Life Well Laughed with Carla Hall

I am a HUGE fan of Top Chef. Huge. And my favorite chef is Carla Hall.

So, I completely freaked out politely accepted when a contact at Laughing Cow offered me the opportunity to chat with Carla about their Life Well Laughed project.

The Life Well Laughed project is an effort to motivate, educate and support communities across the nation to live healthier for our kids. With the help of cheese lovers across the country, The Laughing Cow will donate $500,000 to health and wellness programs.

Until July 15, consumers can visit LifeWellLaughed.com, enter the UPC code found on the outside of the packaging of The Laughing Cow cheese wedges and Mini Babybel cheese. For each code entered, The Laughing Cow will make a $1 donation to support local health and wellness programs nationwide.

Here are some snippets of my interview with Carla Hall:

RER: What do you do to stay healthy despite a busy schedule?

Carla: It’s a struggle for me too. I love dance classes. Instead of going to the gym I take dance classes and it doesn’t seem like exercise to me.

Also, my husband and I get up in the morning and walk together. It gives us time to talk about what’s coming up husband and talk about what’s coming up. It just feels like part of the day.

RER: Why is the The Life Well Laughed Project important to you?

Carla: I like that it is about putting fun into sensible living. I feel like when people are laughing and having a good time exercise doesn’t seem like a chore.

It’s so easy for everyone to participate – just put your code into the website and Laughing Cow will donate to a wellness charity.

RER: How to you stay healthy when you’re around all that food all day?!?!

Carla: I actually have to remind myself to eat. I will taste, but I want to sit down and eat with everyone so I don’t snack a lot. My staff has to remind me to eat! I think a lot of chefs have to be careful about a balanced diet if they’re snacking as opposed to having a real meal and sitting down.

RER: Any healthy eating advice for people with a busy schedule?

This summer I have really tried to have things in my pantry that I can just grab and have available when I’m hungry. Nuts are good, but not when you’re eating 2 cups of them and that’s it! So, I recently made a lot of soups that are in the refrigerator. It’s all about planning.

RER: Got any healthy cooking tips to share?

Carla: When I make a stir-fry I toss the veggies in a bowl with some oil. This way you’re using less than if you put it all in the pan.

I use half butter and half olive oil in some recipes.

Also, if you’re buying processed foods like food in a box it takes away your opportunity to add salt. It already has enough salt in it.

RER: What did you eat today?

Carla: I love oatmeal. For breakfast I made oatmeal and mixed it with quinoa. I cooked it with part blueberry juice and part water. I had it with walnuts and blueberries.

I can’t believe you’re asking me this today because that was first, then someone came and offered me a milk shake. So, I had a milk shake – but I didn’t drink the whole thing!

RER: Don’t worry, I totally would have drank the whole thing…

You have until July 15th to go to the Life Well Laughed site and add your UPC code. Laughing Cow will donate $1 for every code you enter. If you already have Laughing Cow or Babybel in your fridge – please do it today

Question: Top Chef favorite? Laughing Cow favorite?