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💡 Make it from SCRATCH - It’s not that intimidating, check it out 👇

Making things from scratch in the kitchen means fresher flavor, more control over ingredients, and fewer additives compared to packaged shortcuts. It also helps you build cooking skills with every recipe and nothing feels better than dropping the humblebrag: “Yeah, I made that.”

My rule: if it’s a sauce, spread, or dip with only a few ingredients, store-bought doesn’t stand a chance.

🍅 Tomato Sauce – A quick simmer of fresh or canned tomatoes, garlic, onion, and herbs will taste brighter and let you control salt/sugar. Instant mic drop!

🌶 Salsa – Fresh chopped tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime, and chili brings fiesta vibes.

🥚 Mayonnaise – Homemade mayonnaise lets you pick healthier oils and avoid additives.

🥗 Salad Dressing – Olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and honey take 2 minutes to whisk together and taste way better than bottled corn syrup.

🍋 Hummus – Canned chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic… done in 5 minutes, creamier than the tub version.

🥑 Guacamole – Fresh avocado + lime juice + salt instantly beats any packaged alternative.

- I got your next 10 dinner recipes covered - *And a free bonus one further below

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🔥 If you’ve ever wanted to eat a Philly cheesesteak but also feel like you’re winning at meal prep, this Philly Cheesesteak Pasta is your golden ticket. Think tender sirloin, melty provolone, and sautéed peppers and onions, all tangled up with pasta in a creamy, high-protein sauce that packs 43g of protein per serving. It’s comfort food that actually fuels you, the kind of dish that tastes like a cheat meal but secretly works like a post-workout power move. Plus, crispy onions on top? Can’t go wrong.

Follow along with me in this video and I’ll show you how easy this is! *Click the image below for the recipe 👇

Expert nutrition counseling is often expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Most health insurance plans cover sessions with a Registered Dietitian, often at no cost to you. Fay makes it easy to use your benefits by matching you with a top-tier expert in-network with hundreds of plans.

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Simon Sinek delivers a profound leadership truth: greatness comes not just from celebrating your wins, but from owning your missteps. In the fire service, this balanced mindset (claiming the successes while taking responsibility for the failures) is your foundation for respect, trust, and growth. It’s not weakness to admit a mistake; it’s strength, because every after-action review becomes a chance to evolve into a safer, sharper crew.

Start Listening, Then Lead
Sinek recounts the "bagel parable": while one person sees the free bagel, another sees only the long line. That’s the difference between a reactive mindset and a leadership mindset. In the firehouse, the best leaders hold their judgment, listen first (really listen) and then engage. Ask questions that surface new ideas, not just answers. It builds a culture where every voice matters, where the rookie might offer the key insight in a high-pressure call.

Competing with Yourself, Not Each Other
The firefighting world can breed comparison. But Sinek flips the script: when you compete with yourself (focusing on being better today than yesterday) that’s when others want to help you succeed. In the station, that means teammates pull together, share tactics, and help each other at the pump, because the goal is collective improvement, not beating each other.

Infinite Mindset = Enduring Excellence
Finally, Sinek introduces the “infinite game” mindset: leadership isn’t a one-off race, it’s a lifelong mission of improvement. Winning? That’s not the objective. Staying in the game, getting better each call, each shift, that’s where excellence lies. For firefighters, that translates into continuous training, mentorship, and preparedness, year after year, call after call, so your crew stays strong, adaptable, and lifesaving-ready.

Watch the full video here by Simon Sinek from Alpha Mentors.

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