FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

An HLS Reunion!

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So… I’ve never actually seen snow fall for reals. Frozen rain in action and the aftermath of a snopocolypse, yes. Legit snow, no. Let’s just say it was a super nice breakfast surprise.

I finished with the presentation team just in time for lunch, so I parked myself at Barry’s until Lauren was able to meet up. I don’t know much about snowy weather, but espresso under a gloomy sky sure did seem like something one should do.

Oh and cookies. Lemon finger cookies for dipping. Those should be done too.

When Lauren arrived we ordered some super tall sandwiches and tried to cram six months of catching up into a lunch-hour. Impossible, but we did our best. We both left the table amazed at how incredible the blogging community is. If it wasn’t for blogging, Healthy Living Summit, Facebook, and Twitter… Would we ever have met? Would we have been given the means to keep in touch? Luckily, we don’t have to go there because we were given the means and we did keep in touch. And as excited as I was for HLS was last year, I’m looking forward to HLS 2012 even more (like a million times more) so I get to see this lady and my other roomies again!

After lunch, I got back in the rental car for the inevitable road trip back to Portland. I dreaded another two-hour drive, but I made the most of it by soaking up the mountainous views and catching up on phone calls with Florida friends.

And you know, of all the drives I’ve driven, I have to say that this drive was the most scenic. If only I had brought my good lens, a couple of spare hours, and someone else’s patience, I would taken a few detours and had myself a photographic adventure!

Oregon Shenanigans

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Surprise, I’m in Oregon!  I drove back from Dallas (in my pajamas) bright and early Sunday morning, replaced the contents of my suitcase with business attire, fixed myself up a bit, flew from Austin to Oakland to Portland, and then drove two hours to Eugene.  I was holy moly exhausted when I arrived at my hotel in the wee hours of the night.

Thankfully this was the good type of time change where I felt fully rested when my alarm buzzed at 7 AM.  I snacked on an Odwalla bar and slurped on some hotel coffee while I was getting ready and then headed downstairs to a conference room full of strange men strangers.

It was really weird sitting in a room with another construction company helping them with their strategy for an upcoming presentation.  I felt like I was eavesdropping behind enemy lines and I suspect they felt the same, at first.

But after two meals, one beer, and 14 hours together staring at two projection screens, two iPads, and six laptops, well… we were far from strangers.

Let’s hope tomorrow isn’t nearly as intense so I can meet up with Lauren for dinner or coffee.  I will be so so so bummed if I’m in my HLS roomie’s town and we don’t get to see each other!

Everyday Veggie Tray

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A few weeks ago before I left for a DC work trip, I remembered that I had a long overdue Clearly Fresh Bag review in my queue.  I chopped a leftover onion in half, put one piece in a Ziploc, the other in a Clearly Fresh Bag, and presumably grabbed my luggage and rushed out the door.  When I returned a week later, the Clearly Fresh Bag onion (on the right) was clearly the winner.

Now fast forward to hearing Dawn Jackson Blatner speak at the Healthy Living Summit last Saturday…  Of the many amazing mantras I took away from her session, there was one in particular that I felt I should start practicing immediately: everyday veggie tray.

The concept behind ‘everyday veggie tray’ is that veggies that are already washed and chopped are just as accessible when you’re busy as a packaged snack.  Seems simple, I know, but most healthy living concepts are simple, so simple that they’re easily forgotten.

My every day veggie tray consists of radishes, cucumber, and broccoli – precut for perfect hummus scoopage.  I’m also very excited because prior to my Clearly Fresh Bag experiment I would have been very hesitant about chopping this many veggies in advance.

Do you think an every day veggie tray would work for you?  What kinds of veggies would you prep for the week?

Swag Bag Snackin’, In Pictures

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Breakfast: HLS Swag Bag Uncle Sam Strawberry Cereal with Almond Milk

Lunch: Custom FRESH Salad – Spinach, Cucumbers, White Beans, Beets, Red Onions, Asparagus, Avocado & Cilantro Jalapeno Vinaigrette

Snack: HLS Swag Bag Adora Chocolates

Dinner: HLS Swag Bag Mini Fillo Shells with “Cheesy” Spinach & Zucchini

I told you the Healthy Living Summit swag bags were the best ever!  Seriously, I can’t believe that three of the four things I ate today were swaggy goodness.

HLS attendees – What have you tasted so far?

Check back tomorrow for the stuffed fillo shell recipe!