Pinterest Recipes

I never had any idea that I liked cooking.  I always found it somewhat intimidating and was (and probably still am) less than creative.  In the past year and a half I've done more cooking than in the 28 years before combined.  And I like it.  And I'm actually pretty good at it.

But, my lack of creativity and experience often has me clinging to a recipe.  However, my recent (yes, I'm late to the party) discovery of Pinterest has totally upped my 'portfolio' of recipes and has me trying things I probably wouldn't have tried before.  I thought I would share with you guys a few of the things I've tried and my thoughts and what I will probably change if I try the recipe again.  I don't know about your experience, but the thoughts on Pinterest that are like 6 pins removed don't really ring true for all of the recipes. 

My favorite recipe I've tried is Parmesan Chicken Strips 
So, mine didn't look QUITE this appetizing - but they sure did taste as good as this picture looks. Seriously - super easy.  I typically have most of the ingredients on hand and it's quick clean up.  The only thing I would do differently with this recipe is broiled the chicken for a few minutes at the end to brown them a little bit and make them a bit more crispy.  I've eaten this straight out of the oven and the next day, cold, over a salad.  Awesome both ways!

One recipe I didn't love, but want to try again is the So Much Better than Fried Chicken:

Mine didn't brown like this, at all.  The flavor was pretty good.  The chicken was super moist - so that's a definite plus. I think there was TOO much 'stuff' on the chicken.  I would probably half the yogurt and add more seasonings to make it a little bit more flavorful.  I think if there was less of the mixture on top of the chicken, it would've browned more.  And, again, I would totally broil for a few minutes at the end.  The bf liked it, so there's a good chance we'll be trying this again.  

Yet another chicken recipes was the Chicken with Mushrooms and Mozzarella:

This one actually turned out like the picture and was pretty tasty!  The only real change I would make is the seasoning of the chicken.  The mushroom, cheese mixture was fantastic.  But the chicken itself lacked a little bit of flavor.  Otherwise - will totally add this to the list of recipes to make again!

And last, but not least the Breakfast Coffee Protein Shake:

So this is a no brainer.  Coffee protein smoothie - fantastic!  The only tip or feedback for you here: a cup of coffee and a cup of almond milk and ice and a banana....require a pretty large blender.  As in, larger than mine.  But, no worries, I just had two servings.  No complaints here! 

Enjoy guys.  Would love to see and hear your favorite recipes and Pinterest experiments!

xoxo,
rye 

Re-branding (again!)

Hello friends, long time - no chat.  Almost 2 years in fact.  I need someone to explain me to how life goes by faster and faster as we get older.  I don't get it...

As all things in life change, so has the branding of my blog.  It started years ago (almost 5 - yikes!!!!) as a blog about life as a 20-something.  I talked a lot about dating and friendship and the drama of life as a 25 year old.

I outgrew that and the blog turned into thoughts and ideas about life and fitness.  Two things I LOVE talking about.  And then, quite honestly, I ran out of things to share about fitness as I've been on my own fitness journey of what works for me and what doesn't.  And as much as I loved the ActiveDiva persona, as I near 30 (double yikes!) I realize that I've outgrown that a little bit.  Or the very last - I've kept her in check.

As a person that is passionate about writing and sharing ideas and getting feedback from others - I knew there had to be a way to re-brand the blog to portray both the things I love professionally and personally.  And here we are - Socially Fit.

I work for a Social Media company.  I learn more about more about social media everyday and I love it.  It's fascinating and frustrating and overwhelming and constantly changing.  And with no shortage of material to share about it (and opinions to have about it) - social media is a great topic to blog about.

Fitness has been and always will be a passion of mine.  Whether it's volleyball, running, boxing, weight lifting, football, basketball, baseball - I LOVE it.  Growing up as an athlete completely shaped the person I am today and as an aging, part time athlete today - it continues to have an impact on my life.

Last, but not least, there's life.  It's always throwing new surprises my way and challenging me in others.  I've always believed that age is just a number (and still do!), but it's interesting evaluating life at "almost 30" versus how I evaluated "almost 25."  And perhaps we shouldn't even talk about "turning 18 and 21" since that's technically just a few years past adolescence.  Either way - I feel like it gets better and better ever day.  As far as I'm concerned, that's what is important.

So, here we are.  Socially Fit.

I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy hearing your feedback.

xoxo,
ryann

How do you stay motivated?

Good morning, friends.  

As you all know, I'm training for a triathlon on August 28th.  And starting in Monday, I will start training for the Kansas City Half Marathon on October 15th.  I'm not quite as crazy as you may think I am, but people constantly ask me how I do it.  How do I stay motivated?  How do I run without getting bored?  How do I find time? 

 

For me, staying motivated is simple when I'm training for something specific.  If I know that missing a workout will somehow impact my results in my race, I simply won't miss the workout.  Or I will reschedule for another time.  As far as boredom...I have a great play list.  I try to change my scenery as often as I can.  And I solve a lot of problems while I run :).  Both work and person and everything in between....running is a great time to think!  As far as finding time to run...most of you know that I have more time now than I've had in the past 2 years of my life.  I trained for my first race while coaching a National level girls volleyball team and working on my Master's degree.  Short of people who have children themselves, there is PLENTY of time to train.  It may take making some sacrifices here and there, but I promise you can fit it in if it's important to you. 

I found this article this morning from Health Discovery that I thought had some great ideas on how to stay motivated to stick to your workout plan, regardless of what it is.  If it's losing 10 lbs, training for a race, or making it to the gym at least 5 days a week, these are awesome tips.  One of my favorites is buying new stuff :).  Buying new running shoes/bras/tights/shorts are the best way to get me in the gym ASAP.  I hope you find this helpful.  

Have a good one!

xoxo,

ryann

Top 10 Tips For Staying Motivated With Your Workout Plan

Are you finding it difficult to get out of bed in the morning for your daily walk -- and are you making up excuses to skip the gym on the way home?
Even the most dedicated exercisers occasionally get bored with their routine. Waning motivation, cutting short and not having your old enthusiasm are signs of a stale exercise regimen.
But that doesn't mean you can't re-energize your routine. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) has worked out the following 10 tips for staying motivated to stay active.

 
1. Vary your routine or change your scenery! A new variation on your favorite activity -- cardio kickboxing instead of Step aerobics; power yoga instead of working on machines -- may be enough to reinvigorate a stale routine. If you've always exercised indoors, move your workout outside for a welcome change of scenery.
2. Try something entirely new! Make it something you never dreamed you'd do. If you've always stuck to solitary pursuits, sign up for a team sport. Or tackle something you've shied away from... maybe even rock climbing!
3. Find a workout buddy! Exercise companions add a social element to any routine. Ask a friend to be your workout partner -- you won't skip a workout if someone is waiting for you.
4. Set a new goal! Working out to stay in shape is fine, but setting a goal -- such as finishing a 10k race or completing a rough water swim -- will give your daily workouts more meaning.
5. Treat yourself to a workout gadget or accessory! Heart-rate monitors, aquatic toys and other exercise gadgets can make your workouts more fun and challenging.
6. Keep an exercise log to track your progress! Unsure if your making progress toward your goals? Then start a workout log. It allows you to keep track of your goals, monitor your progress and adjust your routines as necessary.
7. Don't berate yourself if you miss a workout! Life is full of obstacles. Unexpected appointments, illness and setbacks are bound to happen sooner or later. Don't let a few missed workouts turn into a month of unfulfilled resolutions.
8. Reward yourself! Reaching a fitness goal or milestone is a great excuse to treat yourself to something new. A massage, an evening out, or some other "indulgence" may be the key to staying motivated.
9. Focus on how good exercise makes you look and feel! You know that incredibly satisfied and healthy feeling you get immediately after a workout? Remember it! And use it to motivate yourself the next time you're thinking about blowing off that next workout!
10. If all else fails... take a break from exercise! Sometimes a lack of motivation is your body's way of telling you to take a break. If anything hurts, or if your energy is running low, take a break for a few days before resuming your workouts. A little "R&R" may be just what your body needs to renew your motivation.

Ouch!

Good morning, friends and Happy Monday!  I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. 

We had a fun-filled weekend w/ Jason's family and spent a lot of time hanging out with his niece and nephews as well as hi sister and parents.  It was crazy and fun, but we enjoyed getting the house back last night, for sure :) 

I played in a grass doubles tourney yesterday and managed to roll my ankle.  It sounded scarier than it actually was....there was a loud POP involved.  The team we were playing actually heard it pop.  I was able to walk it off and finish the day with only slight soreness.  When I got home, took my shoes off, took a shower and just vegged for a little while it started to hurt....bad.  And swell.  And bruise.  Gross. 

I've been very fortunate in my sports career to only experience minor injuries with the worst being a stress fracture in college.  Though this injury is certainly mild with minimal swelling and a little bit of soreness, it certainly still hurts and I know I need to take good care of it.  As most of you know...'taking time off' isn't one of my strong suits.  Because I've had so few injuries, I'm not really sure how to proceed.  Can I swim and bike with a sore ankle?  Will I make it worse?  Should I even be walking on it or am I making it worse my limping around?  Other than ice and ibuprofen, what should I be doing to help the healing process?  

My biggest concern is getting it better....fast!  I'm supposed to play on Saturday (I'm sure I'll be fine!) and training for the Kansas City Half Marathon should start on Monday....so I'm hoping this is just a day or two "slow down" versus an actual injury.  So, I ask you....what injuries have you sustained?  What should and shouldn't I do to make this go away QUICKLY? 

Thanks for your help and input, friends.  Have a great day.

xoxo,
ryann

The Someday to be Happy is Today!

Good morning, friends and TGIF!  
I hope everyone has an exciting weekend planned.
Jason's parents are in town as are his niece and nephew and his sister and his other nephew are joining us as well from Lawrence.  Though I have no idea how to entertain children from 5-11....I suppose we will learn this weekend.

Today's blog is borrowed from Positive Thoughts again.  And it's a perfect message for a weekend.  There's no point in waiting to be happy.  The day to be happy is today.  Enjoy and have a great weekend.

xoxo,
ryann


The Someday to Be Happy is TODAY!

Live your dreams
A little each day.
They aren’t out of reach
Unless you fail to reach out.
Put off unimportant things
But don’t put off living.
Other things can wait,
Your happiness can’t,
If your life is to have purpose and meaning.
The “someday” to be happy is today.

Choose how to live your life.
Life isn’t decided for us
But by us.
Every action is a decision with consequences.
Choose wisely!
The reward should always
Be greater than the price.

Take time to play, but also to think.
Life can’t mean much without much thought.
To be where you want to be
Ask yourself questions, then take action.
So often we go with the flow
And become lost.
Don’t be led; be the leader of your life.

Stop waiting for happiness to happen
and get busy making it happen.
Work with what you have
And what you have will increase.
If one door is closed, open another;
Happiness often comes unexpected.
Watch what you aim for
Because your heart will follow.
Aim nowhere and you’ll go nowhere.
Aim high enough and you may touch the stars.
Aim to be happy
And you will do much more than just pass through life,
You’ll live it to the fullest……

Copyright © 1996 By Nancye Sims
http://www.nancyesims.com

Good morning, friends!

We all know how important positive thinking is and we've all heard the countless stories/ideas/blogs/newsletters on positive thinking.  Something I struggle with when I read about positivity is how to STOP focusing on the negative.  I know I'm not supposed to focus on the things in my life I don't want, but very few authors really cover different ideas on HOW to shift your thinking.  I found this blog this morning that I thought has some interesting feedback on how to avoid negative thinking.  The tip that speaks most to me is to focus on what you're doing, rather than letting your mind wander.  I know I'm super guilty of that, and I challenge I'm going to try to work on.

I hope you find this as helpful as I did.

Have a good one!

xoxo,
ryann

How to Avoid Negative Thinking

July 11, 2011 By Remez Sasson

It is no secret that negative thinking is part of almost everyone. Sometimes, there are more negative thoughts, and sometimes less, depending upon the moods, and external events.

Unpleasant situations, problems and difficulties arise in everyone’s lives, and these events cause negative thinking. Quite often, you might not be aware of the thoughts you are thinking, and can get easily immersed with negative thoughts and negative moods.
 
It would be a good strategy to avoid negative thinking. There are various techniques you may use to avoid negative thinking.

Here are a few techniques for avoiding negative thinking:

1. Try to be aware of your thoughts. It is usual to think in an automatic way, hardly aware of what you are thinking. If you strive to become watchful of your thoughts, you will know when you are thinking negatively, and then, the next step, of avoiding them, will become easier.


2. When catching yourself thinking negatively, consciously, try to think of something else, something positive and uplifting.

3. Choose to watch happy and funny movies, instead of movies about disasters and unhappiness.

4. Think often about the goods things you have in your life, and less about the bad things. Look at the filled part of the glass, not at the empty part, even if the empty is greater than the full.

5. Align your thinking with your actions. When doing something, focus on it. When eating, think of eating, when dressing, focus on dressing, and exercising focus on the exercise on your body. In this way, you will not make a place for negative thinking.

6. Sometimes, during the day, visualize yourself doing something you love doing, like being on the beach, being in a beautiful place, or being in the company of people you love. You may think about happy events or success you had recently. All of these thoughts are positive ways to avoid negative thinking.

7. Be aware that sometimes, problems and difficulties are blown out of proportions. Often, they are minor problems and difficulties not worth your time and energy. Having this point of view can help you avoid negative thinking when facing problems or difficulties.

8. If negative thoughts persist, write them down, and analyze them to see if there is any truth in them.

9. Don’t fight your thoughts. If you fight them, they become stronger. A better approach would be detachment.

10. Surround yourself with positive people.

Tips for first time Triathletes!

Good morning, friends. Wow, this week has been productive.  Both workout wise and work wise.  I love it when that happens.  As I mentioned, last night was my FIRST lake swim with the fabulous Jen Pottinger.  It was not as bad as I imagined, but it was a different experience for sure.

First of all, the lake was soupy and warm.  Which is a little gross.  Lakes are gross anyway.  Hot water doesn't help.  It helped that there was a big triathlon the weekend before, so Jen said there were only about half the number of people that are normally out there.  And Jen warned me this would happen...but I don't know if I just didn't believe her...but you can't see anything when you swim in a lake.  Nothing.  Zero.  Not your hand in the water or the person's foot that is about to kick you in the face.  Interesting for sure.  Since I'm not a fast swimmer, I worry more about getting out of people's way than anything else.  Thankfully, there were no incidents. 

But, we still have the 'issue' of....swimming is hard!!!  I suck so much air when I swim, it's ridiculous.  I have a lot of work to do, but at least seeing what a lake swim looks like and talking to Jen about what to expect during a triathlon was helpful.  Next week, we swim then bike.  Awesome.  I also found this great article for first time triathletes that I enjoyed from Active.com.  Perhaps this will inspire you to join me in this adventure?!!!  

 

10 First-Time Tips From Everyday Triathletes

By Paul Tyler
Toughman Triathlon

 

You have a job. You have a family. You signed up for a triathlon. You want to get a great time and still balance other important parts of your life. How do you manage it all?
There's no better way to find out than by talking to those who have. We found six age groupers who have not only balanced the demands of life and the sport, but have succeeded at them all.
What's the common thread? The Toughman Triathlon in Westchester, New York, offers the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run while recognizing the time constraints of everyday life. Many finishers of the Toughman have plenty of advice to pass on to newcomers.
"Our race is intentionally designed for age-groupers," said Richard Izzo, event organizer. "We attract time-pressed athletes looking for a half triathlon their whole family can enjoy."
What did they have to say? We spoke to them and walked away with 10 tips for success this year:

1. Get a Plan: Ann Williams, age 46, family physician and faculty member at Columbia, placed second at last year's Toughman in her age group. She tells everyone to find a plan. "If you can't afford a coach, find a program and stick to it. Don't just wing it." Ann fell into the sport as an injured runner looking for exercise. Today she says, "Anything you do well at is a lot of fun."
2. Train Consistently: "Train an hour and fifteen minutes on some sport every day," advises Michael Begg, former Penn football player and current account manager at Presidio Network Solutions. Michael, 42, lost over 60 pounds training for the event last year. "Results are measurable." Begg, from Trumbull, Conn., likes the sense of empowerment he gets from the races. "It's something the whole family can enjoy."
3. Know the Course: Christine Dunnery, age 42 from New City, New York, holds the race record. "Preview the course. In the case of Toughman, preview the bike course, if even by car." Christine, age 42, is a seventh grade English teacher and track coach when she's not raising the bar for the rest of her competitors. She likes triathlons because she like pushing her limits and "leading a healthy lifestyle."
4. Eat Right Before the Race: Williams willingly offers a good prescription for food. "Prerace nutrition starts at least a week before the race...eat what you normally eat when you train. Find a routine and stick with it."
5. Get Plenty of Rest: Mimi Boyle, age 38 from Greenwich, Connecticut, placed second overall this year at the Toughman. "Don't underestimate the amount of sleep you need." Mimi is an account director for a package design company. Mimi stays passionate about the sport because, "I want to always try to go faster...I honestly feel better, eat better when I train for a race."
6. Pack Everything the Night Before: Begg advises people the night before to, "Pack all your essentials. I have one big bag, and three smaller bags...[ones for] swim, bike, and run."
7. Visualize Success: Mimi Boyle encourages other athletes to prepare mentally as well as physically for the race. "Do a little bit of visualization. Imagine a relaxing swim. Visualize yourself executing a perfect race."
8. Pace Yourself: Don Henry, age 45 from Pound Ridge, New York, says it is critical to, "Pace yourself. The swim is always the swim. Understand the hardest section of the course and don't blow up. At Toughman, the first 25 miles of the bike are the toughest and the ones to do carefully." Don is a financial adviser in Westchester County. He used to play golf and weighed 20 pounds more than today. Why does he love the sport? "Being part of the community and enjoying the camaraderie of fellow triathletes," he said.
9. Don't Panic: Scott Harrison, age 56 from Darien, Connecticut, took second place in his age group at the event last year. The general contractor for a commercial/industrial construction firm tells fellow athletes, "Don't panic. The swim is daunting for first timers." Scott used the sport to beat addiction. Today, triathlon is his lifestyle. "I travel with friends to events. This is what we do."
10. Don't Let One Problem Ruin the Day: Christine Dunnery wants everyone to expect that something will go wrong. "Don't get caught up on a single thing that happens during an event -- like a flat tire." Get off the road, fix it, and know that you will finish the race.