What to Wear On TV...

When I joined this industry.. I was clueless. What kind of clothes look best of TV? What materials and patterns should you look out for? What kinds of colors pop on screen? Too many questions and not enough answers..

Now that I have been a Traffic Reporter for 4+ years I have figured out some of these answers with the help of many different professionals and coworkers. 

When waking up and getting out of bed at 2AM (Yes.. you heard that.. 2AM) I usually don't have the right mindset to pick an outfit.. so I always prepare (at least mentally) the night before on what color I am planning to wear. I usually try to not wear the same color too many times a week.

AND I am always looking for good dresses that have BRIGHT colors and even color block styles. I have to say, ever since I discovered Amazon clothes.. I have easily ordered cute & affordable dresses that are perfect for TV. Like this one--

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G6DN876/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AHW2XUB746DEU

The famous "weather dress"

https://www.amazon.com/Homeyee-Stretch-Pencil-Sheath-U837/dp/B00RYRB6YG/ref=sr_1_3?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1472132796&sr=1-3&nodeID=1045024&keywords=homeyee

And this fun pattern block dress:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CCKFLRC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(I may have some of these in several colors!!) You have to be careful with sizing.. a lot of the dresses are in a smaller size so make sure you order up!

Some other great places I have found good finds are H&M, Express & Banana Republic. I typically look for power colors-- RED is known to be a GREAT power color on TV. Bright blues, royal purple and pink are other colors I tend to gravitate for. 

Do you have any stores/ suggestions for great professional wear? Let me know! 

For the LOVE of Ice Cream..

Summer is here & ice cream season is in full swing.

In between my trips to Mr. Frostys ice cream I try to snack on "healthier" bars and brands found at the supermarket--

My husband thinks I'm crazy.. but it's a way to feed my addiction without all of the calories. After trying some options-- here is my ranking of three specific brands:

1) Enlightened Ice Cream Bars
2) Yasso Ice Cream Bars
3) Arctic Zero Ice Cream

The first-- Enlightened Ice Cream.. I actually stumbled on these last summer at Shop Rite and have never looked back! The bars were invented by a fitness trainer-- all of the ice cream bars are between 80 to 100 calories and they taste like REAL ICE CREAM.. the sugar content in them is especially low and each bar has a decent amount of protien. My favorite flavor? Mint fudge swirl.

My second choice-- would be Yasso Ice cream bars.. you've probably seen them if you visit the Ice Cream aisle at the supermarket a lot. Yasso bars are made my Greek yogurt (you know I love that) and they taste really yummy. The calorie content is a little higher on some.. and the sugar too so that is the only downfall. But the taste is just as good as Enlightened.. in my opinion.

Finally-- I just tried out Arctic Zero for my first time.. and the amount of calories (75 per serving) was appealing as well as the fact it is lactose free, GMO free and has protein and fiber. I got the cookie dough flavor and the biggest issue? IT HAS NO TASTE. I guess that's what you get... so I will not be buying it again.

A great option INSTEAD that is dairy free are the SO Delicious ice cream pints made with coconut milk. They are SO good but a little higher (obviously) in calories and sugar. That's more of an indulgent treat. So are there any other additional brands you would recommend?? Let me know-- and let me know what you think-- when you taste test these! 

Paddleboarding Yoga

I love Friday for two reasons.. (A) It's FRIDAY & (B) It's Fitness Friday. My life the past two years has revolved around finding the most extreme & fun fitness segments to do and I love every minute of it. As someone who never ventured too far off the treadmill or out of the gym-- I feel proud to say I've tried many out of the box experiences!

This week was one of my favorite.. by far. It's called Stand Up Paddleboarding Yoga.. and yes I know the name sounds complicated and it lives up to that! But once you are out there.. in the middle of the sea and just bretahing in and out.. it is one of the most magical experiences you can have.

There is something SO calming about water, no?? Even if you fall in it!

Regardless.. it was a blast. I would say just be prepared to step out of your comfort zone!!

Saddle Up: Horseback Riding!

Story: http://www.fios1news.com/lowerhudsonvalley/fitness-fridays-horseback-riding#.V2epTfkrKUk

I was excited to spend the day trying out horseback riding for my first time with the #FitnessFriday crew! I had tried horseback riding once when I was little and didn't have good memories.. so giving it a second shot this time I was ready to go.

Here we are taking pictures with our newest buddies.

Horseback riding is known to help strengthen the core as well as firm the legs and help with balance. It was actually hard to get the hang of.. but once I relaxed I was fine! Biggest challenge was to keep my posture and also learn to steer the horse. After a while.. Dennis and I learned to work together and I got over my fear.

I definitely would recommend horseback riding to anyone interested. Do I think it could really help you lose a ton of weight? Possibly... with the right diet plan and depending on how long you ride everyday. One of the ladies I interviewed-- Lois Kral had lost 20 pounds since she started,

Overall it was fun and I would go again! 

To Order or Not to Order??

So.. I know it's been a while since I've written.. but I am deciding to jump back on and post about my latest adventures trying to eat healthy.

I have tried several subscriptions for healthy snacks-- BuluBox and UrthBox through the web and both have been interesting.. BuluBox gives you 5 samples per month and the opportunity to get "POINTS" for rating the products in the box. You can put these points as $$ towards a purchase on their website!!

https://www.bulubox.com/

Thanks to them.. I have been able to afford my latest obsession.. which are QUEST Nutrition bars. After doing a fitness segment for FiOS- Which you'll be able to find here, I learned you are supposed to consume a substantial amount of protein 30-60 minutes before and after a workout:

http://www.fios1news.com/lowerhudsonvalley/fitness-fridays-nutrition-advice%20#.VSZng_nF-Ck

These bars have 20 grams of protein.. they have low sugar & carbs.. and they are FREAKING delicious, My favorite?? Chocolate chip cookie dough.. don't expect a super sweet taste but they do the trick!

Ok-- let's talk about my second experience with UrthBox. I got a great deal on Living Social and I paid hardly anything for about 15 samples!! Most were pretty good.. 

However be aware they automatically renew your subscription at full price!! I wasn't--

http://www.urthbox.com/

I am soon also going to post about my FabFitFun box.. that was a little more pricey but worth it.. through that I have ordered FreshBox for 19 dollars.. they send you ingredients and recipes and you try out the meals. Pretty excited for these adventures! The best part?? This is an inexpensive hobby for me. 

P.S. Excited now to say I have been doing a fitness segment for my TV Station for about a year now!! 

Signing off for now- Lorin

Veggie Lasagna (Healthy Recipe)

So-- last night I had a craving for GOOD Italian food. Something with cheese, LOTS of sauce and of course-- carbs. But sticking to my vegetarian routine-- I went out on a search for HEALTHY but delicious lasagna recipe.

What about artichokes?? Feta cheese?? Sound good with pasta?? Try out my (modified) spinach and artichoke lasagna recipe I found on allrecipes.com.

Give yourself a good hour and a half to whip this bad boy up!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Artichoke-Spinach-Lasagna/Detail.aspx?p34=View%20Recipe%20Page

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium-high. Saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes, or until onion is tender-crisp. Stir in broth and rosemary; bring to a boil. Stir in artichoke hearts and spinach; reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce.
4. Spread 1/4 of the artichoke mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with 3 cooked noodles. Sprinkle 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese over noodles. Repeat layers 2 more times, ending with artichoke mixture and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle crumbled feta on top.
5. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Ingredients--

• cooking spray
• 9 uncooked WHOLE WHEAT lasagna noodles
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth

• 1 (14 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• 1 (28 ounce) jar tomato pasta sauce
• 3 cups shredded REDUCED FAT mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 (4 ounce) package feta, crumbled. 

Day 1: Chocolate Gone.

Greek lent starts today. Instead of giving up meat (which I don't consume for the most part, anyway)- I have decided to give up something I eat absolutely EVERY SINGLE DAY: Chocolate.

I am not saying chocolate is bad by any means. It can be beneficial for your health- your heart, happiness, reducing stress. But, the bad news is-- I eat it a lot. And depend on it after almost every single meal.. when you are dependent on a single kind of food or eat it at 3AM in the morning when you get up? Not good.

Today is the first day. Instead of grabbing my chocolate protein luna bar for breakfast, I bought Special K Protein shakes in the vanilla flavor. (which are actually pretty yummy.) I almost cheated at the supermarket forgetting that chocolate covered jelly beans count.

This is a 48 day stretch (Exactly until Easter) . Let's bet on how many days I can do it. Comment below :-)