Author Archives: emilyrosemclaughlin

{Monday Motivator} The Better Man Project

Posted in Monday Motivators, Motivation & Happiness by

By Evan Sanders

When I was at my worst my dad looked at me and said, “If you are going to stand in the kitchen, you better be willing to take the heat.” That always stuck with me and has been a guiding motto in my life since. It reminds me that when you are cooking and creating on the stove of life, you are going to get grease burns, sometimes there will be singed hairs, and more often than not, the temperature is going to get pretty hot. I know for a fact that after getting burned enough times you want to give up cooking altogether and hit up the microwave – just pop in your food, press the timer and wait until it’s done. But no masterpiece has been created by phoning in your life and letting the time run out. Life becomes a beautiful thing when you start taking chances, dream big, and go after your goals with a vigor that cannot be understood by onlookers. That’s where the flavors of your world start to mix and blend into something magical – something that one day you will be able to eat from, every single day, with absolute delight.

“Anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great.” - Ratatouille

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I have found throughout time that the only thing that truly matters is the solidity of the  virtues and character in my life. Because with a strong foundation rooted in love, passion, and a never quitting attitude, I can have everything taken from me, but I still have everything I need to create my world again. When you know who you are and you are unwilling to compromise your beliefs, making decisions becomes a lot easier. If it doesn’t match up with your character, the decision becomes obvious. I think a lot of people get lost when they don’t take the time to really get to know themselves – who they are at their core, what makes them happy and what drives them down into the dirt. It’s a hard thing to do mind you, but self-awareness is free and pays back with unbelievable interest.

I had an old baseball coach always ask me how I felt that day on a percentage basis. I would give him my answer and he would say, “Now give 100% of that 70%.” What he meant was that whatever I had in the tank that day, give it my all. I find that most days I wake up there is just an “average day” feeling looming over me – but I know that in order to become the champion of my world, I have to take that average day and do something great with it. I have to look beyond myself and continue chipping away at monumental dreams because that is how I can turn an average day into a great day. When you are fielding grounders, you can either let the ball come to you and increase your chances of getting a bad hop, or you can charge the ball with tenacity and make an easier play. In life, you can either let the game play you or you can play your game. The choice is entirely yours.

If I had any advice for anyone, it’s to write down the dreams and aspirations you have in your head. Put them on paper and figure out the steps it will take to achieve your goal. Then, start before you are completely ready. Take the first step and never look back. Remember though, big dreams come with big problems – but the satisfaction of having achieved something through blood, sweat, and tears will remain with you for the rest of your life. I believe it was Muhammad Ali who once said something of the sort…suffer the pain of sacrifice now and live the rest of your life a champion.

So go cook. Step up to the stove with intent and believe in what you are doing. Know in the depths of your heart that you are going to create a masterpiece. Then, start cooking.

~

Learn more about Evan: thebettermanprojects.com & @BetterManProj

Thanks for the great post! Stay healthy, stay happy, keep cookin’.

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Refreshing orange muffins

Posted in Food & Diet, Recipes by

By Emily McLaughlin

I have a bag full of oranges that are nearly impossible to peel. To get through the bag a little quicker, I’ve been brainstorming uses for freshly squeezed orange juice. Smoothies, sangria, orange chicken, cake… the possibilities seem endless.

Last week, I made an orange-glazed tempeh (glaze = fresh orange juice, sugar and a dash of cornstarch blended together on a simmer) and for Mother’s Day I baked these refreshing orange muffins! Check ‘em out!

~

Refreshing orange muffins (Makes 10-12 small muffins)

1 Ingredients

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 tbsp melted butter (let cool)

Zest and juice of a small orange

3 tbsp white sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, egg, orange juice, vanilla and butter. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, mix sugar and orange zest together. Once combined, add flours, baking powder and baking soda. Mix these dry ingredients together.
  4. Pour the liquid ingredients from the small bowl into your bowl of dry ingredients and stir to blend.
  5. Divide the batter into lightly greased (or lined) muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Serve warm or store in fridge/freezer for later.

Stay healthy, stay happy, eat muffins.

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Healthy, twice-baked sweet potato

Posted in Fitness, Food & Diet, Recipes by

By Emily McLaughlin

I know life isn’t always easy, but it definitely doesn’t have to be complicated. Springtime is an opportunity for a fresh start, to begin anew, or to be reborn. Let the change of season be an opportunity for you to remove any clutter from your life (i.e. clean out your closet, give your refrigerator a sweep, clean your car or simplify your diet).

I’m all about keeping things tidy and living simply, but there is always room for improvement. One significant change I’ve made with the change of season is cleaning up my diet. I struggle with my eating habits on a daily basis, trying to eat right while keeping my reactive hypoglycemia at bay. Eating clean, fibrous, protein-packed meals is my ultimate goal, but that’s a costly and often time-consuming plan to have. My tips?

  • Don’t buy the bad stuff: Stock up on whole grains, fruits, veggies and protein-packed snacks like nuts and seeds. Avoid salty snacks and frozen meals.
  • Ix-nay unnecessary ingredients: Does your peanut butter really need anything but peanuts in it? No. Sure that salty, hint-of-honey peanut butter tastes like heaven, but the stripped-down version tastes good too! I wasn’t crazy about it at first, but your taste buds will crave it over time.
  • Meal prep: Meal-prep is CRUCIAL. Every week, I set aside some time to wash fruits and veggies, then prep some meals and snacks for the week ahead.
  • Prepare simple meals: The simpler your meals, the better. But remember, simple doesn’t have to be boring. Take some cooked brown rice, fry it up with tons of veggies, maybe add some tofu or pain grilled chicken, toss in some spices and voilà! (For easy fried rice, just add a scrambled egg to the rice and veggies and stir quickly.)

~

I’ll be sharing some of my simple, stripped-down recipes all spring and summer. Here is one of my personal favorites:

sweet potatoTwice-baked sweet potato (Serves 1)

Ingredients

1 medium sweet potato

2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt

1 tbsp of a cheese of your choice (cheddar/Mexican blend  or an Italian blend are my favorites)

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
  2. Poke holes in your sweet potato with a fork or knife. Fully cook the potato in the microwave for about 6-7 minutes)or in the oven for 1 hour. (How hungry are you?)
  3. Once the potato is fully cooked, slice it in half the long ways and scoop out the insides with a spoon. Leave a thin layer of potato on the skin.
  4. In a bowl, mix together potato, Greek yogurt, cheese and any spices you fancy adding. Place your potato halves on a baking sheet like a bowl. Put the mixture back into the potato halves and sprinkle any addition spices.
  5. Bake halves for 10-15 minutes or until edges start to brown.

Once your potato cools, enjoy as-is or add some toppings! The twice-baked sweet potato is delicious as-is, but I couldn’t help but add some salsa, avocado, a dollop of Greek yogurt and some scallions. :)

Stay healthy, stay happy, keep it simple.

sweet potato

Five ingredient hummus

Posted in Food & Diet, Recipes by

By Emily McLaughlin

Yes, you read correctly! This recipe includes five ingredients and tastes absolutely, positively delicious. Another bonus? It’s inexpensive! One 8 oz tub of Trader Joe’s Tahini Sauce can make up to 8 batches of hummus — unless you really love tahini, then it might only make 4 batches of hummus. Either way, TJ’s sells the tub at $2.99, Garbanzo beans at 89¢ and pre-made hummus for $2.99+… I’ll let you do the math to calculate your savings. ;)

Lemon garlic hummus

Ingredients

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

2+ tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp Trader Joe’s Tahini Sauce (or a similar product)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 clove garlic (best if roasted or sauteed first, yumm yumm yumm)

*For more flavor, add spices like salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, etc.

**For a creamier hummus dip, add Greek yogurt (1+ tbsp).

Instructions

  1. Pour chickpeas and 1 tbsp of olive oil into a food processor. (Depending on the size of your food processor, you might have to blend 1/2 of the can with olive oil first, then add the rest of the can.) 
  2. Once the chickpeas start to breakdown, add the garlic, tahini and lemon juice. Blend.
  3. In order to reach your desired consitancy, continue to blend and drizzle in additional olive oil.
  4. EAT!

Spine health: Give your spine some love

Posted in Fitness, Health & Beauty by

By Emily McLaughlin

lululemon athletica's flickr.

lululemon athletica’s flickr.

The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease. -Thomas Edison

A balanced diet a great first step in towards living a healthy lifestyle. A healthy, nutritious diet paired with regular exercise will likely prevent society’s common diseases and keep our human organs functioning properly. Now, to address the last part of Edison’s health equation: The human frame. A healthy human frame is not only lean, but clear of any distortions. A common site for distortions is the ever so sacred spine.

Continue reading →

Fitness apps: Shimmy for a cause and learn where to unroll your mat

Posted in Do Good & Feel Good, Fitness by

By Emily McLaughlin

This week, two of my favorite organizations released some amazing mobile app news to feed my healthy addictions. Read more to learn about a new app from lululemon and a charitable addition to the (already amazing) Zumba Fitness app. Continue reading →

Zumba Nightclub Series with Lil Jon and Gina Grant

Posted in Fitness by

By Emily McLaughlin

Yes, you read correctly… LIL JON (!) and GINA GRANT. For most of us, Lil Jon brings back memories of middle/high school dances and pointing from the window to the wall. If you follow Zumba Fitness at all, then you most likely have a huge crush on celebrity instructor, Gina Grant. I honestly don’t know who I was more excited to see last night — it was such a perfect pairing.

As expected, Gina rocked it. Lil Jon didn’t let me down either. His DJ-ing was spot on and his spontaneous “OKAYYY” and “YEAHHHH” really kept me going during the Zumba Nightclub Series event.

I recorded a little amateur footage in between shakin’ my romp and jumping around, but it is enough to give you a taste of what the night was like:

Dancing with my iPhone was a little tough, but I really wanted to be able to snap some video/pictures while I was getting my groove on. Here are some snapshots from the night:

Do good, get fit: Upcoming active charity events

Posted in Do Good & Feel Good, Fitness by

By Emily McLaughlin

imageThis weekend, I put on my Maggie’s Crew t-shirt to help get “One Step Closer” to a cure for MS. Many of my friends and family members have participated in this walk for years in honor of an amazing person we all know and love dearly. The walk is a scenic, 6-mile tour around Plymouth, MA in good company. It is a great way to raise awareness for a life-altering disease and to fund-raise for much-needed research.

A walk is just one way to raise awareness for a cause near and dear to your heart. Many other “athletic” events also encourage fund-raising efforts for disease research, patient care, animal rescue… you name it… there is an event for it. Marathons, triathlons, 5Ks, and bike races bring attention to a causes that need aid. To do good, you don’t always have to register and donate — there is always strength in numbers and simply being there is important.

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In light of my walk-around-the-block this weekend, I wanted to share the efforts of a few of my friends (a growing list):

BASKETBALL 3v3 TOURNAMENT – April 21st

This basketball tournament  sponsored by the Student Officials Organization and UMass Campus Recreation Student Advisory Committee, benefits the Will Werner Memorial Scholarship Fund. Will was my co-worker at UMass Campus Rec, so this one is very close to heart. Amherst folks, take part or come out to watch the event. Learn more here.

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YOGATHON – April 28th

Ali Wagner is participating in Yoga Reaches Out’s New England Yogathon to support Boston Children’s Hospital and Children’s Tumor Foundation. Additional funds will help healing through yoga in Newtown, CT. To learn more about the yogathon and support Ali, go to her Facebook event page.

100-MILE BIKE RIDE – June 1st

My uncle is participating in the Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port – a 100 mile ride in support of Best Buddies International. Donate and learn more about the event here.

PAN-MASS CHALLENGE

My friend Jon is also doing a bike ride for a great cause.

“I’m a proud supporter of the PMC because it is leading a charge to beat cancer. My dad is a 15 year rider, and I’ve always wanted to join him. This is my year to support the PMC so that no child will ever have to grow up missing a parent, so that no brother will have to say goodbye to their sister, and so that we can one day live in a world without cancer.”

To learn more about Jon’s ride, visit his donation page.

~

Are you planning or participating in an active charity event? Share your event in the comment section below.

My advice for graduating seniors

Posted in Motivation & Happiness by

By Emily McLaughlin

Graduated with my best friend. <3

I graduated with my best friend. <3

Many of my friends and family members are immersed in a transitional year… a commencement year. Commencement signifies the end of one chapter and the beginning of another in this wonderful book of life. Everyone’s book has different highs and lows, but no book is more captivating than another.

Whether you are graduating high school or college, there are a few things I want you to keep in mind as you enter the next chapter of your life. It’s been almost 1 year since I graduated from UMass Amherst and 5 years since I left Pembroke High School — I’ve learned a lot about myself and the person I am destined to become in that time. You may be thinking, “Oh, crap! I have no idea!” and I promise you that things will fall into place in time.

Everything you need is within you now.

When I am dealing with a difficult situation emotionally or physically, this is the mantra I resort to. I repeat it a few times in my head to reaffirm my inner strength (there’s the yogi in me). If you are in a commencement phase of you life, odds are you are dealing with at least one of the following: Taking finals, choosing a college, moving, finding a job, preparing for grad school, saying goodbye, meeting new people. Through all of those stressful, life-altering moments, remember that everything you need is within you now.

You are making the right decision.

Stop asking yourself, “Am I making the right choice?” What is the right choice, anyways? Your path will enfold the way destiny has planned… you just have to let it. With that said, don’t spend your time thinking, “What if?” because…

Life is sure to take you to some amazing places, just hold on tight for the ride. 

There will be highs and there will be lows. I can’t tell you when you will hit those points, but I can tell you they are coming. There may be times when you think that you are not strong enough and there will be times when you question the decisions you made (we’re human). What I am suggesting is that you don’t get hung up on what could have been… Live in the NOW and roll with the punches.

Find healthy ways to deal with stress.

During the last few months of college and through the start of my first “real world” job, I exercised a whole lot. From experience, I know that a little sweat and movement is the best way for me to deal with stress. This might not work for you (even though science says it works for everyone ;) ). Find an activity or hobby they helps you maintain a little sanity in your busy, chaotic life and MAKE TIME FOR IT.

You will learn and mature most in the hardest of times.

Tough times will make you stronger… so I’ve learned. It will be in those hard times, those unexpected times, that you will discover something new about yourself — perhaps a quality you didn’t realize you possessed, or a belief system you didn’t realize you held. These hard times won’t necessarily be bad times, but a struggle will be present.

Keep friends close and friendships strong.

After graduation, I got a job in Newton, MA. For a couple of months, I commuted back and forth from my hometown… but that 1-1.5 hour commute was really taking a lot out of me. By October, I was settled into a little apartment with college friends a few towns east of Newton. Back on the South Shore were my two best friends. While we text daily and talk on the phone occasionally, we definitely don’t see each other enough. Make time for your friends, even if you have to pencil each other into your crazy-looking planners.

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This list could go on forever, but I want to keep it short. If you remember at least one of these pieces of advice as you transition from high school to college, from college to the real world, or from one job to another, you’ll do just fine. I promise.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received when going through a major life change? If it wasn’t advice, what quote/mantra do your occupy your mind with during struggle? Sound off in the comment section below. :)