Happy Monday all! I had a busy weekend celebrating 2 birthdays and the official start of summer. Now nothing says summer like a big ol' juicy hamburger! I was lucky enough to be selected on Crowdtap to host a McCormick Grill Mates party. I was so excited to get this opportunity and to be able to use it for the kickoff of summer AND a birthday party all in one! How convenient!



I received a nice sized box of goodies from McCormick to incorporate into my BBQ fun. The box included (From left to right):

• Memphis Pit BBQ Rub
• Steakhouse Burgers- Steakhouse Mushroom Seasoning Mix
• Smokin' Sweet Tea Marinade
• Tennessee Smokehouse BBQ Rub
• Steakhouse Burgers- Smoky Applewood Seasoning Mix
• 2 Montreal Steak Sauces
• Worestershire Pub Burger Seasoning
• Chipotle & Roasted Garlic Seasoning
• 3 Montreal Steak Seasoning
• Steakhouse Burgers- Classic Burger Seasoning Mix

Most of these seasonings were new to the Grill Mates collection. Right away the wheels were turning on how I wanted to incorporate these into my party. I decided on making some sliders so all of my guests could sample the flavors before deciding on a burger. I never made sliders before and was happy to find slider buns at my local Wegmans. This made it more exciting for me. Mini buns for my mini burgers!

 
I rushed home on Friday to start prepping my food. I was going all out. Cutting up onions. mushrooms, tomatoes, and peppers. Pulling out all of the condiments in the house. These babies were going to be epic. Once I got started I realized I had never made sliders before and I didn't have a grill ready to use. My guests were going to be arriving soon and I wanted to have the first set ready for their arrival. I decided to bake them! I decided for my first run I was going to use the Classic Burger seasoning, Smoky Applewood seasoning, and Steakhouse Mushroom Seasoning. I rolled out little burgers mixing in the seasoning as I went.


 I baked the 6 little sliders for 10 minutes on each side. They smelled amazing and my guests starting showing up. I quickly assembled the sliders so I could get the party started with some yummy food!


 The first 2 are Smokey Applewood. I added some sauteed onions and BBQ sauce to give it a nice flavor. The middle 2 are Classic burger. I added a tomato slice to give it presentation. The last are the Mushroom burger.  I added sauteed onions and mushrooms to give it a flavor that was out of this world.


All of these burgers were a hit. I really loved the Mushroom burger. The flavor was amazing. I also really liked how juicy they were doing them in the oven. I will definitely do it this way again. We moved on to the regular sized burgers on the grill. I decided I wanted to try the Worestershire Pub Burger Seasoning. The flavor was amazing. So in love with all of these seasonings.

I am so thankful I had a chance to try out these seasonings from McCormick. They were all a hit and I will be buy more in the future. I want to thank Crowdtap and McCormick for this opportunity. I found some products I probably wouldn't of bought otherwise.

Now spill it. Have you ever used any of these seasonings? How do you like your burgers? Do you bake them or grill them? Tell me in the comments!

Welcome back to another week of Fit-Trish. A weekly series where I talk about getting healthy and fitness on a budget! I have covered quite a few topics already so if this is your first time, check them out, here, here, and here!



This week I wanted to talk about another important necessity for a healthy lifestyle. Hydration. We need to drink in order to keep our body from dehydration. The most important beverage we should be consuming is water! Water is a not only important to any weight loss program, but it is something we need to live. Our bodies are made up of mostly water, and depriving it of water can often cause dehydration. It is often said that one must consume 64 ounces of water a day to help stay hydrated and to flush toxins from the body.

I hear a lot of complaints when it comes to drinking water. Most people say they don't like the taste and often skip it. This leads to drinking more sugary beverages like soda and juice. This week I want to bring you a few alternative options to help you consume more water and cut out the sugar.

My favorite go to alternative when I am craving soda is a flavored seltzer. Seltzer provides the carbonation you crave when you want a soda, but without all the sugar and calories. Seltzer comes in all kinds of flavors so there is something out there for everyone. My personal favorite is Polar. They have tons of standard flavors and they also come out with seasonal flavors.


Seltzer can also be used to cut down the sugar in drinks such as orange juice or cranberry. I mix 1 part seltzer to 1 part juice and that cuts down the calories by half. My ultimate favorite is the virgin fuzzy navel. This is one part orange juice to one part peach seltzer. Speaking of fuzzy navel, you can also use seltzer in your alcoholic drinks. Replace the soda with seltzer and you will be cutting out all kinds of calories!

My next option for drinking less sugar is to use a water enhancer. These come in all sorts of flavors and formulas. Most of them are sugar free and are naturally sweetened. I have been using a brand called Stur. They have a handful of flavors and the taste is good. It helps me drink more water through the day.

No matter which way you do it, cut down on the sugary drinks and down some water. If you can't do water all the time, try these alternatives and see how you do. What is you ideal way to cut out the sugary drinks? Do you like seltzer? What about water enhancers? Let me know!

I know it isn't Friday, but I wanted to post about my fitness journey today. I never really talked about my goals and why I decided to finally take the plunge into a healthier lifestyle. I will be back Friday with my normal Fit-Trish post. I have some exciting topics coming up in the next few weeks!


There are quite a few reasons why I decided to join a gym and get healthy. Back in 2007 I was in a really bad car accident that has left me with a permanent hip and knee injury. It was determined by a jury that I was not permanently injured and nothing further happened. (Sometimes the law sucks ya'll). I have been living in pain off and on since then and was told a good way to help was to strengthen my core muscles and the obvious option of taking off some weight.

I have exercised off and on through the years but never really kept a schedule. I would get into those moments in life where I was depressed, or busy, or any other excuse I could come up with to not workout. The past few months for me have been very stressful at work and it was physically making me ill. I have posted about my struggle with stress. (Check it out of you are lost in finding a reason to why you aren't feeling good.) I have found by eating a better diet and working out regularly has helped me to feel less stress with is leading me to feel better.

This is going to be an every day battle for me. But I am ready to take it. I love food, but not just food in general, I love carbs! Breads. Cakes. Cheeses. Those are the things my little heart desires. I find myself reaching for the rolls, or the cakes, or the breads when there is food laid out in front of me. I am changing that day by day and learning to make better choices. I am replacing those things with more water, fruits, veggies and smaller portions. I will not deprive myself of having something, but I am going to have less of it. I think its a good plan for me.

I am only 4'11. My ideal weight for my height falls between 90 and 120 pounds. I am aiming for 115 pounds. This leaves me 35 pounds to lose. I am at the heaviest I have ever been and my body knows it. I feel sluggish and tired all of the time.I know I can do this. Not only do I want to look good, I want to feel good. I plan to have children one day and I want to be able to enjoy them. Run with them. Play with them. Having bum body parts can get in the way, so I am making the better choices now before it's to late.

How do you lead a healthier lifestyle? Do you do it for yourself or for some other reason? Tell me your stories! I love to hear them!

Father's day was yesterday and it always seems bittersweet to me. You see me and my dad never had a good relationship when I was a child. I have never been a daddy's girl. I don't dream of the day my dad will walk me down the aisle and dance with me at my wedding. It's not because I don't love him, it's just not how our relationship works.

My dad has never been big on showing emotion. This is hard when you are a little girl. I had a younger brother, and it seemed at the time, like he showed him more affection. Today I would have a different response to how my father treated my brother verses how he treated me. Now I see that he treated my brother as the baby he was, and me as the responsible bigger sister that I was. At the time it was hard. I did not feel like he loved me, like he loved him. I spent many years in denial, thinking I was not good enough. I did everything I could to make him and everyone else see how good I was. I got good grades, went to college and got a job.

Today I share a better relationship with my dad. I still may not be a daddy's girl, but I know my dad loves me and has respect for me. He respects all of my accomplishments and makes me feel like it was all worth it. I learned how to take care of myself and that is a gift. This is not saying he does not help me now. He would be there to help in anyway he could if something were to happen.

I enjoy having a relationship with my dad as an adult. We are able to talk and sometimes it even makes sense. That may again sound weird, but my dad is not a talker. He doesn't like to show his emotions, or talk about his feelings. When I have an accomplished conversation with him, it most likely was something to do with music or the weather. But again, that's good for me and my dad. It works.

Would I change the way me and my dad are now? Absolutely not. I like where we have come, and where we are headed. We spent Father's Day together, and even though it wasn't as traditional as some, we had a good time. I hope everyone else out there enjoyed some special moments with their father's and will cherish them all.

Welcome back to another week of Fit-Trish! Every week I will post a new topic on how to stay fit and lead a healthy lifestyle on a budget. This is my third week and so far I have covered  the most valuable free thing you can do to help enhance your weight loss goal. You can take a peak at week 1 here-->(Valuable for weight loss) Last week I discussed some healthy on the go snacks. You can check that post out here-->(Healthy on the go snacks) This week I want to talk about some good old fashion fitness: Take a hike! Or take a walk. Whichever you prefer :)


The weather is getting nicer and nicer by the day. (Okay if you live in central NY it is a gamble, but I'd like to believe it is getting nicer everyday). The warmer weather gives us an opportunity to be outdoors more which leads to more free exercise! Taking walks or hikes is a great cardio option. It is recommended that you get at least 30 minutes of cardio a day to help with weight loss.

 If you are a beginner you can start off by walking around your neighborhood on flat land. This will help you get used to being on your feet for long distances. Once you feel comfortable walking around your neighborhood you can take it to the trails!

Depending on where you live, you can probably find a park or trail where you can walk on different landscapes. I like to go to my local state parks where the trails are listed and rated by difficulty. This helps you decide what level works best for you. I like to pick moderate to difficult hikes to really get my heart pounding and the sweat pouring. I normally try to take a half hour to an hour hike or walk 3 times a week.

Like any other fitness plan, you want to make sure you are in good health before taking these hikes. This is why it is a good idea to start off easy until you get the feel of it. Always make sure to stretch before going for long hikes. You don't want to pull a muscle while out in the middle of nowhere on a trail. Carry a bottle of water with you. If it is warm out you need to rehydrate to keep yourself from feeling sick. Make sure you have comfy sneakers. You don't want your feet screaming at you 10 minutes in. That's no fun!

So what do you think? Are you ready to challenge yourself and get out there on the trails? Hiking is very rewarding and you get to see some pretty sites along the way. So what are you waiting for? Dust off those sneakers, wash your comfy workout clothes, grab a buddy and get out there!

Happy Fitness Friday!