Today’s featured asparagus recipe is Jessica’s Asparagus and Pesto Pizza!

Here’s an excerpt from the post:

For our first pizza we chose fresh sliced asparagus spears and sliced red potatoes with carmelized onions and pesto. Lots of green and fresh spring vegetables. Ironic because it literally snowed all day yesterday. Regardless, a super fresh, green and veggie-filled pizza on a flatbread crust. This is our first time making a flatbread crust, so we gave the much-recommended Mario Batali Flatbread a try.

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

Today we want to see your best brunch 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 smoothie recipes.

Hey, Future HLB –

Today we’re adding to the community aspect of our little site.  We’ve loved featuring our members posts on a new subject we give you each month in our Healthy Living Tuesdays series.  It’s always fun to see how each blogger tackles the phrase we throw out like wonder bread to gold fish.   They gobble up the bread, ready to face the challenge of adding to the conversation creatively and in their own voice.

This isn’t always easy.  In our blogging community it’s easier than you might think to get sucked into a cycle of posting content that looks so similar to stuff that is already out there.  When you’re the kind of blogger who posts daily eats and/or workouts, it may be hard to keep things fresh constantly.  That’s a pressure I don’t want to put on anyone’s shoulders.

I myself have stated that I got tired of seeing the same reviews and pitches on hundreds of healthy living blogs I was reading in a two week time frame.  That repetitive reading experience helped me to form my own review posting guidelines for myself.  More importantly, it taught me a new level of appreciation for those bloggers who took their posts BEYOND the crowd – approaching the subjects with fresh perspective.  The posts which stood out in my mind after the entire experience as “gold star” were few and far between.  That’s what makes these talented bloggers superstars in our eyes.

The good news, of course, is that anyone of our talented members can be one of these blogging superstars.  Anyone can be the kind of blogger that takes a boring old subject and gives it life with their unique spin and voice.  It just takes time. And effort. And dedication not to do the same old every time.  Mostly, though, it takes willingness to improve and being up for a challenge.

We love each and every one of our HLB Members for the blogging adventures they’ve been on so far.  Their blogs are the key pieces which make this magnificent community.  Just as we want HLB to grow and blossom, we hope the same for each of these blogs.  We want to support efforts to become better bloggers. [This is why we love our Blog Tip Thursdays series and Blogging Tips and Tricks Pinterest board!]  We want to encourage bloggers to LEAP outside of their comfort zones and to try something new every so often.  It’s an exciting way to grow!

That’s why today we are making a move to encourage these steps to build better future bloggers within our Healthy Living Tuesdays series.  Here’s to all the growth you’ve seen thus far!

Happy blogging! xo – Current HLB

Each month there’s a new series topic.
Accept the challenge.
Take that topic and make it your own.
Add your own voice, creativity, and transformative magic.

Join the community in tackling the topic from a wide variety of perspectives and styles.
Post your unique and awesome content on your blog.

Each Tuesday, we will continue to feature one of our members’ posts on HLB.

The last Tuesday of each month join our 
“Healthy Living Tuesdays Monthly Wrap Up Link Up!” 
We will add a “link your post” button [much like our Recipe Round Ups] 
at the end of the post on the last Healthy Living Tuesday of each month. 
Add your link & check out how others spun the topic in their voice.

We’re already a couple of week’s into May, but feel free to join in right away.
If your in for May, challenge yourself to write a terrific post that falls under the topic
Letter to My Future Self
Remember, the link up will take place the last Tuesday of each month.
[In this case, that’s May 29th]

We can’t wait to see all the fresh ideas you guys come up with for tackling this subject!  Let’s see which posts stand out as “gold star” quality!

Eating healthy or staying fit does not have to be expensive. That’s why Health on a Budget Summit,* which is a free 7-day online event starting on May 19, 2012, brings several experts to discuss topics such as eating organic on a budget, getting fit on a budget, tips for growing your own food and 33 other topics. You can find the list of speaker and topics here.  However, if you cannot attend during this time frame, you can also download the audio to listen at your convenience. Please register here for free!.

Lynda from Hit the Road Jane has lots of exciting news to celebrate!  She was recently accepted to be on the Oiselle racing team as an athlete ambassador from May 2012-2013!! Lynda tells us Oiselle is an incredible, fun, and innovative running apparel company and that she is honored to be part of their talented team.  “As a Latina, every new opportunity gives me the chance to show that we are capable of anything we set our minds to, especially when it comes to fitness. We can keep our curves but still be strong!” she shares.

Lynda also recently was accepted as a FitFluential Ambassador and as a Honey Stinger sponsored athlete for the 2012 year.  Congrats, Lynda!!

We heard a rumor that our pal Ashley over at (never home) maker is giving away a copy of Frugally Delicious – which includes a recipe from (never home) maker!  Check out her post Odds, Ends & Cookbook Giveaway for an awesome recipe for Maple-Cinnamon Walnut Oat Bars and your chance to win a copy of Frugally Delicious for yourself.  The winner will be chosen on Friday, May 18th.

Sugarfree Alex is having a giveaway party over at Spoonful of Sugar Free! Four winners will receive 2 bottles of liquid stevia, courtesy of NuNaturals. Giveaway ends May 15th. Check out her post for your chance to win and to see Alex’s recipe for Grain Free Lemon Poppyseed Muffins.

Help motivate others by writing articles for www.GetMeThroughTheWeek.com . If you would like to help others by writing positive motivational articles, we are looking for motivated contributors. So, check out our site and the topics you might be interested in writing about and submit your work to us.  For more information write to submit@getmethroughtheweek.com and let’s have a Great Week!

We LOVE to share HLB Members’ posts which stand out to us as content which we think you would find valuable.  For the month of May, we’ve committed to sharing two “Featured Posts” of YOURS on the HLB Facebook page. Stop by and took a look at the goods!  We showcasing posts talking about fitness, nutritious recipes, mental health and wellness, blogging, social media and more!

It's not on the menu but applebees will make you a portabello burger if you have the misfortune of having to go there to eat.

May 12, 2012 8:21 pm via TweetCaster for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@SarahSnacks

Sarah Snacks

Now headed to Boston for #rbkfitblog and getting scared about this Crossfit workout thing tomorrow. Can't we just run a marathon instead?!

May 10, 2012 8:59 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@skinnyrunnerSR

SkinnyRunner

a2. my biggest change: i used to work out because i HAD to. now i’ve found things i love so i work out because i WANT to. #fitblog

May 7, 2012 1:51 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@sarahlearnsblog

sarah zinkel

Now that the marathon is over, I'm pumped to do the @fitnessista Summer Shape Up (from '11) to get ready for our anniversary!

May 11, 2012 11:25 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@kaylabee18

Kayla Heimerman

DRUNK HULK STOP WORLD! AND MELT WITH YOU! YOU SEE DIFFERENCE! AND IT GET BETTER ALL TIME!

May 10, 2012 3:27 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@DRUNKHULK

DRUNK HULK

i need to become a professional napper. Can i get paid for that?

May 10, 2012 2:21 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@abbynormally

AJ

This is very thought-provoking. Very. Is Technology Destroying Your Relationships? http://t.co/PwhQSjuY -Momo

May 10, 2012 8:12 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@BlogHer

BlogHer

I've officially got my morning routine down to 19 minutes. Including a shower. #ilovesleep

May 10, 2012 7:11 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@alyssaarminio

Alyssa Arminio

Amen --> RT @SoDamnTrue: I don't have time to hate people who hate me cause I'm too busy loving people who love me.

May 7, 2012 7:52 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@CaitlinHTP

Caitlin Boyle

Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other. Keep on going day after day!

May 7, 2012 8:06 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@tinareale

Tina Reale

Note to self: drunk tweeting now more dangerous. RT @bloghermoney: Buy a Plane Ticket with Twitter. Really! http://t.co/grmJQPTT

May 8, 2012 4:34 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@sassymonkey

sassymonkey

Have you seen this stellar line-up of #blogherfood speakers? http://t.co/KjBadRrI Kudos to @blogherevents for this amazing group! -Momo

May 8, 2012 10:25 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@BlogHer

BlogHer

Wendy's has sweet potatoes?…kudos Dave!

May 12, 2012 6:19 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@LaurenSWYNTS

Lauren Podolsky

You are all being way too quiet today. You're all grounded.

May 8, 2012 10:05 am via Plume for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@KelsNotChels

Kels Not Chels

"There must be more to life than having everything." -Maurice Sendak

May 8, 2012 9:22 am via The Huffington PostReplyRetweetFavorite

@HuffingtonPost

Huffington Post

I run with scissors in hopes that I can cut my time down. #fitblog

May 7, 2012 1:59 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@scottschablow

Scott Schablow

Lexi from Amelie's French Bakery: Numbers are great, but active participants really make our bread rise ;) #socialmakeover

May 8, 2012 9:05 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@UPS

UPS

Love when an easy run pace is much faster than expected. #running <3

May 10, 2012 8:10 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@runnerstrials

Jen

I love that half of everyone's Monday tweets seem to involve coffee :-)

May 7, 2012 7:17 am via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@healthyashley

Ashley Stephens

strong desire for pizza hut breadsticks and a hardees biscuit stuffed with burger king hashbrowns. you heard me. not pregnant.

May 6, 2012 12:01 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@sweettaterblog

Katie

Just shredded a bunch of leftover roast chicken. Think I might use it in stuffed shells later this week. Yum!

May 6, 2012 5:48 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@HealthyDelish

Lauren Keating

Quality not quantity. Find a goal number (followers) that's comfortable for you. #socialmakeover

May 8, 2012 9:05 am via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@katylove

Katy

@FauxRunner Love this, "My body will follow where my mind leads" New quote!! #fitblog

May 7, 2012 2:05 pm via #fitblogchatsReplyRetweetFavorite

@brittsblurbs

Brittany

*affiliate link.

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 Live Fit Daily!

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

www.livefitdaily.com I wanted to write something that would help me live ALL of my life in a fit way.

2. What’s one goal you are working on right now?

I am training and working on my goal of a half marathon this year!

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

Greek Yogurt-YUM!

4. How would you describe your blogging style?

I am a casual and heart felt girl. I write how I feel and speak with lots of….these!

5. What is your tagline and why?

Live your fit life! Being fit takes balance in all areas of life: mind, body, emotional and even home.

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

Yes, but I choose to be healthy any way. Tomorrow pays for what I did today!

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

After 33 years of eating all grains, I have recently gone GF. My body is thanking me everyday!

Welcome to Healthy Living Blogs’ Blog Tip Thursday! Every week, we will share one of our favorite ‘how-to’ posts about blogging. We welcome your questions, your suggestions for future topics, and your ‘how-to’ post recommendations at healthylivingblogs@gmail.com!

Today our pal Chef Katelyn is here to talk about an organizational super star she keeps on her blogger tool belt, EverNote!  Not only does this program help with her blogging, but as a busy college student, Katelyn also uses EverNote for class notes and assignments.  And, as she points out in her post below, you could really use EverNote to organize ALL areas of your life.

If you’re anything like me, you’re really organized.

Kind of.

But when other people come and see your workspace, they look at you like you’re from planet Pluto (which isn’t even a planet anymore). I’m a space cadet, so maybe I’m from that planet. I honestly don’t know where my brain is sometimes.

Moving on. My workspace — my living space — is organized in an unorganized way. I know where everything is, even if it’s in a pyramid pile of clothes. The jacket I wore on Saturday? It’s in that giant pile where my sweatpants, other three jackets, and probably my pants are.

I hate pants. But actually.

When it comes to my school notes, I have this thing where I take a million in a Pages document (Microsoft Word is waaaaay too expensive for me), and then save it in a folder. Can you imagine opening Pages, opening my files, searching for the right folder, and then figuring out which document I’m looking for? If I’m searching back through months of notes for that one lecture back in early January, to put it plainly, I’m screwed. I might as well just re-read a whole textbook while I’m looking for one page. Duh, use the Table of Contents.

I have recently discovered the app called EverNote; a free application that allows you to create “notebooks”, under which you can have different sections of notes.

Typical user interface.

The best part with the organization is that you can easily sort your notebooks by which part of your life they apply to, i.e. Blogging, college, your family (especially if you have kids), work, general interest, and whatever it is that you have going on. If you see an article you dig, you can easily save it to EverNote with the Google Chrome Extension (is there anything Chrome doesn’t do?), and add your own notes as you please.

The most baller part of the app — it keeps formatting, and allows you to change it. In the past, I have used CourseNotes because it cost a small amount of money ($5-10 I believe), and in my head, something is (almost) always better if there is a small fee involved.

To read the remainder of Katelyn’s post, click here.

Today’s featured photogenic recipe is Heather’s Maple Bacon Doughnuts!

Here’s an excerpt from the post:

I’ve been planning these donuts since discovering that many “bacon bit” products are vegan! These are a great way to enjoy the smoky, salty flavor of bacon without using any bacon.

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

Today we want to see your best asparagus 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 brunch recipes.

We’re currently looking for your submissions for July’s Healthy Living Tuesdays series. Submit your posts on the subject “I LOVE this Community” for an opportunity to share your content with the HLB Community.  We’d love to hear what you LOVE about this great community of bloggers, readers, & the companies who support us.  Another idea: give us a how-to post on showing support to the community.  Feel free to come up with your own creative post fitting into the “I LOVE this Community!” subject, too!  Email an original post or a link to an existing one on your blog to healthylivingblogs@gmail.com. 

May 2012′s Healthy Living Tuesdays topic is “A Letter to My Future Self.”  This letter comes from Miranda of Biting Life - where she discussing living one bite at a time.  Miranda’s blog focuses on food, fitness, and living in the moment  Take it away, Miranda!!

Dear 30-Year-Old Miranda,

Right now, you’re only 20… but I bet the next ten years will go by faster than you ever thought possible. In the last 10 years, you’ve accomplished so much. You graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in English, you went to grad school, and now you have a Master’s too. You’re probably working at some super cool company, writing blog posts and working with social media. Maybe you’re even a writer. You never really talk about it, but secretly that’s what you’ve always wanted to do with your life.

Do you have kids? I know I’m always talking about how I don’t want kids. But if you do, that’s okay. You totally have the right to change your mind about that stuff. They’re probably adorable and I’m sure you love them to pieces. I bet they even inherited your insanely curly hair (which is actually kind of cute, even though I know you hate it sometimes).

You’re probably married. You always seemed like the type to get married young. I hope you and your husband don’t become one of those couples who hate each other and never talk anymore. You should be with somebody who loves and adores you just as much as you deserve. And you should treat them the same way.

This is kind of random, but… you know that positive attitude you’ve always had? Well, I hope that stuck around. It’s my favorite part about you. I hope you never got beat down by the world so much that you let it go. Because that positive outlook on life is what makes people love you so much. When you have that wide-eyed, dimple-cheeked smile… instead of scrunched-up eyebrows and a frown? That’s what makes you amazing. And you are amazing, you know.

I bet you have a million friends, too. A few years back, you realized that being insecure and having low self-esteem wasn’t worth it. The world doesn’t wait for anybody, and you will never be able to get that time back. So you just decided to put yourself out there – joined a book club or an art class or something. And you made friends. It wasn’t as hard as you thought it would be (it never is). And these are the friends that you’ll have for the rest of your life. They’re the friends who give you just as much respect as you give them.

And you know what finally helped you take that step and gain all that self-confidence? Losing about 80 pounds. Let’s be honest with each other – it’s what needed to happen. And it is what happened. Because you realized that life was too short to continue stuffing yourself with brownies. It was time to make a change. And you made that change. So far, it’s lasted for 10 long years. And it will last for the rest of your life.

You are healthy and in control of your life. You are in a committed long-term relationship. You might even have kids. You have great relationships with your family and friends. And most of all… you are happy.

Love,
Me.

If you ran the #Blend5K this weekend, we’d love to hear your experience.  Visit the Blend 5K Results post to leave a comment about your own race.  Don’t forget to include a link to your own recap post if you have one!

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!

The Daily Buzz is looking for new bloggers. If you consistently write about health, wellness and/or sustainability topics, consider joining another great Healthy Living community of publishers. Check out the Daily Buzz signup link. It’s a great way to help your talented selves get more traffic.

Who doesn’t like a little boost of confidence every now and then? Do you have any tricks for upping your own confidence?  Check out how Alyssa from Fit and Fun in Third gives her 3rd grade students a strong boost of confidence before they begin standardized testing, and how she helps herself to some (much needed) confidence for her 1/2 marathon!

This week’s Fitblog chats are being hosted by @sarahlearnsblog and @CatTbowen.  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. You can find more information and sign up for the weekly newsletter at http://fitblogchats.com.

The Actor’s Diet has moved to a self-hosted site – www.theactorsdiet.com – and is celebrating with two giveaways! Win $100 from ShopBop or some Stevia!

HLB Director herself, Heather of Then Heather Said, tested the claims that drinking cherry juice after hard workouts help aid recovery. [Did you know cherries have natural anti-inflammatory properties??]  Cheribundi is giving away some of their tart cherry juices so that you can give it a try, too. Enter to win some for yourself!

Charissa at Colourful Palate is giving one lucky winner a Shabby Apple giftcard!! Check out the Happy Things Giveaway for your chance to win!

I love being part of the HLB community for about one billion reasons. [You know, give or take a couple dozen.] One of the most major reasons is the support for goal setting, chasing, and reaching.  Celebrating my victories with my blog friends and readers is an extra enjoyable experience; probably because we all know how it feels to hear a resounding “YOU DID IT!” accolade from a crowd – no matter how large, small, audible, or in print.  It’s a great feeling to be reminded of how proud you should be of yourself for being dedicated to getting it done!

Another major reason is the encouragement I receive after chasing a dream and falling along the way.  There have been many times I’ve been disappointed and frustrated, defeated by a goal I haven’t been able to reach.  This community of men and women who understand those feelings have been there time and time again to pull me up off the floor, dust off my shoulders and cheer me on as I try again.

I am so excited to read about your own experience with the Blend 5K this weekend!  No matter if you exceeded your expectations or left your route feeling frustrated by your performance.  Give us all a chance to be the awesome community we are – tell us about your Blend 5K experience in the comments.  Feel free to add a link to your own recap post on your blog if you have one!

This infographic is also available online atwww.neefusa.org/health/infographic.

One thing I know for sure: the best ideas I get for how I am spending my time often come from the blogs in this wonderful community. 

I’d love to know what ways do you plan to spend time out in nature this month?  With yourself, with your friends, with your family – I’m asking for it all!  What are your favorite ways to be active outside?  

Let’s fill the comments with a list of our own creative ideas and experiences to use a resource for us all!