Make Money While Following Your Passion

December 26, 2016 By Laura

Life in the fast lane isn’t always satisfying.

“Forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, harness your power to your passion. Honor your calling. Everybody has one. Trust your heart, and success will come to you.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

Everybody has something in their life they are passionate about. That one thing they interject into practically every conversation. We often say “If only I could get paid to…” But people HAVE figured out how to turn those passions into a profession. Why shouldn’t YOU make money while following your passion?

Why not use the New Year as a starting point for a new career goal? #adulting

If one has an affinity for cars, that can be turned into a career as an auto mechanic. If the focus is on sports, avenues for coaching and physical rehab are open to those so inclined. And so it goes with a zeal for fitness and nutrition as well….

2015: A #StrangeButGood Year

January 1, 2016 By Laura

Happy New Year!!!

Please god let 2016 be a little more sane.

In true fashion, I spent this year in a #strangebutgood whirlwind. I eloped in January, sold my condo in February, moved across the country in March, became certified as a trainer in April, honeymooned to Greece in May, helped my mom sell my childhood home in September, made my first money as an independent marketing consultant in December… and squeezed a lot of trips to Vegas with Vegas in between it all.

I thought I was someone who sailed through change, but it’s no walk in the park. It may look like life is a party; however, the reality is that I have felt a lot of loss… I miss my hometown, my family, and my friends. I’m still trying to get used to being jolted awake by a screaming bird, a parrot banging on a cow bell, and a dog incessantly whining. Needless to say, I learned to cry. A lot. I feel like I am literally losing my mind sometimes. I’m adjusting to living in a new city where I don’t yet have a tight group of friends. Vegas has become my best friend as well as my wife this year. (You should all feel sorry for her.)

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#StrangeButGood New Years Party Recipes

December 26, 2014 By Laura

We’ve made it through the family thing.

Not that it’s so bad… but you know…

Now it’s time to gear up for the last blow out of 2014 – New Year’s Eve! If your friend are anything like mine, the night can get a little strange. In a good way.

I encourage you to being the night with some strange but good food. 7 foods, in fact. For lucky 7s… and because THE 7!!!

1. Black Eyed Pea & Roasted Garlic Hummus

2. Spinach Tofu Dip

3. Butternut Thyme Hummus

4. Brussels & Prosciutto Skewers

5. Spicy Butternut Mac ‘n Cheese

6. Turkey Beer Chili

7. Sparkling Cake Balls

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How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week? The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂

An InLinkz Link-up

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Pro tip: Don’t drink on an empty stomach!

What are your NYE plans?

Do you eat the traditional greens and black-eyed peas on New Years?

Brussels and Prosciutto Skewers [Recipe]

January 6, 2014 By Laura

Apparently there’s a Brussels gene.

I got the version that is addicted to them.

For the New Years Eve pairing dinner I co-hosted, I made Brussels and Prosciutto Skewers. People loved them… except I was told by one person that there is a gene (like the cilantro gene) where some people think they taste bitter.

Apparently about 50% of the world has this gene. If you’re not one of those unfortunate people, you’ll love this recipe. (Recipe at the bottom of post.)

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Strange But Good: Roasted Grape & Kabocha Kale Salad

January 3, 2014 By Laura

Luck and wealth are good things to start 2014 with.

We certainly ate like lucky wealthy people on New Years Eve.

This salad would be good at any time, but it’s ingredients make it especially good for NYE. Grapes for luck and greens for wealth. We also had the black-eyed pea hummus. This year should be extra lucky!

The part that may be strange is that I roasted the grapes in this salad. You know how blueberries warmed from oatmeal burst in your mouth? How decadent and sweet and juicy they are? Roasted grapes are like that, but better because they’re bigger. (Insert dirty joke here.)

When roasted, grapes become even more delicious. Their sugars caramelize a bit, the skin softens, and the native sweetness shines. The thick, savory balsamic and rosemary balances the sweetness perfectly. Make this once and you’ll never be satisfied with dried fruit on a salad again.

The thick, jammy juice that forms during roasting is the perfect thing to use as a dressing. Combined with olive oil, vinegar, and garlic, it makes a fabulous warm coat for the kale.

Salads are so easy to make larger or smaller, so below is hardly a recipe. There are no measurements for anything besides the dressing. Even that is just equal parts oil and vinegar, so you can adjust that up or down to suit your needs.

You don’t even have to bother with the salad if you aren’t feeling it. Just pop some grapes in the oven and you’ll have a simple, decadent snack in 15 mins or less.

Roasted Grape and Kabocha Kale Salad

Grapes
Fresh rosemary
Aged balsamic vinegar
Kabocha squash (or other winter squash)
Shallot, diced
Olive oil
Kale
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C champagne vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
Reserved juices from roasted grapes
Salt & pepper, to toast
Grated Parmesan (optional)

Preheat oven to 450.

Toss grapes on a foil lined pan with vinegar and rosemary. On a second pan, toss kabocha with shallots and a bit of olive oil. Roast each for 15 mins, stirring occasionally. The skin of the grapes should be slightly crisp but the inside still soft. Note: the kabocha may take longer.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Strain excess grape juice into a small bowl to reserve for dressing.

Add oil to small skillet and allow to warm over med heat. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 min). Stir in grape juices and champagne vinegar, cooking 2-3 mins longer to allow dressing to thicken a bit.

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Taste, adding salt and pepper to preference.

Place kale in large salad bowl. Pour warm dressing over the kale and massage the greens to soften. Add grapes, kabocha, and fresh parmesan (if using).

Enjoy!

Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂

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I’m thinking I need to do these for breakfast on a biscuit or coffee cake thing…

What is your favorite salad topping?

Have you ever had roasted grapes?

Black-Eyed Pea & Roasted Garlic Hummus

December 31, 2013 By Laura

Black-eyed peas supposedly bring luck on New Year’s.

Don’t we all want to get lucky?

This year I could use a little extra luck, so I made sure to concoct a black-eyed pea dish to share with friends at our New Year’s Eve pairing dinner. I used traditional hummus ingredients, but replaced chickpeas with canned black-eyed peas. What resulted was a fantastic, black-eyed pea hummus.

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Strange But Good Beginnings

January 4, 2013 By Laura

2013 began strangely.

That’s a good thing in my book.

First of all, I woke up in a bed that wasn’t my own. ~~No… it wasn’t because I had a lucky start to the year.~~ I stayed with a friend avoid having to drive with all the drunks on the road. ~~And I’d had more than 2 myself.~~

The good part was that a) my friend’s bed was like sleeping on a marshmallow and b) she sent me home with black-eyed peas and collard greens. In the South people say that you should start the year with black-eyed peas for luck and collards for wealth.

The 2nd day of the year I had a strange and not-so-good surprise. This is what happens when you forget about a spaghetti squash for a few months:

The seeds sprouted. I debated cooking it anyway, but was too creeped out. Into the garbage it went. Fail.

It turned out to be a good thing because I baked a sweet potato instead… and that ‘tater made for a strange but absolutely delicious lunch.

A little sweet, a little spicy and fantastically creamy. The traditional mayo-based version of chicken salad will never be satisfactory again.

2 meals later I made it with pumpkin puree and curry. Also strange, but still good.

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Sweet Potato Chicken Salad

4 oz shredded chicken
1/4 C mashed sweet potato
2-3 tsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 diced cucumber
1 T red onion, chopped
Fresh dill, to taste

Place shredded chicken in a bowl. Set aside.

In another small bowl, combine sweet potato, milk, lime juice, and spices.

Add sweet potato mixture to chicken and stir to combine. Add veggies and mix until incorporated.

Serves 1.

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Before we get to the link up… I know you want a winner! The $100 h.h. gregg gift card giveaway winner is…

Congratulations, Kate @ Kit Kat Kate!

Send me an email with your address and I’ll get the card out to you ASAP.

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Now for the link up! The rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above.

In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instragrams of your creations. 🙂

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Junk-Free January is off to a good start! I navigated dinner at a restaurant with my family Wednesday night by ordering a delicious grilled trout (without butter or salt) and steamed cabbage (topped with sriracha). They all enjoyed drinks, but rather than feeling left out (I can’t stand not to try new things) I tried a sip and then enjoyed my water.

Have you ever heard of the black-eyed pea and collard tradition?

Would you have eaten that squash?

Junk-Free January + Polar FT4

December 30, 2012 By Laura

This is not a resolution post.

Ok, maybe it sort of is…

Happy New Year’s Eve!!!

2013 is going to be the year of going BIG. To start it off, I’m implementing Junk-Free January. For me, this means being diligent about following my nutrition plan, eliminating the processed foods, and staying off the sauce. (I’ll miss you, red wine.)

I’ll also be placing more emphasis on being present during my workouts. I want to maximize my time in the gym by giving my all and making sure my form is on point.

My second figure competition will take place at the end of March, and I hope to do a few more throughout the year. Focus and discipline will be the name of the game.

As luck would have it, I received an opportunity through the FitFluential Ambassador program to review the FT4 Heart Rate Monitor by Polar USA.

I’ve never worn a heart monitor (HRM) before. All I really knew of them was my dad used to wear this plastic thing around his chest while on the treadmill. (He was drinking protein shakes and preaching about “bad” carbs before it was “cool”… in fact, we called him “weird.” LOL!)

Honestly, I didn’t think HRMs were relevant to me because I lift weights. HRMs are for runners… aren’t they? Wrong.

The FT4 consists of 2 pieces – the watch and a strap (a WearLink transmitter). I wondered if the strap would bother me while working out, but I honestly forgot the soft band was there. The five buttons on the wrist watch are easy to navigate.. Being the ~~man~~ stubborn person I am, I set the watch up without consulting the directions.

As someone who ~~obsessively~~ tracks what goes in my body in effort to gain muscle weight efficiently, the Smart Calorie feature is my favorite. It tells you how many calories you are burning in real-time throughout your workout. Seeing that against my heart rate “zone” was extremely helpful. ~~I geeked out.~~

We all know that knowing your heart rate during exercise is the only truly accurate way of measuring effort exerted. Logically I know that weight training burns calories, but as a former runner I still have a problem getting out of the “cardio is the only way to burn a lot” mentality. I burned 369 calories during a back and tricep workout! I reset the watch to checked out the afterburn. Again, I was shocked. In the hour following my weight session, I burned another 150 calories.

My FT4 is going to be invaluable this competition season! The information I’ve gain has shown me I was not eating enough calories in my post-workout refuel. Now that I know how much I am burning of, I’ve added another 100 calories to my post-workout snack.

I made my traditional non-traditional smoothie, but amped up the toppings. This is a chocolate version (use chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla) of my zucchini bread smoothie. I added oats and edamame to the top to bulk it up. Strange… but good.

We all know life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. There are a couple of things I don’t like about the FT4:

If you want to record your data online, you have to buy the data transmitter separately
The app only works with the iPhone 4S and 5 (I have the 4)
Mine is pink… but there are other colors available… I’m not complaining or ungrateful. This tool rocks… I just don’t like pink. 😉

Want one of your own?

The Polar FT40 retails for $89.99., and h.h. gregg has given me a $100 gift card to pass along to one of you! you may use the $100 toward anything (though I do recommend the Polar FT4).

Receive up to 4 entries by:

Follow h.h. gregg on Twitter
Tweet: You could say something like: I entered to win a $100 @hhgregg gift certificate in the @sprint2thetable #giveaway http://wp.me/p16jDn-1T6
Be Social: Facebook Follow Me, Pinterest Follow Me and/or Pin Something of Mine, Twitter Follow Me
Comment: Have you ever used a HRM? What did you think?

Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, January 3rd. The winner will be announced on Friday, January 4th.

Another way to win…

Check out h.h. gregg’s Facebook page or click here for their website get more info on their “Get Healthy and Win Big” promotion. It runs from 12/31 until 1/7. Every day there are giveaways for items such as Polar HRMs, ellipticals, and treadmills!

They also made a cute little turkey on a treadmill promo video. It’s actually pretty cute! #BeTheTurkey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KJG5Dot_5k

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I was provided with the Polar FT40 through my FitFluential Ambassadorship. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are honest and my own; I’m happy to answer any specific questions about my experience!

What are your resolutions/goals this year?

Does anyone want to join me in a Junk-Free January? I need all the support I can get!