How is it that today is new years eve?! I won't get too sentimental here, but I think it's extremely important to look back at how far we've come and set ourselves up for another great year. And you'll want to stick around for this one because I'm partnering with iHerb to giveaway a $50 SHOPPING SPREE to not one, but TWO lucky readers!!  But first can we please appreciate the beauty that is Florida? I was so happy to visit home over the holiday. I enjoyed some much needed refresh, reset and unplug time! 

Okay, SO much happened in 2015!! Let's just take a quick look at my favorite 8:

1. ahealthfulheart.com was born, which has brought me so much joy.
2. I graduated from the University of Florida, AKA the best damn school ever. 
3. I got my first job out of college at an advertising agency. I'll remember that feeling of relief for the rest of my life. 
4. Philadelphia became my new home. Although it's not always sunny, I'm so thankful I landed here - this city ROCKS.
5. Michael and I moved in together! What are we, adults? 
6. So many weekend travels commenced, which was one of my 2015 new years goals and I'm so thankful to have been able to see different parts of the country!
7. I've connected with so many other incredible bloggers through the BGB Community. (If you're a blogger check it out.)
8. Group fitness has remained a huge part of my life and I've been lucky to be able to teach for three different gyms up here in Philly. I love it so much!

These are a few of the highlights, and it's important to remember that along with all of the good times, there's also been a LOT of challenges. Moving to a city I've never lived in, starting a brand new job and trying to succeed in said job while balancing it with a blog, teaching & spending time with family & friends has not been the easiest (OK serious first world problems, amiright?!) But I'm trying my best to always enjoy the progress :)

Now what about YOU?! How was your 2015 and what are you looking forward to in the new year? Maybe it's winning this awesome giveaway? ;)

Okay, now onto the fun part. iHerb.com is a wonderful online shop for all of your health food, environmentally-friendly cleaning products, herbs, supplements and beauty products. When I was in college, I shopped on iHerb all the time for snack bars and nut butters that were so much cheaper to buy in bulk online than in the health food stores around my university. I love shopping on iHerb.com because there's always great deals. iHerb sells more than 35,000 products from over 1,000 popular brands. In the US specifically, all orders over $20 get FREE shipping!

I recently just completed a HAUL of products that will help me stay energized and healthy at the start of a busy new year and I want to help you do the same! It's simple: To enter to win a $50 shopping spree to iHerb.com...

1. Comment below with what product you would purchase if you win the prize!
2. Follow @ahealthfulheart  and @iherbinc on Instagram

You will be able to enter today until FRIDAY JANUARY 8! iHerb.com is sponsoring not one, but TWO winners to have a $50 shopping spree! (Winners, you MUST register on iHerb to claim your prizes; International readers, you must check that iHerb ships to your country, details at the end of this post)

In the mean time, you can follow iHerb on Facebook & Twitter and shop on iHerb with my code, LCV378, to receive $5 off your first purchase! 

Now go ahead and get commenting and/or shopping!! GOOD LUCK! 

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Thank you for your support of my partnership with iHerb! All opinions are my own. 

Winners MUST REGISTER to iHerb to claim their prize.

Shipping will be taken care of for both US and non-US winners. The following only applies if the winners are out of the US. Specifically for winners out of the US, they are responsible for any additional taxes/duties/brokerage fees levied to them by their Customs Agency and/or Postal Service.

International readers: go to iherb.com, add a product to the shopping cart and click the "Country" drop down menu to see if your country is listed.

XO- Rach

What product would you purchase if you win the giveaway?

Okay guys, after I made Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter Boozy Brownies (like literally, right after - I was baking for hours), I saw two spotty bananas in my fruit basket that just had to be eaten, and I created this Chocolate Porter Whole Wheat Banana Bread. It's a little bit healthier than my brownies, but still freaking delish. 

This Chocolate Porter Whole Wheat Banana Bread is insanely moist, fluffy and delicious without all of the refined sugars and fat! The beer gives the bread a light and airy feel, while the peanut butter, whole wheat flour and banana adds some hearty nutritional value. The bread is topped off with some semi-sweet chocolate chips, of course, to satisfy that sweet tooth. 

Again here I used DuClaw Brewing Co.'s "For Pete's Sake" Imperial Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter. Yes, this is my third recipe with beer - what can I say, I LOVE BEER!

[yumprint-recipe id='12']Now that I've gone a little overboard with the baking lately, it's time to start thinking about my goals for the new year - I've got so many and I can't wait :)

I hope everyone has a great day - I'm off to Florida this afternoon after work and could not be more excited to RELAX with family and friends for several days. Much needed! 

P.S. - I finally figured out how to fully utilize my profile on Yummly (I'm still learning) so if you use that platform to browse recipes, you can find me there and also use the Yummly button on the right side of my site to add recipes straight from my blog! 

Enjoy!! 

XO- Rach

Starting to think about your New Years resolutions?

Have you ever tried baking with beer?

Favorite holiday tradition?

Chocolate + Peanut Butter = one heck of an amazing combo. When you add DuClaw Brewing's For Pete's Sake Imperial Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter into the mix...now THAT'S what I'm talking about.  I was so thrilled to be sent a few bottles to taste and create a recipe with. One thing immediately came to mind when brainstorming recipe ideas - BROWNIES. I wanted to create something with simple ingredients to really let the beer shine through. So I present to you...Chocolate Peanut Butter Boozy Brownies. WARNING: These are HIGHLY addictive. 

About the beer:

In the words of Duclaw Brewing Co., after one sip of this porter, you’ll be exclaiming “For Pete’s Sake!” And so the name was born. With an ABV of 9 percent (9 PERCENT!!), “For Pete’s Sake” is a big and bold brew, yet silky and smooth, with big roasted malt flavor and subtle notes of fruit and coffee. "For Pete's Sake!" was just released this month and is only seasonally available!

"For Pete's Sake!" is a very dark beer made with grains including Pale, Cara Munich, Chocolate, Black and Flaked Oats. The coffee flavors really stood out to me, which is another reason I chose to go with brownies here. I absolutely love the rich dark taste of espresso when used in brownies and I knew this beer would give the brownies a similar decadent feel. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Boozy Brownies will warm your soul in every possible way. Pair them with a shot of espresso and you're living. 

[yumprint-recipe id='11']These are insanely delicious. Please go do yourself a favor, make these and consume them all before all the new year's resolutions commence :). Enjoy!! 

 About Duclaw Brewing Co.:

DuClaw Brewing Company is a leading craft brewery founded in 1996, and is based in Baltimore, MD. Driven by the company motto “craft be cherished, rules be damned,” founder Dave Benfield took DuClaw from a home-brewing operation that sold beer through his dorm room window to a state of the art brewery. DuClaw Brewing Co. has released more than 65 brews. Today, Benfield and DuClaw brewmaster Jim Wagner work to continuously release more than 25,000 barrels of high-quality beers per year. DuClaw is available in select liquor stores, restaurants and bars throughout MD, DC, NJ, DE, VA, PA, NC, WV, and most recently, Cleveland, OH. I can’t wait to visit the brewery next time I’m driving through Batlimore! 

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Disclosure: I’m proud to partner with DuClaw Brewing Company as part of their DuClaw Pumpkin Brew Blogger Campaign! I am being sponsored by DuClaw Brewing Company for this post, but all opinions expressed are my own, and all product claims or program details shared can be verified at duclaw.com. I greatly appreciate your support surrounding this post! Thank you!