Hi Friends!
It finally feels like Fall is here. The weather is cool. The leaves are changing. The days are getting noticeably shorter.
The good news is, I love Fall. And I love Fall foods.
So just in case you need a little Fall kitchen inspiration, here are some recipes you should try!
Cranberry Sweet Potato Cottage Cheese Muffins
Ginger Oatmeal Cookies w/ Cranberries & Reeses
Sweet Potato Quinoa Black Bean Burgers
Crockpot Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin Steelcut Oats
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Hi Friends!
As promised in my FNCE 2013 Recap, I’m going to recap a few of the sessions I attended at FNCE for you guys. I’ll try to do one every Saturday for the next few weeks! There was tons of valuable info shared and I think all of you should benefit from it as well! I realize you’re not all RDs but much of the info could be applied to various jobs or just to life in general. I took notes and tweeted a lot during the sessions so I’ll do my best to recap what all the wonderful speakers said.
So here we go:
Beyond Traditional Dietetics: Turning Your RD into Real $$$
Speakers: Leah McGrath, RD, LDN & Susan Mitchell, PhD, RD, LDN, FADA
More and more RDs are going beyond their standard education to gain experience in these areas. But how can we develop these skills?
Here are some skill specific suggestions:
Skill #1: Improve Writing Skills
Skill #2: Social Media Skills
Skill #3: Media Skills
Skill #4: Public Speaking
Top takeaways:
Let’s chat:
Do you struggle in any of these areas? What are you doing to make yourself better?
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Hi Friends!
It’s been a few week since we had a fitness friday so I thought we’d play catchup today! Here are some of the workouts I’ve been doing lately:
1. Holy legs. Squat cleans killed me. 5+15 Rx+ (used a 24″ box) plus a 40 inch box jump PR before the wod
2. Sunday funday! 19:15 for the first wod with 53# kb swings and ttb instead of hspu. 95# snatch PR! 8:56 for the second wod
3. Warmup: 2 x 500m row (sub 2 min) 4 x 250m row (sub 1 min) – last one was my fastest!
4. Strength day
1. Last open wod redo. In march I got thru 26 reps with my hands in reverse grip for the ctb pull ups. This time I got 46 reps and all my pull ups were forward grip!
2. Squat cleans and a triple wod – 6+5, 5+5, 5+5
3. Not my favorite. 13:53 with burpees instead of hspu
4. Set your rower to 500m intervals w/ 3 min rest. Row, then do 15 pushups & 20 weighted lunges during the rest period…rest remainder of 3 min. Complete 4 times. Rowing interval split has to improve or stay the same each time or you repeat the round.
1. This is how we do Sunday Funday crossfit style. Wod 1- got thru all but the pullups of round 3, Wod 2- 3:21, Wod 3- 13:41
2. Cut 4+ minutes off my Angie time. I think I did my pullups about 5 minutes faster than last time. Now I just gotta work on those pushups! 22:17 Rx
3. Seriously terrible #wod today. 26:58 Rx
4. PR’d my grace time at the beginning of this (4:30)!! then it went downhill from there. 22:16 Rx
1. 4×5 front squats (105,115,125,135) then 5+15 for the wod
2. Tabata sprints, then two 5 min amraps – 6 rounds for wod 1, 43 reps for wod 2
In other news:
I’m competing in my second crossfit competition tomorrow! It’s at a local box (actually the one I worked out at for a while when mine was closed). This one is a little different than my first one. While that one included some running, dumbbells, etc…this one is more focused on lifting heavy weights. It’s also a partner competition. I’m competing with my coach and it should be a lot of fun! There are a lot of ascending weight wods…meaning the weight gets heavier as the workout goes on, which is always a challenge!
I’ll let you guys know how it goes!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Hi Friends!
As promised, I’m back to recap my trip to the 2013 Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo that was held in Houston, Texas this year! I went to FNCE for the first time last year with most of my fellow interns and I loved it so much I immediately knew I wanted to go again this year. My experience this year was very different from last. For me, it was a great reminder of how far I’ve come in the world of nutrition & dietetics in just one year.
As I walked around the convention center this year, it seemed like every time I turned around, I saw someone I knew! I’ve met some amazing RDs over the past year but I don’t think I every really stopped to think about just how many of them are now a part of both my personal and professional life. It was wonderful to chat and catch up with people I’ve gotten to know both online and in person. There are so many dietitians out there doing such incredible things that it’s almost impossible not to walk away from this conference feeling excited and inspired!
Because of my blog, I was able to apply for a media pass this year and attend for free! Approval for a press pass covers the cost of your registration, which is awesome. It also gets you into the press room where there are all kinds of great books and press kits for you to take home. Added bonus- there’s never a line at the coffee pot. This is a big deal as I’m not sure I ever saw less than 25 people in line at the convention center coffee place the entire weekend!
So, let’s recap, shall we?
I left Columbus around lunchtime on Saturday. After a flight delay that resulted in me missing my connection in Dallas, I arrived in Houston around 5:30pm and took a cab to my hotel. I met up with my roomies Kristina & Kristen and we headed down to the hotel happy hour. The three of us know each other thanks to the world of blogs and social media but had never met in person. Turns out they’re even more wonderful in real life than they are on their blogs and we had a blast together!
Around 7pm we headed to dinner where we met up with Regan, Kelly, Min, Nicole, Laura, Gretchen & Serena.
Many of us are involved in helping with Healthy Aperture & participate in Recipe Redux so it was awesome to be able to put names faces with names!
Sunday morning we were up early for Day 1! I headed over early because I hadn’t been able to check in the night before, got my press pass and headed to my first session: Beyond Traditional Dietetics: Turning Your RD into Real Dollars. The speakers, Leah McGrath & Dr. Susan Mitchell did a great job.
After a short break, I headed to my second session: The Power of Visual Food Storytelling to Promote Healthier Eating. This session, presented by Regan Jones & Holley Grainer, was also fabulous!
After session #2, I met up with Elle, Kristen, Kristina & Allie for lunch at the local market and then it was time for the Expo!
Turns out we weren’t allowed to take photos on the Expo floor. I didn’t know that the first day so I snapped a few of some of my favorite products and no one said anything, but after I learned about the rule, I didn’t take any the following days.
Some of my favorites from the expo:
Blendtec Blender – You guys, this blender is AMAZING. Kristina and I spent a good 30 minutes at this booth. It has dull blades so you don’t cut yourself. It can make nut butter in 36 seconds. It can make flour out of things like almonds, rice, etc. And get this…it can make frozen yogurt!!! I am so in love. WANT one!!! One model even has a touch screen display!
Zing Bars– They were created by RDs and this new Dark Chocolate Sunflower Mint bar tastes just like a Thin Mint! Soooo good.
Eat Well, Enjoy Life Hummus – I loved this! They make low fat hummus that uses Greek Yogurt and also have a whole line of “other bean” hummus with some great flavors!
Food Should Taste Good – I already knew about this company and love them…but they have a newer version of their sweet potato chips that are actual slices of sweet potato instead of chips make with sweet potato puree and I loved them!
Manitoba Harvest Hemp – I found them at FNCE last year. Hemp hearts are great on salads, in yogurt, etc and they also have lots of different hemp protein powders, many of which are made from just one ingredient (hemp) which I love!
Alvarado Street Bakery – A fun bread company that makes bread using all kinds of sprouted grains…and uses all GMO-free ingredients!
360 Cookware – Neat pots and pans that cook foods and lower temperatures without added water or fats!
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There were also tons of great boards and commissions there promoting nutritious, whole foods (which I loved) including
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Even after several hours at the expo, I still only made it about 1/2 way through…but my bag was full of samples and getting extremely heavy so I headed into another session (On the Shoulders of Giants), charged up my phone and headed to a happy hour even with Food & Nutrition Magazine.
I was invited to this happy hour since I blog for Stone Soup, the magazine’s blog! They had drinks, appetizers and lots of fun props for pictures!
I hung out with these lovely ladies- Kristina, Elle & Anne (who came in Sunday afternoon!). After happy hour, we stayed at the restaurant where we were joined by Kylie for dinner!
Monday morning we headed back to the convention center for day 2! The first session I went to was amazing. It was called How Consumers Decide What to Eat: Strategies for Making Healthy Choices and the speakers were Dr. Jim Painter and Liz Ward. Dr Painter was HILARIOUS and had the whole crowd engaged and laughing, even at 8am. Liz’s portion was great as well- very informative.
Next, I met Regan and we went to a media briefing where Rachel Begun was speaking about The Gluten-Free trend: Past, Present & Future. It was really interesting and Rachel was extremely knowledgeable and a great speaker. You have to have a press pass to be able to attend media briefings so it was cool that I got to go!
Afterwards, I headed back to the expo to cover the second half of it. There are so many samples and snacks available that I didn’t even have to go to lunch!
Later in the afternoon I attended another session called Moving From Traditional RD to Thriving Entrepreneur. Then I met up with my roomies and we rested for a bit, recharged our phones and then headed to another round of happy hours.
I went to a happy hour for one of the agencies I work with, where I finally got to meet Carissa in person! After popping into the happy hour for another fabulous PR agency, I headed out to dinner! I love FNCE because there are SO many amazing opportunities to network!
We had a great dinner at Reef. The chef was on The Next Iron Chef and he even came out to chat with us and take a picture!
Tuesday morning we were up and ready for our final day in Houston. FNCE is fabulous…but it’s full of long, busy days…lots of walking and not a lot of sleep. By Tuesday, pretty much everyone is exhausted. I attended a couple of sessions, including Ask, Anchor & Close: Negotiating Your True Market Value. Then, I made one final pass around the expo before I had to be at the Hass Avocado booth at 11:15. Why, you ask?
Remember when I asked you guys to vote for my Peanut Butter Avocado Cookies?
Well guess what?! I made it to the top 3 in the contest out of 66 entries. That means that Hass Avocados paid for my trip to FNCE (as well as the other two finalists). I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone that I was even a finalist (or I would have thanked you guys sooner!!)
They told us they would announce the grand prize winner at FNCE on Tuesday! And guess what?! I won!!!!
The other two finalists made a dip and a keylime cupcake! Both looked delicious and Molly & Katya were both wonderful. We each got to speak briefly about our recipes and why we love avocados and also heard from two of the founding members of the new Avocado Goodness community, which is coming soon! My grand prize was $1,000 and I just want to say thanks again to every single person who took the time to vote! It means so much to me and I couldn’t have done it without you guys!!!!
Hass Avocados was also raffling off a new digital camera and I got to pick the winning ticket!
What a fabulous end to an amazing few days, right? I headed back to the hotel, grabbed my bags and took a cab to the airport. After another delayed flight and another missed connection, I finally made it home around 11pm.
All my swag made it too! Last year I went a little crazy at the expo so this year I tried to stick with stuff I knew I would eat. Lots of nuts, seeds and dried fruit. The boys thoroughly checked it out!
That’s all for today, friends! I plan on recapping a few of the sessions I enjoyed most so I can share some of the take-away points with you guys! Stay tuned 🙂
EDITED TO ADD:
Below are the links to my session recaps:
FNCE Session Recap: Beyond Traditional Dietetics
FNCE Session Recap: The Power of Visual Food Storytelling To Promote Healthy Eating
FNCE Session Recap: How Consumers Decide What To Eat- Strategies for Making Healthy Choices
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Hi Friends!
Since I’m finishing up my last day at FNCE today, I thought it would be fun to introduce you to a couple of RDs that you may not know! I “met” Mandy & Beth in the blog world several months ago and have fallen in love with their blog! They have a wellness philosophy that I absolutely adore and they’re here to share it with you guys today!
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We, a.k.a. Dietitian Duo, couldn’t be more excited to guest post for Lindsay and share 5-to-Thrive, our guiding wellness philosophy, with you! The 5-to-Thrive approach offers practical strategies and inspiration to help you achieve balanced physical, mental and emotional health, leading you down the path towards a healthier and happier lifestyle, forgiving when you falter and rewarding when you succeed. The first step is right at your fingertips. Take it and see if approaching change with positivity results in a better outcome than you’ve ever experienced before. You can do it; you can Thrive.
Eat the foods you love without deprivation or guilt. Get over the “good food-bad food” war and give yourself unconditional permission to eat (and enjoy it too!)
Nourish Example Goal: I will plan my meals for the week every Sunday, including a variety of foods that nourish my body.
Committ to move more every day. Be true to your exercise personality with activities that energize your mind and body and bring you joy. Plan workouts in advance and make no excuses in order to accomplish your goals
Move Example Goal: I will walk over my lunch break 3 times per week for 20 minutes.
Approach change with a positive “I can and I will” attitude. Set realistic goals that jive with your values, interests and daily schedule. Surround yourself with positive people that love, support and encourage you.
Connect Example: I will schedule 1 lunch date a month with my best friend.
Make time to relax, renew and rejuvenate by getting an ample amount of sleep and honoring your body with TLC every day. Ditch negative self-talk and, instead, embrace your genetic blueprint with love and acceptance.
Love Example Goal: I will meditate for 15 minutes each night before bed.
Expel stress and negativity with each exhale and draw in positive energy with each inhale. Be present in the moment instead of consantly dwelling on the past or pondering the future. Soothe emotions with strategies that don’t involve food to free yourself from the cycle of emotional eating.
Breathe Example Goal: I will eat in peace at the table and not in front of the T.V.
Download our free 5-to-Thrive resources to get started and keep yourself on track. If you have an idea for a new resource, let us know!
Healthfully yours,
Beth and Mandy
About the Duo
Mandy Rother and Beth Stark are approaching their one-year anniversary as the Dietitian Duo bloggers. This relatable pair believes in working hard, playing hard and Keepin’ it Real. They are passionate about eating and living well, but get that sometimes work, life and a jam-packed social calendar gets in the way. Recognizing that lifestyle change isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” deal, the Duo coaches their readers and clients on making practical and realistic changes centered on nutritious and delicious foods, regular activity, stress management, self-love and positivity.
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Pretty cool, right?! I love their approach to healthy living.
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Hi Friends!
We got our pictures back from our five year anniversary photo shoot last month. I just HAD to share some of my favorites. I love them all. Our friend Jessica did an amazing job!
Happy Saturday!
–Lindsay–
Hi Friends!
As you know, I was in Cleveland for the past few days with the American Dairy Association Mideast and the Ohio Dairy Farmers. Myself, along with 8 other bloggers met up for an extraordin-DAIRY adventure…and it was tons of fun!
I left Columbus around lunchtime on Monday. The weather was perfect and it’s an easy drive up to Cleveland…took me about 2 hours. The leaves are changing, which made for a gorgeous ride. I arrived around 2:45 and checked into my room at The Hyatt- at the Arcade in downtown Cleveland. Suh-weeeeet hotel.
At 4pm, I met up with the rest of the bloggers, along with our hostesses from ADA Mideast. In case you’re wondering, the other bloggers on this trip were amazing. I didn’t read too many of their blogs before this trip…but let me tell you, there were some SERIOUS food bloggers on this trip. You must check out their blogs (prepare to DROOL!) :
We hopped on our awesome bus and headed North to Lake Erie for a wine & cheese tasting and dinner at Lakehouse Inn & Winery. Our bus had couches, tvs, a bathroom…so fancy!
When we arrived at the winery, we headed down to check out Lake Erie…so pretty:
Then we got started with the tasting. We were joined by Marianne Frantz, founder and president of American Wine School and she taught us all about pairing different cheese with different wines. We got to try tons of wines and cheeses made right here in Ohio.
Here were some of our pairings. The brie from Mayfield Road Cremery was UNBELIEVABLE and the cheddar from Middlefield Original Cheese was another favorite of mine:
The actual winemaker from Lakehouse Winery showed up as well so it was awesome to hear him speak about some of the wines he made. Look, he’s even on one of their bags of wine!
Afterwards, we were treated to dinner at the winery restaurant called Crosswinds Grille. The chef, Nate Fagnilli, is famous in Cleveland for his involvement in the local foods movement. At his restaurant, he uses tons of locally sourced ingredients, which I loved!
The salad had local blue cheese and local eggs. The main course was homemade whole wheat pasta with local, organic chicken, locally grown broccoli and a light cream sauce made with local cream. Dessert was chocolate cake with homemade maple ice cream and a berry sauce. So. Good.
We even caught the sunset over the lake:
Tuesday morning we were up bright and early, on our way by 6am so that we could arrive at our first dairy farm by 7am. Richman Farms is a 4th generation family farm with about 80 cows. We got to visit the milking parlor to see how they milk the cows.
We met Jill, the cow on top…she was sassy. She would flip the hose near her head at us because she wanted us to feed her! We learned all about the three different kinds of cows they had on the farm, how they’re milked, what they do to clean the udders before milking and what they do after milking to help avoid infection. They explained how the milk is collected and stored until it’s picked up. They test the milk to make sure no antibiotics are found in the milk and make sure to keep it at safe temperatures. We also learned that bony hips and visible ribs are signs of healthy dairy cows- they don’t indicate that the cows are sick or underfed. Maggie, the farm dog, enjoyed running around and licking up all the extra milk!
Here’s a really good video that Bill, one of the farmers we met while we were there, made about the milking process:
That’s the same milking parlor we were in.
After they’re milked, they’re released back into the barn to eat. We learned about everything the farmers do to keep the cows comfortable including soft bedding, heated floors, lots of rubber instead of concrete flooring, special food formulated to meet their nutrition needs, fans and sprinklers to keep them cool in the summer, etc. These are some happy cows…and SO curious! They wanted to know all about what we were doing in their barn!
And they love to eat!
Up next, Cheese! We headed to Pearl Valley Cheese to get a tour of a cheese plant!
It was really interesting to hear and see more about how cheese is made. They’re known for their Swiss cheese. What you see floating in the top pic above are 200 pound blocks of swiss cheese. We also saw curds and whey being separated and special mixing machines that are stirring the cheese, forcing the excess liquid out before it’s pressed into molds. Pearl Valley does a great job of using almost all parts of the milk that is brought to them. Some of the non-used liquid is turned into energy, floor scraps are fed to the farm animals, etc! Afterwards we got to shop at the Pearl Valley Market. They were kind enough to give us each a $20 giftcard to bring some cheese home with us. The prices were so cheap that we got A LOT of cheese! And I spent $19.82…fully maximizing my giftcard!
Up next? Lunch! We headed to the home of a local Amish family for a home-cooked meal! The family built a large barn for their daughter’s wedding this year and they now cook lunches and dinners for different groups! The farm was beautiful and the food was delicious! Homemade bread that was still warm = heaven 🙂
After lunch it was on to another dairy farm. The second farm we visited, Andreas Dairy Farm, was much larger (with about 1200 dairy cows) but still 6th generation family owned. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between the large and small farm. In both places, the farms were very clean, many precautions were taken to ensure the safety of the milk and the cows were well cared for.
We learned about how they deal with the manure, store it, put it back into their fields and also sell it to be used in compost. We also visited the labor barn. This farm typically has 4 new calves born every day and there were about 20 cows in labor while we were there, due to give birth within the next 48 hours. The highlight of the day was getting to feed the baby calves. We each got to feed a giant bottle to a calf that was just one day old. SO adorable!!
Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel. We had about an hour to shower away the farm smell and get ready for dinner. We hopped back on the bus and headed to dinner in a suite at the Cleveland Browns stadium!
We had a very special dinner guest- Joe Thomas, tackle for the Browns! I will be honest and tell you that I had no idea who Joe was before this trip. However, I’m now his new biggest fan. He’s been to the Pro Bowl five times and in 2010 he received the Walter Peyton Man of the Year award, which is the NFL’s only recognition for off-the-field accomplishments and contributions to the community. Joe is very active in the Fuel Up to Play 60 movement and it was awesome to see how passionate he is about teaching kids the importance of eating a healthy breakfast each day, enjoying healthy snacks and being active!
I’m 5’11 and he made me look short! His wife Annie also joined us. She played basketball for University of Wisconsin and Joe played football there. He was drafted by the Browns in 2007 (their best draft pick in 15 years, according to one of my diehard Browns fan friends!) and has been playing there for 7 years! Joe and his wife have an 8 month old daughter named Logan and it was fun to chat with them about her over dinner. We also got a signed football!
For dinner, we enjoyed a menu inspired by Chef Michael Simon!
Wednesday morning we were up early again, but this time we were off to school! We visited the Clara E. Westeropp School and had a chance to eat breakfast with some of the students. Westropp has a pretty high breakfast participation rate and it was fun to talk to the kids about what they liked and didn’t like. We heard from the school principal about Fuel Up to Play 60 and their partnership with the ADA mideast has helped make some healthy, positive changes in their school. The Browns selected this school for a playground renovation and ADA Mideast contributed as well with a cafeteria makeover.
Next, we headed to the Westside Market. It’s Cleveland’s oldest publicly owned market and it was awesome. So many vendors! We had a chance to do a little shopping and I bought some bread and some spicy jerky for the hubby.
Finally, we headed across the street to Crop Bistro for lunch. We actually got to eat inside a giant vault in the basement of the building.
We heard from Steve Schimoler, the owner, about his journey. He’s done a lot of product development for Cabot Creamery and made some brilliant food discoveries that he has sold to various companies. He uses his restaurant as a testing facility for all the various things he comes up with so that they can then be produced on a larger scale. Pretty cool stuff.
While we were at the market, we each got to pick out a type of cheese and we brought them to the restaurant where they sliced them up for us so we could try them all. During lunch we heard a little nutrition presentation.
We got one final surprise, a little cookbook that our hosts put together for us with one dairy-inspired recipe from each blogger on the trip! So fun!
Around 1:30pm, we headed back to the hotel to grab our things and head home! It was a whirlwind 48 hours but I had a great time and learned a lot. Huge thanks to ADA Mideast and Ohio Dairy Farmers for being such wonderful hosts and putting the whole trip together!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
This trip was paid for by ADA Mideast. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This Spicy Sausage Lentil and Kale Soup is protein-packed and full of vegetables. Make a batch to enjoy for dinner or pack it for lunch all week!
*Photo updated 9/2016*
Hi Friends!
I have a soup recipe to share with you today. The title is a bit misleading because I actually didn’t use spicy sausage, I just made the soup spicy. However, you could use spicy sausage if you wanted to!
This soup isn’t much to look at…but it tastes great! I made this at the request of Katie, who asked me a few weeks ago to come up with a recipe for sausage & lentil soup! I love making my readers happy, so I got to work. I made my version extra spicy & hubby and I both loved it! You can easily sub spinach for kale if you’d like!
Here’s the recipe:
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
This Lemon Avocado Salad Dressing is light and flavorful and an easy way to add some healthy fats to your salad.
Hi Friends!
I know it’s Bean Bytes day but I just had to pop in again and share a quick recipe with you guys in honor of a very special lady! Thanks to some wonderful blogger organizers, we’re having a little virtual baby shower for Liz at The Lemon Bowl. If you haven’t checked out her blog, go do so immediately. She posts some amazing recipes!
Today we’re celebrating Liz by putting together a little recipe roundup… and LEMON is the star ingredient!
I opted to make a salad dressing. You guys know I LOVE avocado on my salad. Usually I just chop it up and put it on top, but sometimes it’s nice to spread the wealth a little bit and give every piece of lettuce a little avocado flavor! Since lemon and avocado naturally go together, it didn’t take long to come up with this recipe.
I enjoyed mine on a salad topped with a salmon cake!
Want more lemon? Check out what the other fabulous bloggers made for the shower:
[Tweet “This Lemon Avocado Salad Dressing from @leangrnbeanblog is the perfect way to step up any salad!”]
Salad dressings can easily be made ahead of time during a food prep session to have on hand to make salads more exciting during the week. If you liked this post, you’ll love my ebook – The Ultimate Guide To Food Prep. It dives into even more detail about how to food prep, troubleshoots common problems and provides tons of tips to make it easier! Click the image below for more details!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Hi Friends!
I have a little treat for you today!
*Edited 1/2015: I can’t stop making these little guys! I always try to have a stash in the freezer for when a chocolate craving hits. Since I make them so often, I took some updated pictures for you guys to show you how pretty they really are!
These little guys are so delicious. I’ve been eating them for dessert for the past couple of weeks. They have to be stored in the freezer because they’re made with coconut oil and they start to melt pretty quickly at room temperature.
To make them even tastier, I’ve packed them full of delicious add-ins like almonds, pistachios, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and Craisins!
So here’s how you make them:
Pretty simple, right? The first time I made these I just mixed the nuts, seeds and fruit into the mixture and then scooped into the muffin tins. The second time, I wanted them to look prettier so I added the nuts and seeds on top. Either way is fine!
These are totally customizable. Use your favorite nuts, seeds and dried fruit to make them your own.
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to every single person out there who has ever made one of my recipes! You guys are what makes blogging worthwhile and I absolutely LOVE seeing you recreate my recipes AND enjoy them!! Keep sharing!
Thanks for helping spread the message that healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring! You guys rock!!!
xoxo,
Lindsay
Hi Friends!
Whelp, somehow it’s been almost a month since we talked fitness and boy do we have a lot to talk about. First I’ll recap some of my wods from the past month…and then at the end we’ll talk a little bit about progress! Soooo, let’s go way back to the beginning of September and recap shall we?
1. Saturday morning partner WOD
2. Sunday morning WOD – 8 rounds completed!
3. 40 squats, then 5:32 with 85# for the snatches
4. Saturday morning partner WOD – 4 min of tabata, then 27:47 for parts B & C
Getting better at snatches!
1. A new deadlift PR! 230# plus 5+7 for the wod
2. This wod is called – Lindsay in her element! Crushed it! 7:22 rx
3. We redid open #wod 13.2- in march I got 230 reps. Today I finished 266!
4. Holy effing shoulders! 17:25 Rx plus dead lifts, snatch balance and box squats
1. Lots of clean & jerks at 115#, then 9:32 Rx for the wod
2. Team training – wod 1- 6:05 w/ banded ring dips, wod 2- 9:02 w/ hand release pushups instead of hspu bc my neck is bothering me, then 14:27 for the team wod.
3. Redid open #wod 13.4- in March I got 25 reps. Today i got thru 63 reps!
4. PR’d my Nancy time my 90 seconds! 13:39
1. Harder than it looks! First time using a 53# kb! 7:21 with a 53# kettlebell
2. PR’d my overhead squat before class – 115 x 2! Then a shitload of snatches…then 6 + 12 for the wod
3. 2×400, 3×300, 3×200 sprints, then 11:32 for the wod
4. Redid open wod 13.3 – in march I finished the wall balls in 8:11 and got thru 56 double unders. Today I PR’d my Karen time- 7:43 and finished all my double unders with 2:29 left!
Lots of walk with the dogs!
Then & Now
I just want to take a second to chat about progress. If you were reading carefully, you may have noticed I mentioned that we’ve been redoing the Open WOD. If you’ve been reading long enough, you’ll remember way back in March when The Crossfit Open started there were 5 weeks of workouts and you complete them with a judge to count your reps/record your times…then the people from all over the world with the best times in the open qualify for regionals. Since it’s been about 6 months since we did the workouts, our box is going back through and doing the exact same workouts again to track our progress.
Just for fun, I went back to my previous Fitness Friday posts to see what I wrote about the workouts right after I did them. I’ll share what I wrote back in March, and then how I felt in September after the redo:
Open 13.1
March: My goal was to get through the first 40 burpees, the 30 snatches at 45 pounds, the next 30 burpees and then to at least get a few snatches at 75#. I knew that would be a PR for me. The most I’d ever snatched was 60#. I got through the first set of burpees, the first set of snatches and then second set of burpees. Then we had to change our own weight. By the time I got the bar set up for the 75# snatches, we were 11 minutes into the workout. That meant I had six minutes left to get as many snatches as I could. In those six minutes I got 7 snatches at 75#. I also had about 20 failed reps. My form wasn’t pretty, but I’m proud of the ones I got!
September: Repeated #crossfit open 13.1- five months ago I got 107 reps and spent 11 minutes struggling to get 7 snatches at 75#. Today I finished all 30 reps at 75# + 20 more burpees with 1:45 left in the workout! 150 total reps! Now I just gotta work on that 100# snatch!
Progress: Then I could barely snatch 60 pounds. Now I can do 30 snatches in a row at 85 pounds.
Open 13.2
March: My goal was 210 reps (7 full rounds). I got 230 reps! I was proud of myself. I really struggled with the very last shoulder to overhead I did and had to try 3 times to get it up, which cost me time…otherwise I think I could have finished that 8th round. I also hit myself in the teeth with the bar as I was moving from shoulder to overhead to deadlift. It hurt like crazy and I spent most of the workout hoping I didn’t chip a tooth!
September: We redid open #wod 13.2- in march I got 230 reps. Today I finished 266!
Progress: Then I struggled to get 75# over my head. Now I can get 125# over my head and 75# feels LIGHT!
Open 13.3
March: My goal was to finish the double unders. I’m pretty good at double unders, but I’m not good at them when I’m gasping for breath after doing 150 wall balls. So I got through all the wall balls and 56 of the 90 double unders for a total score of 206 reps. This workout was BRUTAL.
September: Redid open wod 13.3 – in march I finished the wall balls in 8:11 and got thru 56 double unders. Today I PR’d my Karen time- 7:43 and finished all my double unders with 2:29 left!
Progress: I remember this workout completely destroyed me back in March. I was gasping for breath…I couldn’t get my legs to move…it was miserable. I left thinking “I want to die.” Now, I finished my wallballs almost 30 seconds faster (even after a heavy leg day the day before) AND I easily finished all my double unders. I left thinking “well that wasn’t so bad”. Still working on getting a muscleup though!
Open WOD 13.4
March: First of all…anyone that does crossfit with me knows how much i hate toes to bar. I can do them, I just can’t string them together. And a 95# clean and jerk is 20# more than i’ve ever put over my head…so I knew that’d be tough. My goal going in was 20 reps. I was able to do 25! I got through 7 of the clean and jerks out of the set of 9 and then it just got too heavy and I could clean it but I couldn’t push it up over my head anymore. I knew this one would be tough for me though so I was happy with my 25!
September: BOOM! Redid open #wod 13.4- in March I got 25 reps. Today I got thru 63 reps!
Progress: Then 75# was a lot of weight for me to put over my head. Now, I regularly use 95# in workouts. I still am not great at stringing TTB together but I’ve gotten better! Felt so good about this workout after redoing it.
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Open WOD 13.5 is the last one we have to redo and we’ll be tackling it next week so I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes!
Although I’m pretty proud of myself, I’m not sharing these comparisons with you guys to brag. I’m sharing because I want to show you guys that if you stick with something, work hard, push yourself and believe in yourself, you WILL improve. You’ll get better at your weaknesses, you’ll get stronger, you’ll get more efficient…and there’s no better feeling than crushing a workout you previously struggled with!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Hi Friends!
Here’s your first pumpkin treat of the year. While hubby was out of town for a few days this week, I spent several nights playing around in the kitchen. These balls were an experiment gone totally right.
They taste just like pumpkin pie!
The only thing you need to know about these is that they’re a bit softer than your typical energy balls. They’re much softer than the ones I made with just dates, almonds and peanut butter…but I think it works out well for them because it makes them taste even more like the middle of a pumpkin pie, which is soft! Also, you store these in the freezer and they firm up, but don’t get super hard so you can eat them right after you take them out…no need to let them thaw out at all!
Pretty simple right? You can also store these in the fridge…I just prefer the freezer.
Play around with the ingredient quantities until you find a combo you love!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Hi Friends!
I made you some muffins.
But first, let’s have a little chat about cranberries shall we?
*This post is sponsored by The Cranberry Institute*
Fresh cranberries are far and away one of my favorite parts of fall. I’m one of those crazy ladies that stocks up when they go on sale for $1 a bag and I’m not afraid to buy 10 bags to keep in my freezer and use throughout the year!
Cranberries are super versatile. I use them in both savory and sweet dishes.
PLUS they have tons of health benefits. Here are a few:
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If you’re not a fan of fresh cranberries, have no fear! Dried cranberries are another great option. Here’s why:
*Note, you can also look for reduced sugar dried cranberries which is what I buy!
So, now that you know a little bit more about how amazing cranberries are for you….let’s move on to how you should use them!
Here’s an easy way to incorporate fresh cranberries into diet as a grab & go breakfast or snacks:
Like I mentioned in the notes above, I make these using all white whole wheat flour and replace some of the butter with applesauce.
These muffins are also easily customizable. I used lemon zest instead of orange zest and almonds instead of pecans.
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
PS. It’s this guy’s birthday today 🙂
Happy birthday hubby! I love you!!
Sources:
2. Howell A. Cranberry Proanthocyanidins and the Maintenance of Urinary Tract Health. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2002; 42(S): 273-278. 3. Gupta K, Chou M, Howell A, Wobbe C, Grady R, Stapleton A. Cranberry products inhibit adherence of p-fimbriated Escherichia coli to primary cultured bladder and vaginal epithelial cells. J Urol 2007; 177(6): 2357-2360 8. Foxman B, Barlow R, D’Arcy H, Gillespie B, Sobel JD. Urinary tract infection: self-reported incidence and associated costs. Ann Epidemiol 2000 Nov; 10(8): 509-15. 15. McKay DL, Blumbery JB. Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors. Nutrition Reviews 2007; 65: 490-502. 16. Shabrova EV., et al. Insights into the molecular mechanisms of the anti-atherogenic actions of flavonoids in normal and obese mice. PLoS One 2011;6(10):e24634. 22. Kivimaki AS, et al. Lingonberry, cranberry and blackcurrent juices affect mRNA expressions of inflammatory and atherothrombotic markers of SHR in a long-term treatment. J Funct Food 2012; 4:496-503. 27. Kim KK, et al. Anti-angiogenic activity of cranberry proanthocyanidins and cytotoxic properties in ovarian cancer cells. Int J Oncol 2012;40(1):227-235. 28. Vu KD, et al. Effect of different cranberry extracts and juices during cranberry juice processing on the antiproliferative activity against two colon cancer cell lines. Food Chem 2012; 132(2):959-967.Five years ago today:
To my hubby:
I’ve enjoyed every second of the last 5 years.
There’s no one I’d rather have by my side!
Happy anniversary.
I love you!
–Lindsay–
PS. We had a friend take some 5 year anniversary pictures for us. Here’s a sneak peek. Yes, that’s the same cornfield as the one we took our wedding pics in 🙂
This easy recipe for Dutch Oven Bread requires minimal effort and is basically foolproof. Enjoy homemade bread made with real, healthy ingredients and no processed junk.
**Photos updated April 2016**
Hi Friends!
I first shared this recipe over two years ago in a guest post. Last week I came to a few realizations:
So here it is. A super easy way to make an absolutely delicious loaf of bread. It requires almost no kneading and it’s pretty much foolproof!
Here’s the recipe:
In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, I love my Dutch oven 🙂
I’ve tried this recipe with all bread flour and it’s fantastic. I’ve tried it with 2 cups white whole wheat flour and 1 cup bread flour and it’s ok, but not great It doesn’t rise as much and it’s much denser. I personally think the best ratio is 2 cups bread flour and 1 cup white whole wheat flour.
Enjoy with some peanut butter or make yourself a sandwich!
Let’s chat:
Do you bake your own bread?!
Do you have a favorite recipe?
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Hi Friends!
I’ve got a new recipe to share with you today:
I created this recipe on behalf of the National Dairy Council. I’m working with them as part of a blog tour to help educate people (you guys!) about lactose intolerance. Because I’m slightly lactose intolerant myself, I always love the opportunity to help people gain a better understanding of what it means.
So what is lactose intolerance?
People can handle different amounts of lactose and dairy foods contain varying amounts of lactose. Some, like lactose-free dairy milk have had the lactose removed, and others, like certain cheeses (Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella and Swiss), low-fat or fat-free plain yogurt (including Greek-style varieties) and cottage cheese, are naturally lower in lactose.
I personally started having trouble digesting lactose my junior year of high school. Adults tend to produce less lactase than children, which is why some people can develop LI in adulthood. I noticed I was having abdominal pain, gas and bloating particularly after drinking a lot of milk and eating certain cheeses. After working with my doctor to determine what the issue was (they can perform a lactose tolerance test), I set about determining what worked for ME in terms of consuming dairy products.
The NDC has some tips to help you enjoy dairy again if you suffer from lactose intolerance:
LI is different for everyone and it’s a trial and error process to figure out what works for you. For me, it means not going overboard with milk (unless it’s lactose-free), not drinking milk by itself and limiting the amount of cheese I eat. I typically have no problem with Greek yogurt, eating one bowl of cereal or enjoying dishes with moderate amounts of Colby, cheddar or mozzarella cheese!
I love the #beyondLI campaign because it’s helping people with LI realize they can still get the nutritional benefits found in dairy products. I was asked to create a lactose-intolerance friendly recipe and decided to use Greek yogurt…since you all know how much I love it 🙂
This is a quick, simple dish with minimal ingredients that’s perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Pretty easy right? I made this expecting it to be pretty spicy and it wasn’t quite spicy enough for my taste…so next time I’ll up the spices.
Taste the yogurt mixture before adding it to the chicken and adjust seasonings as needed. You could also add additional spices to the mix! Try cumin, curry powder or chili powder for a different twist!
I served mined with roasted veggies and brown rice, but it was also be great on a salad or in a wrap!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
This post was sponsored by the National Dairy Council. The recipe and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Hi Friends!
Last week, Cori over at Olive to Run wrote an AMAZING post called What Would You Say. In it, she shared an activity that she did with her students and after reading the post I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. Here’s the activity:
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She shared photos of the statements her students wrote…as well as one of her own. Today I decided to share my 3 statements with you!
#1: Treat others like you want to be treated.
One of the most important things in life is to be polite and respect others. There’s nothing worse than working super hard on something and not being recognized or thanked. It seems like every single day, I’m astounded by how rude people are to each other. I’m not saying I’m perfect, but I do make a daily effort to use my manners and treat others like I would want them to treat me. I’ve found that if you smile first, you almost always get a smile in return. If you’re polite, most people are polite in return. I’ve also learned that’s not always the case. During those times, I try to remember that you never truly know what someone else is going through. Give out a few free passes. Excuse a few acts a rudeness and choose to believe that those people are not always that way. Before you judge someone for their actions, put yourself in their shoes…because you just never know.
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#2: Stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.
Figure out what you believe in and own it. Realize that it’s ok to have a different opinion than someone else, but it’s not ok to disrespect the opinions of others. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs….In fact, I think differences of opinion are healthy and make the world more interesting. Once you figure out what you believe in, stand up for those beliefs. If you don’t like something…figure out how to change it. Never give up on the things that make you smile.
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#3: Comparison is the thief of joy.
The easiest way to be disappointed in your own life is to compare it to the life of someone else. Every single person on this earth leads a different life. You may not have as much money as someone else…but that doesn’t mean you’re not as rich. You may not be able to give as much as others…but that doesn’t mean you’re not as generous. You may not have as many material possessions as someone else…but that doesn’t mean you’re not as lucky. Consider all aspects of your life and be grateful for the people who love you, your abilities and the things you have. Enjoy the little things in your life. Even if they seem small, you might some day look back and realize just how big and important they were in making your life wonderful.
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Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Hi Friends!
Let’s take a little kitchen tour today, shall we? There are A LOT of kitchen tools, gadgets and equipment out there. I thought it might be fun to roundup a few of the things in MY kitchen that I use most often and share them with you guys! Plus, I want to hear what YOUR favorites are!
My Top 10 Kitchen Gadgets
I’ll link to the ones that I have, but please know that I’m not getting paid to say any of this. Just sharing some gadgets I love that were either purchased with my own money or given to me as gifts by family and friends!
1. Cuisinart 11 cup food processor . Although I have an 11 cup, I personally think that a 9 cup would do just fine for most home cooks. I use mine to make nut butter and energy balls almost weekly. I use the shredding attachment to shred carrots, zucchini, apples, etc when I’m baking! So much easier than hand grating. I also have this mini-prep 4 cup food processor and I love it! It’s the perfect size when I just need to make a small batch of breadcrumbs or oat flour or something like that and don’t want to drag out the big one. I also use it to make hummus and banana froyo.
2. Le Creuset 5 1/2 Quart Round French Oven. The one I have is actually hunter green and I’m pretty much obsessed with it. I’ve only had mine for a year or so but I’ve been coveting them pretty much since childhood. Le Creuset is expensive…and I no matter how many times I looked at this, I could never bring myself to spend the money. Last Christmas, hubby surprised me with one! I use it all.the.time. It’s my go to for soups, stews and other stovetop dishes. I also bake bread in it! My opinion is that it’s definitely worth the money and will last forever if you take care of it. Quick tip: Before you buy one full price, check Marshall’s, Home Goods & TJ Maxx. They almost always have them on sale!
3. Kitchenaid 3-Speed Immersion Blender. I got this as a wedding present and I’ll be the first to admit I thought it was stupid. And even now, I don’t think I utilize it to its fullest potential..but I have come to love it. I mostly use this to puree soups and sauces. It’s so much easier than having to transfer it to a blender. However, it also comes with some awesome attachments, like a whisk…which you could use to beat egg whites and a chopper which can chop up nuts or graham crackers for a crust. Side note- Mine has a cord…but if you’re going to buy one…for the love- get a cordless one!
4. Misto Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer. One of my absolute favorite kitchen gadgets. I use this to spray my pans before baking and to mist olive oil onto my veggies before roasting. It’s great for portion control because, as we know, oils are very calorie dense. This helps you evenly coat whatever you’re cooking without going overboard!
5. OXO Salad Spinner. Another simple kitchen tool that I use every week. Mine is big enough to hold a whole head of lettuce, so I chop or tear the lettuce up, rinse it and spin it dry. Sometimes I take out the strainer insert, dump the lettuce back into the container and just store it in there with the top on. Having lettuce chopped, washed and ready to eat makes it way more likely that we’ll eat salad during the week. I also use this when I’m making sweet potato chips. I let my sweet potato slices soak in a bowl of water before baking. This helps remove some of the sugar so they don’t burn as easily! After they’ve soaked, I use the salad spinner to spin them dry before baking!
6. George Foreman Grill. When we lived in an apartment after college, I used this all the time to grill our chicken and burgers. Mine is big enough to hold 3-4 chicken breasts. Now that we have a house and an actual grill, I use it less for meat and more for things like quesadillas, paninis, etc.
7. Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat. If you bake at all, you need one of these. Or two. Seriously. I use them for baking things like cookies in the oven and I also use them on my counter when I’m rolling out dough!
8. OXO Good Grips Mandoline Slicer. I inherited this from my mom and I love it. I use it to make sweet potato chips, apple chips, etc and it’s so much easier than doing it by hand because it makes it easy to get all the chips the same thickness. You can also turn the dial and it lets you julienne veggies for garnishes, fries and more!
9. Fagor Duo Pressure Cooker. If I was going to recommend one must-have out of these ten items, this would be it! My parents gave it to me for Christmas a couple of years ago and it is amazing. Mine is a 10 quart but I think an 8 quart would be fine too. I use it every weekend. You may remember that I wrote a whole post about why I love my pressure cooker. I use it to cook dried beans, without soaking, in 20 minutes. I use it to hard boil my eggs in under 10 minutes. I use it to make risotto without having to sit there and stir the whole time. You can use it to cook meat, make stews and so much more!
10. Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. Probably my favorite wedding present. I literally stalked my wedding registry for this item and may have squealed a little when I saw someone bought it! I love my hand mixer if I’m just whipping up a quick batch of cookies, but if I’m going on a baking marathon…I always use the stand mixer! I also use it often when I’m making bread or pizza dough because it does the kneading for me. Plus there are so many fun attachments you can get to make everything from meatballs to shredded veggies.
So there you go! I’m in my kitchen a lot…so I definitely have more favorites…might have to do a part 2 🙂 It would definitely include my crockpot…which I use ALL the time…and my french press coffee maker!!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Hi Friends!
After an amazing few days in Lodi, California last week, I’m back in Columbus and ready to recap my Almond Orchard Experience Tour for you guys!
First of all, I must say how grateful I am to The Almond Board of California for sponsoring my trip! Honestly, when I saw the list of attendees, I was a little overwhelmed and felt like I was a bit out of my league! Some of the people who attended are pretty much superstars in the nutrition and fitness world- they’ve trained celebrities, written books, etc…and many have years and years more experience than I do. But one of the things I loved best about this trip was that everyone was so welcoming. I made so many new connections and friends and everyone was so supportive and encouraging to me as a fairly new RD.
The Almond Board staff (Jenny, Stacey, Molly & Natalie), as well as all the wonderful ladies from Porter Novelli (Amaris, Andrea & Michelle) did a great job putting this trip together and I learned so much about almonds!
Let’s recap, shall we?
I arrived in Sacramento on Monday afternoon along with 4 other RDs who were on my flight from Dallas- Angela, Neva, Lisa & Jim.
There was a guy waiting for us with a sign. Kinda made me feel like a superstar 😉
After an hour of driving, we made it to Wine & Roses where we’d be staying. We had a couple of hours to get settled before dinner so I had a snack and rested for a bit:
Then I took a walk! It was beautiful.
Monday evening we had a welcome dinner and it was great to get a chance to mingle and meet some of the other attendees like Kerry & Melissa Joy.
After dinner I was more than ready for bed. Tuesday morning, since my body was still on East Coast Time, I was up at 4:30, which left me plenty of time to get some work done and then head to the fitness center for a quick workout before breakfast!
There were about 8 people in the fitness center right when it opened at 6am and they were all from the Almond Tour 🙂 You could definitely tell we were a group interested in fitness and nutrition! After my workout, I got ready and headed to breakfast and a full day of presentations. I sat next to Larysa & Andrea (two superstar fitness professionals) and enjoyed chatting with them throughout the day.
We heard from a wide variety of speakers and learned about all aspects of the almond industry.
Stacy Humble, the Executive Director of Global Marketing for the Almond Board actually grew up on an almond farm so she explained how they grow and are harvested. A brief overview:
After learning about the growing and harvesting, we heard from a couple of speakers who shared some of the past, current and future research that involves almonds. A few things we learned:
Up next was a quick snack break! We enjoyed all sorts of almond treats. My favorite were the Cinnamon Glazed Almonds! I also got to chat with Desiree & Francy and learn a bit about RD life up in Canada!
Next we heard from the Director of Quality Assurance for the Almond Board. Almond farmers do a lot to keep their orchards clean and free of pests and disease. There are currently 170 validated processes in place to ensure the quality and safety of the almonds we eat. Did you know that all almonds, even those labeled as raw, have to be pasteurized? However, the core of the almonds is not being heated so they can still be labeled as raw.
We also heard from couple of actual almond farmers who told us more about how important bees are to growing almonds!
Up next was lunch! We heard from Nancy Harmon Jenkins, author of The New Mediterranean Diet cookbook and we all received a copy of the cookbook to take home!
The main focus was on the idea that there’s not one right way of Mediterranean eating. Lots of different styles and combos are possible but overall the terminology is familiar, the ingredients are easy to find and the recipes are simple.
After lunch we heard more about the benefits of almonds as a healthy snack:
After wrapping up for the day, we had a couple of hours to ourselves before heading into town for four course dinner with wine pairings! The food was delicious and I enjoyed chatting with Wendy Jo, Tina, Amaris, Molly, Angela and Kristi.
Wednesday we were up early for a trip to the orchards!
We got to visit Stewart & Jasper orchards and see the orchards and the processing facilities!
Just like we had learned about the previous day, we saw the almonds on the tree ready to be harvested and then saw them being shaken from the tree, which was by far the coolest part. Here’s a video:
So cool, right? Next we headed to the processing facility where we saw the almonds being sorted, sized and stored. The top photo is a GIANT pile of almond hulls that will eventually be used in cattle feed:
Most of the sorting is done by machines but there is still some done by hand:
We learned that China is pickiest about the quality of their almonds. They don’t want any visible imperfections, which is a demanding order…but they pay a higher price to get the higher quality.
After our tours, we got to sample some of the Stewart & Jasper products. They had tons of amazing flavored almonds but the raspberry cheesecake was by far my favorite!
Next, we hopped back on the bus and headed to the Almond Board headquarters in Modesto, CA. We had lunch with the CEO, listened to a little presentation from him and then headed back to the hotel.
We had enough of a break that I was able to squeeze in a workout, and then headed to the cocktail hour where I had a long chat with Sharon. She’s the author of The Plant Powered Diet, which some of you may remember I’m reading for CEUs right now. I got so excited when I saw she was on the list of attendees! She also loves Crossfit…so as you can imagine, we had lots to talk about!
From there, we headed to our last dinner. I got the chance to chat with several people I hadn’t spent much time with yet, including Danielle, Amie and Chris.
Thursday morning I was up at 4:30 am to head back to the airport!
It was a whirlwind couple of days, but I had wonderful time, learned a lot and met some great people. Be sure to check out all the people I linked to throughout the post and follow them on twitter for great nutrition, fitness and health advice!
Huge thanks again to The Almond Board for inviting me on the Almond Orchard Experience Tour!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
*This trip was paid for by The Almond Board of California. All thoughts and opinions are my own*
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