Can You Hear Me Now?

June 4, 2011 By Laura

Have you guys been following the cell phone news?

They may cause brain cancer.

Lovely. As someone who spent the better part of college with a phone glued to her ear, I’m not amused.

I turned to NPR (dork). Apparently the culprit is the radio frequency electromagnetic fields cellphones give off. They could be carcinogenic. Could be.

Know what else could be carcinogenic?

Coffee
Pickled Vegetables
Alcoholic Beverages
Ultraviolet Rays
Talcum Powder
Hormone Replacement Therapy

Basically, I’m a goner.

Honestly, I don’t like talking the phone anymore. Can you grow out of that? I use mine primarily to text and email. ~~And tweet.~~

___________________________________________________________________________________

In happier news, I’ve had a great time this week eating green foods! Despite how it may look from the smorgasbord I posted yesterday…

1. Tami’s Green Gazpacho:

My modifications included the addition of 2 jalapenos, using a whole cup of cilantro, and reducing the water by a cup. I also bypassed the bread and topped it with Greek yogurt (which was amazing!).

Next time I’d reduce the salt a bit, but other than that it was a fantastic summer soup. The perfect cool lunch with insanely hot weather!

2. Salad… con mucho color.

I had some fresh mozzarella left over from my Peach Caprese Salad, so I used that to make this Spinach–Carrot–Tomato-Caprese-Salad. With hummus. And… an embarrassing item.

See the falafel-looking things? Those are “Chicken Bites.” They are made by a company called Happy Bites. They make sneak veggies into their frozen kids snacks… yes, I’m almost 28 and I buy over-priced children’s foods. You can find them at Whole ~~Paycheck~~ Foods… ~~the Veggie Tots are good too~~.

3. Averie’s Avocado Banana Ice Cream.

You guys know I love avocados in smoothies – it makes them deliciously creamy. Why not in ice cream? I trust Averie.

Did I mention it’s VEGAN ice cream?

I used So Delicious unsweetened vanilla coconut milk, omitted the sugar, added 1/2 a packet of Stevia, and used maybe 1/2 C of ice cubes. My Magic Bullet blended it like a champ. Then I threw it in my mini-ice cream maker. And immediately devoured 1/2 of it. ~~Before dinner because I’m not a Happy Bite-eating kid.~~

***

I’m off for a morning run before A) it reaches 90 degrees and B) Souper Jenny’s Underground Supper Club tonight. It’s so underground that I don’t even know where it is or who the chef is yet!

Do you like to talk on the phone? Will you change your usage habits in light of the potential cancer-risk?

Raw Brazilian Flax Cookies

March 30, 2011 By Laura

It seems that the whole world is on the running train lately.

The whole world also continues to be on the weight-loss train.

Yes, running is a great way to shed some lbs… but it has other benefits! In addition to the obvious (weight-loss and heart-health), running can also prevent bone/muscle loss and boost the immune system.

It can make you happier! Exercise in general produces endorphins. It also has a goal-achievement component. Working towards and accomplishing a goal builds confidence.

Every time I have a new PR or run a little further than before, I’m proud of myself! That’s a great feeling.

My favorite point the article make is that running is a social activity. Often times running is boxed in as a solo sport. It is to some extent – you can do it anywhere, anytime. No special equipment or teammates required. (Yet another benefit.)

However, as the popularity of running continues to grow, it is becoming an activity for friends/significant others/family to take part in together. What better way to build friendships with other health-conscious people than by working out together?

Post-run with family on Thanksgiving

And you have a great excuse to share a well-deserved post-run beer with a new running buddy as it gets warmer. 🙂

While we’re on the healthy train, how about a healthy cookie?

Raw. Vegan. Brazilian (sort of… they contain Brazil nuts!).

These cookies are filled with yummy “good” fats.

Averie made these @ Love Veggies and Yoga. After seeing hers, I knew they had to be MINE.

Raw Brazilian Flax Cookies

by Laura Hall

Prep Time: 15 mins

Keywords: blender raw snack dessert gluten-free low-carb vegan vegetarian Brazil nuts flax seeds coconut butter healthy

Ingredients (5 cookie bites)

1/2 C flax seeds
1/8 C maple syrup
1 T coconut butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp butter extract (mine is super-concentrated)
10 Brazil nuts

Instructions

Place flax seeds in blender and run until well-ground.

Add the syrup, coconut butter, spices, and extract to blender. Run until mixed. Then add Brazil nuts, blending until small-ish chunks are left (just enough to leave a little crunch).

Scoop out 1 HEAPING tablespoon at a time, forming into little cookies.

*I used toasted flax seeds, which a fantastic nuttiness to the cookies.

***

I’m ready for this grey weather to end so the SUN can be my motivator again!

Do you run? If so, what is your motivator?

It’s Bananas

March 19, 2011 By Laura

The perfect end to an out-of-control b-a-n-a-n-a-s week is a new ‘do.

My hair is now blonde-ish.

I love Karen, Stylist Extraordinaire

I’ve been going to Karen since I was 15. She moved 5-ish years ago to open her own salon – Lava Hair Studio – almost 60 miles outside of Atlanta… and I drive all the way out there to see her.

If I moved out of state, I’d probably fly back to see her.

Crappy in-the-car-rushing-to-meet-friends cell phone pic, but…

It’s no longer red-brown (therefore NOT clashing with my bridesmaid dress for upcoming wedding)
It’s no longer bushy (why does my hair grow SO fast?!)
I can style it in 5 mins flat.

FTW

Active.com recently posted an article called 5 Reasons to Work Out in the Morning.

In light of my recent morning work out success, I got really excited to read this and decided to share my own Top 5. (There may be some overlap… they were spot on!)

My Top 5 Reasons to Work Out in the Morning

It’s done – there’s no backing out because you’re too tired after work/would rather go to happy hour
One shower – they listed this too and I couldn’t agree more. 2-3 showers/day es no bueno
No crowds – the gym in my building is usually empty in the morning, so there’s no wait, I can control the TV, and no one is in the small-ish gym stinking it up
Temperature control – in the winter months, it warms me up for the day and in the summer months it’s not unbearably hot
Alertness – yes, it’s hard to actually wake up enough to get going, but once you do it’s almost better than coffee for my wakefulness

Speaking of being awake… I’m eating my pre-work out banana breakfast appetizer and hitting the pavement for a quickie run before resuming wedding shower prep!

It’s going to be 80 degrees and sunny today! If I leave the balcony door open, I wonder if Stevie will try to jump off…

Note to self: train kitten NOT to go on kamikaze missions.

I love grilled bananas – they caramelize and create a delicious banana syrup.

Plate them and immediately top with cocoa powder your favorite nut butter, letting the hot bananas turn the butter slightly melty. Mmmmm…

Caramelized Banana Bites

1 banana
1 T nut butter
1 tsp cocoa powder

Heat pan to med-high on stove top. Cut banana into 1 inch slices and place in pan. Grill ~2-3 mins, or until just turning brown. Flip and grill 1-2 mins longer until other side is browned. Plate, sprinkle with cocoa powder, and top each slice with your favorite nut butter.

Try not to lick and left over syrup/cocoa mixture off the plate if others are watching.

***

Make me feel more sane.

Do you drive a ridiculous distance to you stylist/restaurant/market/etc?

Workout Fuel + Almond Cocoa “Laura” Bites

October 6, 2010 By Laura

This may sound bizarre, but I look forward to using hotel gyms.

They provide a good change of pace to a workout routine – the good ones have different machines and the bad ones force creativity. The one I visited this week was one of the good ones.

The Weight Room

I did a 1 mile warm up jog on the treadmill before heading to the weight room for a 50 minute bicep/back workout. All of this was rounded out with a quick core workout:

100 sit-ups on the ball
30 v-ups
60 baby crunches
60 toe touchers
60 second plank
60 second side plank on each side

Thanks to the cardio at the beginning, my heart rate stayed up the entire time and made the workout a bit more intense

Following the advice of the nutritionist I saw, I followed up my workout with a grilled chicken salad. Apparently you need at least 20g of protein within 30mins of completing a workout. Who knew? It is amazing what happens when you add more protein to your diet – in just a couple of weeks of aiming for 80-100g a day I have noticed a change in muscle.

First thing’s last: the fuel. I made my own version of Lara Bars. Lara Bars are date and nut bars that typically include some sort of fruit (creating flavors like “Apple Pie” and “Peanut Butter & Jelly”). They are yummy, but expensive. Half of one works well as a pre-workout pick-me-up. Why not make my own? They give you the ingredients on the package: dates and nuts. I already have basically the same name. Behold, Laura Bites. (Yes, I am that creative corny.)

It is that easy. You can play with the flavors – add some dry fruit, different nut varieties, coconut… anything you have in your pantry. Just be sure not to over-mix the nuts, as it will make the “batter” too greasy. These are approx. 100 calories per serving.

Almond Cocoa Laura Bites

2/3 C Dates
1/4 C Almonds
2 tsp Cocoa
Cinnamon (optional)

Place dates in food processor and blend until chopped.

Add nuts and cocoa and blend until mixed. It will look like a gooey ball – don’t worry.

Using your (clean) hands, form into 4 “bites.” I sprinkled my formed bites with cinnamon.

Cover tightly and store in cool place.

Makes 4 bites.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Raw Brazilian Flax Cookies

It’s Bananas

Caramelized Banana Bites

Workout Fuel + Almond Cocoa “Laura” Bites

Almond Cocoa Laura Bites

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