By: Stepfanie Romine, SparkPeople Blogger
5/6/2011 6:00 PM   :  64 comments   :  19,403 Views

See More: recipes, giveaway, books, welcome to the weekend,

The winners are: HELENA260, HICKOK-HALEY, ETJSINGER, BEATLETOT, and WILDRICE99!

I've been reading healthy living blogs for more than three years. One of the very first ones I discovered was Carrots 'N' Cake, written by Tina Haupert, who lives in Boston with her husband, Mal, and beloved pug, Murphy. Tina's honest writing, creative recipes, and affinity for running, Cookie Fridays and being smart about weight loss kept me coming back day after day. I met Tina at the Foodbuzz Festival last winter and again at a bloggers meetup at the DC half marathon this spring.

So when I found out that she was writing a book, I couldn't wait to read it. (It was on our reading list last month.) If you're a fan of her blog, you'll love this book. It essentially tells the story of Tina's weight loss, how she became a professional blogger, and what she does to stay in shape. Tina's not an expert, and that's part of what is so appealing about Tina: She's the kind of woman you could know in real life. Tina doesn't have a team of experts on hand to help her stay healthy, and she struggles just like the rest of us. She share her life, as she says on her blog, one bite at a time.

Though in real life she'll tell you she's quite shy, she's very open on her blog and in the book. I really enjoyed reading her story, and I think you will, too. You were huge fans of Tina's guest blog post on the dailySpark last year.

That's why we're giving away five copies of "Carrots 'N' Cake: Healthy Living One Carrot and Cupcake at a Time."

Even better: Tina shared a recipe from the book, too. It's a cookie that's healthy enough to eat before or after a workout.

WORKOUT COOKIES

These cookies are the perfect fuel before a workout. They provide healthy carbohydrates with a little bit of low-fat protein for staying power. They’re also delicious—almost like eating a regular cookie!

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 3/4 cup Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
  
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal
  
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/4 cup raisins
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 6 ounces plain Greek yogurt
  
• 1/8 cup canola oil

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups (they will be only about 1/3 full). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

MAKES 12 COOKIES 85 calories, 3.5 g fat, 3 g protein per cookie

Reprinted with permission from "Carrots ‘N’ Cake" Copyright 2011 by Tina Haupert, Sterling Epicure an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

To enter, click here! Be sure to read the rules. This contest will end next Friday at 9 a.m.!

Why do you want to win this book?