Today’s featured savory baking recipe is Halley’s Roasted Tomato and Onion Bread!

Here’s an excerpt from the post:

roasted tomato bread. I made it for the first time in April, and loved it so much. Since the weather was cool enough to permit the oven being turned on, I decided to have another go at the recipe.

And now for this week’s recipe link-up:

We’re dreaming of springtime over here, so share your best end-of-winter recipes. Please limit yourself to 2 recipes per member, and make sure to include the name of your recipe. Thanks! And as a head’s up, next week’s theme will be your best vegetarian dishes.

This post comes from Stephanie!

It’s February, so LOVE is in the air.  When Julie at Healthy Living Blogs asked me what I LOVE about my healthy living journey, it did not take me long to think of an answer.  The thing I LOVE the most is my blogging friends, better known as Blends (Bloggers + Friends = Blends).   When I first starting blogging at Food and Fitness 4 Real, I was a little shy about reaching out and making new friends.  Then I joined Healthy Living Blogs and attended the Healthy Living Summit where I met so many amazing, talented and (surprise) friendly bloggers.  Now when I need advice about training for a race or if I am searching for a new healthy recipe, I just reach out to my friends that I have met in the Healthy Living blogging world.  I LOVE being a part of such a supportive community and I have learned so much since I started my blog almost 8 months ago.  Check out some of the Lessons I Learned as A Healthy Living Blogger.

I recently stumbled across this headline: Free Online Class: 6 Fitness and Nutrition Myths That Are Holding You Back at Fit Bottomed Girls.  The debut class will be held on THIS THURSDAY, February 23 at 6 p.m. EST

Check out this post for more information!

Looking to connect with people from all over the world and share the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to healthy living? The #Fitblog Chats on Twitter are a great way to jump in, with weekly moderated discussions on everything from working out to blogging tips to the emotions that we all face when committing to health. Join #Fitblog every Tuesday at 9pmET, as well as the first Monday of every month at 1:30pmET. And be sure to follow the hashtag all week long to find new people to follow, get your questions answered and find some friendly faces who share your struggles! You can find more information and sign up for the weekly newsletter athttp://fitblogchats.com.

Have you heard of the Best Body Boot Camp Challenge?

WHO: Anyone! Anyone who registers before the cut-off date (March 4th – day before challenge begins).
WHEN: 8 Weeks through March and April – beginning Monday March 5th and ending Monday April 30
WHERE: Online!
WHY: A fun and flexible way to train to get ready for those warmer months that are fast approaching. A great way to stay motivated through the support of other participants. To learn and experience new workout techniques and exercises. To enter to win great prizes!!!!
HOW: Check out We’re Going to Boot Camp and Boot Camp FAQ for more details.

Check out the thinkThin giveaway Fitting It All In. It lasts until the 22nd and is in honor of their Think Wellness campaign.

12 miles on the treadmill... I think those things should only allow for a max of 10 miles, for sanity's sake!

February 19, 2012 8:38 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@LBBakes

Liz

Patience doesn't just mean waiting, it means keeping a good attitude WHILE you wait.

February 17, 2012 8:16 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@LisaOkie11

Lisa

Two people found my blog today by searching "hot moms in group". My day is complete. I can go to bed happy. :)

February 16, 2012 10:27 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@AthleteWannabe

Callie

I'm making cake and listening to Matchbox 20. You know how it is.

February 16, 2012 9:16 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@Lilveggiepatch

Katie

Worry is nothing but wasted time.

February 16, 2012 7:07 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@megroso

Meg

Caffeine me. It's gonna be a long evening of studying.

February 14, 2012 5:13 pm via TweetCaster for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@SarahSnacks

Sarah Snacks

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. -Aristotle <<< trying to motivate myself

February 14, 2012 2:04 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@tinareale

Tina Reale

None of the tabs I have open are appropriate for this Starbucks. #firstworldproblems

February 19, 2012 8:08 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@WannabeChefEvan

Evan Thomas

maturity is accidentally typing poopular and laughing out loud

February 13, 2012 7:23 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@blunderblog

Halley Sikes

I love @WannabeChefEvan. He's awesome and funny and he should never forget it.

February 14, 2012 5:18 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@TheHealthyE

Holly

Tip of the day: check the spam filters on blog comments. Every day, a few good comments get caught -- so look before you trash the lot!

February 13, 2012 12:49 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@kwidrick

Katy Widrick

I hate it when the word strike-through doesn't show up in Wordpress.

February 14, 2012 4:59 pm via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@EatingBirdFood

Brittany Mullins

Everyone is shutting down their facebooks now that they've submitted dicas. Guess I better watch what I say until april 1st in here

February 15, 2012 5:42 pm via TweetCaster for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@LLBean75

Laura

There will be an answer. Let it be.

February 14, 2012 5:27 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@RevSarahWeaver

Sarah Weaver

"All You Need Is Love" -- Lennon & McCartney #valentinesday

February 14, 2012 7:22 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@livefortherun

Nichole

My phone just autocorrected a message to a fried to "Happy Palenstine Day" Not quite what I was trying to say...

February 14, 2012 4:18 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@savvyjulie

Julie Grice

Hey, @MichelleObama: Happy Valentine's Day. -bo

February 14, 2012 2:39 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@BarackObama

Barack Obama

Welcome to our Friday Features series! Every Friday we feature interviews with all of our HLB members who want to participate. If you’re an HLB member and haven’t gotten your interview email yet, don’t worry, you will! We’re taking it slow simply for ease of management for TeamHLB. 

Welcome to Heather of Heather’s Dish!

1. What’s your name, blog name, and how did you create your blog title?

Heather Disarro Heather’s Dish I wanted to have my name in the title to make it relatable, and knew I’d be talking about food!

2. What’s your tagline and why?

Career – I’m working towards making blogging and writing my career! Personal – I’m working on patience. I know I need more of it! Health – I’m focusing on a healthy pregnancy and then, once baby is here, eating well and exercising properly.

3. What are 10 words that apply to you and your healthy living journey?

The road goes on forever and the party never ends!

4. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Probably (most definitely) pizza.

5. What is your tagline and why?

I don’t really have one anymore, but at one point it was “The Story of a Joyful Kitchen.” I liked it because I always strive to see joy in every circumstance…and, well, I practically live in the kitchen.

6. What is something you’ve learned recently that you found interesting?

Honestly I’ve really been learning a lot about football these days. I never really loved it until college, but even then didn’t understand it. Now, thanks to my husband, I’m learning to love it because of its intricacies!

7. What is something about you that would shock us?

Ummmmm…I’m not that shocking, but I always roll with my tattooed eyeliner! I would HIGHLY recommend everyone who ever wears eyeliner do it!

Today Cat from Breakfast to Bed is here to talk about a few of her favorite WordPress Plug-in’s!   

There are a LOT of WordPress plugins out there. There are your ordinary plugins for spam filtering, social sharing, traffic tracking, and backups; but there are also more unique plugins ranging from recipe creation to random inspirational quotes in your sidebar.

I really hope that the random, inspirational quotes completely contrast the body of a post, just because it would be hysterical. It would also earn a screenshot from me, and a pin of that screenshot, which could end up going viral. All because you were writing about staying strong during Jamie Eason’s LiveFit program, and the quote in your sidebar is “Life is too short, have another donut”. (Also, if I’ve been eating egg whites and kale for 3 days, that donut looks better than a swimsuit competition to a prison inmate.)

In my time blogging at Breakfast to Bed, I have installed 19 separate plugins. I have plugins for everything from tracking my Google Analytics to posting and printing recipes. They help me keep my blogging life streamlined and running smooth.

My three favorite plugins are definitely the three plugins that I take the most advantage of.

My first pick is Askimet. It is a simple, pay-per-month plugin to eliminate spam from your comments. Before I installed Askimet, I would average 5-20 spam comments a day. I now get less than one per week. I know there are other spam blockers out there, but I’ve found this one to be reliable and easy. After all, I really don’t need an SAT tutor, bigger boobs, a miracle diet pill, or a little blue pill that will apparently make my nightlife akin to Paris Hilton’s. (Seriously, “Paris Hilton from parizzzhiltonXXX (at) youloveviagra (dot) com is a frequent commenter of mine).

My second choice, shown left, would be Slick Share sharing app. It is a slide down or slide across menu driven app that allows you to choose which social media sites to include in the menu. It’s an attractive app, and takes up precious little screen space until the reader clicks “share”. They even have a Pinterest button , which not all sharing apps have.

My third pick is Yoast SEO. If you do not have a search engine optimization app yet, you are missing out on a boatload of possible traffic. This plugin aggregates the most important SEO services and puts them all together, on your dashboard, in simple, straight-forward terms. It walks you through Google AdWords, Yahoo, and Google Insights to get you the best keyword and SEO title for your blog. I have seen my numbers go up EVEN ON THE WEEKEND from this little lady. (In my world, all plugins, save for the MMA toolbar, are ladies.)

The great thing is that even if these plugins aren’t right for you, there are literally thousands of other plugins available for you to choose from for your blog. All you have to do is go to your dashboard, click “plugins”, click “add new” and search for whatever you can think up. I am just waiting for my “we’ll make that picture of chia pudding look less like dog doo and more like food” plugin. Until that day, I have these.

Cat is the snarky fitness and healthy (and sometimes not so healthy) recipe writer at Breakfast to Bed. She is the mother to Captain Crazypants and the Peanut, and married to The Cop. It is her life’s goal to win a full glitz pageant on "Toddlers and Tiaras" but is fairly certain that isn’t possible. Instead, she’s working hard to stay healthy, maintain a 175lb weight loss, and be a good example to her family.

Today’s featured recipe for avoiding a cold is Molly’s Immunity Soup!

Here’s an excerpt from the post:

Make this soup on that first day of your symptoms and have a bowl or two for the next few days. Get plenty of rest and drinks lots of water, more than normal, which will allow your body to flush out the bad guys. Drizzle with sesame oil for an extra boost of supportive healthy fats. (By the way, my cold never turned into anything much and I credit this soup and generous mugs of my immunity tea concoction – it really works!)

And now for this week’s recipe link-up:

Today we want to hear your best savory baking recipes. Please limit yourself to 2 recipes per member, and make sure to include the name of your recipe. Thanks! And as a head’s up, next week’s theme will be your best end-of-winter recipes (hey, we can dream, right?).

This post comes from Jodi!

Step One: Love

I’m not a big believer in one “moment” that sparks a journey. You’ve heard it before, someone is sitting on a couch with one hand in a bag of chips and something comes on the TV that makes them reconsider their life and then they start a diet, join a gym, blah blah blah.

I’ve had many moments where I said to myself, “Tomorrow will be different” and vowed to change my life. These moments were usually alone, in the dark, after eating too much and drinking from the cocktail of shame, regret and hate.

It’s my experience of having a thousand of those “I’m going to change my life” moments that lead to me believe they don’t exist.

Why? Because when you hear about them, they usually start with some form of realization of disgust in oneself.

What a terrible place to draw inspiration from.

I also don’t believe in those moments, because I think it makes light of the work that goes into creating change.

Change doesn’t just happen. It’s not something that you wake up with one day.

But change does have a beginning.

Step 1: Love

Three fat women helped changed my life.

Lesley Kinzel of Two Whole Cakes

Marianne Kirby of The Rotund

and Kate Harding of Shapely Prose (which I think is now KateHarding.net)

They are all Fat Acceptance writers who have, in my opinion, some of the best insight into our culture and some the best messages to spread.

Kate Harding has an absolutely brilliant post about The Fantasy of Being Thin. If you’ve ever had the thought in your head, weight loss or not, that goes something like “My life will be different when ________” — then you need to read this.

She talks about Fat Acceptance as overcoming the fantasy that being thin will change your life.

To read the rest, click here!

Be sure to check out Back to Her Roots today, where you’ll find the Back to Her Roots Cook for the Cure Raffle to raise funds for breast cancer research. Your donations to this cause enter you into the raffle at a chance to win a KitchenAid Mixer, cases of Chobani, a gift pack from Bob’s Red Mill and gift cards from Williams Sonoma, Crate and Barrel and Whole Foods! All funds benefit the Avon Cancer Crusade and help support Cassie’s fundraising efforts for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, which she’s doing this June (walking 39.3 miles in two days).

Check out Without Borders.  Stephanie ran the 2010 Chicago Marathon in memory of the 3 babies she lost in different pregnancies.  Stephanie and her husband are now adopting a baby from Ethiopia!
They need to raise $15,000 more to bring their baby home so Stephanie is holding the Race Without Borders 5k/10k on April 21st.  It’s “without borders” because you can run it anywhere!  So sign up, raise money, change a life.

Have you heard of the Best Body Boot Camp Challenge?

WHO: Anyone! Anyone who registers before the cut-off date (March 4th – day before challenge begins).
WHEN: 8 Weeks through March and April – beginning Monday March 5th and ending Monday April 30
WHERE: Online!
WHY: A fun and flexible way to train to get ready for those warmer months that are fast approaching. A great way to stay motivated through the support of other participants. To learn and experience new workout techniques and exercises. To enter to win great prizes!!!!
HOW: Check out We’re Going to Boot Camp and Boot Camp FAQ for more details.

Other ways to be active in the community this week!

Tuesday:

#FitBlog Twitter Chat takes place every Tuesday at 9:00 PM EST All you need is a Twitter account and a voice. The chat is 60 minutes of awesome discussion and amazing networking. Visit the Fitblog Twitter Chats page for more information and to sign up for the Fitblog Chats Newsletter!

Now here’s something unique and exciting; Lindsay’s List’s Tuesday Trainer! Here’s how it works – every Thursday, Lindsay announces the “workout theme” for the next Tuesday. [She also posts her own video of her move on Thursday.] Then, you will videotape yourself doing a move that falls under the theme. If you are interested in participating or want to check out the awesome list of archives, check out the Tuesday Trainer post over at Lindsay’s List to learn more.

Wednesday:

Also  consider joining the What I Ate Wednesday [WIAW] link party taking place through Peas and Crayons!  “What started as a once-a-week food diary has now turned into a bloggy social event every Wednesday!” There’s a good chance you’ve seen some of your favorite bloggers participating in WIAW every now and again, if not each and every week.  If you are interested in participating, visit the WIAW Information post for more information!

Friday:

Lindsay from In Sweetness and In Health is hosting a fitness feature every Friday called “Fitness Loves of the Week”. FLOW is a link-up party similar to What I Ate Wednesday except it’s all about fitness! For details go to her FLOW page. Join in or check it out every Friday for some awesome workouts and spotlights on different moves!

Do you post your own recipes on your blog? Would you like to give some additional face time?  Don’t forget about our Recipe Link Ups, which take place just about every Wednesday here on HLB.  Each week is a different theme and submitting your own recipe is UBERSIMPLE!  Just visit the Recipe Link Up post, read about the theme, and press the “Add Your Link” button near the bottom of the post.  While you’re there, take a peek around at what fancy recipes other HLB Members are promoting, too!

hi ho. hi ho. it's back to work I go. no time to tweet or blog or VLOG hi ho. hi ho hi ho hi ho.... #fitlfuential

February 9, 2012 9:56 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@MizFitOnline

carla birnberg

so many @WordPress plugins, so little time

February 11, 2012 12:11 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@Boston2Berkeley

Beth

Just found a typo in my Twitter bio, it only took me six months to notice... Nice! #Iknowhowtospell #Iswear

February 9, 2012 4:28 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@FoodFit4Real

Stephanie

now that my kitchen floor's wet I'm very hungry for lunch.

February 11, 2012 12:14 pm via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

@bsatterl

Britney

they key, i have learned to making big things happen is to tell people they are happening. Then you can't back out b/c you're scared.

February 11, 2012 5:02 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@missheidi

Heidi Schmidt

The next time Pink asks "have you ever thrown a fistful of glitter in the air...?" I really want to truthfully answer yes. #mynewmission

February 9, 2012 3:46 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@kwidrick

Katy Widrick

Blog Friends:Blends. Blog Friend Runners: Blenders.

February 10, 2012 4:31 pm via UberSocial for BlackBerryReplyRetweetFavorite

@ThenHeatherSaid

ThenHeatherSaid

The only time I use math anymore is when I need to double a recipe, and I'm not even good at that. What the hell was with all that calculus?

February 6, 2012 7:18 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@WannabeChefEvan

Evan Thomas

I'm watching an old episode of Buffy and Willow was talking about her 9 gig hard drive. My phone is bigger than that now! #progress

February 11, 2012 12:00 pm via Twitter for iPadReplyRetweetFavorite

@RevSarahWeaver

Sarah Weaver

I do love this quote from Mile Markers: It is indeeed possible to be good enough in the midst of getting better. #fitblog #runchat

February 11, 2012 12:00 pm via TweetCaster for iOSReplyRetweetFavorite

@Got2Run4Me

Coco

Ugh. Slept like crap and feel like it too. Feeling mocked by crappy food a la Heathcliff Huxtable and the evil sandwich. REMEMBER THAT?

February 6, 2012 7:05 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@OperaWife

Mandy Rausch

well played. RT @jeanniegaffigan New Twitter Rule: Tweets bagging on Madonna must be accompanied by video of yourself dancing at age 53.

February 6, 2012 12:23 am via TwitterrificReplyRetweetFavorite

@eliseblaha

elise blaha

@bloghealthy I work out in the mornings so no matter what comes up during my day my work out is already completed and I can go with the flow

February 8, 2012 7:05 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@NWHealthyLife

Jana Antil

Welcome to our Friday Features series! Every Friday we feature interviews with all of our HLB members who want to participate. If you’re an HLB member and haven’t gotten your interview email yet, don’t worry, you will! We’re taking it slow simply for ease of management for TeamHLB.

Welcome to Liz of Southern Charm!

1. What’s your name, blog name, and how did you create your blog title?

My name is Liz Ford and I blog over at Southern Charm. The name Southern Charm is rooted in what I blog about. I want to share with others how I can balance a healthy life, while having the time of my life in New Orleans. There is so much New Orleans has to offer. The city is just plain charming.

2. What’s your tagline and why?

"… I’m just a girl having the time of my life in New Orleans" I don’t always post about food and fitness. Sometimes I will share some fashion tips or about my time in New Orleans. So my blog really is about me trying to have the time of my luck, and how I’m lucky enough to live in New Orleans.

3. What’s one goal you’re working towards right now?

One goal I am working towards is my health. It is a struggle balancing work, gym, friends and food. My goal is to lose a few pounds without making the weight loss THE thing of my life. I like my life balanced and I am determined to keep it that way.

4. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

POTATOES … any shape or form. I gave up potatoes for an entire year in law school. I have no idea what I was thinking, except that I wanted to show I had self-control. Never gain.

5. Do you have days when you just don’t feel like eating healthy, cooking, or exercising?

Yes! But I feel this is normal to need a break. Sometimes we do need a break, from all pressures in your life. (Side note, in my opinion when you are trying to lose weight eating healthy, cooking and exercising are pressure because you are fighting for something). In my eyes, it is healthy to take a break every now and then … just don’t let one break become and excuse. Also, when we are always eating healthy, cooking and exercising, that one work lunch where you are dying to have some fried oysters or bananas foster won’t ruin everything. Trust me when I say, it’s totally worth it!

6. What’s the average amount of time you spend writing a post?

I write about 40 minutes in the evening, and then edit again for about 15 minutes in the morning before I publish a post. Coming back to a post after I have initially written it, really helps to catch errors and/or awkward working, in my opinion.

Today we have quite the treat for you.  If you already have some photo editing software on your computer, get ready to dig in.  Samantha from The More I Run is a professional photographer as well as an awesome healthy living blogger!  Here she shares a few of her favorite photo editing tools.  I know not everyone has the programs she uses [in this case, Lightroom and Photoshop], but as a point-n-shoot camera owner who barely edits her photos at all - I found this post super informative and helpful, too!  Just learning how different photos can look after taking time edit was really eye opening! 

Take it away, Samantha!

As a professional photographer for 13 years and over a 100 weddings photographed, I’ve used my fair share of editing software and photoshop actions.

These are a just a few of my favorite editing tools and the results they render.

I first import all of my images into Lightroom.  With each update, Lightroom has come so far than when I first started using it years ago and has allowed me to do most of my editing within this one program.

With just a few simple clicks, I can cull images I don’t want and flag those I do want.  Once I have established all of my “keepers”, the actual editing of each image is also relatively easy.  Once an image has been edited to my satisfaction, any other image with similar lighting conditions, etc. can be selected and the same edits applied to those as well with just one click.  Awesome time-saver!  But on the other hand, thanks to so many editing features, I am also able to go into each image and provide as many detailed edits as I would like.

Here is a portrait of a recent bride, Rachel. This image is straight out of the camera (SOOC).  Not too bad for SOOC, but is a bit bland and has room for improvement.

And here is that image after doing some basic edits in LR (I adjusted the white balance and brought back some of the detail in the bouquet that was lost in the overexposure).

Once I have performed all of the edits I prefer in LR, I export them to a renamed ‘edited’ folder and then look through the images and choose the ones I want to take extra special care of…or showcase on my blog.

It’s these images I pull up in Adobe Photoshop CS5.1.  This is another amazing, professional editing software that continues to improve with each update.  It’s in PS that I use “actions” to work some magic.  Actions are basically pre-recorded editing steps that achieve a particular look to your image that only requires one click of the ‘play’ button instead of manually having to apply each process to the image.

Here are a few of my favorites….

To read the remainder of Samantha’s tips, along with her favorite Photoshop actions, click here!!