Community Blog

After I had the pleasure of being served this delicious dish last weekend, I had to share with you this healthy spin-off of everyone’s favorite macaroni and cheese.

For anyone that knows me personally, they can tell you that I have two guilty pleasures in my diet: macaroni & cheese and chicken pot pie. As a very health conscious food consumer, those two delectable delights haunt my dreams in the best way possible.

I’ve been hunting for a healthier version of this American classic… and last weekend my hunt ended in a mouth-watering homemade way.  You too can make this dish and give your loved ones something to rave about! It’s easily prepared in your apartment kitchen and is ideal for a relaxing night at home.  Make this dish from Food Network tonight, your taste buds won’t regret it!

Ingredients-

Pam or cooking spray / 1lb elbow macaroni / 2 10oz. packages of frozen pureed winter squash / 2 cups of 1% (or less) milk / 4 oz. extra-sharp grated cheddar cheese / 2oz. grated Monterey jack cheese / ½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese / 1 tsp salt / 1 tsp powdered mustard / 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper / 2 tbsp grated parmesan / 2 tbsp unseasoned bread crumbs / 1 tsp olive oil

Directions-

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk into a large saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the Cheddar, Jack cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.

Step-by-step video instruction

Walk!

Doctors recommend at least 30-45 mins of moderate exercise per day.  Most of us think of running, jogging, weight-workouts, or some other intimidating routine when we here the word “exercise.”  But, I’m here to assure you that brisk-walking counts!

This fall is all about walking to your destination.  Don’t think of it as exercise, you’re just simply getting to your destination the old-fashioned (and green-friendly) way…by briskly walking there!

“Brisk” is defined as a pace that is fast, yet comfortable and not exhausting.  To put it into perspective, the ideal walking pace is one in which you could carry on a conversation with your walking partner.  Doesn’t sound too hard know does it?!?  It actually sounds like a fun time to me.  You can get some exercise and catch up with a workout buddy all at the same time. There are numerous benefits of brisk walking, and luckily for us Park at City West residents we have a pretty walkable neighborhood.
Here are a couple of benefits of brisk walking:

• It helps to fight against stress, by providing complete relaxation to your mind.
• It protects you from the clutches of diseases like osteoporosis, colon cancer, constipation etc.
• It increases the longevity of your life, by maintaining your fitness.
• It helps in reducing the problem of depression, thus enabling you to derive mental peace.
• It relieves you from backache trouble and also acts as a great remedy for arthritis problem.
• It helps in increasing your flexibility, by strengthening your muscles, bones and joints, thereby toning your body.
• It ensures that you have a proper sleep at night.

For fun and scenic walking trails in and around Eden Prairie, visit Mapmywalk.com and start planning out your daily ‘brisk walking’ today!

AMC Eden Prairie Mall 18 has been chosen as one of the IMAX Theatres to feature the re-release of Avatar this weekend.

Avatar, the highest grossing movie of all time, is being re-released this weekend only eight months after its initial release.  Obviously, James Cameron sees the potential to add a few more million dollars on top of the billions the movie made the first time around.  Like all re-releases, Cameron’s Avatar will be re-packaged with ‘bonus features and never before scenes.’  Included in this exclusive version will be nine minutes of additional footage.  Just when it appears an overuse of unnecessary 3D movies were losing interest (see Step Up: 3D), Avatar swoops in to an IMAX Theater near you to revive the 3D glasses nerdom.

As a Park at City West resident, we’re lucky to have a theatre right down the road that will feature the re-release of Avatar.  Even though I’ve seen the movie in 3D at the theaters and 2D at home, I’m eager to experience it in stunning IMAX 3D this weekend.  From what I hear, it is an event that shouldn’t be missed!

The movie premiers at 12:01am tonight (technically Friday morning) and runs all through the weekend.  For movie times at AMC Eden Prairie Mall 18, visit their official website or Movietickets.com.

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• Audiences will be blue in the face after Avatar: Special Edition 3D (guardian.co.uk)
• ‘Avatar’ Set for Another Run in Imax Theaters (artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com)

Save Energy and Money

Although living in an apartment has some ‘green’ limitations, there are still plenty of things you can do to turn your home environmentally friendly and save some money along the way.

It’s true, as a renter you are a bit limited when it comes to making some major appliance changes to go green.  You really can’t replace your refrigerator or water heater, but you can tweak a few things and turn your rental home into a mean, green, environmentally-polite machine.  The trick is to look at things you use everyday that you have control over; i.e. your lights and thermostat.

Lights:  The first step is to replace your old light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs CFL or LED bulbs.   This will drastically reduce your monthly bill by cutting down the amount of energy used 50-90 percent.  Also, like with all electronics, you should unplug everything when you’re not using it.  It seems minuscule, but the energy saved will result in money in your pocket.

Thermostat: If you’re household is anything like mine, then there is a daily fight over the home temperature.  Old school thinkers keep the house at 72 degrees no matter the season.  Change your way of thinking and you’ll save money and energy this season.  In the summer, keep your thermostat at 76 degrees. While in the winter, keep it at 68 degrees.  Also, open the windows when necessary and invest in a good isolating room fan.  Combing those with a more efficient thermostat setting will really cut down on your energy usage.

So, Park at City West residents, are you ready to start saving energy and money?  You can start today by applying a few of these techniques to your apartment home.  They are very easy to do and require very little money to implement.

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• Renters can do plenty to make their homes eco-friendly (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Help this little guy out

Come out to the Minnesota Zoo on Saturday to help support the near-extinct Amur Leopard.

The Amur leopard, also knows as the Manchurian leopard, is a large feline predator native to the Russian Far East, Korea, and northeast China.  Due to poaching, deforestation, inbreeding, and development projects there are only an estimated 30-35 left in the wild.  This beautiful creature is critically endangered and really needs our help.  The Minnesota Zoo is hosting a wonderful event this Saturday at 10:30am to spread word of the efforts the conservation is making to save this dynamic creature.  With plenty of activities for the whole family, so be sure to come out early and bring the kids with you.

Details:

Amur Leopard Festival

13000 Zoo Blvd

Apple Valley, Mn 55124

(800) 366-7811

http://www.mnzoo.org

Activities:

“Kidpower w/ Rachael”- 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm

Leopard face painting- 11:00-2:00pm

Amur leopard keeper talks- 10:30am and 2:30pm

Kid’s activity- 11:00am-2:00pm

For directions from The Park at City West, please visit Google Maps.

The Park at City West residents, mark the calendars for this Friday at 8:30pm and bring the family out to enjoy a movie in the park.  With soaring movie ticket prices making it almost impossible to afford a family night at the movie theater, this event is a perfect way to enjoy magic of the movies with the entire family for just about free! This week the Staring Lake Amphitheatre will be featuring the Princess and the Frog on its big screen for your enjoyment.

There will be kids activities set up for your family to enjoy before the movie starts.  Admission is free, so make sure to bring snacks, a blanket or lawn chair, and show up early to get your best pick of the seating!

The annual Perseid meteor shower should streak into the skies above tonight around 8:30pm.

As if you needed another reason to hope for clear skies tonight, the annual Perseid meteor shower has been estimated to pass through our night skies tonight around 8:30pm, correlating with the sunset.  This specific meteor show is known as one of the most reliable, with an average of 60 meteors per hour racing to the ground at a mind-blowing 2600 miles per minute.  If my calculations are correct, that’s 156,000 mph!  Most of the relatively small meteors derive from the passing of the Earth through a debris cloud left behind by the Swift-Tuttle comet.

If you’ve ever witnessed a meteor shower or any other celestial light show, then you know first-hand how spectacular and memorable they can be.  Park at City West residents, let’s all do our anti-rain dance and hope for clear skies tonight as we welcome a natural wonder into our skies above.

(Image via Wikipedia)

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As if you needed another reason to live at The Park at City West apartments…

A community that works together

Eden Prairie residents, give yourself a round of applause!  Your town has just been named the Best Place to Live by CNNMoney.  The two main reasons for this honor: a “dynamite economy” and a family friendly environment.

In a time of National economic despair, Eden Prairie residents continue to defy the odds with a strong community of honest citizens who strive to work hard and enjoy all that our town brings.  This includes 17 lakes and 125 miles of running, hiking, and biking trails.  With these outdoor adventures abound, it’s no wonder Eden Prairie residents also rank among healthiest in the nation.  With the population at 64,000 and the unemployment rate at a mere 5.1%, Eden Prairie residents enjoy a staggering 50,000 in town jobs.

Other cities take note, Eden Prairie has found the winning formula for happy living and economic triumph.

To view the rest of the Top 100 cities, visit CNNMoney.com

(Image via Picasa user Give Life )

Enjoy Stages Theatre performances of the classic tale Charlottes Web by EB White throughout September!

Join talking pig Wilbur and his literate friend, Charlotte as they work to survive the Zukerman Farm. Appropriate for all ages, your children will love this endearing tale as it’s acted out on stage before their eyes.

TICKETS are affordable AND if you select the 2pm, Sunday, September 26th performance, admission price is PAY WHAT YOU CAN! Get a GROUP together and save even more!

September Performance Schedule 2010
Fri 24 7 p.m.
Sat 25 1 p.m. 7 p.m.
Pay What You Can Sunday 26 2 p.m.
Wed 29 10 a.m. 12:30 p.m.
Thu 30 10 a.m. 12:30 p.m.

Stages Theatre is just a 20 minute drive north to Hopkins at 1111 Mainstreet.

Visit Heritage Village during the annual Dakota County Fair, August 9th – August 15th!

Become a time traveler by stepping back in time to Dakota City. You’ll enjoy the costumed characters as they mill about this rural village, true to the form of the early 1900’s era. Visit the blacksmith in the Blacksmith Shop as he does his handy work. Check out the newspaper office to grab the days paper while you’re there or go over to the old school house and the millinery shop. Each has been re-created to authentically represent life in that time period.

If your timing is right, you’ll see a fascinating threshing demonstration or a scary depot or bank robbery! Maybe you’ll catch a bucket brigade demonstration or enjoy musicians as they roam about the village making music as they go.

While in Heritage Village, stop by the Ahlberg Heritage Center to see the new museum exhibits along with the many agricultural displays.  Snag a quick bite to eat at the Café in the Ahlberg Heritage Center, have some ice cream or something totally tasty at The Harris House!

You’ll find 22 buildings complete with characters, demonstrations, exhibits and more! Don’t miss  the daily Tractor Parade! It’s a great outing for the entire family!

Make your plans to visit Heritage Village during the Dakota County Fair!

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