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