Three Things Thursday: Get it free

It all started the moment I stepped on the Bowling Green State University campus at the ripe old age of 18.

Table after table lined the walk to the book store, offering T-shirts and phone cards (God, remember those!) if you stopped to chat and, maybe, fill out a credit card application. That year, I ended up with 26 T-shirts, 215 phone cards and a $1,000 in debt. Not my smartest move but whatev.

Those applications, though, ignited my love for all things free. It's much harder to come by those things now but through the powers of social media, I've found a few sites that satisfy my need for free by doing the same thing I did at BG: filling shit out.


1. Crowdtap. According to its website, "Crowdtap is the Influencer Marketing platform, enabling leading brands to easily identify, activate and manage their influential consumers for real-time insights and powerful online and offline peer-to-peer marketing." Activity includes answering quick hits, sharing web content as part of challenges and sample and share opportunities. You might remember seeing Old Navy pop up on occasion, and it's because of my activity with Crowdtap. I've received coupons to sample and share ON items such as shirts, dresses, beach wear, shoes and bottoms. I've got an exciting opportunity coming up that features one of our favorite things: workout wear.

2. BzzAgent. BzzAgent dubs itself as "the leading social marketing company. What's that mean to you? We put products in the hands of hundreds of thousands of real consumers and help them share their opinions about them with friends and family via reviews, Facebook posts, photos and videos, blog posts and more. We wouldn't call ourselves heroes, but it's okay if you want to." I'm fairly new to BzzAgent but since I started, I've had the chance to try out a new product in Meijer's photo department - the mounted photo - and COVERGIRL blastflipstick.

The blastflipstick is "two lipsticks in one, so you can combine creams and shimmers to create your own one-of-a-kind look." I'm not normally a makeup person, much less a lipstick person, but I love having some new things to play with. And, I'm not sure about you, but a little of mascara and a swipe of lipstick, and I feel instantly put together. I'm a fan of the Vixen shade that I was sent, followed by Stunner.

Because I'm both, obviously. I also look like Sofia Vergara.

P.S. I have some coupons for the lipstick so if you want to try it out, shoot me an email (hlthystrides at gmail dot com) and I'll mail them out. No lip marks on the envelope. I promise.

3. House Party and Vocalpoint. I've been a Vocalpoint member for awhile though I've done very little on the site beyond a few surveys. This week, in a random mail delivery, I received something through my membership: a blog kit from Charmin. Inside was a box of Charmin Freshmates (think baby wipes from grown-ups) and the most awesome towel ever. It's not a particularly soft piece of terry cloth but it is labeled on each end - one for face, the other for the tush.

I have House Party to thank for my Keurig Vue but beyond that, I haven't had much luck with the site. You have to act quickly and be super involved to continue to get parties. And lots of friends who lots of time to hang out when you need them to hang out.

But I'm not complaining. I'm wearing my vixen flipstick and drinking a cup of Donut Shop coffee while Miles chants "Grover." Grover might be the monster but I fear I've created one.

What about you: Do you participate in any of these social media marketing tools? Do you have tips?

Turn the tide

The air is crisp. The leaves crunch beneath my feet as I run. The days are getting shorter.

It's official: Fall is here.

And by some stroke of luck or genius, the gym launched its Fall into Fitness campaign with a party for BODYPUMP 83 on the day that fall began.

In one word, 83 is awesome. I started on 81, which I have been doing for too long now, and it really had to grow on me. This release is challenging and fun, and it was love at first squat.

All three BP instructors were teaching at the launch, and I was responsible for chest, back, biceps and abs - all of which are killer.

Teaching on Saturdays is a bit lonely - it's just me and the classes are much smaller. It was so much fun to be team-teaching again and to be teaching to a packed house. The energy was incredible!

And, by the end, we were dripping in sweat. I guess we didn't fall into fitness - we dove in and swam into fitness. A  little story  for you: I almost did fall in the ab track. There's this really awesome rotating hover, and the floor was so wet from sweat that my feet slipped around. Gross yet awesome at the same time.

Afterward, I had treats and coffee waiting for everyone. I really wanted the launch to be special and encourage a sense of community, and there's no better way than with food. Healthy food that you can feel good about. I made pumpkin biscuits and some (sadly disappointing) apple chai muffins. The Keurig Vue was also on hand and a hot cup of coffee was nice to hold (and drink) on a rather blustery morning.

 A toast to fall and job well done!

{The obligatory early fall pumpkin post}

Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere. And not a bite to eat.

Aww, baby Miles!

Natch.

I lied.

Big time.

Evidence: I am currently in the depths of an early fall pumpkin coma. Pumpkin oatmeal for breakfast, pumpkin pie sans crust after lunch. Pumpkin coffee mid-morning, with a taste of a pumpkin biscuit.

Yes, pumpkin biscuit.

I am hosting a Keurig Vue party via House Party this weekend, and I'm tying it together with the launch of BODYPUMP 83 at the gym. The theme is "Fall into Fitness - As Seasons Change, So Can You," and I've promised participants some healthy fall-inspired treats. There's going to be Chai-Spiced Apple Oatmeal Muffins and maybe some homemade granola in addition to what is now called a biscuit.

My original plan was to make a pumpkin scone, offering a lower-calorie alternative to Starbucks' 440-calorie behemoth, but what came out of the oven looked - and tasted more like a biscuit. Dense but flaky and not overwhelmingly sweet. Served with some cinnamon butter and maple syrup (and a cup of coffee), there's not much better on a crisp morning.

Pumpkin-Maple Biscuits

Adapted from MyRecipes.com

1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance or butter, cold
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk, divided
1 teaspoon maple extract
1 tablespoon turbanido or granulated sugar

In a bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt. Add Earth Balance or butter and, with a pastry blender or your fingers, cut or rub in until pea-size crumbs form.

In a small bowl, whisk pumpkin, 1/2 cup almond milk and maple extract until well blended. Add to flour mixture and stir just until dough is evenly moistened. Scrape onto a lightly floured board, turn over to coat, and gently knead just until dough comes together, 5 or 6 turns. Pat dough into an 8-inch round about 1 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut into circles. Gently fold together dough bits, forming new round and cut more biscuits. Be mindful not to overwork the dough.

Separate biscuits and place on a lightly buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheet.* Brush lightly over tops of biscuits with remaining milk. In another small bowl, mix granulated sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over scones.

Bake at 375 degrees until scones are golden brown, 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack; serve warm or cool.

*At this point, if you want, you can put the biscuits in the freezer. To bake, remove tray from freezer, allowing biscuits to thaw as oven preheats. Bake as directed.