Smash your Food – Mom on the go in Holy Toledo

You booked the babysitter weeks ago; you’ve got on that pretty dress, even did your makeup, and yet, still haven’t decided where you’re going. Classic Date Night dilemma! So you’ll debate where to go for twenty minutes, each vetoing the other’s ideas, and eventually arrive at the “usual” spot. Date nights becoming a bit too predictable? Sick of the “usual” spot!? Want to venture off the restaurant chain path? Go somewhere more exotic? Want to feel like you’ve gone on a mini vacation? Then Rasa is the Date Night game changer you’ve been looking for!

I had the pleasure of dining at Rasa for my birthday and it was an experience like none other. From the moment you enter Rasa you can feel your blood pressure lowering, the atmosphere is like nothing else in the city. It’s like, if a high end farm-to-table establishment in a big city and a spa had a baby, it would be Rasa! Lol! Honestly, I fell in love with the atmosphere first and then the food. And the food, omg, it is REAL food, none of that frozen crap reheated or fried. But I’m getting ahead of myself. After all, Date Nights are meant to be savored!

First things first, beverages! Rasa takes beverage to a whole new level & encourages those dining to broaden their beverage palette to that beyond just Coke or Pepsi products. Sparkling water, seasonal Kombucha, Turmeric Horchata, Lemongrass Fresca, etc. in addition to the wine, beer, & amazing cocktail menu.

And the food, oh my gosh, it is seasonal, fresh, & prepared to perfection!! Or at least the 3 meals I sampled were, yep, I’m one of “those” people, I want to try it all! Lol! What I really appreciate is the fact that food, along with beverages, & some of the décor are local. The conscious community connection with local businesses & farms adds a layer of comfort to the meal.

I will warn you, it is hard to leave the little magical oasis that is Rasa and walk back into reality. But leave you must, even though the closing time is flexible for dinner they frown upon bringing in your sleeping bag. But the good news is Rasa isn’t just limited to Dinner, there is also a Brunch & Lunch menu! So call up the girls, for a ladies day brunch!

Location: 2633 West Bancroft Toledo, OH 43607

Email: CONTACT@RASATOLEDO.COM

Phone: (419) 725-0525

Website: https://www.rasarestaurantandbar.com/

LUNCH

TUESDAY – FRIDAY: 11.00AM – 2:00PM

DINNER

TUESDAY – SATURDAY: 5:00PM – until…

BRUNCH

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

11:00AM – 2:00PM

Since our son is on Spring break from preschool this week we asked him to list a few fun spots to visit and on the top of that list was Imagination Station. I have to admit I was pretty excited he chose Imagination Station. Not only do I enjoy reading and participating in the various science exhibits but our preschooler and very active toddler enjoy Imagination Station’s littleKIDSPACE, making it the perfect destination for the entire family.

Little KIDSPACE is a learning world designed for children kindergarten age and younger. The littlest adventurers can hop aboard a fire truck, shop in the grocery store or climb their favorite tree house while learning about forces, motion, math and life science. Little KIDSPACE Studio features a daily interactive story and activity.

Every day in Little KIDSPACE Science Studio, a special hands-on activity area within Little KIDSPACE, one of their qualified team members sits down with the kids and reads them a story, then facilitates a complimentary activity with kids. http://www.imaginationstationtoledo.org/content/exhibits/learning-worlds/

Once our little adventure seeker is tired out we like to venture away from Little KIDSPACE and enjoy the other exhibits Imagination Station has to offer like ENGINEER IT!

Think It. Build It. Test It … Do It Again!

ENGINEER IT! is a highly interactive learning world that presents science as an open-ended discovery process. Visitors of all ages can design and build boats, windmills, airplanes, buildings and bridges using the Think it, Build It, Test It and Do It Again engineering philosophy.

Presented by: SSOE

Another favorite is MIND ZONE.

Mind Zone helps you discover how the mind processes, interprets and creates illusions and perceptions. Home to the Distorted Gravity Room, built using thoughtful construction and optical illusions to create a visual distortion that you’ll never forget. Mnid Znoe payls tikrcs wtih yuor mnid. You wno’t bveleie waht you see. (Yes misspelling is deliberate but I bet you could still read it).

Our Preschoolers favorite spot in MINDZONE is the Distorted Gravity Room, he goes through at least three times each time we visit.

But what we are really looking forward to and what unveils this week is the Eat it Up! permanent exhibit.

This newest experience at Imagination Station, Eat It Up! Is presented by ProMedica.

Get your heart pumping as you take on the Wheel of Fire and the Heart Rate Rally, Smash Your Food to smithereens, and literally Get in the Action. Eat It Up!, a highly interactive exhibition focused on nutrition and exercise tells the story of how the choices you make today affect your body. Eat Smart. Play Hard. Have Fun. The choice is yours!

Eat It Up!, a permanent 2,000+ square foot exhibition area, containing 7 major exhibits, a demonstration area and larger than life graphics will include: The Wheel of Fire, Lifestyle Camera, Food Feud, Social Table, Get in the Action, Heart Rate Rally… Ready. Set. Go!, The Kitchen, and Smash Your Food.

I personally can’t wait to checkout Smash Your Food which was recently launched as an iPad app.

Have you ever wanted to take a burger, an ice cream sundae or French fries and smash it to into an unrecognizable mess? Winner in First Lady Michelle Obama’s ‘Apps for Healthy Kids’ Competition, this fun and exciting mobile game encourages families to smash real foods—burgers, cola, French Fries and entire meals and to learn about nutrition, inspiring healthier food choices while providing parents with personalized emails filled with nutrition advice.

The exhibit will feature a life-sized Smash Your Food machine, which smashes common foods to illustrate how much fat, sugar, and salt, is in each, subtly encouraging kids and parents to make healthier choices. In addition, Smash Your Food will be bringing in “Master Smash”, a 10-foot tall, real-life robot that smashes the food in the game, to smash real food in-person on opening day.

So, whether you have never been to Imagination Station or you are a regular visitor, when planning your spring break make certain you include this station as one of your destinations!