Traveling for Adventure vs. Traveling for Relaxation: Here’s What You Need to Know

December 12, 2016 By Laura

¡Hola de México!

That’s 95% of what I remember from high school Spanish.

There are as many reasons to travel as there are travelers. It is not just about getting your picture taken with the latest cartoon creation… not that there’s anything wrong with that. But sometimes you may want to add a side of education to your adventures.

You all know by now that I LOVE to travel. In fact, I am in Tulum, Mexico as I type this. We came for a wedding, but left time for a few adventures! We’re headed to the Mayan ruins today, for example.

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Our Christmas Tree, Processo Cheese, & Pizza [WIAW]

December 7, 2016 By Laura

Let’s talk Christmas trees.

Ours is the best.

I mean… have you ever seen a more perfectly shaped tree?

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Supplements and Working Out

December 5, 2016 By Laura

Raise your hand if you look to magazines for workout advice.

It’s my favorite cardio machine pastime.

Magazines are full of advice when it comes to fitness and health. Some of them even feature great workouts. Workouts are great but alone, they alone won’t get you to your goals. You also need to have a good, healthy diet. Some people also swear by supplements to help you jumpstart your workouts.

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My Love/Hate Relationship with Running + WIAW

November 30, 2016 By Laura

Running and I are conflicted.

I ran pretty fast for awhile. (Hence the “sprint” in my name.)

Often time with running comes injuries. I had a PCL that was stretched thin and the only way I was going to run more than a mile or two again was to have surgery or build my quads. I chose quads and started doing figure competitions. I mean… go big or go home, right?

Tuesday morning run

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2016 Holiday Gift Guide: For People Who Have “Everything”

November 28, 2016 By Laura

Can you believe the holidays are already upon us?

I say this every year, I know.

I love gift giving. Spending time finding the “perfect” gift for friends and family is fun for me; however, I know it can be stressful. Some people seem to have everything!

As such, I’ve been keeping a list of some of the more unique gift ideas I’ve had lately. Ya know, in case you guys need some help too!

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Flourless Pinto Bean Brownies [Recipe]

November 21, 2016 By Laura

Remember when black bean brownies were all the rage?

Maybe that’s a teeny exaggeration… my friends still thought they were weird.

Flourless Pinto Bean Brownies are where it’s at. These cocoa-laced treats are flourless, fudge-y, and delicious! They are also low sugar and can be made vegan with flax eggs.

I know, I know… putting pinto beans in brownies sounds weird. I SWEAR you can’t taste them. Both Vegas and my baby sister ate them and didn’t detect a trace of bean… and they know I usually try to sneak something healthy into their food.

Flourless chocolate treats are some of my favorites. Not because I’m scared of flour, but because I love that creamy, decadent texture. The beans in these brownies only make the texture that much better.

Plus, you get to sing that song about beans that we all know and love. Beans, beans, musical fruit…

I’m a big fan of the rich dark chocolate that cocoa powder gives baked goods. That combined with a hint of peanut butter makes these basically my ideal dessert. Add a few chocolate chips and I’ve reached dessert nirvana.

Oh, and they’re sugar-free. This hardly even counts as a dessert… so you should just go ahead and pair it with red wine. 😉

[Tweet “Healthy Flourless Pinto Bean Brownies… but they’re so good your family will never know!”]

Flourless Pinto Bean Brownies

by Laura Hall

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 20-25 mins

Keywords: bake blender dessert gluten-free sugar-free vegan vegetarian low-sodium coconut oil eggs peanut butter cocoa brownie healthy

Ingredients (12 servings)

2 C pinto beans, cooked
2 whole eggs
2 T coconut oil, melted
3 T peanut butter
1 T vanilla
2 T VitaFiber syrup (can use honey or agave)
1/2 C xylitol (or other granulated sugar)
1/3 C cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 C dark chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×9 Pyrex dish and set aside.

Place all ingredients, except the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until smooth. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides periodically.

Fold in chocolate chips, then transfer batter to prepared dish.

Bake for 20-25 mins until the edges start to crisp up and pull away from the sides. A toothpick will come out *mostly* clean. Bean brownies are meant to a bit fudge-y.

Allow to cool for 15 – 20 minutes before cutting into squares.

Approximate nutrition: 129 calories, 6.7 g fat, 142 mg sodium, 15.5 g carbs, 4.3 g fiber, 1.4 g sugar, 4.3g protein

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I was going to have these for Thanksgiving… but they’re gone. Oops.

Do you sneak veggies into your family’s meals?

Have you ever made bean brownies?

Sometimes I forget… sometimes I just can’t

November 16, 2016 By Laura

I’ve been know to forget to post for WIAW.

Last night I just couldn’t. Could. Not.

I decided it would be fun to pour wine at a new tasting room a few nights a week. One thing lead to another… and now I’m the interim manager.

This means I’ve been here EVERY day.

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San Diego Fit Foodie 5K Race Recap

November 14, 2016 By Laura

This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links.

I used to run races.

I even placed in a few!

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve attempted a race. The Fit Foodie 5K/10K Race Weekend in San Diego seemed like the perfect time to change that. Leave it to me to make my first race back a food-related one!

John Hancock’s Cooking Light & Health Fit Foodie Race Weekend is more than just a race. It’s a party, a gathering for food lovers, and a place to share passion for food and fitness. Calories are both burned and earned!

The Run

The race was bright and early on a Saturday morning. There was an option for a 5K or a 10K, but I decided not to push it and did the 5K.

My baby sister joined too! I love that we get to do things like this together. We share the same passions for food and fitness. I guess that’s proof we are related… even if I spent most of her childhood telling her she was purchased from gypsies.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BL3rQxlDQ2H/

I digress… the race took place along the water at the Embarcadero Park. There’s nothing like a gorgeous view and a great breeze to make you want to move.

While it wasn’t a PR, I was happy with a 26:24 finish after my hiatus. I was 19th in my age group! That’s especially satisfying given that there were over 1300 runners and we spent the first mile kind of trapped behind people.

We received a medal to reward our run, then moved into the John Hancock Vitality Village (a.k.a. the most delicious finish line ever).

The Celebration

The celebratory food and drinks in the John Hancock Vitality Village was the perfect post-race experience!

There were rows filled with delicious and healthy food samples, culinary demonstrations, and mini fitness classes led by certified pros.

Another highlight of the race was seeing so many friends there. My sister and I ran into Teresa from Eat Drink & Be Skinny. Now we have plans for a friends workout!

As much as we hate to admit it, fitness without good nutrition is not nearly as impactful on your health as when you combine the two.

That’s why John Hancock has created John Hancock life insurance with Vitality, which rewards people for the healthy choices they make, like exercising, seeing the doctor, and now, purchasing healthy foods at the grocery store.

With John Hancock Vitality and the new HealthyFood program, not only can you save up to $600 a year on the nutritious foods you buy, but you can also significantly save on your life insurance premium and earn valuable rewards and everyday savings for those healthy food purchases.

Visit JHRewardsLife.com for more information on how you can be rewarded for the small steps you take towards a healthier life!

Oh, and did I mention MEB was there?!

Bill Rodgers and Meb at the Fit Foodie Race

Meb and Bill posing for pics. How cool for these younger girls to get to run a race and meet their heros?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of John Hancock. The opinions and text are all mine.

[Tweet “My Fit Foodie 5K Recap + the most delicious finish line ever!”]

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Now it’s ON… I’m already plotting my next race!

What was the last race you ran?

Are you a “fit foodie”?