Lazy Sunday

I <3 lazy Sundays.


I have been wanting to take the girls to play tennis and I finally got to do it today.  We have a tennis court about a mile from the house.  Kay is a natural.  I swear she's going to be my sports star.  Mo does well with gymnastics but not with other sports.  We got about 45 minutes in.  Kay actually got good enough that she and I could hit the ball back and forth a few times before missing it.  I'm not that great either.  I play because it's fun.  I find I do better at racquetball then I do at tennis.  But, I play for the exercise and the enjoyment rather than the fact that I'm good.  
Mr. Amazing got a call this morning telling him he could have the day off so we all packed up and headed to the beach.  I packed some sandwiches.  I normally don't eat lunch but, I find when we're sitting at the beach and everybody else has a sandwich I can't help but want one too.  Note to all my readers:  PB&J sandwiches and gorgeous beach weather do not mix.  You end up covered in melty peanut butter and drippy jelly.  (BUT, it still tastes good)
I love spending time at the beach because there are so many different ways to burn calories.  It's crazy.  My kids don't realize that they're getting their daily exercise in while they are playing around.  Here's a link to how many calories you can (atleast to me) effortlessly burn while spending a fun day at the beach.  10 Ways to Burn Calories at the Beach
I'm hoping I can get back to swimming soon.  It just seems like I get in the groove of exercising every day and something comes in (hello life, how are you?)  to mess it up.  


For dinner tonite I made spaghetti with homemade sauce.  The whole family enjoyed it.  I have never made homemade sauce.  Normally I just open a bottle and heat it up.  I found the recipe in the Betty Crocker Basics book.  This is a great book.  It's written for complete novices.  I love it because it's a great goto guide.  When I can't remember how long to cook carrots, I open it up.  Want to know how to broil a steak?  Open it up.  Need to know how many minutes per pound your Christmas ham needs to stay in the oven?  Open it up and you'll find that too!  It also has some great recipes like the spaghetti sauce.


1 medium onion
1 clove of garlic
1 green pepper
1 can (14.5 ounces) whole tomatoes, undrained (I actually used crushed and diced)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sprinkle of pepper

1. Chop the onion, bell pepper, and garlic
2. Spray your sautee pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.  Cook the onion, garlic and bell pepper for about 2 minutes.
3. Add in the tomatoes and their liquid.  Break them up by hand or with a fork.  
4. Stir in the seasonings
5. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
6. When it comes to a boil reduce heat and cover.  Simmer for about 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

My only complaint about this recipe is that it doesn't make very much.  I doubled the recipe and there was barely enough for Mr. Amazing and I to have 2 bowls and for the girls to have one.  If either of them had wanted seconds then we wouldn't have had enough.
For dessert I melted some Traffic Jam and warmed some strawberries in it.  I tested out a "whipped topping" recipe that I found in a low-fat cookbook circa 1970 that my mom bought me at Goodwill.  (I am obsessed with old cook-books.  The older the better.  If you have any you want to get rid of you can send them to me.)  It wasn't horrible.  If I was stuck in the woods with only the ingredients for this and a hand blender I'd make it.  Or if fat-free whipped cream or Cool Whip disappeared.   

I just told you about my perfect lazy Sunday.  What's yours?