Cigna Blogger Meet-up! Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend

This is my first recap of my Coast to Coast edition of  runDisney weekend! Prior to the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, I received an exciting email inviting me to a Cigna Blogger Meet-up! I had the pleasure of attending my first Cigna Blogger event back in January, so I couldn’t wait to connect with the team again! Cigna is the official sponsor of the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend. The meet-up was held at the exquisite Napa Rose at the Grand California Hotel & Spa.

We were first introduced to Cigna Dietitian Julee Stand and Laura Flores, co-host of Un Nuevo Dia. They spoke to us about their healthy lifestyle journey as well as planning nutritious meals. The event centered around nutrition and meal preparation. We also discussed how “lack of time” is one of the reasons we often make poor food choices. I have been guilty of this myself, so it was great to learn ways to stay on top of my nutritional game.
We were split into four groups which meant four healthy cooking demonstrations. I was part of the “Goofy Group“! Woot-Woot! Learning how to prepare healthy meals in 20 minutes or less was a win-win, because I’m notorious for being tired after a long day and/or workout and in need of a quick, healthy meal to prepare.

The Goofy Crew with Chef Mickey!

Our first stop!

The Salad Station! If you know me then you know that I’m a Condiment Queen! I love dips, sauces, dressings…you name it. We learned how to make vinaigrettes, herb-oils, and all sorts of fun fixings to go on our salads. I was in foodie heaven! To commemorate the moment, we were encouraged to taste, take photos, and share our foodtastic experience on social media! #CignaRunTogether

Here I am sampling fresh-made vinaigrette.

 

Next up…

Chef Chris started off by preparing a delicious meal including: chicken (or a vegetarian option), kale pesto, veggies…and FARRO! What the what? I seriously had to Google “farro” because it was the first time I’d ever heard of it…like ever! It was prepared in the most amazing, flavorful way—toasted farro with smoked mozzarella. I was in heaven! Chef C definitely had my creative juices flowing!

 

Fruit is the New Black!

We made it to the dessert station with an assortment of nature’s candy!

Do you know what this is? It’s a “candy-striped” fig! They are only available approximately 3 weeks out of the year. It was too pretty to eat, but you know I ate it!

You also heard me talk about cotton candy grapes—yep, we sampled those, too, along with tree-ripened peaches…AND GOOSEBERRIES! I love that they were dipped in white chocolate. So fun to eat! GET IN MY BELLY!

 

Smoothie Bar!

The last stop was the smoothie bar! We were provided a pre-workout and post-workout smoothie demonstration. The pre-workout Crunchy Coffee Cocoa Smoothie was perfect for coffee lovers…and yes, I love coffee! I also loved the post workout Blueberry Cactus Pear Smoothie. It was my first time hearing of this fruit, too. The smoothie was refreshingly delicious! I’m happy the earth is filled with so much yummy goodness!

 

 

Chef Katie pouring up yummy smoothies!

 

Healthy cooking and meals can be fun. All it takes is a little effort and a meal prep party! I love cooking and it’s important to me that my family eats healthy…with a few indulgences from time to time, of course! Simple healthy meals don’t have to be boring! If you don’t believe me, ask the smoked mozzarella farro! I can seriously taste it as I type. I really just had a flashback—So good! A big thank you to the Chefs at Napa Rose for showing us ways to enjoy and prepare quick, fresh, and healthy meals. 

I’ll just put this right here…

Chicken Breast with Seasonal Vegetables and Smoked Mozzarella Farro

Berry Salad

 
[Tweet “Cigna Blogger Meet-up Recap: Making time for healthy meals!  #CignaRunTogether”]

 

Chef Mickey & Artie Cakes

 

I am honored that I was able to take part in this special event during Disneyland Half Marathon weekend. THANK YOU Cigna for inviting me to attend and Napa Rose for having us. I am forever grateful to runDisney for connecting me with so many amazing people, bloggers, and friends who are passionate about healthy living. The memories I have will last a lifetime! 

Visit Cigna’s website to learn about the mental benefits of running and how to prepare for a race. You can also check out Cigna’s Top Training Tips for Runners here!

 

Disclosure: Cigna invited me to this event and no compensation was received. However, my tummy left happy and all opinions are my own. Photos by My Pretty Brown Fit ©