watching your favorite movie! Also, your kids will like them too! My son even ate them after we had stored them in Tupperware all night in the refrigerator and they weren't crunchy any more. I couldn't believe it!

Kale Chips 

Ingredients:

1 Bunch of Kale
1-2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil (enough to coat-don't use too much!)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Lawry's Seasoned Salt (to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Wash kale and pat dry with paper towels. Remove the stems and ribs (hard to eat parts) from the kale and shred into pieces (about an inch by an inch size?). Put into a bowl.
3. Coat kale in bowl with olive oil and mix with your hands.
4. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and lay your oiled kale down on it.
5. Sprinkle desired amount of salt, pepper, and Lawry's Seasoned Salt over the kale pieces.
6. Cook for 10 minutes or until crispy.

Before:

After:

It may not look pretty but it is delicious! I hope you'll learn to love kale as much as I have. Enjoy!

Mystic Aquarium

   We recently visited Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut. I was pretty excited because I had heard really good things about it. Hopefully I won't be crucified by the locals, but here is my somewhat harsh critique of the visit. 

   Overall the trip was fun, but I was a little disappointed. For starters, I thought there would be more indoor exhibits! When I think of an aquarium, I think of huge, indoor tanks that are lit up in dark rooms with fish swimming over your head. I was surprised that many of the animals were outside. I had a chance to go to a really nice aquarium when I was in school (can't remember if it was in Chicago or Washington DC) and this was nothing like that. Also regarding the outdoor areas, I thought that the way the exhibits were set up made it difficult to actually see the animals. I felt like I had to stand on my toes and hold my son way up in the air just to spot a penguin! 

   We did thoroughly enjoy the SpongeBob SquarePants show in the 4D theatre though. It reminded me of the Muppets Theatre in MGM Studios at Disney World (only much shorter of a show). Unfortunately, during the middle of the Sea Lion Show someone pulled the fire alarm and the theatre had to be cleared out, so we didn't get to see the whole thing. We were bummed!

   I still recommend checking out the aquarium if you've never been to it, but it's not the best display of animals I've personally ever seen. In Michigan, we had the Detroit Zoo and was pretty phenomenal. We couldn't help but compare the two. Here are a few shots from the trip. Unfortunately, they're not that great but we couldn't see a lot of the animals! I still wanted to share though.

 

 

   To plan your trip to Mysitc Aquarium, visit http://www.mysticaquarium.org/. 

   

The Rock, Fossil, and Dinosaur Shop

   Sorry for the long hiatus! Life has been busy! Thank you for checking back in! I have a lot of posts lined up!

   I've been wanting to visit The Rock, Fossil, and Dinosaur Shop in South Deerfield for a long time but was hesitant too. From the road, it appeared to be a small, run down shop and I wasn't really sure what to expect. But let me tell you, this place does NOT disappoint if you have a little wannabe paleontologist!

 

 

   There are three different activities to choose from for a rock and fossil adventure: pan for gemstones, go on a mine adventure, or dig for fossils. There's also a cute gift shop with reasonably priced items such as toys, gemstones, fossils, and jewelry!  

 

   To start the mining adventure, your little one picks out a hard hat with a light on it and is given a metal bucket. They are then led into a dark "mine" to begin their search for hidden treasures such as rocks, shells, and gemstones. This adventure was a lot of fun and very popular with all of the children at the shop! 

 

 

   The biggest attraction at the shop is rumored to be the old-fashioned mining sluice. To begin your pan adventure, you first get to choose from four different mining rough bags (I recommend the Deluxe Bag). You then pour the contents of the bag into your screen box and lower it into the water from the sluice. After a few shakes back and forth, the rough will wash away to reveal your treasures!

 

  



   The third adventure is the Bonanza box. Here, your little paleontologist can dig for fossils. This is the only adventure we didn't do because we thought it would be more fun to do with a few additional family members and friends. We can't wait to try it though!

 

  

   In the back of the store are large dinosaurs and fossils that provide good photo opportunities for you to take with your little one. There's also two sandboxes with a broom that you can use to uncover more fossils.

 

  If I had to criticize one thing, it would be that this part of the shop seemed a little run down. It was a little smaller than I expected and the dinosaurs looked like they had seen better days. But the kids still loved it and especially loved uncovering the fossils!

 

 

   You've got to take your kids here! This place is definitely worth the money, especially if your children are interested in dinosaurs and archeology or paleontology! It's fun for the whole family and educational too!

 

To plan your adventure, visit http://www.georgesrocks.com/index.html. 

 

Updates coming soon!

   Hello! Sorry for the gap in posts but my family has recently moved and I've been busy sorting through years worth of boxes that have been in storage. Please continue to check back for updates! Thanks for reading!