Lauren Loves Good Food

Hi you all.  I’m so honored to have a guest post from Lindsay or Summit Sandwiches today.  This girl is witty, hilarious and adventurous, aka everything I wish I was.  Plus she is a Colorado girl just like me!  What I love most about Lindsay is the versatility of her posts and how down-to-Earth she seems when she writes them.  But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself 😛 

Hey there, all you lovely folks!

My name is Lindsay, and I write a blog called Summit Sandwiches. One of the biggest focuses of my blog is something I like to call “happy living.” Encompassed in this term is anything and everything that makes me smile, elicits spontaneous laughter, and makes me feel more connected to the world around me. As you might have guessed from my blog’s name, mountain summits are one of the cornerstones of my vision of happy living! 🙂

One of the reasons I love climbing mountains so much is because hiking is a HUGE stress reliever for me. Getting outside is one of the things that makes me happiest. But what if the outdoors isn’t your thing? Never fear, friends.

I’d like to offer up a few more “happy living” tips to help reduce your stress levels. While I’m sure many of you already practice that tried and true stress relieving practice of exercise, I thought I’d show you a few unconventional stress relievers that I’ve practiced through the years. 🙂 Trust me, it never hurts to have a solid repertoire of ways to relieve stress.

Without further ado, here are Lindsay’s Top 5 Totally Nerdy But Totally Awesome Stress Relieving Behaviors:

1) Having a dance party by yourself in your room

I’m serious about this one. It’s possibly one of the greatest relievers in the world. Create a playlist of dance-able hits on your i-tunes, and then proceed to shake your groove thang without a care in the world. Dance like there’s no tomorrow. Not only will you work up a sweat, but I swear, you will just feel happier afterward. You will not resist smiling by the end of your solo dance party. It’s practically guaranteed. Just for the record, one of my all-time favorite solo dance party songs is Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”....I dare you to dance to it and not rejoice in its 80s fabulosity.

2) Skipping around the block

When was the last time you skipped around? Probably when you were 10, right? Well, you need to get back on that childhood bandwagon and fast! After one of my runs recently, I randomly skipped around my neighborhood, and while I did receive a few funny looks from the neighbors, I had a BLAST doing it. It’s hard to hold onto stress and tension when you’re frolicking about your neighborhood, having as much fun as all the little kids at the local playground.

3) Taking a spin in the car and having an epic sing-a-long session to the radio

I realize not everyone finds driving to be relaxing….but if you do, then this tip is for you! I have to commute 25 minutes to work everyday, and I enjoy it because it gives me time to belt my heart out to my favorite songs on the radio. Sometimes, pouring my heart and soul into a Celine Dion ballad as I take a joyride is the perfect stress reliever. If I notice I’m holding emotions in my body, verbalizing them through song lyrics often helps me release that pent up emotion…and boy does it feel so much better afterward. Not to mention, who doesn’t like pretending like they’re a lead singer on Broadway? I don’t care if you think you’re a terrible singer; in the confines of your car, you’re a star!

4) Going to a bookstore for an hour or two

There are few places as warm and inviting as lovely as a bookstore. Bonus points go to bookstores with attached coffee shops! Reading is one of my favorite pastimes, and I think bookstores are one of the most relaxing places on the planet. The second I enter the doors of a bookstore, I can feel my breathing grow deeper, and the pace of my life seems to slow down. For an hour or two, I can escape from the crazy pace of regular life and lose myself in the book stacks. And don’t forget to purchase a soy latte while you browse! Instant stress relief, people. 🙂

5) Picking up a puzzle

I’m a big fan of crossword puzzles, but any sort of mind puzzle- from word jumbles to Su Doku to jigsaw puzzles- work as perfect stress relievers. Puzzles inspire you to think in creative ways, and they can enable you to focus on something else beyond the things that may be stressing you out. Puzzles transport your mind to another place, and for that reason alone, puzzles are PERFECT stress relievers. Might I recommend the New York Times crossword puzzles? 🙂 Just remember to start off easy with the Monday edition instead of the Sunday!

Soooo….if you ever find that your daily round of exercise isn’t enough to combat your stress, try one of these tips. I hope they make you smile! And remember, having an adventure in the great outdoors never fails to kick my stress levels in the booty. It might do the same for you too. 🙂

Thank you so much, Lindsay!  I am definitely guilty of having solo dance parties and rocking out in the car.  Glad we’re on the same page 🙂

Another day, another guest post.  This one comes from Julie at Lettuce Choose Healthy and this girl is just as cute (if not more so) than her blog name and she’s a culinary student to boot!  In other words, I envy her.  This post had me drooling and I’m sure by the end, you will be too! 

Hi everyone. Lauren was so kind to ask me to guest post while she is away.

My name is Julie. I am new to the blog world. I just recently started Lettuce Choose Healthy. I am a senior at Johnson & Wales University. I have about two weeks left of the school year until I graduate!

A lot of people ask what it’s like to be at culinary school.

First off all you get to wear these cool uniforms to class every day. Jealous? Everyone needs to wear them to academic classes as well as the cooking labs. I actually really like wearing a uniform. I never have to decide what to put on in the morning.

In order to get into the Bachelors Culinary nutrition program you must complete the Culinary Arts Associates degree. During this degree you learn all the fundamentals and different types of cuisines. Some of these classes are a health freaks nightmare.

My favorite classes in culinary arts were nutrition and sensory analysis where you learn mainly the techniques of poaching and steaming. It focuses on how to create natural fresh flavorings through food combinations. Beverage class was a lot of fun too. Every student’s “desk” was a bar set-up. The bottles were filled with colored water. Our practical was to make 12 mixed drinks in 6 minutes. I also really liked the baking classes.

My least favorite class in culinary arts was meat cutting. Vegetarians looks away…
The class was in a cooler. It was SO cold. We learned the different cuts of meats on each animal and how to break them down like a butcher. I was so happy when that class was over.

After finished my Culinary Arts Associates degree I applied to get in the Culinary Nutrition program which I got into. All classes are nutrition focused. We get the same science background education like other nutrition majors get like taking organic chemistry, biochemistry and microbiology. We learn about nutrition in classes like Medical Nutrition Therapy, Lifespan Nutrition, and Nutrition Assessment. What makes it different from other Nutrition programs is we also learn about nutrition and food. Some of the classes in Culinary nutrition are Food Science, Vegetarian Cuisine, Athletic Performance Cuisine, and Lite and Healthy Desserts.

(smoked tempeh and potato sausage on chickpea latkes with potato, red lentil and brown onion hash)

(Making energy bars in Athletic Performance Cuisine – certain nutrition parameters for different athletes)

(mini vegan fruit tarts)

I absolutely love going to culinary school.

After graduation I am completing a really awesome internship over the summer (more info to come soon to my blog!!) I hope to get a job after that in a field of nutrition education. I like to help and show people that eating healthy can be easy and delicious. Check out my recipes in my page J

(spring salad with a light citrus dressing)

(3 ingredient oatmeal pancake)

(Black bean burger)

What school do/did you go to? What was your major?

Thanks again Lauren for letting me guest post! I hope you are having fun in New Orleans!!

Thank you, Julie!!  I would tell you all my school and major but I’m pretty sure I’ve already beat you over the head with that information for the past few weeks 😛