food

Awesome Appetizers- Roasted Artichoke

June 12, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 2 Comments

Appetizers ensure meals, gatherings and parties go off with a bang. If you’ve got a house full of people, or you’re keen to make sure you have time to socialize, it’s hugely beneficial to find some simple, delicious appetizers you can rustle up in advance to impress your guests and get your evening or lunch party off to a flying start. If you love to entertain, or you’re always on the lookout for ideas and inspiration for family feasts or social occasions, here’s an awesome new appetizer to add your recipe collection.

Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/organic-green-artichokes-for-sale-in-local-market-3874077/

Roasted Artichoke

Artichokes are not the most frequently-used vegetable, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be a part of your repertoire. Artichokes are delicious, and once you get the hang of preparing and cooking them, it’s easy to turn this humble vegetable into a crowd-pleasing dish your family and friends will love. This roasted artichoke dish is ideal for small gatherings, family nights in and dinner parties, and it will go down a treat!

Instructions

The first step is to learn how to roast artichoke. Once you’ve purchased your artichokes from the store, you’ll need to prepare them to go into the oven. Take your artichokes and cut the stems, peeling away the tough outer layers until you reach the lighter-colored flesh of the vegetable. Carefully trim the sharp edges of the leaves, removing roughly ¾ of an inch of the tip. Cut your artichoke in half lengthways and use a paring knife to take out the choke.

When your artichokes are ready to roast, place them in foil and add a drizzle of olive oil and a crushed garlic clove. Close the foil parcel and place it inside the oven for approximately 40 minutes.

How To Serve

There are endless options when it comes to serving roasted artichoke. You can leave the artichoke as it is, using the cooking juices with a splash of lemon juice, salt and pepper, some dill and a teaspoon of honey added to create a vibrant vinaigrette dip. Alternatively, you can add additional ingredients, such as crumbled feta cheese or capers, to enhance the Mediterranean flavors. To enjoy roasted artichoke, you’ll need to allow time for the leaves and petals to cool, so that you can gently peel off the leaves with your fingers and discard the inedible part of the petal. Add to a platter with the vinaigrette dip or serve as a delicious pre-dinner morsel if you’re hosting friends.

Tips for Buying Artichokes

When you’re buying artichokes, it’s best to shop in season. The optimum time for cooking with artichokes is between March and May and October and November. Spend a little time perusing the produce aisles and look for artichokes that are heavy and large with tightly-packed dark leaves. Gently press the artichoke in your hands. A fresh artichoke should make a subtle squeaking noise.

Are you planning to get friends or family together, or are you searching for a simple, nutritious, delicious appetizer for a special occasion or a leisurely weekend lunch? If so, why not give this recipe a try?

Thank you for reading!

Food

Spice Up Your Life With These Favorites

February 20, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Pixabay. CCO Licensed

Spices can add huge amounts of flavor to any dish. Many spices also have powerful health benefits – they’re packed with nutrients and often have anti-inflammatory properties that can help to numb pain. Here are just a few notable spices and how you can incorporate more of them into your diet!

Chili

Chili is great for the heart and can help alleviate many types of pain from migraines to achy joints. Of course, too much of it can be painful on the tongue (and just as painful when it comes out the other end), so it’s worth always using it with moderation. There are countless ways to use chili in cooking from seasoning chicken to giving pasta dishes a kick. It’s particularly common in oriental dishes such as curries and stir fries (as are many of the spices on this list).

Ginger

Ginger is great for the gut and can help beat stomach pain and nausea, while also fighting inflammation elsewhere in the body. There are lots of tasty ways to consume ginger, like in cakes, and also as a tea. Ginger can also liven up many savory dishes – just check out this amazing shoyu chicken recipe. You can also eat ginger with fish.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a root vegetable within the same family as ginger. It has a long list of impressive health benefits and is believed to be able to reduce the risk of cancer, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s. Turmeric is often used in curries and can also be added to stews and chicken dishes. You can even mix it into rice or sprinkle it on scrambled eggs.

Garlic

Garlic is a favorite spice used in many forms of Mediterranean cuisine including pasta and garlic bread. As well as keeping the vampires away, garlic can reduce blood pressure and improve the immune system. Smelly breath is one of its less friendly side effects, but it’s worth putting up with for the added explosion of flavor and health benefits.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice found under the bark of the cinnamomum tree. It’s thought to have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties, helping to fight off illness. The spice is commonly found in sweet foods such as cakes and cookies – especially around Christmas. Too much cinnamon can damage the liver, so make sure to consume it in moderation (although if you’ve tried the cinnamon challenge, you’ll know just how hard it can be to eat large quantities of cinnamon).

Paprika

Paprika is made from ground peppers, but tends to be a lot less fiery than chili. Its health benefits include lowering cholesterol, preventing inflammation, and improving eye health. Paprika can be sprinkled over pretty much anything – much like salt or black pepper. It tastes particular good sprinkled over deviled eggs or potato salad.

Cloves

Cloves come from the flower buds of a clove tree. They’re full of antioxidants and are great natural painkillers – rubbing cloves on your gums is still a popular way to ease a toothache. Cloves are very versatile and can be used to glaze meat, liven up rice, or give sweet snacks a kick (they’re commonly used in food like pumpkin pie, alongside cinnamon and ginger).

•What spices are your favorite? Comment below!

Thank you for reading!

Food

Making A Meal Of It: Learning How To Host A Dinner Party

February 14, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

(Image Source)

Hosting a dinner party can be a daunting task for a lot of people. If you don’t like cooking or lack the experience to handle something like this with confidence, it can be hard to relax and enjoy the evening you’ve put so much time into. Of course, though, an event like this doesn’t have to be as hard as you think. To help you out with this, this post will be offering some useful tips which will make the process of hosting your dinner party much easier. There’s no need to worry about the meal you’re making; you just need to have a good time.

Planning Ahead

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they are hosting a dinner party will be failing to plan ahead. It’s all too easy to think that it will only take a couple of hours to prepare your meal, but this is rarely the case, and you need to be planning at least a couple of days ahead. Any food which can be prepared ahead of time should be done before the big day. Not only will this save you time when it comes to making the main meal, but it will also help you to avoid being held up by mistakes or missing ingredients. Of course, though, you have to be careful to make sure that the food you serve is nice and fresh.

Following Recipes

Cooking isn’t easy for a lot of people, and many people struggle when they decide to go it alone with their food. Reading recipes used to be the only real option to help with this, though this has changed in recent times. Recipes are still crucial to your cooking experience, but you don’t have to read them; you can watch them, instead. A dessert like Sopapilla Cheesecake can look very challenging to make when you see the end results. But watching a video of it being made, though, you will see how simple it really is, and there are loads of other meals and desserts which can be cooked like this.

Putting The Work Down

Finally, as the last tip to consider, it’s time to think about what you’re going to do once you’ve finished cooking. With any luck, your time in the kitchen will be just about over by the time you have people coming through your doors. This will give you the chance to rest, relax, and enjoy the work you’ve done to make everyone a great meal. It can be easy to stress or worry about this, but you won’t be able to enjoy yourself if you’re feeling tense. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t created the best meal in the world, as it will soon be eaten, and you can get on with having fun.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling much better about the idea of having people over for a dinner party. People struggle with work like this all the time, but it’s important to remember what you’re doing this for!

Thank you for reading!

Food

5 Ways to Break out of Your Cooking Comfort Zone

February 11, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

Cooking is a wonderful skill to learn that can save you money, impress your family and even lead to a healthier lifestyle. However, cooking tends to be something that we don’t really practice. Instead, we often cook out of necessity whenever we’re hungry, or if we’re preparing meals for our kids. Rarely do we go out of our way to try something new, and this can lead to us creating a comfort zone that is difficult to break out of.

As a result, you might find that trying out new recipes can eventually get difficult. It might even reach a point where you’re scared of variety, especially if other people are going to be tasting your cooking. So in this post, we’re going to help you by suggesting five different ways to break out of your cooking comfort zone.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/oQvESMKUkzM (CC0)

1. Cook for various occasions

Cooking for different occasions, even if it’s something you’ve made yourself, is a great way to push yourself to try new cooking techniques and ingredients. For instance, why not try to cook a delicious brown sugar pineapple ham for the festive holidays? You could even try baking cakes and chocolates for Valentine’s day. Maybe you and your kids could have a curry night during the week, or maybe you’d like to try making special desserts on the weekend.

2. Equip yourself with proper tools

It’s important to invest your money into high-quality tools to help improve your cooking. Whether it’s a food processor to make prep easier or a sharp knife to make slicing a breeze, it’s vital that you equip yourself with the right tools for the job.

3. Avoid single-purpose tools

However, it’s also important to avoid single-use tools that might look fun to use but are ultimately pointless. Avoid relying on fad tools that clog up your kitchen and stick to basic tools that can be used for countless different purposes.

4. Taste new foods

It’s important to taste new foods to discover different flavours that you can try to incorporate into your own cooking. You might even learn about new foods that you really enjoy, so much so that you try to replicate it at home! Trying new foods is a great way to step outside of your comfort zone

5. Understand that mistakes are normal

No one cooks perfect meals 100% of the time. Everyone makes mistakes now and then and it’s important to learn from them instead of trying to hide behind them or avoid them. If you make a mistake in cooking, try to learn from those mistakes.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of establishing a comfort zone in cooking. However, if you follow these five easy steps, you’ll find that experimenting with your food and trying something new is a great way to expand your knowledge of cooking and increase the number of recipes you know. Don’t be afraid to try something new and give yourself a chance to grow your skills!

Thank you for reading!

Food

Cooking Yourself A Warming Dinner When You’re Feeling Out Of It

February 11, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 3 Comments

Eating is something a sick person needs to do quite carefully. It’s important to have a lot of antioxidants in your diet during a time like this, and to ensure any sugar content is kept to a healthy and natural minimum. You don’t want to accidentally feed the bacteria currently invading your immune system!

Food is one of the easiest, most accessible ways to take care of yourself when you’re feeling under the weather, so it’s important to know what the best kind of food is for you right now.

If you’re currently sick, or feeling a bit sneezy, it’s time to make yourself a hearty dinner that’ll help you feel much better. Take the suggestions below into your kitchen and whip up something tasty and good for your body – your immune system deserves it!

Pexels Image – CC0 License

You Can Throw Soups Together Easily Enough

Soups are wonderful dishes to make if you’re ill or not feeling quite right – you can put all kinds of delicious and nutritious ingredients into a pot, add water (good for when a cold dehydrates you!), and then freeze any soup you don’t eat for another day.

Of course, chicken soup, or chicken noodle soup, is usually a person’s go-to here. But a tomato soup, or a vegetable soup, have similar restoring properties. They’re good for your stomach and other organs, and the hot steam that rises off of the bowl is great for your nose, eyes, and mouth too.

You could also try your hand at broths; they’re another great dinner for those of us feeling ill and tired. Why not try out a delicious bone broth udon soup? Broths can feel a bit heartier and heavier than simple soups, so if you like a bit more of a meaty taste, or you’ve got some bones to use up, whip up a broth for the household!

Mix Up a Curry

Got a blocked nose? Then it’s time to make a curry, or any other type of hot or spicy food that you like. After all, if you can pack some capsaicin into your mouth (which is what makes spicy food feel hot and spicy), you’ll be able to clear those sinuses and get all that backed up phlegm moving!

Put Some Garlic in it!

And if you like just sticking to some regular recipes, because you like to cook no matter how ill you’re feeling, and you have a varied palette, it’s time to put a lot more garlic into your meals.

Garlic is a very beneficial food to eat, as it has quite a few medicinal benefits – thankfully, it’s one of the most popular spices on the planet, so you’re guaranteed to have some in the cupboard. If you want to boost your immune system in general, a bit more garlic is a great rule to abide by.

If you’re feeling out of it, it’s time to cook up something healthy and hearty. Food is best for your body!

Thank you for reading!

Food

How To Get The Most Nutrition Out of Your Food

January 5, 2019 By lyndsinreallife 6 Comments

When it comes to health and wellness, it can feel like there is a lot to be thinking about. There’s talk of omega-3s here, vitamin D there, and getting the right amount of protein packed into each meal. So how do you get all of the nutrients into your diet and having meals that give you the most benefit? Here are some of the ways that you can get the most nutrition out of your food, so you can relax and stop stressing over what you eat!

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Eat Local Food

Eating local food that is grown close to you can be a good way to get the best out of your food. If you pick your own food and eat it shortly after it has been picked, then it makes the most of the vitamins and minerals that you get from the produce that you eat. When you pick fruits and vegetables from their source, they start to lose their nutritional value. So having them close by after eating them can be the best.

Of course, this isn’t going to always be practical, especially at certain times of the year. So things like supplements can be a good idea to add into your everyday diet. Using a site like The Diet Dynamo can help you to choose the best supplements for your needs as there are plenty of reviews. If you are vegetarian or vegan, for instance, a supplement with B12 can be extremely beneficial.

Food Prep

The way you prepare your food can help to keep the vitamins and minerals in the foods. For instance:

Cutting fruits and vegetables is a good way to get the most of the nutrients out of them. When they are chopped it can help to break down the cell walls that can be quite rigid, which then frees up more of the nutrients.
Crushing and then chopping things like onions and garlic is a good way to make the food much better for you. When you do this, it releases an enzyme that helps to then form a nutrient called allicin. It can help to protect against diseases, so preparing the foods in that way can mean you get more out of it compared to when it is prepared another way.
Eating grains and beans is really important for plant-based protein in your life. But soaking them is best, rather than just boiling them. Soaking them helps them to reduce an acid that hinders your body’s ability to absorb certain nutrients. So it is a quick change that can make a big difference.

Raw Foods

There are some foods that are going to be better for you nutritionally when you eat them raw, as opposed to when heated or boiled, which can break down certain vitamins that they contain. Foods like sunflower seeds, broccoli, kale, spinach, and peppers are all examples of foods that are best, in terms of nutritional content, when they are eaten raw.

How do you like to prepare your food? Share in the comments below!

Disclosure: This post was a collaboration.

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Las Vegas Lifestyle

Eat, Work, Play, Exercise, and Live, All in One Place: The Gramercy Vegas

October 27, 2017 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

I used to nanny in Playa Vista, CA, aka Silicon Beach. I loved it because it had condos/apartments, shopping, restaurants, and even a movie theater within walking distance. I haven’t been able to find anything like that in Las Vegas. When I first moved here June 2016, I lived in a 327 sq ft. studio (I know, right?!). When I was searching for a much-needed upgrade, I looked specifically for apartments near retail and restaurants. I’m not always in the mood to go far from my place. Unfortunately, I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for. At least not yet.

Driving down the 215-W, after dropping off my boyfriend at Mandalay Bay, I was always noticing this big sign for The Gramercy.

Photo Credit: Gramercy Vegas Facebook Page

Shortly after first noticing the sign (what was it for, I wondered?!), Vegas Lifestyle Influencers announced the opportunity to check it out: a brand new residential apartment complex, complete with retail, restaurants, and office space!

We were greeted with champagne & swag bags

With the ladies of Vegas Lifestyle Influencers inside Pinches Tacos :: Photo By: @InAndOutOfVegas

RETAIL

Restaurants:

Pinches Tacos
DW Bistro
Portion Control
The Cuppa Coffee Bar
Kitchen Table (coming soon!)

Tacos el Pastor + Blood Orange Margarita @ Pinches Tacos

Exercise:

Raw Fitness

Beauty:

NOHEA Nails

Chicken + Zoodles / Chalk Wall at Portion Control

The Gramercy offers:

Studios, one, two, and three bedroom apartments and penthouse lofts
Urban-style luxury apartments (private balconies, high ceilings, open kitchens)
Underground parking , direct access elevators, and plenty of guest parking
Work, play, eat, and exercise without leaving home!
Play with your pup at the dog park
Resident perks
Conveniently located (15 minutes to The Strip, 10 minutes to Downtown Summerlin)

For more information on The Gramercy Vegas, visit their website, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!

What do you look for in an apartment complex?
What is one thing you’d love to suggest to add to The Gramercy?

Thank you for reading! Subscribe below:

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Nutrition Reviews Uncategorized

Guilt-Free Chicago Mix Popcorn + Giveaway!

October 20, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 7 Comments

A few months ago, I decided to cut out GMOs (genetically modified organisms) from my nutrition. I wanted to be as physically healthy as I could so that my mind would be healthy too. Over the past few months, I’ve been on the lookout for non-GMO snacks. That’s when I found GH Cretors non-GMO popcorn.

Disclosure: I contacted GH Cretors in the hopes of sampling their product. I received a case of Chicago Mix popcorn in exchange for a review and giveaway on my blog. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

What makes GH Cretors different from other popcorn?

It is free of:

artificial flavors or colors
GMOs
gluten (naturally)
corn syrup

What is the Chicago Mix?

The Chicago Mix is what I received, and I’m a big fan!

“Today we make our Caramel Corn just like Great Grandpa did- in old-fashioned copper kettles, one batch at a time. Then we mix it up the Chicago way, with our rich, creamy, Aged Cheddar Cheese Corn to create the perfect combination of Sweet and Salty. You don’t even have to come to Chicago to try this special treat” (website).

It contains ingredients you recognize and tastes absolutely delicious! My boyfriend and I went through a case pretty quickly. Plus it’s fun to share with friends: the girl I babysit likes the caramel corn, and I like the cheese corn, so we like to split it!

GIVEAWAY!

GH Cretors has graciously offered for me to give away one case of the Chicago Mix popcorn! One case= 24 bags (1.5 oz single-serve). You must be living in the US. GH Cretors will send the case directly to you (I will email the winner for their contact info). Enter by using the Rafflecopter widget below! The giveaway ends Tuesday, October 28 at 11:59pm PST. Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit GHCretors.com to check out the various popcorn options! There are tons of recipe ideas here. If you’re too excited to try GH Cretors before the giveaway ends, you can get free shipping through Oct. 31 by using promo code HW14FS.

Thank you for checking out my blog! And thank you GH Cretors for the opportunity. 🙂

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XO

Lyndsay

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Events Lifestyle SoCal

San Diego Boat Show Recap

June 20, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 5 Comments

I had the wonderful opportunity of attending the San Diego International Boat Show yesterday as a blogger, and it was a great experience! My boyfriend, Tim, was stationed in San Diego while he was in the navy, so he was really excited to make the trip to San Diego from Los Angeles with me.

Tim & me at the rest stop off the 5/405/PCH

The boat show is going on ALL weekend (through Sunday), but we were only able to attend the first day. Regardless, it was so much fun! We arrived shortly after it opened. It could not have been a more perfect day! It was sunny, warm (around 81 degrees), and there was a wonderful breeze coming off the Pacific. As we were driving down, Tim said he wanted to get new sunglasses. He breaks them all the time, I can’t even tell you how many pairs he has had. In the photo above, he is rocking my bright pink wayfayers (don’t they look great on him?!). The very first booth we stopped at was the Progressive Insurance booth (they sponsor the SD International Boat Show), and they had a bag toss game where you could win sunglasses! It was so perfect! So Tim played the game while I chatted with Michael, an insurance agent whose wife is a blogger. Needless to say, Tim won a pair of sunglasses:

There were tons of booths with really great products and services! Anything you need for boating, you can find it at the SD Boat Show. I don’t have a boat, but I have always loved the boating life. I grew up on Lake Erie in Ohio, and my family has an island house on Kelleys Island (one of the Lake Erie islands). I love anything involved with beach/lake/ocean life. This show definitely made me want that lifestyle even more!

The harbor was filled with different kinds of boats that you could walk on, check out, and even buy if you were ready:

The best part for Tim was the diving booth. During Tim’s navy career, he was able to get certified in diving in Hawaii, and we have been talking about me getting certified, too, so we can go diving together. The San Diego Divers had a dive pool where you could practice diving, so of course Tim gave it a shot:

He found a fake crab while diving, and put it up to the camera in the water (it shows up on a monitor) because crabs are my second favorite animal! I was really excited! (My first favorite animal is the pink flamingo, in case you were wondering) 😉

The woman in the pool with Tim in the top picture is Jan. She was so helpful and great! She has been diving for 28 years and said it is very calming for her. No matter what kind of day she had, she can go into the water, watch the ocean life, and be stress-free. It reminds her of the simplicity of life. Talking with her made me really want to come back to San Diego and get my diving certification. If you attend the boat show this weekend and try scuba in the pool, you get a $50 rebate for the diving certification program (within 90 days). How awesome is that?! The program is through BeADiver.com. I definitely want to get my certification, and Tim can take a refresher course. So exciting!

We were pretty hungry at this point, so we decided to get food. There was a food truck, and then a barbecue put on by the La Mesa Rotary Club:

I haven’t had a hot dog in forever, so that’s what I had! They also serve beer to those 21 and older (have your ID handy).

On our way back through the booths, we saw the Oru Kayak (origami kayak). We recognized it from a recent episode of Shark Tank! It was really exciting for us because when we first saw that episode, Tim and I both loved the idea of a folding kayak. We live in a one bedroom apartment in West Los Angeles, meaning we have NO storage space. Plus, kayaks are really heavy! My parents have one, and I totally love it, but I can’t carry it by myself. With Oru Kayak being at the boat show, we had the chance to feel the kayak, which is what I wanted to do after seeing it on Shark Tank. We also had the opportunity to talk with the CEO + Founder of Oru Kayak, Anton Willis, which was really awesome. He is a super cool guy (though that was expected, because he developed a super cool kayak)! Tim and I definitely want to get a couple of the Oru Kayaks in the next few months or so.

There were so many great, quality products and services at the boat show, plus plenty of fun activities that will keep families busy throughout this weekend! I already mentioned the diving pool, but there’s also sailing lessons, paddle board lessons, hands-on training, interactive learning center, and more! The San Diego International Boat Show is at the Sheraton Harbor Island in San Diego, Calif. through Sunday, June 22 from 12-7 pm (Sunday only until 6pm)! Admission is $12 for adults, and children 15 & younger are free.

We had such a great time, I can only imagine how much fun the rest of the weekend will be! If you go to the boat show, hashtag #SDBoatShow and tag @SDIntlBoatShow (Twitter and Instagram) and @balancebrunette (Twitter)/@thebalancedbrunette (Instagram) so your pictures will get shared and retweeted!

Are you attending the San Diego International Boat Show this weekend?
Do you enjoy the boating lifestyle? Comment below!

XO,

Lyndsay

Disclosure: I received two free tickets to the San Diego International Boat Show through Synergy Communications in the hopes that I would share about the event on my website. I only write about products, services, and/or events that pertain to myself and my readers, therefore all opinions are 100% my own.

Ambassador Fitness Nutrition SoCal

I’m Going To IDEA World Fitness BlogFest 2014!

April 16, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 6 Comments

Oh my gosh, I am beyond excited about this!! As a new blogger (started getfitwithlynds in December 2013), I’m clearly still learning so much about how to be an effective health and fitness blogger. Emily at Katie K Active and Taffy Activewear asked me if I was going to BlogFest, and I had absolutely no idea what it was. But of course it sounded awesome!

So I hopped on my computer and looked up IDEA World Fitness BlogFest with #sweatpink (Fit Approach) and saw that it is in Anaheim, California in August. Lucky for me, I live in Los Angeles, so Anaheim is super close! I actually travel there every quarter for Herbalife’s quarterly events. I just knew I HAD to go! I bought my ticket right then and there.

I’m so excited about this for two reasons:

I get to learn about fitness blogging from the best fit bloggers out there.
I get to meet fellow I’m Fit Possible Ambassadors, professionals in the IDEA Health and Fitness Association, health and fitness bloggers, and all the amazing people in the fitness/blogging community!

A good friend of mine, Jessica at Jessica Gets Fit, wants to go too, so we have been coordinating! Jess and I went to college together in Ohio (Cleveland area), and she has been a big help with my blogging! It will be so awesome if she can make it out here and we can attend this together!!

I have no doubt this will be a life-changing experience, and I cannot wait to immerse myself in everything BlogFest has to offer!

Are you going to IDEA World Fitness BlogFest this year??