Live Your Fitness Women’s Retreat {Food Recap}
By admin
I’m quite sure this is the first time I have ever written a 2 part recap. It would be impossible to jam this past weekend into a single post, plus I want to make sure that I am able to give attention to the brands/people that helped this event happen.
In case you missed Part 1, you can catch up on the Live Your Fitness Retreat: Fitness Focus! As for today, let’s do a Food Focused post.
So much great food! There is nothing better than getting home from a day outside and relaxing over good but simple food, don’t you agree?
But first things first…
The Swag
I wanted each woman to walk away with a goodie bag of a few of my favorite items.
Each bowl had their names on them and served to show where each person would be sleeping.
Each bowl contained:
- Mason jars of trail mix
- PB & Company Chocolate Peanut Butter
- FlapJacked Protein Pancakes
- Nicole’s Nutty Goodness Bars (A local brand)
- Oatmeal Raisin Kale Cookies ← I’m addicted to these!
- 34 Degree Crisps
- Homemade Soaps via ETC EverythingChic
- Handwritten thank you note
With the swag, ladies had extra snacks to munch on a food to pack away for the hike. I always love sharing what I love, so I was thrilled to have this opportunity.
Friday’s Victoria Valley Wine Tasting Happy Hour
Ashton and I spent some time at Victoria Valley Vineyards on Thursday, talking with Brittany (the owner) about the wine, atmosphere, her goals and possibly future partnership ideas. We had an amazing time tasting wines and cheeses and talking about the weekend ahead.
After getting a feel for our event, Brittany came up with a wine pairing for each of our 3 summer inspired hor dourves we would be serving to kick off the weekend.
The happy hour kicked off on the back lawn as soon as the final guest arrived.
The first was a peach wrapped in proscuitto with a slice of honey dew melon. It paired perfectly with the vineyard’s newest wine blend, Lola (who just happens to be Brittany’s dog).
The second was my strawberry waffles.
I made a batch large enough last week that I was able to freeze them until the trip. This worked out perfectly! Yes, I left off the chicken one of our clients was vegetarian and I decide that it won’t compromise the flavor. It didn’t. The ladies LOVED this.
It was served with a Chardonnay. Delicious!
And finally, the third and final pairing of the night was the biggest hit…
Sizzlefish scallops served on a tasty 32-degree cracker with a vegan blueberry goat cheese spread. Paired with the Sauvignon Blanc.. Summer Perfection.
Even ladies who had never liked scallops couldn’t stop raving about them! I simply marinated the scallops in a bit of salt, pepper, and paprika… baked at 350 until done.
As for the goat cheese? Simply blend 2 cups of soaked cashews, ¼ cup dried blueberries, and a single garlic clove until smooth. Viola, done!
I was introduced to 34-degrees crisps in Colorado and loved what they mission was. They kept stressing how people spend so much time and money on great cracking toppings (cheeses, dips, etc) but very little time on their crackers. Why? These babies are the best vehicle for a great appetizer.
Dinners
Perhaps the BEST tip ever for big parties? Plating everyone’s food so all they had to do was pick up a plate. Best decision ever. ← Anyone that had dietary restrictions I knew ahead of time and plated their plates accordingly.
Also, paper plates. I didn’t want to spend a ton of time cleaning up after everyone when I could use that time to bond, teach and have fun together.
After our happy hour, everyone headed into the house for dinner.
On the menu for the first night was:
- Sizzlefish Salmon – Grilled with dill, pepper, paprika.
- Chicken – Grilled with lemon and dill
- Salad
For our vegetarian, I grilled up a portabella mushroom. 
I have raved about Sizzlefish on the blog and to my clients for about a year now, so I was so excited when they offered to provide dinner for our event.
Everyone loved it (clearly) and I loved how easy it was to prepare since they come individually wrapped and ready to go.
For our second night, it was a bit more low key. After a day filled with activity, we were all tired. Instead of a fancy meal… we settled down for turkey burgers in a bowl. With a side of plantain chips.
Easy, comforting and filling!
Breakfasts
OMG guys, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and we knocked it out of the park.
I knew I wanted something that was hearty enough to fuel our long hike, and I also knew I wanted to keep it “healthy”.
FlapJacked to the rescue! Have you guys tried FlapJacked? I am all about them, high in protein, great flavor, and look how fluffy they are!
The company sent not only samples for each person but enough for us to prepare breakfast for the group.
We of course took it one step further by adding a bit of the chocolate peanut butter into the mix.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pancakes? YUMMM!
For the second breakfast the highlight was the fresh pressed juice from BLEND.
Our boot camp had drained us and we needed some good fuel fast. Everyone loved their juice! For many ladies it was their first fresh pressed experience.
BLEND is a local Charleston juice bar with amazing drink options and cleanses. Plus, how cute are those jars?
After their juice, everyone headed to the overnight oats bar where they enjoyed topped a serving of overnight oats with whatever they wanted: nut butters, almonds, honey, protein powder, cinnamon, etc.
I didn’t take pictures of the bar unfortunately because I was beginning to organize clean up so everyone could get on the road for their 4 hour drive.
Desserts
No event of mine is complete without dessert.
Ashton and I prepped these the night before everyone arrived. She was the mastermind of the display (which also coincidentally looks like my wedding cake).
The cake pops were honey vanilla (gluten-free and dairy-free) and were dipped in dark chocolate.
And they disappeared in a matter of minutes so I think that was a good indicator of their sweet taste.
Will I Host Another Live Your Fitness Retreat?
YES!
We are already in the works of planning our next big event! Perhaps looking at Novemeber in Asheville, NC.
I’ve already got some great plans and we’re thinking of extending the retreat an extra day!
I’m also thinking of opening registration not just to my clients but to outside friends/family/readers/residents as well. ← Details to come!
FINAL THANK YOU
A quick thank you to all of the support I received from companies and friends to make this event exactly as I had envisioned. What an honor!
Please make sure to check out the links above! These companies did not come to me, I approached them because I love them and wanted to share that love.