healthy living summit

Here’s the Mail, It Never Fails. It Makes Me Wanna Wag My Tail….

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Hey there friends and neighbors…

Before you do anything else with your day, pop over to NC Brewing to read my guest post Recap: NC Girls’ Pint Out detects good beer from the bad. By writing an article for them, I’ve basically become a superstar in the beer world and if you wanna catch me on the way up, make sure you keep tabs on me now.

Anyway, shameless self-plugs aside…

If you were drawn to this post by the title, you might be expecting this little friend:

MAILBOX! (click for Source)

Well, sorry to disappoint.  Looks like you’re stuck with me.

Yup. Stuck with me.

I’m home for lunch and SO excited because this time tomorrow, I’ll be headed to the airport for yet ANOTHER wonderful weekend in the North. I had a blast this weekend at my cousin’s wedding shower but barely got to see my better half, Ryan. Luckily, this weekend I’ll have a chance to split the difference and spend some time in his stomping grounds of Philly!! It’ll be nice to return after enjoying myself so much during the Healthy Living Summit… maybe I’ll even revisit Reading Terminal Market !

Today’s lunch is brought to you by: every single thing that could possibly go bad in over the weekend!

SCRAMBLED AND SEXY!

It was random as all get-out and included about 1/5 of a sausage cooked with spinach, egg, and some cheese as well as steamed veggies on the side. Yummy and filling!

The reason I’m stoked to write especially for today’s properly labeled post is that, in the past few days, I got some SERIOUS mail swag!!

Today, I picked up a massive set of boxes from my apartment complex office. Well, after digging into those bad boys, check out the goodies!

More and More MUIR!

I won the Muir Glen Organic giveaway from the effervescent Kaitlin over at For Love of Carrots, and now have a pantry chock FULL of amazing tomato products (and soup to boot!) This couldn’t come at a better time considering the squash love of my life, spaghetti squash, AND pizza dough are on sale at my local Harris Teeter this week!  I know what I’ll be making when I get back from PA!

Also in the mail?  Something I’ve been waiting for with bated breath since I signed up for Foodie Pen Pals through Lindsay’s blog.

The best things in life are VERMONT!

Allie from Healthy Balance, Healthy Life sent me a package so chock-full of maple syrup goodness, I almost choked. But honestly, I think I choked more on the granola that I spent the past two days virtually gargling (only then, I swallowed).

Seriously, I’ve knocked granola in the past but this…. this is ethereal.  Luckily, there wasn’t too much, so now that it’s gone, I’m just working my way through the cookies. Speaking of which, I think there’s just enough time to have a Puppy Love peanut butter chocolate chip cookie before going back to work.

EDIT: I ended up eating a banana and saving the cookies for when I visit Ryan tomorrow. You’re welcome, boyfriend.

Healthy Living Summit: Saturday Sessions

/ foodsweatandbeers / 78 Comments

Good evening, and happy my last night as a 23 year old!! Before you know it (less than 3 hours from now!!) EDIT: Post started last night, and published today! Ooops.

I’ll officially be 24 years old.  On August 24th.  That, right there, is a Golden Birthday, y’all.  I spent the eve of my 24th birthday where I’ve spent the past 4 birthdays (at least at the start): The living room of my fraternity.  I enjoyed my 20th Birthday there hosting a “That’s So Jordan” Birthday Party. Yup, a theme party themed after myself.  When you ask yourself “What Would Jordan Do” like I suggested in last night’s recap post of the HLS Cocktail Party, well, that’s a great answer.

Maybe the most Jordan I've ever been in my life. Four years later and the tiara still hangs to the side.

After the hijinx of the cocktail party (broken umbrellas, tummies full of tacos [in Ali‘s case], bellies full of beers [in my case], and exhaustion), we crashed hard at Chez Ali. I was snuggle buddies with Krissie, but we kept things pretty PG, so don’t think you’re gonna get any of that type of hijinx in this post.

I marveled at the wonders of cereal bars galore as we Healthy Living Summit attendees attacked the foods as if we’d never seen a box of Attune Foods cereal (the sponsors of breakfast!)

Oi vay, all the cereal you could handle.

Though I have cereal nearly every morning at work (mostly that Fiber One 80 calorie goodness that I talked about before), it’s really not my breakfast of choice.  I’d always prefer a warm morning meal with a bit of meat to start things off.  I totally recognize the decision to have the food options they had, but that hard boiled egg and cereal certainly left me wanting some eggs of a more scrambled nature.  The Lehigh Valley Dairy milk was, IMHO, the star of the show, and as a Pennsylvania native, it was glorious to enjoy a tiny carton of real, local milk.

First on the agenda was an Icebreaker, sponsored by Glam Media and Bliss.com.

Hey! I've been skydiving!!

I’ll shoot you straight: I. hate. icebreakers.  This one, while active, didn’t really break too much ice for me. Basically, we all walked around demanding to know who doesn’t eat dairy products, who was over 6′ tall (that one was an easy one to find…. and it was me), and who composted at home.  The funniest part of this event was when someone at my table REALLY broke the ice by telling us the tale of a neighbor who composted their poop. Can you even imagine?  Just considering the idea of visiting a neighbor, seeing them outside washing a giant bucket, and wondering…. did they just poop in there?  Yeah, that resulted in some belly laughs.

Anyway, I didn’t win a Lululemon gift card.  I wasn’t too upset.

No, happy hour is my happy hour.

Once the ice was thoroughly broken, it was time to get to the sessions.  The best part of this whole “conference made up of bloggers” thing was ABSOLUTELY keeping up with things through live tweeting.  As I mentioned to Allison, it was like the most public note passing of all. And it helped keep things light and funny, which can be tough to do sometimes with panels on negativity and how the “numbers game” can drive you crazy.

There have been countless recaps of the sessions.  I’m a little late on the game when it comes to HLS recaps, so I’ll just include a few pictures of my favorite moments from the rest of the day, followed by some major takeaways.

American Gothic: Frito Lay Style

No free food? HA! I laugh at the mere idea!

I will, Pauly. I hope to meet you in Raleigh tomorrow night...

220 women at a conference = ANNEXATION OF THE MEN'S ROOM!

Not to be confused with the Annexation of Puerto Rico.

Shake break. Like a shake weight, with our whole bodies!

And here’s a shot of my accommodations waiting for my ride home:

I'm a bag lady. And proud of it.

Having just filled out my HLS Questionnaire, I have a lot of thoughts about the Summit as a whole.

  • It’s amazing to meet new people, but can be really hard to do that when other folks are less interested in branching out than you are.  Being a newbie (and proud of it), I wanted to soak up EVERYONE! But many people were there to reunite with friends that they’ve known forever and maybe only get to see once a year.  I totally understand that, and this isn’t a pity party by any means because I had a good time. But it almost made me wish that I could only have a conference of folks who’d never met before, just to level the playing field.
  • There are a lot of stereotypical “healthy living blog” cliches that are totally real.  I’ve never seen people go so crazy over cereals and nut butters.  My feelings about both of these: decent. But not life-changing.  And honestly, before this weekend, I don’t think I’ve eaten a nut butter in over 6 months.
  • I was surprised by how many people believed they could be or should be professional bloggers. The presentation given by Katy Widrick on Monetizing Your Blog was so eye opening at what it would take to become a professional blogger. I talked to a few people, at the summit, IRL, and online, who seem to just expect that they’d start writing about their lives and they’d start having companies flock to them for product reviews and sponsorships. If you work long and hard (let’s say…. 2-3 years, and make blogging your fulltime career for some), maybe you’ll get enough readers to make blogging financially support you.  But it’s just  not the norm.
  • I really wish that there had been more guys there.  Now, let me explain this.  I was NOT coming to Philly for a manhunt.  Trust me, I get to date this stud:

    How he puts up with me, I'll never know....

    But I really get the feeling that if there were more males around other than the 4 that I’m aware of (oh, and Mark, one of the DrinkChia sponsor folks, who was just the BEST!) maybe it would’ve felt less like a lady sleepover party and more like a summit of likeminded folks coming together and discussing something they love.  Then again, this is another thing I can’t control because the HLB community ITSELF is dominated by women.  I just couldn’t help but think it.

  • The sessions were all good, but I especially liked the ones that felt like they were truly from the heart. The one regarding Rising Above Negativity illustrated issues that each of the panel members had experienced, and something that everyone experiences in their lifetimes. I was also touched hearing Lisa‘s story in the numbers game presentation because you could feel her emotions in her words.  Even Katy’s post on Monetizing Your Blog felt like she was so passionate about wanting everyone to make bank that it resonated.  I didn’t feel like that with all the presentations.   Action Mantras, while effective, can feel contrived and hokey. The Flexitarian Diet…  I just don’t think it’s for me, but that’s neither here nor there.  It’s just definitely not HERE (meaning on my blog).
  • For me, the point of attending HLS was as an adventure. I wanted to challenge myself to meet new people, to step out of my comfort zone, to do something I’ve never done before.  I came, I talked about myself, I talked to strangers, I walked around Philly (well, actually, I have done that). And I actually did get a rush, like a lighter version of my skydiving trip.

    THIS IS EXACTLY LIKE A CONFERENCE!

  • But I still felt out of place. And I couldn’t help but read all the tweets from the Beer Blogger’s Conference in Portland and miss those folks who enjoy the carbonated suds I love so much.  Too much of a good thing can be quickly become a bad thing.  And I felt like this nonexistent  “formula for a healthy living blogger” was followed to a T by some folks who were trying so hard to present themselves in this light that I missed out on getting to know the true them. The point of meeting bloggers IRL is to see what maybe you don’t get to see on their blog.  To go deeper than the internet’s surface.  And while there were definitely a few folks there who did this well, there were enough folks that looked like they were trying so hard not to mess up that I never really felt like we even approached that level.

I’m so glad I went. I had fun, I met folks, it felt like blogging became real to me, and not just this random online Xanga or something.  I don’t know if I’d go again… if it were as convenient as this year, definitely. There’s much to be learned, there’s much to be shared, and maybe I’d find some sort of friend group to bond with.  It wasn’t what I expected, though I’m not sure what I DID expect, and I have LOVED reading the recaps from others.  But I’m very glad that I was “me” the entire time (even though a few times, the moment I mentioned beers, peoples eyes glazed over as their interest immediately waned.)

I just can't quit you, beer.

I’m not ending with any type of action mantra or any wise closing words.  I guess I’m ending vaguely, which is sort of how I feel like I left HLS.  Like a vague, hazy daze where I wasn’t entirely sure what happened.  But regardless, it was a great early birthday present to myself, and I can’t wait to fly right back to PHL in 2 days for another crack at the Northeast.

Healthy Living Summit Weekend: The Eats

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

As well received as my Healthy Living Summit Cocktail Party recap was, I decided to hold off on a recap of day two until I have time to fully devote myself to a complete writeup of the Saturday sessions.  However, that doesn’t mean you should miss out on everything.  And who doesn’t like food posts?

Before my trip, I wanted to enjoy a tasty little treat, so I whipped up my traditional pre-flight beer and snack!!

Weyerbacher Hops Infusion? Don't mind if I do.

Turkey and Cheese and Lettuce on a sandwich thin! Beer! Carrots! The best.

I also did my best to eat the rest of the spinach before I left.

I felt like a straight bunny, nibbling on leaves. But it got the job done.

At the home of Ali, we whipped out all the stops (aka the baked goods):

I promise, we didn't eat all of this. Some. Most. but not all.

Let’s just say that it was a bit of a smorgasbord.

Wawa: The stuff my dreams are made of...

For dinner:

  • Wawa Shorti with Roast beef, cheddar cheese, light on the mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, salt, pepper, oregano. I always get this when I go to Wawa. It is like a second nature, entering it on the touchpad.
  • Wawa Diet Raspberry Iced Tea

Can someone PLEASE explain to me why there is no raspberry iced tea, diet or otherwise, to be found in North Carolina? I can’t even get the Snapple kind…. If you know where to get some, PLEAES email, call, text, or tweet me. ASAP. This is not a joking kind of request. This is so heartfelt I feel it deep in my heart.

The highlights of the cocktail party food were already shown, minus one: Philly Cheesesteak Empanadas. I didn’t take pictures of these, because I was shoving them down my gullet. Imagine a philly cheesesteak. then fry it.

You get the idea.

Breakfast in the morning was sponsored by Attune Foods, and featured mostly a wide array of their cereals, fresh fruit, hardboiled eggs, and yogurt.

Pineapple. Cereal. I forgot how delicious real milk was, especially from Lehigh Valley.

Oh. A pluot. I had no idea what this was until I bit it.

I could’ve eaten the lunch for days.

Roasted veggie sammy, caprese salad sammy, cous cous and chickpeas, and Perrier. Oh, you fancy.

GIANT ups to Great Harvest bread. Which filled my belly totally and heartily.  The mozzarella was so creamy, and the onions in the cous cous…. ooh, girl.

Snacktime was not really my favorite, but I partook because who don’t want no free foods?

Cinnamon raisin nut butter = the poo. So take a big whiff. The hummus was a little watery for my liking... oh well.

To be honest, though, there was a much more important meal waiting for me at home, after the summit. Something I’d been seeking out since I arrived in Philly.  The holy grail of Philly cuisine.

We belong together.

I went a little off the beaten path with the Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak and was rewarded handsomely with spicy, cheese, chickeny goodness.  Something about the rolls up North, they just know how to do it right.  And, even though it wasn’t in empanada format, it was at least as (if not much, much more) delicious.

What’d you eat this weekend that was delicious? 

Do you have any favorite foods/drinks from growing up that you can’t get now wherever you live (due to a move or [gasp!!] someone stopped producing them?)

Healthy Living Summit: Cocktails and Tasty Ales

/ foodsweatandbeers / 48 Comments

Greetings friends, old and new, and Happy MY BIRTHDAY Week!!

Have you not been celebrating?  Might I suggest a No Pants Wednesday (or Monday) in my honor?  Perhaps crush a cup of tasty beer with a friend.  You just gotta ask yourself, WWJ(ordan)D? (No sacrilege meant here.  I’d really be curious to know what folks did when they thought, What would that Jordan do?)  If you’re new here, check out my 7 Links post for a little more about me!!

I’m currently celebrating my birthday week in style with a private, GIANT booth at Rockfish Seafood Grill (my home away from home).

How many people will be joining you? None? But you need a table? We got this.

Yet again, I can’t thank the folks at Rockfish enough for being so accommodating (always) AND emailing me a gift certificate for my birthday (!!!! FISH IS THE GREATEST GIFT EVER !!!)

Anyway, chances are, you didn’t come to hear about my fish fiesta.  You came here to find out what this whole HLS drama is that I’ve been posting about, tweeting about, and generally abuzz about since…. well since I bought the ticket.

I’ll start at the beginning….

The beautiful Krissie from PhillyNerdGirl picked me up moments after I walked out of the PHL airport, a grin on her face and a bag of tiny pumpkin donuts in her hand.  What a giver!

And a chatter! Love talking blog-talk.

Krissie and I sped crawled through some serious 3:30 traffic in Philly before eventually reaching Chez Ali (aka the Infamous Allison who planned the entirety of the Cocktail Party and saved us all from sobriety).  Without wasting a moment (ok, we wasted several, ogling Krissie’s sexy shoes and eating s’mores crack like it was…. crack), I politely requested hungrily demanded a trip to Wawa.  This Southern girl needed her fix.

Come to Mama. That's the good stuff.

Then, it was time for some Boost Boozy (DAMN YOU, AUTOCORRECT!) Arnold Palmers (I’m sure there’s a real name for them.  But I like to imagine Arnold Palmer himself, all liquored up, hanging out with us.)

Thumbs up for booze, buddy! (Click image for Source)

Krissie, Ali, and Jordy: Sipping

We could only drink and gossip for so long before the itch to primp kicked into high gear.

A Glam Slam! (like a grand slam. I wish this was a real phrase.)

My best friend Ring, who was quite a hit at the party

We took an incredibly easy cab ride over to Reading Terminal Market, a place where I once enjoyed the best roast pork sandwich known to mankind (at DiNics) and the home of the HLS Cocktail Party.  After jimmying the door open with my superior lock picking skills asking a security guard to let us in, we rounded up the rest of the ladies and, like a herd of extremely willing cats, headed to the party spot.

Hell hath no fury like HLBloggers tryna get some snacks.

Guess where I headed, with my two complimentary drink tickets?

Am I really that predictable?

The selection was actually top notch:

  • Dogfish Head Chicory Stout
  • Voodoo Brewery’s Pilzilla
  • Philadelphia Brewing Company’s Fleur de Lehigh
  • Philadelphia Brewing Company’s Kenzinger
  • Some wine (yeah, I had no eyes for that)
  • A YUMMY cocktail made with DrinkChia that was like a creamy daquiri with jelly chia bits

I went straight for the Chicory Stout first. And then I realized that I could still enjoy a few nibblets.

Quite the spread.

Single asparagus spear? Ok.

Also, I wore a tiara.

See, the thing is, with Ryan moving this week (Wahhhhhhhhh! – Snookie) and me having a work training then heading to OCNJ (again) for my cousin’s bridal shower, I wanted to celebrate.  But really, I just wanted to wear a tiara.  That’s What Jordan Would Do.

I met bloggers, large and small.

A lesson in extremes

I tried to meet them, one and all.

That's a lotta ladies.

I even took a picture near a stall!

Class-Act.

There were spider senses,

With the Okie in Pink, Lisa

And some blog-lebrity blends(es? I’m just trying to rhyme here)

Courtney and Julie, two of the women I read before knowing what HL was!

Birthday buddies!

Carly and Michelle finalllllly found some tiaras! (and a really weird fellow who photobombed from within a photobooth. that's skill.)

And my very favorite sponsors of the entire conference, Chandra and Mark from Drink Chia!!

Ch(i)andra!

I also think I found a kindred spirit in Jess, a fancy lady from the heart of dairy land.

Sassy as hell.

There was dancing.

There was not dancing.  This might be my greatest disappointment of the weekend.  There was something wrong with the iPod hookup, or something, and I felt very weird mingling and running around with no (and then, later, very quiet) music.  Sort of like if the cocktail party was hosted in a GIANT elevator (full of food and drinks).

However, they more than made up for it by allowing me to drink as many cocktails as I wanted.  Either there were so many pregnant ladies that their drink tickets somehow all were given to me, or they overestimated how much folks would drink…. or the beer gods were shining down on me (I choose this one.)  Whatever happened, it worked out completely in my favor.

I want them all.

I tried to mingle, I truly did.  I figured the tiara and octopus ring were both great ice breakers.  And some folks were totally happy to chat.  Other ones were either uninterested, or in the zone with their own little groups.  I’ll admit, I’m not very well “established” in this particular community, and I had never met most of the men and women before, so I understand.  But I’ll say that my heart was swollen with joy when Katy Widrick chatted my head off about beers.  Finally, I felt like my two passions were merged and I didn’t feel like the odd girl out.

Then again, maybe I’m just a little too rambunctious to be brought out in public to new people.  Like that time, at the end, that my overzealous flinging of an umbrella resulted in the demise of said umbrella.

JORDAN SMASH!!

Blonde hair, don't care. (Balaguer, 2011)

But, as I’d learn later in the conference from the wisest of all owls….

Thanks, Pauly.

But to see the source of this hilarious picture…. well, you’ll just have to stay tuned.

Should I Throw the Kitchen Sink In, Too?

/ foodsweatandbeers / 11 Comments

Hey there, ladies and gents!

This time tomorrow, I’ll probably be enjoying a beer before my flight to the Healthy Living Summit at the beautiful sufficient Raleigh-Durham airport.  I’m hoping to eat something small before I get to the airport, mostly to save room for a small Wawa hoagie when Krissie from PhillyNerdGirl picks me up (you know…. if we have time.)  I did, however, manage to get through most of my crazy to-do list from yesterday (and there’s still time to weigh in on my dress selection!!)

It won’t be nearly the caliber of my lunch today, though.

Everything but the kitchen sink!

This wanna-be wrap-turned-taco really was just my way to use up all the random foods that I had in the fridge.  Last tortilla in the bag, last two slices of buffalo chicken, some spinach artichoke hummus, last pieces of muenster, last bits of tomato and bell pepper, a giant handful of spinach? Sounds like lunch to me.  I contemplated tossing in my sink, but decided I already have plenty of iron in my diet.

Also on the menu: a few carrots wrapped in that last slice of muenster (random but tasty), a bite (or five) of my Chocolate Crack: S’mores Style, leftover steamed asian veggies from lunch two or three days ago, really, I’m just trying to clear house.

My bag(s) are almost entirely packed!

Victoria's Secret bags = gift bags, free with purchase. Voila.

I’ve grabbed a few magazines for the plane ride, and I’m now adding last touches to my luggage.

  • Jewelry
  • Snacks
  • A flask? Is that classless?  God, I never remember, I just know that it’s a snake-print flask from Pier 1, and I never get to use it. Maybe, like Will Smith with cigars, I’ll just bring an empty flask and try to become known as that “bad girl” at the HLS cocktail party. OR I could bring it to the NEXT LEVEL and bring it to the breakfast.  Not really. But it would be funny. (Or tacky. or both.)
  • Business cards (WHAT?! Yeah, I’m a pro like that.)

I’ll shoot you straight, I had no idea what to wear during the sessions on Saturday, so I think I tried on every possible combination of what’s in my bag.  And I still don’t know. But I’m sure the beau appreciated my fashion show.

Too much going on today, I can hardly think straight!

I’m off to rush back to work so that I can leave a little earlier and pack up the rest of my life.

What are you up to today?  Starting your weekend a little early?

If you’re in the RDU area, meet me at Rockfish in Durham for a drink from 6-7 OR at Busy Bee Cafe in Raleigh from 7:30-??

PS I almost just walked out the door still wearing my apron.  Nice.  Talk about frazzled, right?

Smooth move.

 

No Rest for the Wicked (and sweaty and tired!)

/ foodsweatandbeers / 10 Comments

Hello friends!!

It’s Hump Day, I know, but it feels like it’s at least Thursday.  And tomorrow (the REAL Thursday) will be jammed to the brim with work, the gym (hopefully), glass night at Rockfish (and a SWEET beer all the way from Belgium’s own Palm Breweries, and then North Carolina Girls’ Pint Out invading Busy Bee Cafe in Raleigh (I plan on drinking the heck out of a Dogfish Head Namaste!)

So tonight, as I was eating my snack:

Mottled Avocado and Wheat Thins

I put together a quick little to-do list.

I don't think I've ever had "cook crack" on a to-do list before....

As you can see, much to do tonight!!

I squeezed in a quick ab class and 20 minutes on the elliptical, the last 5 at a SUPER high resistance.  It felt like I was running through mud.

Work it, girl.

Now, I’m focusing on more important things….

Decisions, Decisions...

Any favorite dresses?  Still trying to choose for the HLS Cocktail Party….

Back to running around in an apron, packing, cleaning, and wishing for more time in the day (just not in the workday!)

Good Karma Omelet

/ foodsweatandbeers / 14 Comments

Good afternoon, friends and neighbors!!

It was rough to go back to work today after a wonderful weekend.  In case you missed anything:

I’ll admit, I spent lots of time at home this weekend, being a little homebody.  That’s because the next two weekends will be spent on planes, trains, and automobiles (literally), heading to the Healthy Living Summit in Philadelphia (I fly in at 3:15!! And already have a double welcome wagon of Krissie and Ali!!  Then, the next weekend, I fly BACK to Philly for my cousin’s bridal shower.

Oh yeah, and on Wednesday, August 24th, 2011, I TURN 24!!

I promise to be less Birthdayzilla this year...

In the meantime, I’ve got a busy week ahead of me.  Lots of work, workouts, and a low-carb diet for the week that I’m trying out as I’ve been feeling fairly full and bloaty all weekend (due primarily to MANY carby snacks of fried goodies, too many Wheat Thins to count, Heath bar pancakes drenched in syrup (heavenly), a few too many cheddar biscuit samples at A Southern Season, and (of course) tacos and chips galore.

Oi vay.

Time to cut back a little (though I’ll still enjoy my Fiber One 80 calorie cereal I just started enjoying for breakfast).

Today, when I came home for lunch, I spotted a sad, sad sight.

PLANTTTTTT!!

My poor basil plant took a tumble overnight, probably due to the Noah’s Ark-like downpour all evening….  Well, I flipped it right up, gave it some water, and I think got some good karma because then I did something I don’t think I’ve successfully done since I moved to this apartment.

The Perfect Omelet Flip!!

Well, what happened next will be known as the Good Karma Omelet.

  • 1 egg white, 1 egg base
  • 1 handful of spinach, sauteed
  • 1/5 of a green pepper, also sauteed
  • 5 pieces of turkey pepperoni, sliced into thirds
  • 1 slice of provolone cheese, melted

Slather that bad boy in Frank’s Red Hot, and you’ll taste all that good karma just filling up your belly.

For dessert, I enjoyed a fresh peach from my beau’s boss’ field!

Fresh and ripe and great to the last drop!!

I am sensing great things for the rest of the day.  My plant is upright, my belly is full (but not with many carbs), and True Blood, like that peach, was good to the last drop.

Ha, vampire joke.  Get it?

Good.  For tolerating that silliness, here’s a sexy Eric and Sookie moment to enjoy.

Sexy, can I? (click on image for Source)

Are you going to the Healthy Living Summit?

How did you earn some good karma today?

Welcome to the Jungle

/ foodsweatandbeers / 5 Comments

Every day is the first day of the rest of your life, right?

Well today’s the first day of this, my newest internet endeavor.  After reading hours upon hours of the words of my peers, women and men who I admire immensely, that helped inspire my own journey into a healthier lifestyle, I felt moved to start a more official blog of my own.  In March 2010, I began tumbling, which has also been a key to tracking my food intake, exercise, and Weight Watching. Almost a year and a half later, I’ve lost 40 lbs, changed my entire outlook on day to day life, and added a hearty dose of health/fitness bloggers to my day-to-day readathon in the early hours of my morning. It’s my hope to add something to this blogging community, something I can be proud of come August 19th when I hit the streets of Philthy-delphia (aka my old stomping grounds) for the 3rd Annual Healthy Living Summit, an event I used to be satisfied with reading about.

That being said, I’m not a runner. I’m not a health nut, nor am I a nutritionist, and I’m not quite a foodie (though I think I’m getting there…) I’m a hungry young professional living in the Research Triangle of North Carolina with a general enthusiasm for fitness, adventure, and (the newest addition to my list of hobbies) craft beer.

I’d love to use this blog as an outlet to pick up my writing, a passion I used to have as a young’n, and track my health, fitness, food, and beers that have piqued my interest.

Feel free to give me a read, follow along, and maybe (if I’m lucky) I’ll help someone else find the chutzpah to change their lives for the MUCH better.