Hint Water® NO calories, NO sugar, NO artificial sweeteners

Special delivery!

One of my favorite things to do when going to a spa is drink their water. I like to call it "spa water".  Spa water is usually infused with fruits like cantaloupe, watermelon, and blueberries. It's refreshing and wonderful, best part.... it's NATURAL!

And then comes along mastermind Kara Goldin, CEO & Founder of Hint Water®, who bottled my so called "spa water"! Genius! As a mother of four, her inspiration came from wanting to give herself and her family a healthy drinking option, and wanting it to have more pizzazz than plain water.  The creation of Hint Water® started in her own kitchen, as she would add fruit to her families water. Her flavored creation become a hit amongst her kids, and her kids friends! Supermarkets are flooded with sugary flavored water and soda, but hint gives you that "healthier" option, and is far more fun .

HOW is the water flavored you ask:  Hint uses the REAL fruit. Sometimes they use the rind, sometimes the peel and sometimes the whole fruit!

I first discovered Hint while in the Hampton's. I was at the beach and was craving a refreshing drink. My drink of choice, 98% of the time, is plain old water.  I was pleased when I saw Hint, and after reading its pure ingredients I knew I had to give it a try. Glad I did!

The Marketing Manager of Hint Water(Boston), was kind enough to hand deliver three cases of this wonderful drink! I will be sharing this water with all my personal training clients, friends, and family!

Inside I found 5 different flavors...

1.pomegranate - tangerine

2. watermelon (first flavor I tried)

3.mango-grapefruit  

4.strawberry-kiwi

5.blackberry ( I am drinking this as I type!)

Now go find some hint water and drink up! Cheers!

Berry Smoothie and Green Smoothie Recipe & Video

berry smoothie

Check out those stainless steel straws!

Berry Smoothie (serves 2)

Ingredients

• 2 Frozen Bananas (makes the smoothie cold, so no need for ice!)
• 1 C milk (can be almond, soy, anything!)
• Frozen or fresh mixed berries
• 1 tsp chia seeds

Feel free to get creative and add protein powder, flax seeds, or anything that makes you smile!

lauren green smoothie

Green Smoothie (serves 2)

Ingredients

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 C any kind of milk (soy, almond, cow!)
• 2 tbsp nut butter
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 3-6 stems of kale

Follow along with us here! [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aEM6kU0rvI?hd=1&w=560&h=349]

Vlogging with Halley

This whole week I was so excited to meet up with Halley for some food Vlogging. After reading Halleys blog I knew we had to combine our forces and create some wonderful healthy goodies.  I was so lucky to have Halley with me for this video. She is an awesome food blogger and taught me things like video blogging is called vlogging... how did I not know this!!! It was awesome having her in the kitchen. She has such a "whatever happens, happens" type attitude when it comes to cooking. So confident and willing to try anything, I think that makes her a great cook!

Uploading videos take forever (for me at least). The video is still loading; 930 minutes remain (that has to be a mistake, right??!) Until then, check out her blog and her latest post about our cooking adventure!

Black Bean Burgers

I am always looking for good alternatives to meat burgers. Today my friend told me she found a great black bean burger recipe. These burgers are so good that I wouldn't care if I had to eat them every week.  They are packed with protein and fiber and are under 350 calories! Best part:  the meal is under $20 and the recipe serves 6 people!

 Black Bean Burgers (courtesy of Cooking Light 2011)

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• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 c chopped cilantro
• 3/4 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese (we used reduced fat Mexican Blend)
• 1/4 c panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• sea salt
• 1/2 medium jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 2 large egg whites

Preheat over to 350.

Place black beans in a medium bowl- mash with a fork.

Not my hand in this photo, but the ring did come from Hefez and Sons Jewelers!

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Stir in cilantro and the rest of the ingredients. (do not be afraid if the consistency is runny, that is the way it is before you bake it)

Shape into 6 even patties. Arrange patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, carefully turning once. (we cooked them for a litter longer than 20 minutes)

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These burgers would be delicious topped with tomatoes and lettuce! If you want to be a little adventurous this Mango Salsa topping was surprisingly good, and not too sweet.

(optional) Mango Salsa (we used a white peach instead of a mango)

• 1/4 c cilantro
• 1 peeled mango or peach
• 3 T chopped shallots
• 1 T lime juice
• 1 avocado, peeled and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced (we left this out)

Combine ingredients and place on top of burgers. Eat with a whole wheat bun.

 320 calories 13g of protein and 10g of fiber

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Do you eat before you work out?

I know many people who are able to go to the gym in the early morning without anything in their stomach. In fact, they say they can not work out in the morning if they eat. I personally need to eat something before I hit the gym. If I do not eat I feel shaky and light-headed, and feel that my energy slacks. Some people choose not to eat breakfast in the morning because of the idea that if you work out on an empty stomach your body will dip into the fat to give you the energy rather than work from the food you just ate.  This does sound convincing, but recent research is showing that this is not the case, and not eating before a workout may actually work against you!

Studies published this year in Strength and Conditioning Journal showed that the body burns roughly the same amount of fat regardless of whether you eat before or after a workout. But those who went to the gym on an empty stomach lost more muscle than those who ate before.

My go to snack before a workout is  whole wheat toast PB and sliced apples or a banana and yogurt. Sometimes a handful of nuts and dried fruit does the trick!

So to sum it up: according to Strength and Conditioning Journal working out on an empty stomach will not burn more fat.

What Sweat with Lauren Hefez fans are eating before they workout:

• vans gluten free waffle with a spoonful of Greek yogurt on top (sounds yummy right? Follow her blog)
• a banana ( simple and wonderful)
• oatmeal is breakfast for MVP Fitness founder and trainer James
• nothing! (said Kerri, Equinox goer, LH and TAM lover :)

Do you eat before you workout? If so, what is your go to breakfast?