Expo East 2014 Trends and Favorite Products

I was lucky enough to be able to attend Natural Products Expo East 2014 right in Baltimore a few weeks ago. Last year was my first time attending and was super overwhelming. Expo East  is a huge expo where brands and exhibitors come to showcase all of their products including brand new ones to industry professionals, retailers, distributors, and the press. 

This year I knew what to expect and made sure to bring a big bag for all my goodies. I thought it seemed less crowded on the floor even though I had less time to spend at the Expo than last year. I still got to try some amazing products, talk to great brands and companies, and leave with bags of swag. 

I left stuffed from samples each time and made sure to snap some photos of my favorites!  I spent most of my time in the supplement and food sections of the expo.

Pin it Party 6

I decided to join Lindsay's Pin it Party this Friday since I LOVE saving things on Pinterest. I've put together some of my favorite articles and recipes lately that I'd love to get pinned more!  

I have been trying to make my posts more Pinterest-friendly for all you people like me who save everything they want to look at later using the site!

Just click on the photos to go to that blog page or the links below to go straight to the pin!

Protein-Packed Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Since it's already October I know everyone is all like OMG PUMPKIN EVERYTHING but my love for bananas never wavers. 

So last week when I spotted a couple dark brown bananas begging to be eaten, banana bread was exactly what I was craving. I am always saving and pinning banana bread recipes because it's something I can't just get enough of. I used this recipe as a starting point and changed it to so it packed a protein-punch (and to accommodate what I had on hand!). It came out super moist, sweet, and delicious. 

Somehow my boyfriend and I made a whole loaf disappear in a matter of days. 

The only question now is when I'm going to get my hands on some overripe bananas to make it again. If you're looking for more foods to add extra protein into your diet check out this article. See below for my recipe and share! 

Chi Marathon Training Weeks 11-14: Tackling Long Runs in between Weddings

I'm really behind on my marathon training updates, but really things have been going pretty smoothly and now I'm in taper town! 

Oh and this came in the mail last week so things are getting SERIOUS. 

Active Nation Day with Lorna Jane on 9/28/2014

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Lorna Jane in a partnership with Fit Approach and the Sweat Pink Community.No compensation was received for this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

If you missed it, be sure to check out my post on the Body Love Tour and body image yesterday!

I've recently become familiar with the Lorna Jane brand of activewear and hopefully will get my hands on some their cute fitness gear soon like this adorable polka dot sports bra and this inspirational running tank. 

This Sunday the brand is hosting Active Nation Day which is in align with the principles the brand stands for- "Move. Nourish.Believe". I was excited to be given the opportunity to spread the word about Active Nation Day because I wholeheartedly believe in the message!  

Active Nation Day is this Sunday, September 28, and all over the world Lorna Jane will be hosting events to bring a whole group of women together, all committed to living their best life.

Body Love Tour Baltimore

It's only fitting that right before I sat down to start writing this post (part event recap/part thinking out loud) I saw the TUT daily inspiration that perfectly says everything I wanted this post to be about: 

You're beautiful enough, Lauren. You're special enough. You're sexy, playful, and fun enough. You've worked enough. You've cried enough. You've been grateful, generous, and kind enough. Okay, then?     The Universe

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a Body Love Tour event. I was surprised to find out the tour was making a stop in Baltimore for a night of yoga, inspiration, music and community with Promoting Natural Health and Lindsey Smith. 

I was really excited because a couple of my favorite bloggers Heather Waxman and Kasey of Powercakes were going to be there. (YAY!!!) I especially love following Kasey's blog and her whole journey and philosophy about healthy living is so inspiring to me.

The night of the event I showed up to a beautiful building albeit in a sketchier part of Baltimore for a smaller and more intimate evening than I had expected. I wasn't sure what to expect but right when I walked in I was greeted with hugs from both Heather and Kasey which had me blogger-starstruck. 

Lentil Sloppy Joes

It's now officially fall but minus enjoying a few pumpkin beers, I have held onto summer as long as possible. 

However I think it's time to sadly put away my sandals and embrace the nice aspects of autumn before it gets too cold and miserable.  No, I'm not a super crazy pumpkin lady, but I have been known to devour a bag of those Mellowcreme pumpkins and candy corns each fall.  A bag or two plus one after Halloween when the candy goes on sale. 

When colder temperatures arrive I love making soups, stews, and chilis for dinner. I'm looking at incorporating more meatless meals into my dinner rotation so when I saw this Lentil Sloppy Joe recipe on Pinterest from Shape.com I was excited to try it. I used the recipe more as a guideline but am pleased to say it resulted in a hearty meal. I didn't end up blending the mixture and kept it chunky so I could eat it like a chili.  I piled it on top of a baked sweet potato for a delicious & filling dinner. 

Lentil Sloppy Joes 

(Adapted from recipe by Heidi Kristoffer)

Anything Can Happen on Race Day and Other Marathon Training Anxieties

Check out my latest post on the Women's Health Action Heroes blog where I talk about my tips for handling a busy summer taken from my experiences travelling a bunch these past few months!

Here we go for today's thinking out loud post. More thoughts about running the Chicago Marathon. Which is only 23 days away. 

 

23 DAYS AWAY. 

How did it sneak up like this? 

I've got my 22-miler this weekend-the last really long run of training. Sadly I'll be travelling again for a couple more weddings. I'm trying to squeeze it in before I leave so it probably won't happen with my training group. Then again maybe it's better I just work it out and run 22 miles by my lonesome since I'll probably be running the race mostly alone. 

I'm already reaching the point of training where all my doubt and anxiety is quietly bubbling to the surface. 

I'm thinking that I didn't get my mileage as high as I wanted. I didn't follow my training plan strictly enough. I didn't push myself hard enough. The rational part of me knows that training is about all of those runs since June and hitting that long run mileage. 

This is the first time I'm actually flying somewhere before running a race as well. I'll be sure to take some Airborne and wear compression socks of course. The flight isn't that long, but it still causes some anxiety, especially since I've never been to Chicago. 

Another part of the marathon that is daunting is that anything can happen on race day. Even though I tapered right, stretched, and  foam-rolled last year, I still had really tight calves on race day for some odd reason.  You can do everything right, but sometimes your body has other plans in mind when you wake up that morning. Sometimes the weather or course conditions suck. Sometimes it just isn't your day.