Let’s just call this an online holiday party, shall we?  For the past two weeks, I’ve been doing something I don’t normally do.  Instead of staying within my comfort zone, I’ve been stepping outside of it and doing my best to ‘meet’ new bloggers.  There are so many wonderful and interesting people out in the blogosphere and it never ceases to amaze me how many things I can learn from them.  I’m really enjoying this challenge and I encourage all of you to do the same, if you haven’t already.  Tis’ the season to mingle and be merry…so go for it!

Image Credit – laist.com

Week 3 of Healthy Chow’s-a-Makin’-Some-New-Friends

• I Have Two Feet Ten Toes – I have to confess.  Astrid isn’t someone I just met.  She actually found me a few weeks ago and we’ve been buddies ever since.  But since this is an exercise in meeting new and intriguing people, I thought I would mention her because Astrid did what I am setting out to do.  I’m so glad she introduced herself to me.  First off, Astrid is a Geology Masters student.  While she’s not spending time researching  or studying, she paints, cooks, bakes, takes walks with her dog and practices yoga.  To say Astrid is talented would be a huge understatement.  Check out her gingerbread house.  It was the very first one she’s ever made from scratch by herself.  Uh yeah, Astrid, I think you hit the nail on the head on your first try!  And do yourself a favor and check our her recipes for homemade mint oreos, pomegranate lemon tea cakes with pomegranate frosting and honey butter pork tenderloin with smashed potatoes – you definitely won’t be disappointed!  She makes her own wheat noodles, too.  Thank you, Astrid, for introducing yourself to me!

• CookinFanatic -This cookin’ fanatic is Stephanie, a CPA residing in the Richmond, VA area with her boyfriend and Black Lab/Irish Setter mix, Lucy.  Like Astrid, Stephanie likes to get creative in the kitchen and isn’t much of a recipe follower, as she likes to put her own personal touch on her dishes.  And while Stephanie likes to workout, she would rather take a kickboxing or cardio class versus your conventional running/elliptical (I agree, Stephanie!).  And who doesn’t love sugar cookies?  Well, you’ll love Stephanie’s cookies even more once you see how pretty they are – wow!  And then check out her reverse deep dish pizza – it looks mouthwatering!  I just love her recipe names and categories; this gal is a riot!

• hungry, hungry, hippie – Love this blog name!  Elise is originally from Northern California but is now living in Manhattan with her fiancé, Kyle.  She is a cardiac ICU RN, is 94.6% vegan and played soccer at a highly competitive level until college.  Fitness is very important to Elise as she feels the natural high from endorphins is the best high.  She calls herself a ‘hippie’ because she tries to be as green as possible: she recycles, uses energy efficient appliances and buys products that are all earth friendly.  This hippie is another lady that cracks me up!  Check out how she described her sauna experience!  Elise loves her music and like me, can’t get enough of Mr. Timberlake!  And how does she make homemade seitan?!

• Angela Loves Food – Angela is another nice blogger who introduced herself to me a few weeks ago.  She’s the sweetest thing; I love her honesty and her smile.  Angela is a student living in San Diego, CA and is currently balancing studying, working as a lifeguard, finding time to exercise and eating right.  I love her recipes for spelt cookies – they look delicious and so healthy!  Way to go!  Check out how she tried to make her own version of Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte – so creative!  Like me, Angela has a soft spot in her heart for her newly purchased George Foreman grill.  And also like me, she can’t leave home unless it’s clean!  For such a young lady, Angela is quite profound and has experienced so much in her young life.  She has great positive energy and a wonderful outlook on life.  I’ve learned some important things from you, Angela, and for that, I thank you!  Actually, we could all learn a thing or two from this lovely gal!

• healthy, hott, housewife… - Another great blog name and another one with 3 H’s!  This healthy, hott, housewife is Therese, a newlywed (congrats!) living in Orlando, FL with her husband and their Black Lab puppy, Daisy (who loves to nibble on remote controls).  Therese works in financial services and loves running, spinning, Greek yogurt, her dog, college and pro football, a good glass of wine, cooking up healthy meals, dancing, partying and reading blogs.  Therese and her husband challenged themselves to do a three-month Body for Life challenge and they just finished.  Check out her amazing results! Congratulations!  Like me, Therese loves her oats – both sweet and savory.  I just love her spicy oats with tilapia.  Awesome idea!

Another extraordinary group of ladies that I may not have met if I didn’t take the chance to introduce myself and if they didn’t take the chance to introduce themselves to me.  Each person is so unique and has so much to offer and yet, they all share one common thing.  They share the love to better themselves, to stay healthy and to have fun doing it.  I can’t believe there are so many people like this, and I’m so glad I have all the time in the world to meet each and every one of them.  As  I said earlier, it’s like an online party.  But at this party, the night never ends and the crowd just keeps getting bigger and better.

Image Credit – tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com

Go ahead, give this challenge a try…what do you have to lose?

What’s your favorite holiday song?  I used to not be a fan of Christmas music, but now I’m starting to like it.  My favorites are ‘The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)’ and ‘This Christmas’.  Do you like holiday music?

Namasté,
Nicole