Basil in a Smoothie? Judge Me, Please!

Okay kids!  I said I would occasionally share updates about my attempts at losing weight and here it is - 20 pounds since May and fifteen of it since June!  I have been really watching what I have been eating, logging it in FatSecret, and moving more.

I never thought I would say this but smoothies have become a breakfast necessity!  I have been experimenting with different fruits and flavors but my absolute favorite so far is Basil and Blueberry Green Tea Smoothie.  I love this so much I actually submitted it to be judged in Juggling Real Food and Real Life's Smoothie Competition!  I don't even think there is a prize - just bragging rights but I am pretty confident I have the best {wink, wink} and will win.

Northeast Ohio Bucket List | July 10 - 16, 2014

Half way through July and I bet you are wondering what we have been doing!

I have been slacking with my calendar b-u-t I have been spending some much needed quality time with family from out of town and of course, staycation last week! Take a look at the fun we had going to the Great Lakes Science Center for LEGO Adventure, seeing Walking with Dinosaurs Live, and soon I will post about our Cedar Point adventure.

If you are looking for some fun, look at the calendar at the end! It is full of ideas of what we would like to do this Northeast Ohio if we had unlimited time and money. Some are free, most are not, and be sure to call all events prior to attending, just in case I have some information wrong or it was canceled.

Have an event you would like to see added? Fill out this form.

THIS WEEK'S NORTHEAST OHIO BUCKET LIST HIGHLIGHTS

#PicnicHop: Basil and Red Onion Potato Salad Recipe

Nothing says summer more than picnics and BBQs and this week I am picnicking with the lovely ladies from the SITSBlogging Tribe I belong to - Bohemian Blogesses and you are invited!

Feel free to add your recipe or summer fun post (old or new) to the link-up below or just hop around and see what we have been up to this summer.  You don't have to be part of our tribe to join in the fun but if you would like to join us click here.

My Red Onion and Basil Potato Salad is cool and refreshing, well in so much that potato salad can be cool and refreshing.  I love potato salad but can never recreate that taste that my mom use to make and heck, even the folks at the butcher store can do so I stopped and just made my own with ingredients I had on hand and now I make it for any summer get together.

Our #LEGO Adventure at @GLScienceCtr was Awesome

You've probably been wondering why I have been so quiet lately and it is not because I've given up and packed it all in - on the contrary!  The family and I have been spending some much needed quality time together and had a staycation.  So much better than a fakeaction any day of the week.

The Great Lakes Science Center graciously gave us tickets to explore their new exhibit LEGO® Travel Adventure to facilitate this post and as part of our staycation, it was pretty awesome.  And, yes, everything is awe-some.

The exhibit itself is produced by The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in cooperation with LEGO® Systems, Inc. and is visiting the Great Lakes Science Center until September 7.

While we were there we were able to meet Arthur Gugick, a local math teacher and lifelong LEGO enthusiast, who was in the process of creating a portrait of Einstein.  Many of his works of art hung from the walls and are on display. He was mesmerizing to watch, not only because of his concentration but because he was capturing the essence of a man using LEGO!

Catch the Final Performances of #DinosLiveCLE at @TheQArena Before They Become Extinct! #sponsored

We were provided with tickets to the opening night performance to facilitate this post.  Opinions are my own and this is not a paid endorsement.

When we were asked if we would like to see Walking with Dinosaurs Live, I must admit I was not all that excited.  Baby girl on the other hand was beside herself and my son, who is older and wiser than his sister could not imagine how good it could be since they were not real dinosaurs and that they are extinct.  

All that changed when we walked into the Q Arena and saw the simple but massive set.  The massively glowing teeth was enough to convince me this was not just mechanical dinosaurs.  

Traveling back in time 165 million years. #DinosLiveCLE @theqarena pic.twitter.com/xGi1fj9aDM
— MryJhnsn (@mryjhnsn) July 9, 2014

Once the show started, I started to feel like we were being sent back in time and I was pretty mesmerized by Andrew Blackman's Australian accent.  He plays Huxley the paleontologist and he guides us thought the Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic periods.  It was awe-inspiring to experience our world, new, and all of the amazing things it went through to be the world we see now.

The show also pulled at the heart strings sharing the joys, triumphs, and sadness that the dinosaurs must have experienced.  The show successfully brought to life the wonder of the massive creatures gone so very long ago and it was certainly enough to capture the imagination of my oldest who was a lot less critical of seeing a show with "robot dinosaurs."


There is still time!  Don't let this opportunity pass you by - who knows when the dinosaurs will be walking in Cleveland again!

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW ONLINE, BY CALLING 888-894-9424, AT THE QUICKEN LOANS ARENA BOX OFFICE OR AT ALL NORTHERN OHIO DISCOUNT DRUG MARTS.