Hi Friends!

As promised, I’m back to share a recap of my weekend in Park City, Utah at Blend Retreat! Just like last year, it was spectacular. Lindsay, Katie & Janetha are planning experts and do a great job putting together a weekend that has a little something for everyone! I had such a great time meeting so many of the amazing ladies I interact with on a daily basis.

If you follow me on social media, I’m sure you were flooded with Blend pictures this weekend, so I apologize for that…but I was doing my best to capture all the happy memories!

I left early Friday morning and arrived in Salt Lake City around 11:30. I met up with Amanda and Lisa and we picked up our rental car and headed to Park City, which is about a 40 minute drive from the airport.

After stopping for a lunch at Whole Foods, we headed to the hotel to check-in and pick up our swag bags before snack time! There were tons of great sponsors for the weekend and they were all extremely generous. Here’s a peek at just some of the swag! I didn’t bring everything home because some of it was protein powders/bars/other products I don’t use so I let my roomies take their pick of the things I didn’t want.

I stayed in a GIGANTIC suite with 4 bedrooms and a pullout couch. All of my roommates were fabulous and the rooms were incredible. My actual bedroom roomie was Heather, who I didn’t know before this weekend, and she was awesome! Go check out her blog- Girly Ever After. Totally adorable!

After dropping off her stuff, we headed downstairs for a meet-and-greet snack break sponsored by Justin’s Nut Butter & Attune foods. It was great to chat and catch up with people as they arrived!

{with Annette & Paige- my fellow tall ladies!}

A couple hours later, we headed upstairs to get ready for dinner. Lisa is an AMAZING hairdresser and she made my hair look pretty for me both nights. I loved it! We had a cocktail hour sponsored by Silk that included some fun cocktails and delicious appetizers…and then we headed to the ballroom for a buffet-style dinner.

1. Amanda, me and Lisa
2. With Lori, Paige, Michelle
3. Reunited with Brittany
4. Love her

{One of my all-time favorites- Lindsay}

{Photobooth fun}

{with Laura, Christine & Lisa}

Since a lot of us were coming from the east coast, by the time dinner was over around 10 (midnight our time) we were pretty beat and headed to bed.

Saturday morning we were up early for a 7am bootcamp class with the awesome trainers from GPP Fitness. Janetha works out at GPP and they were nice enough to come in and put us through some awesome morning workouts. The weather didn’t exactly cooperate and it was a bit cold and rainy so we did the whole bootcamp inside…but let me tell you, I worked up a SWEAT! GPP is similar to crossfit so I absolutely loved it!

After bootcamp, we headed to breakfast, sponsored by Muesli Fusion and The Laughing Cow, where we ate some great food- lots of fresh fruit, bagels with cream cheese and a muesli bar. (All the food pics are coming in my Weekly Eats post!)

{Waiting for breakfast with Lauren, Sonia, Alex, Lauren, Mollie & Julie}

Next up, a hike! It was still a bit rainy but a large group of us decided to hike anyways. I mean, we were in Utah after all! Others opted to stay inside and do zumba or yoga. The hike was awesome. It was about 4.5 miles total and the sun even came out by the end of it! The trail itself wasn’t muddy but the road leading to the trail was a slippery, muddy mess!

 

So muddy.
With another awesome Lindsey at the top!

{The whole hiking group}

{Take me back}

After the hike we showered and headed back to whole foods for another lunch. My sandwich was so good on Friday that I repeated it on Saturday After a brief stop at the outlet mall, we headed back to the hotel for another snack break and got to meet Janetha’s dogs. Randy is my favorite. So loveable and droopy!

{With Debra & Lisa!}

With an hour or so to kill before dinner, I took a little walk to enjoy the sunshine and snap a few more photos.

Then, a group of 20 or so of us headed to a Mexican restaurant that was within walking distance from the hotel. Our waiter left something to be desired, but it was great company and to food was delicious.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel where we changed into pj’s and headed to one of the other suites. Janetha’s mom made these INCREDIBLE Utah scones, with honey butter and homemade strawberry jam. They were a big hit! We enjoyed a couple more hours of chatting and then headed to bed.

{Momma B in action. She was awesome!}

Sunday morning we were up early again for another 7am bootcamp. This one was a little less crowded than the day before It was another great workout- we even did cartwheels!

{Rocking our Living Proof Fit Gear tanks}

1. with Christine & Lindsay
2. with Bonnie & Lindsay
3. Lindsay squared
4. with Bobbi

We had about 30 minutes until breakfast, which of course meant time for more pics!

{with Krista and Meighan}

More Lindsay love! with Itz Linz
With Miranda- the creator of our tank tops. She is AMAZING. So fun to meet her in person.

Then we headed to breakfast, sponsored by Chobani, which was awesome.There was a made-to-order omlette bar, an oatmeal/parfait bar, smoothies and chobani pancakes. I ate SO MANY PANCAKES! I also had a chance to meet the sweet ladies that work for Chobani who I’ve gotten to know through social media. It’s always fun to put faces with names.

We had about an hour to pack all our stuff up and then it was time for the closing ceremony and raffle! The closing ceremony was sponsored by MY sponsor, Blue Diamond Almonds, and I gave a little speech about how awesome they are and everyone got to take home lots of samples of their new flavored almonds- Strawberry, raspberry, blueberry and toasted coconut!

{thanks Bobbi for the speech pic!}

There were some great prizes in the raffle. I gave mine away because I wasn’t in the mood to pack anything else! We had to head out before the group picture, sadly, but we had an easy drive back to the airport and arrived in plenty of time for our flights!

All in all, it was an amazing weekend. It was so much fun to meet some new bloggers and connect further with ones I already knew! I’m already excited for next year! If you were thinking about coming this year and didn’t, hopefully seeing this and all the other recaps have convinced you it’s worth it. Because it is. It’s an incredible, one-of-a-kind opportunity to get together with other bloggers & readers and just enjoy life! There are no sessions to go to, no notes to take, just lots and lots of time to deepen relationships and form new ones.

Huge thank you to Blue Diamond for making it possible for me to attend this year and to Lindsay, Katie & Janetha for making it happen!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

I’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with a full recap of Blend Retreat! But for now it’s time for Bean Bytes

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Link Love
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Monday

Everyone needs this reminder:
It’s just weight via Strong Inside Out

This lady is doing amazing things:
My current thoughts on motherhood via The Shine Project

So so true. I love this post:
My Week Without Social Media via Our Freaking Budget

Which is worse?
Christie vs Abercrombie via Foodtrainers

Great tips for using your run sherpas:
Using your sherpas via Mile 26 and More

Tuesday

Def trying this:
DIY Canvas Quote via DIY Playbook

Love this:
The “no shit” diet via Sprint 2 The Table

Even a few minutes helps:
Tips To Improve your Health In Minutes a Day via Lindsay’s List

For all you runners:
Tips & Tricks Running Style via Olive to Run

Your thoughts?
Strong is not the new skinny or sexy via Run to the Finish

A great reminder:
The pregnancy weight gain comparison trap via Enjoy Your Healthy Life

So interesting:
“Ugh, I’m huge”: How fat talk affects the way we’re perceived via Greatist

Do this:
Delete “I can’t” from your vocabulary via Crazy Running Girl

Worth a read:
Unplug via Run Faster Mommy

Wednesday

The positive side of injury:
Injury Rocks via Best Body Fitness

Beautiful post about the benefits of exercising with your kiddos:
Running with my daughter via Run Wiki

A cheaper alternative to TRX straps:
Sirius Strap Review via Comeback Momma

On hydration:
Are you water-logged? via Miss Zippy

What are your thoughts?
Do you avoid the F word? Talking to kids about obesity via FitKnitChick

A MUST READ, very well written rebuttal:
Me, Angie & what it really means for BRCA via Darwinian Fail

Thursday

Some of my fav moves:
Double up your training with combo exercises via Your Trainer Paige

A great salad in a jar tutorial:
Canning Jar Salads via Sweet Foodie

A much needed reminder for many:
Give Yourself a Break via Through Heather’s Looking Glass

An interesting perspective:
What if work isn’t supposed to make you happy via Erica House

Friday

Sorry! Travel day! Didn’t do much blog reading Friday (or Sat or Sun)

 

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Twitter Favs
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7 Ways GMOs are Hiding in Your Foods 
H&M Plus Sized Model Puts Fame to Good Use
Tips to Stay Safe While Running in the Summer
Does Trying to Be Happy Make Us Unhappy
Can Jodi Arias Ask for the Death Penalty
Branding Your Business- Five Steps for Success
Eating to Fuel Fertility
The Other Cleveland Victim
5 Tips for Converting Your Favorite Recipe to the Slow Cooker
The Coca Cola Campaign and Happy Calories
How to Print on Post-it Notes
An Epic Brand Meltdown on Facebook
The Ups and Downs of a PR
5 Tips for Making Real Friends Through Blogging
65 Books You Need To Read in Your 20′s
We’re Overweight, Fortunately Weight is Irrelevant
So You Want to Become a Fitness Professional?
Targeted fat loss- myth or reality?
The 1% club- more exclusive than abercrombie
How to fix health problems with food
In defense of Jeffries
Making vegan the new normal
19 things successful people do on social media
The rest of the story about blogging business trips

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Scenes from the Week
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 Grandma sent the boys a new toy. Abner isn’t quite sure what to do with a giant purple hippo.

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In the News
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10 yoga apps for stress relief
Angelina Jolie gets a double masectomy
Eggs are a good source of protein for most people
Best workout partners kept verbal encouragement to a minimum
Small restaurants serving more calories and salt
How to get out of your own way
UN says bugs are good for you
Waist-height ration beats BMI in gauging early death

That’s all for today, friends! Happy Monday!

Time to play catch-up! Let’s chat:

• How was your weekend?! 
• What’s the best post you read last week?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

Time for more food prep talk! One of my fav subjects

 I had a pretty good prep session last weekend. I was NOT in the mood at all after being sick all night Saturday…but I had about an hour before we headed to my in-laws for a Mother’s Day dinner so I forced myself into the kitchen to see what I could get done!

Here’s what I prepped in one hour and fifteen minutes:

• Sweet Potato Bites
• Carrots
• Green Beans
• Massaged kale for salads
• Baked salmon
• Quinoa
• Tuna Quinoa cakes to bake for dinner Monday night
• HB Eggs

When we got home from dinner, I ended up throwing 6 chicken breasts in the oven and baking them for hubby and cooking those quinoa cakes as well! With that, the fridge was stocked and ready to go for the week. This just goes to show that you don’t have to spend hours and hours in the kitchen on the weekend to give yourself a headstart during the week.

And now let’s see what some of you all have been up to in the food prep department:

Morganne at Nut Butter Runner :

What goes into my food prep for the week? I spend about 30 minutes writing down ideas of what I want to do for the week, go to the grocery store with a plan, and spend 2-3 hours actually making everything.

The first step in the equation is what protein sources I want around the house. Hard boiled eggs and baked chicken are pretty much a given. You can easily add these to salads, wraps, sandwiches, etc. I also love snacking on hard boiled eggs. This week I also included roasted veggie burgers and meatless meatballs.

The next step is what kind of bases will make for an easy meal. I am pretty much obsessed with salads and spaghetti squash, so these are typical. Quinoa is really easy, too…make a simple quinoa salad with vegetables and protein, or use it as a rice substitute.

For quick breakfasts on those “short on time” mornings, I included individual egg frittatas and individual oat packs. In the past, I’ve done individual baked oatmeal and pancakes to go.

And lastly, snacks! I’m a snacking queen, so this is probably my favorite part! I love these quinoa breakfast bars and chocolate banana nut muffins! I also had to try new recipes so I made an apple spice bread and chunky monkey oatmeal cookies.

Samantha at Sparkly and Slimming :

Chopped, roasted and peeled veggies for the week! Hearts of palm, roasted red peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower. Sunday food prep for the win!

Severin at My So Insta Life:

Roasted beets with coconut oil & sriracha – added nutritional yeast & ACV when they came out of oven.
Quinoa (red & white) & cous cous to add to salads.
Veggie crudités – red pepper, yellow & orange & purple carrots, yellow squash, green zucchini.
Egg “muffins” – scrambled eggs with almond milk, red pepper, yellow squash, green zucchini & the quinoa/cous cous mixture.

Robyn at Robyn Baldwin :

Bags: daily smoothies – spinach / kale, pear, apple, lemon, ginger (I drop it in my Vitamix, add fish oil & coconut water and blend)

3 daily meals: chicken & snap peas, kale, quinoa & shrimp, chicken and cucumbers

Big bowls: one of shrimp & one of ground turkey

Not pictured: I had fish in the oven and almonds soaking for fresh almond milk as well

Lindsay at A Runnaroundd Life :

This was my first time prepping food for the week, and it was awesome! I chopped, sliced, cut, scooped, boiled, bagged and taste-tested my way to a fridge full of eats for this week. And it took me just under two hours. I started to have a lot of fun with it, too. Once I got done with one thing, I looked in my pantry to see what else I could prep and have ready for the week! I am always scrambling in the morning, trying to get something – anything – together to bring to work for lunch. Sometimes when I’m in a hurry, I don’t bring anything and end up buying lunch even though I have a full fridge at home. Well, not this week!

Here’s what I did:

-Chopped carrots
-Chopped celery
-Chopped tomatoes
-Chopped mushrooms
-Bagged spinach
-Chopped and bagged iceberg lettuce
-Cooked spaghetti squash
-Chopped bananas for the freezer
-Washed apples
-Cooked black beans
-Boiled some whole wheat rotini pasta

This was the first time I’ve ever “prepared” my own black beans. I usually buy beans in a can so this was, well, a learning experience. I now have enough black beans to feed all of Florida! I will definitely be making this prep work a weekly tradition.

Kiersten at Twenty-Six for a Twenty-Something :

I made a giant pasta bake with whole wheat pasta, butternut squash, spinach, kale, and Cabot 50% reduced fat cheddar. I buy the cheese in giant blocks at Sam’s Club and shred it in the food processor. I shredded some to use in the pasta bake and then an extra container to use for grilled pizza later in the week. While I was making the pasta bake, my bread machine was working on the pizza dough. I also made a batch of Cooking Light’s blueberry muffins and while those were making threw together some oatmeal, banana, and cranberry bowls to eat for breakfast during the week.

Carissa at Fit 2 Flex :

The husband and I are trying to eat really clean this week so I made a lot of stuff on Sunday. I roasted a chicken in the crockpot and roasted asparagus snow peas and brussel sprouts. I also chopped tap cucumbers for snacks and use my rice cooker to make quinoa.

Emily at The Good Era :

This weekend’s food prep included:

Lots of salads for lunches, fresh fruit, salad dressing, chopped and washed Brussel Sprouts and broccoli, grilled tempeh for salads, and a big pitcher of Lemon, Lime, and Mint water.

 

Pretty impressive, right? So what are you waiting for? Head to the kitchen and get started!

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Are you food prepping this weekend? Want to submit a pic to be featured in an upcoming post?!

Here’s what I need from you:

Email me the following:
1. Your Name
2. Your Blog URL (if you have one)
3. A photo of your food prep
4. A short description of what’s in the photo. Tell me what you prepped and how you’re going to use it during the week!

Every Sunday, I’ll post a roundup of the photos I received that week so that you guys can see what others are preparing and hopefully get some inspiration and ideas! I’ll keep this series going for as long as I receive photos, so send one every week if you want to!

Send to: theleangreenbean <at> gmail <dot> com

Tweet and Instagram your pics as well to inspire others!! Use the hashtag #sundayfoodprep . Remember that in order for a pic to be included in the post, you have to email it to me! If you have more than one pic, please make them into a collage before sending!

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Want more inspiration and tips? Read these:

How to Prep Food on the Weekend
Weekend Prep for Easy Weekday Meals
How to Eat Healthy in College
How to Eat Healthy During the Week

And check out the Food Prep Tab for links to all the previous Sunday food prep posts!

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Let’s chat: Are you prepping food today? Whatcha makin’?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

It’s Friday!!!! And a special Friday at that…because I’m on my way to Blend Retreat- Round 2.

If you’ve been reading long enough, you may recall that I went to this retreat last year when it was in Colorado and had an absolute blast! This year it’s in Park City, Utah and I’m so excited for the chance to attend again.

A few months ago in my Smart Snack: Almonds post, I told you guys that Blue Diamond is actually sponsoring my trip this year and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Like I’ve said a million times, they’re a company that I truly love and believe in, and I’m honored to represent them this weekend. Since they’re a conference sponsor as well, I even get to give a little speech about them at our closing get-together…so that will be fun

So, besides repping a great brand, I also get to meet some AMAZING ladies!! Some of my favorites, who I met last year, are coming back again this year and I’m thrilled that I get to see them again…and to make the weekend even better, NEW friends are coming as well. Here are some of the pretty ladies I can’t wait to meet for the first time!

So many of my fitfluential ladies are coming, plus some fun friends that I’ve started chatting with more on twitter lately:
1. Lisa
2. Amanda
3. Laura
4. Lindsay
5. Paige
6. Christine
7. Bonnie
8. Lindsay
9. Lori & Michelle
10. Meg
11. Debra
12. Sara
13. Becky
14. Lindsey
15. Julie
16. Lauren

AND MORE THAT I COULDN’T FIT ON THIS LIST!!! Really, I’m just excited to meet and hug every single person that’s gonna be there! Plus there’s some people coming whose blogs I don’t read and don’t know much about…which means even MORE new friends! Wheeeeeee!!!

PLUS…I recently found out I was selected to be an ambassador for one of my favorite small businesses- Living Proof Fit Gear.

Some of you may remember when I got my first tank from them several months ago…and then hubby bought me a second one for my birthday!

I love supporting small businesses and the amazing lady behind this one is 100% fabulous. Her name is Miranda and not only is everyone getting sweet tanks in their swag bags at Blend, but Miranda is actually going to be there! I can’t wait to hang with her Check out her Etsy shop if you’re not going to Blend and want to buy a tank of your own!

We have an action packed weekend ahead of us that includes a cocktail hour and 4 course dinner buffet on Friday night, bootcamp and a hike on Saturday morning, time to explore Park City on Saturday night and bootcamp Sunday morning, followed by breakfast and a closing ceremony before we head home.

Look for LOTS of pictures on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook (click the links to follow me if you’re not already doing so!) and a full recap to come next week!

Let’s chat:

• Who are some bloggers you wish you could meet in person?
• Are you doing anything fun this weekend?!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Hi friends!

Time for a quick recap of my weekly eats. We’re a little lighter on pics this week than normal because I spent about 48 hours eating literally nothing but plain toast after getting sick on the weekend…but that’s ok. Still some good stuff to share!

1. Black Bean Meatless Meatball wrap with veggies, cheese & avocado.
2. Spaghetti squash with a Greek black bean burger, plus fro yo bites
3. Hubby’s dinner: 2 bean burritos topped w/ corn, tomato, avocado & leftover fish
4. Tuna salad make with avocado and hummus on toast (i’m gonna do a post about my tuna salad soon bc people always ask how I make it!)

1. Tuna salad topped with a fried egg x 2
2. Lentil veggie mac and cheese with salmon
3. Eggs & toast with applesauce and tea
4. Tuna quinoa cakes with lentil veggie mac and cheese

1. All the deliciousness we enjoyed with friends, right before i got sick and it all came back up
2. Quesadilla night- Smash black beans and hummus together, spread on tortilla, top with salmon and cheese
3. Fun snack! Cut and apple into rings, top with peanut butter and chocolate chips, or yogurt and granola/almonds
4. Tuna quinoa cakes over kale, with mac & cheese and berries

1. Grilled sweet potato topped with grilled peppers, black beans, avocado & salsa
2. Lentil veggie mac and cheese topped w/ salmon & avocado
3. Veggie stirfry with quinoa, lentils and eggs
4. Hubby’s lunch- flank steak tacos

Quick tip!

If you have spinach or kale that’s about to go bad, blend it with a little water, pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Then add to your smoothies!

That’s all, friends!

Let’s chat: Tried any new recipes lately?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–