Since Valentine’s Day is next week, I thought I would share a few of my favorite finds (and splurge recipes) from around blogosphere. What are some of your favorites? I will start with my Cookie Dough Truffles (above).

Sweet Sugar Cookie Bracelets from Food Plus Words 

Chocolate Malt Cake from Dessert First

Valentine Fruit Kabob Dessert from Best Friends for Frosting

Valentine’s Day Trail Mix from Ingredients, Inc.

How To Pipe Lace on Cookies    

The Best Peanut Butter Cookies from Created by Diane

Valentine Printable Treat Bag Toppers from Love from the Oven

Homemade Valentine Cards from Thirty Handmade Days

Valentine’s Day Heart Topiary from Tiny Prints

When I saw this recipe from a past issue of Cooking Light magazine for Peanut Butter Cup Brownies, I knew that I had to make them. I have a weakness for anything peanut butter, but the fact that they are only 153 calories, 20 grams of carbohydrates and 7 grams of fat, I let this one slide. These brownies are so easy to make and make for parties (Super Bowl), Valentines and a great afternoon snack for the kids or dessert, of course. I used the new Reese’s cup minis, which worked perfectly. Enjoy!

So, I am a runner, spinner, tennis player, and I do strength training, but I never know what the true rule is on “to stretch or not to stretch”. I decide to take this question to a pro. I had a talk with Kirk Kaps, a Certified Athletic Trainer at Champion Sports Medicine, who works daily with professional athletes (and small unknown athletes like me.) He told me this, “In the past, we have always heard that is important for us to make sure we stretch our muscles very well before physical activity. Before this could occur, it was told that we must get a good warm-up in order to get a good stretch for the muscle groups when they are considered “cold” muscles. One recent study, performed in 2011, concluded that if you normally stretch and warm up before running, then by all means, continue that. But, if you’re a runner who doesn’t stretch at all, and still gets in a good warm-up, then continue your routine. In essence, each athlete should continue their own routine, but they should continue to get a 3 to 5 minute warm-up before they start their activity.” I hope this helps when you are stumped with this same question.

You can find this study at: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20110217/stretch-before-running-new-twist-on-old-debate

Photo via Pinterest

Valentines is almost here, and I thought I would share my latest healthy idea of what you can snack on at home, in the office or at your kids’ class parties. This Valentine Trail Mix is filled with healthy nuts, yogurt covered pretzels and raisins. Feel free to add your favorite nuts and dried fruits. Top it off with a small amount of regular or peanut M & M’s, and you’ll have a winning Valentine’s Day treat that is fairly healthy too.

Bob Harper is America’s #1 TV weight-loss authority and fitness expert from NBC’s The Biggest Loser. You can also find him here on twitter. Here are his top five weight-loss and fitness tips:

1. Protein is important for building muscle and repair. It is essential to get at least half of your body weight of protein in grams. For example if you way 180 pounds, you must get 90 grams of protein.

2. When traveling, stick to your workout regiment; sneak out to your hotel gym, and get a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio a day. Pack a jump rope-it doesn’t take up much space. Grab a hotel bath towel, and create a short circuit, or just run around the surrounding area of your hotel to keep your body trim and in its normal fitness routine

3. Your warm up sets the mood for your entire workout. Choose something that gives you a dynamic and strong start. An example is standing kicks. They are excellent for getting the blood pumping.

4. When building better abs (or any muscle), work them out 2 to 3 times a week. Not everyday.

5. For an overall body workout, you can keep it simple and stick to push ups. You will see great results.

Photo via Pinterest

If you haven’t heard, this weekend is FoodBlog South, a great southern food blogging conference in my hometown, Birmingham, Alabama. Last year was the first ever FoodBlog South, and it was one of the best conferences of the year. This year has an incredible line-up of speakers and attendees, so check it out. And guess what?  I am so excited that this conference also has a teen blogging conference too.  “Teen FoodBlog South” is for students in grades 7th-12th. It’s a free half-day blogging conference teaching them tips and tricks of the trade. I’ll be there teaching “Recipe Development for food blogging,” so don’t miss out if you live near or around Birmingham.

I have been doing a lot of research, writing and speaking on super-foods, and Kefir is definitely on my list. I am so excited about Frozen Kefir by Lifeway because it has is only 90 calories per 1/2 cup serving, 18 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of fiber. It is also 99% lactose free, all natural and gluten-free. In addition, it is packed with 10 probiotics which rev up your immunity and are great for digestion. My kids absolutely went wild over the strawberry, especially in this Strawberry Kefir Smoothie. With only 3 ingredients, you will have a refreshing and healthy smoothie perfect for breakfast, afternoon snack or light dessert.

I get a lot of questions about probiotics. What are they? Probiotics, which literally mean “beneficial to life,” are live cultures that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Most probiotics include the live active cultures often added to foods like yogurt. Researchers have studied bacteria extensively and considerable evidence indicates that there are several strains of essential good-for-you bacteria that have an ability to promote healthy gastrointestinal functions. Lifeway Kefir contains seven to ten billion CFU’s of 10 strains of bacteria, plus ProBoost, an exclusive pair of clinically proven probiotics to balance your body’s ecosystem, support digestive health and immunity. That’s 12 live and active cultures per cup to produce a wide array of health benefits. You can find Lifeway frozen Kefir at Whole Foods.

I spent the last week at my first design conference ever: Altitude Summit in Salt Lake City. It was great to step out of my box and learn from so many talented and creative people. I thought I would share the top 5 things I learned that apply to blogging and life.

1. ”One of the best ways to be happy in life is to make other people happy.” Gretchen Rubin

2. “Make connections in life, and make it personal. The most important thing is to be sincere, genuine and personal.” -Alison Lewis

3. “Jump in with both feet, but decide where you want to land first.” Liz Stanley

4. “Knowing your brand and value will put you in power to do just about anything in your buiness.” -Alison Lewis

5. “Discovering things about the world will help us discover more about who we are.” Ben-Founder of Pinterest.

Images above by Kelli Anderson, Alex Profit, and Yan Photo

I made so many awesome friends at this conference that it’s hard to make a shout-out to everyone. I did want to mention that the team from Rue La La were so genuine and awesome. I truly loved hanging out with y’all.

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What is the toughest workout DVD out there? Insanity Workout is a 60-day home-based workout video program designed by the company Beach Body, which also produces other popular workout DVDs such as P90X. Insanity is possibly the most difficult, cardiovascular-based DVD workout program on the market today, due to its strenuous pace. It is a total body, circuit training workout that uses only your body weight as resistance. The plan involves a schedule of six days of exercise per week, and each workout will take approximately 30 to 60 minutes to complete. All that is required to perform each INSANITY workout is a TV, DVD player, a good pair of tennis shoes, and sheer willpower. I am dying to try this!

Photo above via pineterst

Fun news! I am super excited! Today, I am headed to Alt Summit (Altitude Design Summit) in Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s a conference I have been wanting to attend, so I put it on my to-do list a long time ago. If you’re asking yourself, What is Alison talking about?” Read on. If you’re obsessed with lifestyle, food and fashion blogs; fantastic images; smart ideas and great design; this is where you should be. Keynote speakers include Editors of Martha Stewart Living, Apartment Therapy and The Wall Street Journal Magazine as well as Founder of Pinterest and New York Time’s Bestselling Author, Gretchen Rubin. Images above by Freshly Picked, Daniel Staemmler, and Mode:lina

I’ll be learning more about Design. Lifestyle. Photography. Fashion. Events. Styling. Art Direction. Food. Interior Design.