Bags, Bags everywhere!
BUT, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see what’s inside. 😉
FYI: If you attending the Healthy Living Summit, early check in begins tomorrow at 3:00pm in the LINCOLN room. 😉
We worked right through the morning stuffing bags. We were determined and by 1:30pm I am proud to say they were all STUFFED thanks to our amazing team.
THANKS LADIES!
We were all pretty much starving by the time we were finished and decided to grab a quick lunch from an adorable cafe down the street.
Kath and I split the Eggplant Pizza.
The pizza had a lemongrass olive oil and was topped with provolone cheese. It was simply delicious. 🙂
On the side I had a small container of roasted vegetables.
And Sabrina shared some salty, yummy olives.
Sparkling Aqua. 🙂
After lunch Heather and I (the two Chicago newbies 😉 ) went exploring.
You have no idea how excited I was to take reflective photos in the big tear drop. 🙂
At lunch Diana invited me to a really cool Raw dinner she had planned for any HLS attendee who wanted to join. I had no other plans, why not? I’ll admit I was very close to pulling out when I got back to my room and all I wanted to do was crash, but I sucked it up, got dressed and headed out. And boy am I glad I did!!!
A group of 15 or so of us met in the lobby and walked a mile and a half to the Chicago French Market
I love walkable cities! I wish Orlando was more like this!
At first glance I knew I was going to love Chicago Raw. It was the cutest little grab and go place I’ve ever seen.
Everything from the colors of the branding, to the cutesy store front, to the beautifully displayed food – I knew this place was for me.
The only raw restaurant I’ve been to was very heavy and fancy. The food was mainly nut based, the prices were really high and the portions were small. At Chicago Raw the food was all fresh and light, the food was plentiful, and the prices were CHEAP compared to other Raw places. I wish there was a place just like this down the street from me!
The owners of Chicago Raw were really sweet and had provided a few trays of samples to try.
Of course I had one of each. 😉
Raw Lasagna
Raw Sushi (pureed pumpkin seed with shredded carrot & avocado wrapped in nori) — my favorite
Raw Hummus
Falafel
Raw Hazelnut Biscotti
Look how pretty the full version are!
Each to-go entree is only $12!
I also tried a bite of the raw oatmeal – OMG – MUST try and recreate at home! 😉
Once our tastebuds were fully satisfied with sampling, it was time to eat!
Gabriela and I split the Kale Salad
It ended up being too much for the two of us. There was still about a third left when we called it quits.
I also ordered the Almond Breeze smoothie which contained coconut water, berry juices, almonds, and a few other ingredients. It was surprisingly creamy and delicious.
Thank you to Diana for setting the dinner up and double thanks to the great owners of Raw for treating us so special this evening.
Next we cabbed it to Yum Universe launch party all the HLS attendees had been invited to.
The party ended up being really crowded and a bit of a dud, but it was still fun to meet up with a few familiar faces. 🙂
Oh, and get a free massage. 😉
A gang went for drinks, but I only lasted a few minutes before needing to get back to the hotel. This girl needs some sleep!
Good night!!!
I can’t believe you haven’t been to Chicago!?! It’s one of my favorite cities. It’s so clean and friendly! ENJOY!
WHAT. A. DAY!! So nice to meet you tonight, glad you are getting all the rest you obviously deserve!!!
That kale/avocado salad looks amazing! I am so glad you and the rest of the bloggers are having a fabulous time at the healthy living summit. Hopefully, I will be there one year!
Looks like a whirlwind day….and so fun!
I love Chicago! I went for work back in 2008. The double decker red bus is a great way to see a lot of the touristy spots. 🙂
Chicago looks like a great city:) Can’t wait to hear all about the event over the next couple of days!
glorious photos!
Isn’t Chicago great? I lived there for two years before my husband and I moved to Tallahassee for two years. It’s clean and it’s a CITY with a Midwestern , down-to-earth attitude. I miss it so much! Your photos are great!
So, right now, I’m going to sit in the floor and kick and scream because I never get to do anything fun! LOL I wanna go to Chicago and I want a goody bag! Okay, I’m done. Enjoy your time..can’t wait to “read” all about it!!!!
Meghan! That’s the famous BEAN, not a teardrop!! Isn’t it so fun?! Chicago is such an awesome city – have fun!
I was just going to say that too! Love the BEAN.
(Actually it’s official name is Cloud Gate, but everyone calls it the bean)
Looks like so much fun – I wish I could have gone! Maybe next year…tough with a full time job :/
I love chicago soo much!! Now I know a place to hit up for lunch/grub next time I go! So jealous you are having fun and you look adorb in that dress!
Yay! I’m so glad you didn’t back out last minute, too…thanks for coming!!
I must go find that reflective orb thing today! 🙂
What type of camera lens are you using?
All that raw food looks so tasty! It’s amazing what raw concoctions restaurants are coming up with these days!
I LOVE French Market and Raw! Looks delicious!
I really, really want to go to chicago some day! I hope I get to. All the raw food looks so yummuy!
Oooo massage! Also, those little sample trays made my mouth water.
I can’t wait to read all your posts about Chicago eats. It’s on my list of places to really visit (went once for a conference and only had two hours to explore). Where to eat is one of the most important parts of vacations for me — so I can’t wait to read all about it!
Enjoy your stay!
Since I work in downtown Chicago it’s much more fun to see it from a visitor’s perspective. Sounds like you’re having a good time!
I can has massage time?
wtf?
haha – told you he left a funky comment
I frackin’ love that dress on you!
Chicago is so fun. Enjoy every minute of it!
the teardrop is so cool!
your smoothie looks delicious, too!
I’m so glad you posted pictures of the bean, I’ve been waiting for them, haha 🙂
Millenium park is such fun for newbies and oldbies..err yeah 😉
All that food looks amazing…I think if I keep reading food blogs I may get LARGE and in CHARGE cuz this makes me want to eat 😉
Tasty looking pizza!! You must get pizza in Chicago!
Oh my goodness, I have wanted to go to Chicago for the longest time and this blog just made that itch to go even stronger! Everything looks so fun and the weather looks great…so jealous.
This looks like so much fun. We are new to blogging, but I need to find out more about this Healthy Living Summit.
ps. I use to live in Chicago, only for 6 months, but one of my favorite things about the City is running or rollerblading along the 26 miles of open and free lakefront. There are so awesome views, tons of people watching, and it takes you past Navy Pier. Please, please check it out before you leave.