Stay Full All Morning with this Homemade Parfait Recipe

If you are like me, you are one of those people that have to have breakfast and coffee to be a functioning member of society every day. I was at the point where I was sick of every flavor Luna bar out there and needed something different. I started experimenting one day and put together some ingredients to make a parfait mix every Sunday that would last me throughout the week and that I could mix up different fruits in it.

Well, below is the concoction I am hooked on. As the fruit seasons change, you can change up the fruit, but the grapes are pretty much a constant in this breakfast dish.

Fruit & Yogurt Parfait
Servings- about 10  Prep time: 10 min.

Ingredients

• (1) 8 ounce tub of fat free cream cheese (I like the tub rather than the package because the tub is softer).
• (1) cup (8 ounces) of fat free plain Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• (2) teaspoons of vanilla extract
• (2) pounds of seedless grapes (I usually use red grapes)
• (2) cups of berries (strawberries, blueberries or raspberries)
• (2) cups of additional seasonal fruit
• granola sprinkled on each serving (I use Special K granola with a touch of honey)

Directions:

• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, Greek yogurt, sugar and vanilla until blended. Add grapes and other fruits, then toss to coat.
• Cover and refrigerate. 
• Sprinkle granola on each serving.

This recipe always lasts me at least a week for breakfast, and I sometimes even eat it for a snack on the weekends. I wake up every day for work in just enough time to get ready and get out the door, so having a healthy breakfast already made has really helped me in the mornings. 

Hope you enjoy!

Five Tips to Take Full Advantage of Your LinkedIn Profile

When you are in the communications profession, it's especially important to stay up-to-date on ways to make social media work for you. Admittedly, Linkedin was a social media network that I use on a regular basis, but knew the least about. So, when I saw that the university I work for was offering an executive education class on how to get the most out of your LinkedIn profile, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to brush up on my skills. Below you will find five simple tweaks that you can make to your LinkedIn profile to make you more searchable and relevant on this social media network.

1. Take note of your profile strength- In the bottom, right hand corner of your profile, LinkedIn takes it upon itself to rank your profile basically from zero to hero. If you want to make your profile stronger, under profile, hit edit profile, and LinkedIn takes you through a series of steps to brighten up your online presence. Your ultimate goal should be to make it to "all-star."

2. Edit your default tagline- The default setting for your profile tagline is your current job title, which, if you think about it, makes no sense. Change this tagline to keywords that set you apart and make you unique- for example, mine is, "Experienced Public Relations Professional, Marketing Strategist, Social Media Manager, and Event Planner." You will see the option to edit this once you are in the edit profile function.

3. Customize your profile so you are easier to find- Your default URL on LinkedIn is a bunch of random letters and numbers, which is located at the top left of your profile underneath your picture. Change this URL to something you can remember. My profile URL is www.linkedin.com/in/bridgetconrad/  . Also, make sure that your profile is visible to everyone. You can do this under the edit profile function, go to the bottom of your profile under connections, and click customize visibility.

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  Make the Most of Your LinkedIn Profile
  

  
  

4. Remind people of you profile- Put the link to your public profile in the signature of your email. You can add a LinkedIn graphic button to your emails- click the following link to see directions http://slidesha.re/1jmzbOn 

5. Include a summary on your profile- A summary on your profile helps people make a personal connection with you through industry, school or hometowns. Who knows- this could be the deciding factor on whether someone calls you for a job! You can do this easily under the edit profile function, in the background section.

I hope these tips are helpful! Do me a favor and add Heather Esposito on LinkedIn- www.linkedin.com/in/heatheresposito . She taught the class I attended and changed my views on LinkedIn completely. In fact, just this week, LinkedIn hit the 300 million user mark, so it's definitely a worthwhile network and it pays to keep your profile current. Oh, also add me on there too: www.linkedin.com/in/bridgetconrad .Have a great Easter everyone!

The Beginning of the End: 5 Questions That Need to be Answered in Mad Men's Last Season

As Jon Hamm told Diane Sawyer in an interview this week, tonight only marks the beginning of the end for Mad Men, not the end of the end. There's still plenty of time to get the answers to those lingering questions that Mad Men creator, Matthew Weiner, is so good at keeping buried. We all have our list of things that make you go hmmm when it comes to this show, so I wanted to share mine with you as a little refresher to preface tonight's season premiere.

1. What happened to Peggy and Pete's baby, and will the child make an appearance?
As soon as the attraction between Peggy and Pete became obvious, I was hooked on this pairing. There is something so evil yet charming about the character of Pete Campbell that a viewer can't help but root for him. I also loved the innocence of Peggy's character at this time in the show. She was out on her own and determined to climb the corporate ladder. What I don't think she realized though, is what power will do to a man's ego and conscience. Seriously though, where is their spawn? To see a mixture of these two characters in a child would be priceless. I'm still holding out hope for this story line.

2. Will Roger and Joan end up together?
Ahhh Roger and Joan- Joan may be the only woman that Roger has ever really loved! Through his first wife to his young wife, Joan was always a stable person in his life. When Joan's husband left her with her baby, it was Roger that helped her pick up the pieces. I would be almost shocked to not see these two end up together, but stranger things have happened.

Reminds me of Don Draper @ a photo shoot

3. Will Don's real identity as Dick Whitman be exposed to everyone?
To this day on the show, only a handful of people know of Don's real identity. This story line surely will be explored even more through the last season of the show. Will everyone find out? Will the truth set Don free or cause him to spiral even more downward? Perhaps this forces Don to kill himself (conspiracy theory I allude to in question 5). There are still so many unanswered details when it comes to Don (Dick), that I feel this may be the backbone to the end unfolding.

4. Who is Bob Benson?
For real, who the $%&@ is Bob Benson?  After Pete had Duck Phillips investigate Bob last season, we find out his whole resume is smoke and mirrors. Then there was the Spanish aide that he recommended Pete hire to take care of his mother, when soon after, Pete's mother ends up dead. Lastly, was Bob hitting on Pete a calculated move, or is Bob really gay? I'm dying to know if there is a deep-seeded connection of Bob to someone in this series, or if he is just a poor man's Don Draper trying to get ahead.
                                                
5. Does the opening sequence of the show foreshadow the show ending with Don committing suicide?
I have had this question in my brain since the end of season 2. Now that this show has evolved, I'm only convinced more that this could be a strong possibility the final episode. If that's the case, serious props for creativity and great story development.

I hope everyone is as excited as I am for the start of this show again. Being in public relations and marketing myself, it's  refreshing to watch a show depict our industry as it was decades ago.

The Basics of Online Personal Branding: Five Simple Ways to Make Yourself Known

Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, a corporate executive, or an entrepreneur, an online presence in today’s digital world is a must. Often, when perusing through my Twitter newsfeed, I see women making very candid and opinionated comments, sometimes as a personal attack on another. What these women do not realize is that their immature behavior casts them in a negative light when it comes to their online persona. With this being said, it’s very important for women to know how simple it is to create a strong and positive brand for themselves on the internet.

 

Here are five basic things to think about when forming your identity in our digital age:

 

1. Identify your biggest strength and focus on that.

Use celebrities as an example. They hone in on their best skill (singing, acting, dancing, business) and focus on being the best at it. They focus on being great at one skill, instead of knowing a little about a lot of things. This is the same principle you should use when forming your presence on the web. Your “skill” can range from an expertise, to a hobby, to personal interests you have in common with others (ex: TV shows, music).

 

2. Think about what makes you stand out from the crowd- why should people remember you?

Make people remember you for your knowledge, skills, and similar background, not how well you trash talk or how opinionated you are in conversations. There is such a thing as bad attention, and the internet is not the place to broadcast biased thoughts. Now more than ever, negative online behavior can effect a situation when you least expect it.

3. Establish a presence on social media with the correct audiences- Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram.

Below is the difference between audiences on social networks. Some people mass post content on all their social media profiles. This is not a good practice because each audience is very different. One universal rule is to always act with respect. You are putting your brand out for the world to see- be mindful of that.

Facebook- social friendships, family connections, and re-connecting with people from the past. People also follow businesses and news outlets.

LinkedIn- a strictly professional network- most people keep their connections on this site to business colleagues, businesses they admire, and people who they wish to connect with professionally.

Twitter- follow important topics, people, and have conversations that are important and relevant to things that interest you.

Instagram- share your life with friends through photos. Many TV shows and celebrities have accounts you can follow and comment on as well.

4. It’s all in the content you create!

Create content on a regular basis to ensure that your brand stays fresh and relevant. A personal blog or website, in addition to your social media profiles, helps people get a sense for who you really are and what you are trying to accomplish.

5. Create change- lead change, be innovative and make significant contributions to your industry.

Network, mentor, public speak, and do pro bono work. These things only make you, as a brand, stronger. For the stay-at-home moms out there, mom bloggers have proved to be some of the most influential women on the internet by just writing about products that they like and dislike.

You have the power to decide who you want to be online, and if you follow these steps, you’ll be remembered for your knowledge, contributions and influence.