Project Food Blog: Challenge #1 "Scratching an Itch"

Something about fall nesting makes me itch. Don't get me wrong. I like warm soup, pumpkins, and falling leaves well enough. Still, there's something about the crisp fresh air and newly sharpened back-to-school pencils  that makes autumn seem more like a get-up-and-go then a take-it-slow kinda time. After all, fall is brisk!

With the turning of the trees, I feel the call to fall into something big and I'm not talking about a piles of raked leaves. For three years now, I've unwittingly plunged head first into a large competition each September, which very well may result in public humiliation.

First it was the Rachael Ray Show's "Hey, Can You Cook!? 3." Then it was Comcast SportsNet's "WANTED: Adventure Host." Publicly humiliating? A little. Fun? You betcha! Would I do it all over again? Yes!

Last spring when "WANTED: Adventure Host" aired, I merged my passions for the outdoors and healthy cooking with my love for writing. Thus, FRESH AIR + FRESH FOOD was born.

Of course my ambition nudges me toward wanting to make blogging my profession (aka - a business: money making venture) so I can do what I love and spend more time with my three little kiddos and hot hubby.

Therefore, in between camping and backpacking trips, I've spent the summer trying to increase the traffic on my site, cooking it up on Studio 6 (a talk show out of Portland, OR), and developing recipes to serve at charity events. Then a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon Foodbuzz.com.

Wow! People like me in love with life, food, and finding ways to share their passions in blogland.

Not long after I joined Foodbuzz, I learned about THE COMPETITION. If you're like me, your ears perk up like coffee at the mention of the word competition.

I threw my spatula into the ring and became a contestant in PROJECT FOOD BLOG! (Cue the applause and my dad's "You are absolutely crazy" look.)

There are over 1,800 bloggers all hoping to compete (oh baby, there's that word again) in a series of 10 challenges over the next 4 months.

By the way, I plan on winning this time! Why? Because FRESH AIR + FRESH FOOD is more than a cookbook. It's an honest, real life look at the great outdoors and the foods that come from it - the perfect recipe for healthy living.

If all we need to be vital are vitamins and exercise, we would pop handfuls of Centrum and go to the gym . . . and be bored. There's more to living than lunges and vitamin A. There's element "F," which stands for fun (or fresh if I so choose)!

Yes, food should taste good. But food is also meant to nourish. It's the fuel you need to get out and enjoy this awe-inspiring world that produces the fish, fruits, vegetables, and grains that end up on our tables.

FRESH AIR + FRESH FOOD celebrates the connection between nature and naturally delicious food through my adventures backpacking, camping, fishing, running, hiking, traveling, gardening, and of course cooking over the campfire or at home for my family and friends.

You'll laugh.

You'll salivate.

You'll wonder, "What in the world was she thinking?"

You'll love it!

Be sure to click on the "Be a FRESH FOLLOWER" button so you'll never miss the inspiration and information you need to get out, get cooking, and track my performance in the up-coming challenges.

PROJECT FOOD BLOG fame here I come!

Your job? VOTE! Votes are 50% of the deciding factor for who moves on and who gets dumped. So be sure to click the follow button and watch for reminders and information on how to cast your ballot for FA+FF!

See you down the trail.