FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

#HLS12 – @Wild_Harvest Breakfast

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As exciting as trying local restaurant hot spots has been since arriving in Cambridge/Boston on Thursday, for bloggers, the first meal of the Healthy Living Summit is just as exciting!  Yummy food that doesn’t make you feel rotten is always a win.

There was a super huge spread of fruit, yogurt parfaits, muffins, and a few savory hot meals.  But my favorite part of breakfast was Kelly’s Greek inspired egg scramble , which had spinach and feta.  Now that two hours have passed and I’m already thinking of lunch, I’m wishing I had gone back for seconds!

After breakfast, we separated into small groups for icebreakers.  Heather asked me if I was willing to be the head of the purple sticker herd and naturally I said yes.  Not only do I enjoy this sort of thing but Heather is the kind of person you want to be around, always, and it’s darn near impossible to say no to the Heathers of the world.

We went around the circle, answering randomly ridiculous questions about each other.  It’s always so interesting to see how people respond to the unexpected.  It was giggle-inducing for sure.  And at 9 AM in a room full of tons of people you’ve probably only met in the virtual world, giggles are good.

While the bulk of the Summit dabbled in some Crossfit action, my roommates (Emily & Rachel) and I went on a stroll to Boston.  It was a little dreary out, but it was a welcomed change from the typical August heat.

Time to go back into HLS sessions!

#HLS12 – @WholeFoodsRVR Mini Mingle

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When Heather asked me if I’d be willing to host an unofficial Summit “mini-mingle” a few weeks ago, I responded to her immediately that I would absolutely love to!  I remember what it was like going to the cocktail party as a Summit newbie last year and having mini-mingles this year was a genius plan to connect newbies and non-newbies alike.

Then Healthy Living Blogs posted the invite to the lunch mini-mingle that I was hosting and nervous stomach hit.  What if nobody signed up and the only person heading to the Whole Foods mini-mingle was me!  Talk about scariness.  Thankfully a few girls signed up that day and the bulk of my anxiety vanished as the blank page filled up.  Phew!

Then things took a turn towards even more awesome!  The Whole Foods mini-mingle group was EXCITED and began tweeting back and forth with the Riverside store.  David, the store’s marketing team leader, and I got in touch and started a little planning beyond salad/hot bar lunch.  He suggested having Emma, their Whole Body specialist, talk to our group about the importance of using skin care and make-up that was free of the dirty thirty.  The mini-mingle group shared my interest in this topic, so we officially put it on the unofficial schedule.

Not only did Emma’s informational sesh get off to a strong start, she managed to keep all of us, a group of tech addicts, completely engaged.  She stressed the importance of reducing the amount of toxins you put on your largest organ, your skin.  And she gave us practical suggestions such as replacing a product that you normally use with a non-toxic version as it runs out.  Or if you feel the need to make a change right away, replace a product that you use daily (like deodorant, foundation, body wash) with a non-toxic version.  It was a no-pressure, un-sales-y, informative, motivational discussion.  I’m so thankful that the Whole Foods Riverside team came up with this idea!

AND!  In addition to lots and lots of good info, David and Emma put together a goody bag filled with lots and lots of good product!  I’m really pumped about this because 1.  who doesn’t love free stuff?? and 2. this is the perfect motivation to test out the new stuff and replace the toxic stuff stat!

Thanks again Emma, David, and Whole Foods Riverside for making lunch even more special!!

#HLS12 – Russell House Tavern

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After an afternoon of swag bag stuffing, a few of the Healthy Living Summit early arrivers headed to Harvard Square for dinner.  We ended up at Russell House Tavern which had a variety-filled menu with lots and lots of drink options.

They sat us at a huge round table with a decent amount of light for a place with a tavern-esque ambiance, perfect for a table full of SLR carrying bloggers.

Meghann and I split an entire side of the menu, which wasn’t apparent until the waitstaff delivered the abundance of plates.  Oops!!

Everything we ordered was pretty delish.  Meghann favored the brussels sprouts and I was pretty obsessed with the lobster slider.  I have a feeling this won’t be my only interaction with lobster during this trip!

Overall, we couldn’t have asked for a better setting for a hip, get-to-know-you dinner.  The restaurant accepts open table reservations for parties of up to seven, so this would be an excellent place for small groups to eat and be merry on Saturday night after the conference!

#HLS12 – In Boston!

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Do you remember when you were a little kid and you got presents for say… your birthday.  And it was total sensory overload because you wanted to play with every single gift at the same time.  And play with all your friends.  And eat cake.

Well, not much changes when you’re big kid at the Healthy Living Summit.  And you want to try on every free piece of clothing (note headbands and shirts above and sneakers (yeah SNEAKERS!!) below).  And you want to get silly with all your blogging friends.  And you want to eat swag bag snacks.

I guess where I’m getting at is that I’ve been in Boston for 5-ish hours and it feels like my birthday (without the turning 30 part).

Off to dinner with Meghann, Katie, Mindy, Amanda, and Danielle!