{WIAW #25} Blend Retreat: A Foodie's Dream

Hello Friends!

Where do I begin on the journey through my foodie eats this weekend at Blend Retreat?  


Are you ready to get completely overloaded with yummy food pictures??

Dinner Friday night...oh em gee

 (In case you didn't catch it, here's my first Blend Retreat post all about how Blend kicked my booty.)

I didn't take nearly the amount of photos I would have liked to, however sometimes this can be a good thing.  Photo-taking requires time that could be spent socializing and networking...that's my justification anyhow!

It was fun watching all the bloggers take pictures :-)

Maybe we can just start at the beginning...
After I got all checked in and got my enormous SWAG bag...

Friday evening:
Cocktail hour: I had lots of water (I was so parched the entire weekend)
I also had some carrots and hummus.  Lovely appetizer and it kind of gave me something to do while I warmed up to some new folks.

Dinner: Started out with a salad of very large greens that was awkward to eat.  Just sayin.

Then came the scrumptious chicken over my very first taste of quinoa with a side of broccoli.  The quinoa was very savory..like it was cooked in chicken broth.  And more water...like 3 or 4 glasses!

Dessert: We got to sample 3 different cupcakes.  I chose the peanutbutter chocolate, coffee cinnamon, and "junkyard" which was a carrot cupcake, and my favorite.

Something really cool about the weekend was that since it was food/fitness bloggers...there were many vegetarian and vegan gals.  There were options left and right for these girls!  What a relief that must have been.  I'm sure it isn't easy going out and being a vegetarian/vegan.

There were even vegan/gluten free cupcakes!

photo by Ashley at Edible Perspective

Saturday
Breakfast: There was a beautiful spread sponsored by Xagave.

I ended up grabbing some oatmeal with xagave ( a sweet and natural syrup) and almonds on top.

I also had a side of yummy carrot muffin.  (Did you know I like carrot cupcakes/muffins??)

Lookin good after Saturday bootcamp ;-) photo from Janetha from Meals and Moves

Saturday breakfast I got to listen to some bigger bloggers share tips and tricks.  It was very informal, but the reps from Fitmixer were asking Courtney (Sweet Tooth Sweet Life) and Alyssa (Life of Bliss) all kinds of blogging questions.

One thing that Courtney said was that the important thing was to be consistent...as in blog every day.  I'm not so great at this..and honestly it gives me anxiety to think that I need to blog every day.  I feel like the quality may go down if I am posting just to post on a day that I don't have any specific inspiration or topic.

I might start with trying for 5 days a week, but we will see!

Lunch-ish: We went on a hike and I scarfed a Simply bar down (they sponsored the hike).

Source

I also had the rest of my fitmixer amino acids and a banana.  

Source

P.S. I will be doing a giveaway of Fitmixer products...so stay tuned!!

We walked around the farmer's market after the hike (I thought we were looking for lunch but really the gals I was with were planning on going to yoga so didn't want a big lunch...my stomach growled in protest.).

I found some delightful veggie crisps and apples at a local grocery store called Alfalfa's.  It was like the health food section in my grocery store..times twelve.

I ate one of the apples I bought and layed on my bed...so sore from bootcamp and the hike and walking.  Needless to say...I was FAMISHED by dinner!

Dinner: We went to dinner at Avery Brewing Company.

Amanda, Elizabeth, me, Julie, Courtney, Tina, Alyssa, Jillian, Katie, and Christine

It was funny to see what the bar food consisted of in Boulder.

Boulder is a very health-conscious city.  Some would even call the locals hippies.  I found it amazingly refreshing that bar food wasn't necessarily just burgers and fries.

Turkey sandwich with avacado, coleslaw and chips!

Although I did get fries.

We also went out to Rio on Pearl street...which is apparently a popular street in Boulder?
I had my first and only drink of the weekend...tequila shot!  Thanks Christine! :-)

Heather, me, Christine, Katie

Sunday Morning:
The last day of Blend!  So sad!

After bootcamp by Chobani, we also had a breakfast sponsored by Chobani.

This was the morning I discovered that despite my lactose intolerance...I can eat Chobani greek yogurt!!

And it was SO GOOD!  It can pretty much replace an icecream craving any day.

I had it with a sample packet of Love Grown Foods granola.  My first try ever and it was a match made in heaven!

To sum it all up...if you're a foodie..go to Blend next year!  There's an abundance of good eats (and great company)! ;-)

Well I'm babysitting again and for some reason I am trying to finish this post while they are awake...not working so well!

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

*~Amanda aka Semi-Health Nut~*

Readers: Do you care how often I post?  Do you look for consistency in posting?

Linking up to my friend Jenn at Peas and Crayons!








For more Blend Foodie posts, visit:
Heather at Kiss My Broccoli (cute name right?!)
Calee at Life + Running
Courtney from Sweet Tooth Sweet Life
Alyssa at Life of Blyss
If I missed someone, leave a comment!  I will add ya! :-)