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?

Currying favor

So ugly yet so good.

When I signed up for Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Holiday Challenge, I knew one of the key things would be not only planning my lunches but finding creative meals that fit the plant-based lifestyle and, more importantly, my tastes.  I didn't want to eat kale salads, though delicious, every day. I wanted hearty dishes that were full of flavor.

Dishes like this Indian buffet-inspired rajma.

There's nothing like hitting the Indian buffet - and hitting it hard. Saag paneer, rajma, chicken tikka masala, basmati, daal, naan. Oh, and that rice pudding and mango lassis. It's utterly delicious but a complete calorie bomb, and you leave feeling like you're going to birth the next Dali Lama. Not quite the goal of the Healthy Holiday Challenge.

These Indian-Spiced Kidney Beans bring home the flavors of your local Taj Mahal without the fat and calories. There's warmth from the cinnamon, a smokiness from the cumin and heat from the chili powder and cayenne. The beans are soft without being mushy and the sauce is perfect to soak up with a piece of whole grain naan.

Even better - it's in the slow cooker. Make it on a Sunday night, and you have lunches for the week come Monday morning. Wait. There is something - it used items I already had in my pantry, and probably cost a whopping $2 to make. Far cheaper than the buffet.

Slow Cooker Indian-Spiced Kidney Beans

1.5 cups red kidney beans, rinsed but not soaked
1 medium onion, diced
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1-inch piece ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon tumeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
3 whole cloves
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups water
1/8 cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Chopped cilantro, to taste

Place all ingredients except the cilantro in the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 8 to 10 hours, or until the beans begin to break down and become thick.

Remove the cloves. Stir in cilantro.

If you wish, use an immersion blender or masher to break up some of the beans to create a thicker sauce. To make it non-vegan and a bit creamier, stir in 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt.

Serve with basmati rice and naan, if you are so lucky to have it. I managed to time this perfectly with a shipment of Stonefire Naan, which included a whole grain variety.