Midwest
Mother who started nut butter company in basement is living 'American Dream'
Lea Hurley never thought the company she started in her basement would become her livelihood.
“American Dream started in my basement, way back in 2018,” Hurley told Fox News Digital in an interview from her home in Noblesville, Indiana.
At the time, Hurley was in the middle of a cancer battle and had developed many food intolerances. “Everything” made her sick, she said, except for a few things: turkey, rice and nut butter.
EGG PRICES SOAR: 6 SUITABLE FOOD SUBSTITUTES TO CONSIDER
It was that last one that ended up being the true game-changer, and not just for her physical health.
“I discovered I could make nut butter taste like dessert,” she said.
Lea Hurley of Indiana is founder and CEO of American Dream Nut Butter. (American Dream Nut Butter)
And instead of eating junk food, she made her own nut butters that would help satisfy her sweet tooth and didn’t make her ill.
“Not only did that help curb my sweet tooth, it really changed my body composition as well,” she said.
Formerly a personal trainer, Hurley began working her nut butters into her clients’ plans, “and they saw the same results that I did,” she said.
WOMAN WHO IS ‘ALLERGIC TO EVERYTHING’ CAN ONLY EAT THESE 2 THINGS
“So my husband kept begging me to let him take it to a bodybuilding competition because we had a ton of friends who were competitors,” she said.
Initially, Hurley was hesitant and refused to let him, but that didn’t stop him.
“It was kind of a hit. Everybody loved it.”
“He took it without my knowledge, and it was kind of a hit. Everybody loved it,” she said.
Before long, people were coming to her house to fill their own mason jars with nut butter. She realized she should begin selling them herself.
‘Still remember the first order’
Hurley began posting her nut butters on social media and saw her following grow.
“I started out with 12 followers in 2018, and now we’re up to 200,000,” she said. “I can still remember the first online order that came in.”
American Dream Nut Butter had its first online sale in 2018. The company had its millionth in 2024. (American Dream Nut Butter)
That first order was so exciting that she and her family danced around the house, she told Fox News Digital.
In July 2024, American Dream Nut Butter made its millionth online sale.
“It’s kind of a crazy story, from starting from nothing all the way to what it is now,” she said.
GIRL SCOUTS SAY 2 COOKIE FLAVORS WILL BE RETIRED AFTER 2025
Hurley named her company American Dream because, for her and her family, “that’s what we feel like we’re doing.”
She said, “We’re living the American dream. We are the epitome of what that means, how people can go from nothing. And then, you know, with a little bit of opportunity and hard work and God’s grace, you can really make a difference.”
Hurley said she and her family are “living the American dream” ever since she turned her American Dream Nut Butter business into a company. (American Dream Nut Butter)
The company “has actually been like a godsend, because I would have been fired from my regular job with all the work I would have had to miss” due to her numerous illnesses, she told Fox News Digital.
‘Core ingredients’
The process of creating one of her products, she said, starts with a bit of math as well as high-quality ingredients. The protein powder in American Dream’s products is specially made for the company.
KATE MIDDLETON EATS THIS HEART-HEALTHY ‘SUPERFOOD’ FOR BREAKFAST EACH DAY
“It starts with the core ingredients I’m using, making sure that those taste good first, and then getting the right ratio,” she said.
She then moves on to the “macros” of the product: the amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
Hurley said she wants her nut butters “to taste like you’re almost eating the real thing.” (American Dream Nut Butter)
“I also want it to taste like you’re almost eating the real thing,” she said, as much as that is possible.
“There’s no protein brownie that’s going to taste just like a brownie. But I want to get it as close as possible without using artificial sweeteners because I really don’t like those,” Hurley said.
Aside from making nut butters, cookies and other protein-packed treats, American Dream’s other goal is “to try to help as many people as we can.”
One group especially close to her heart is veterans. American Dream has its own veterans and first responder program that the company has dubbed “American Heroes.”
“One of the things that the troops said they missed from home was junk food.”
“And every month, customers or ambassadors will nominate a veteran or first responder or active duty military for us to send a care package to. We do 100 of those a month,” she said.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle
Overseas troops receive “a big box full of goodies” in addition to nut butters and other American Dream products.
“One of the things the troops said they missed from home was junk food,” Hurley said.
American Dream’s “American Heroes” program sends out 100 care packages a month to troops, veterans and first responders, its founder said. (American Dream Nut Butter)
“So, along with our nut butters, we will pack things like Doritos and Pop-Tarts and cookies and all of the things that they requested, plus some fun things to do, like crosswords and things like that to kind of fill the time.”
Through making nut butters that are both nutritious and tasty, Hurley said she has uncovered what she believes is a gift from God.
“I don’t know exactly how I do it,” she said.
“I feel like everyone has different gifts from God, and this is my gift. It wasn’t until I started American Dream that I was like, ‘My gosh, I do have a God-given talent.’”
Read the full article from Here
Dusty May, Michigan basketball get ovation at Pistons playoff game
Coach Dusty May and members from the Michigan basketball national championship team got an ovation during Game 2 of Pistons-Magic, April 22, 2026, at Little Caesars Arena.
The most notable Michigan basketball returnees are Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney. The most exciting, proven players came from the transfer portal in Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati), J.P. Estrella (Tennessee) and Jalen Reed (LSU). The most intriguing prospects came from the high school ranks, and five-star Brandon McCoy (Sierra Canyon) tops the list.
But in terms of potential glue guys and those who could make a sneaky impact on next year’s roster, it’s two holdovers from the 2025-26 national championship team who could be flying under the radar more than anybody.
“Oscar Goodman and Ricky Liburd, I think they’ve even gotten buried in terms of attention below the incoming freshman class,” assistant coach Mike Boynton Jr. told the Free Press when he joined the “Hail Yes!” podcast earlier this week. “Oscar’s been in our program for two years. He knows our system really, really well.
“He has an opportunity to be a nice rotational player for us, a guy who fills an energy, rebounding, versatile defender [role] … think of the energy and versatility that we were able to use Will Tschetter with. Shoots it well, brings great energy, tough enough to guard multiple positions, so it gives you great versatility in a system that requires it.”
Goodman, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound forward from New Zealand, was buried on the depth chart this past season behind Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg and Tschetter in what was a crowded frontcourt. But he didn’t look overmatched when he was on the court.
His highlights were a few high-flying dunks, as Goodman, who appeared in 16 games, averaged 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 5.2 minutes per contest. Goodman joined in the program in January 2025 and was able to serve on scout team in practice for the back half of Dusty May’s first season with the program, then was a freshman last year who got his first complete season of experience.
Goodman is strong enough to play the four but athletic enough to play the wing, a position he may need to fill more than initially expected without many natural 3s on the roster.
U-M can go a few ways, with someone like McKenney running the wing in a small ball lineup or someone like Goodman manning the spot in a larger lineup, and if his early years are any indication, May will likely try both options.
“He’s not a one-trick pony kind of guy,” Boynton said of Goodman.
Meanwhile, Liburd, who redshirted in 2025-26 after coming in as an unheralded three-star out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, impressed coaches behind the scenes and appears poised to crack the rotation next season.
The 6-foot-4 wing came up frequently last season as a standout on the scout team and, after putting in time behind the scenes, could be a real piece to U-M’s new puzzle.
“He’s flown under the radar as much as anybody because he was new to our program and didn’t play at all,” Boynton said. “He’s a guy who’s got the ability to both defend one-through-four from his size, quickness, strength, physicality and he can also play offensively in any of our perimeter spots, as well.
“He can be a floor-spacer, he can be a shot-creator, he’s a guy who’s really good on the move as a cutter and offensive rebounder. I think both of those guys are names people should just right now pencil in and keep their eyes on early in the year to see how they progress.”
Boynton said the hope is that Michigan can get those guys “a lot of reps” on the team’s foreign trip this summer (which hasn’t been officially reported but appears almost a certainty to happen sometime in late August) to find out how they fit with the new pieces and see the leap they’ve taken from one year to the next.
Boynton isn’t the only one with high hopes for this team. Assistant coach and general manager Kyle Church recently joined Brian Boesch on “Defend The Block” and lauded where the Wolverines stand with their roster largely complete. He spoke of the importance of players who help keep the culture going from one year to the next, which Goodman and Liburd both intend to do.
“I think we have a very, very competitive roster. I think a potential top-five, top-10 type roster,” Church said. “No matter who joins us or doesn’t join us, we’re really excited about the position we’re in.
“To have some guys that [joined] more with the future in mind and keep that continuity is going to be so important.”
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
The San Antonio Spurs had their backs to the wall, so they had a Game 7 mentality from tip-off, and they cruised their way to the finish line against the ravenous Minnesota Timberwolves. The Spurs are now going on tour and the winner of a Game 3 in a best of seven series when it’s tied advances 73.7 percent of the time, per the NBA’s Facts and Figures.
Both sides were implacable, defending the lane like it was a scared temple and neither had much breathing room until the levy broke for the Spurs in transition. San Antonio’s defense was more potent, holding them to their lowest output of the season (35 points) in the first half, which included a stretch where it forced Minnesota into a stream of bad shots.
Usually, even playoff games with a large difference get close, but the Spurs didn’t permit such shenanigans because Victor Wembanyama’s help defense was omnipresent, despite 10 less blocks, and his teammates were just as unforgiving, hounding the ball before it crossed half court and controlling the boards.
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 6, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 6 drawing
18-27-51-65-68, Powerball: 05, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 6 drawing
Midday: 5-0-9
Midday Wild: 2
Evening: 6-9-4
Evening Wild: 8
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 6 drawing
Midday: 5-4-1-3
Midday Wild: 4
Evening: 0-0-1-5
Evening Wild: 8
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from May 6 drawing
Early Bird: 04
Morning: 08
Matinee: 13
Prime Time: 14
Night Owl: 06
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from May 6 drawing
04-11-14-25-30
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 6 drawing
04-21-36-48-69, Powerball: 05
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
- Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
- Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
- Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
-
Maryland2 minutes agoMaryland Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for May 6, 2026
-
Michigan8 minutes agoCritical Michigan basketball roles could be filled by unsung returners
-
Massachusetts14 minutes agoEastern Mass. boys’ lacrosse: Players of the Week for April 29-May 5 – The Boston Globe
-
Minnesota20 minutes agoSan Antonio vs. Minnesota, Final Score: Spurs’ defense strangles Timberwolves, 133-95
-
Mississippi26 minutes agoMississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for May 6, 2026
-
Missouri32 minutes ago
Missouri Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 winning numbers for May 6, 2026
-
Montana38 minutes agoMontana softball falls 1 win shy of playing for Big Sky championship
-
Nebraska44 minutes agoONE PRESS – POWERED BY THE NEBRASKA PRESS ASSOCIATION