Christmas Day Conference Day!!!
Saturday morning, I woke up bright and early, and rushed downstairs to see what Santa had in store for me. and went downtown to the Radisson Hotel to see what Kath, Tina, Heather, Jenna, Caitlin, and Meghann had in store for me!
It was a good thing they presented us with our presents at the beginning of the day rather than at the end because a) they were filled with delicious snacks that I munched on throughout the day and b) I don’t think I could have waited any longer!
Check out the amazing presents we got among MANY coupons!
For breakfast, I had MixMyGranola, Oikos 0% Honey Greek Yogurt, fresh fruit, and a cup of coffee.
Attendees eating breakfast together.
The HLS committee snapping photos, of course 
First up: Janel Orvut, MS RD LDN–Healthy Eating in a Nutshell (Pun Intended)
Takeaway Points:
-”Eat lean meat as a garnish, if at all.”
-Do not deem foods ‘off limits.’ Try foods in controlled environments as not to go overboard.
-Keep added fat sources out of beverages
-”Eat like your grandparents”–Would they recognize the foods you are eating?
Throughout the day, Caitlin was holding a Team in Training Bake Sale/Auction throughout the day to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
The bake sale line up. Absolute drool-fest.
My baked goods being auctioned!
Next up, ZestyCook –Blogging 101–How to Grow Your Food Blog
Takeaway Points:
-The quality of your photos makes or breaks your site. Use the proper lighting (natural light if possible).
-Content is #1 priority! Content and quality will make you successful. Social media/networking sites may increase traffic but it is ultimately your content that keeps people interested and coming back for more.
-Everything you write will be archived; fix typos and make sure everything is right
-”Have the brand become an extension of you.”
Lunch was a beautiful array of foods to make a sandwich and salad:
These grilled vegetables were the best part!
More colorful fresh fruit! Cheers for colors of the rainbow!
I made half a caprese sandwich and half a grilled veggie sandwich w/ a side salad:
Some fruit to top it off:
Stonyfield Keynote Speaker: Regina Beidler, Organic Dairy Farmer from Organic Valley, Vermont
Takeaway Points:
-Farmers get the same compensation per 100 lbs. of milk as they did in 1972. They are not making as much money to compete with the inflation rate, so they must increase the amount of milk produced by the same number of cows. As a result, cows are stressed, they do not go into heat, and hormones are increased.
-”Consumers vote with their shopping carts.”
-”Often 6-8 different synthetic hormones are used on conventional dairy cows, even while producing milk.” YIKES!!
-”The average child in America is exposed to 10-13 pesticides every DAY in food and drinking water.”
-“Children with higher pesticide exposure are 2/5 times more likely to be overweight and 3 times more likely to be obese.”
-BUY/CONSUME ORGANIC DAIRY!!!
The ladies from Body+Soul Magazine–Natural Beauty Basics:
Takeaway Points:
-Toxins accumulate in your body; it may be a little bit at once, but it becomes a lot over time.
-Check out Wholeliving.com for their suggestions of products that are free or have less of harmful ingredients
-All parts of your body are affected by toxins in beauty products including: hands, feet, eyes, hair, underarms, teeth, and skin.
Midway through we had a POM Wonderful Juice Bar Break:
I have been wanting to try this product for so long! It was quite tart but I liked it–I drank the whole bottle!
The conference ended with each of the lovely committee members sharing either their take on fitness, strategies and advice. There were also a plethora of giveaways!!!
I got a Barney Butter jar that was stolen from me at airport security. It was still sealed 
I begged and pleaded but there was no such luck. I really do hope a homeless person finds it in the trash and cherishes every spoonful.
Group Shot!
I’m so glad I made the decision to go to Boston for the HLS! It wasn’t a hard decision in terms of weather or not I would enjoy myself but rather if I was good enough, important enough, to attend. Back when tickets were being released, I was in the process of setting up my blog. I had major doubts in my mind whether or not I would be successful at blogging; whether or not people would want to read MY blog. The day I arrived in Boston actually marked 1 month of blogging for me. In that month, I have met so many amazing people that I consider my ‘friends.’ It seems so silly that people I’ve never met in person could be considered friends, but reading about each other’s lives every day is quite a bonding activity if I do say so myself! I got a little bit behind on reading this weekend (with all my activities and limited internet time) and it honestly felt so strange not knowing what everyone was up to.
Meeting [a few] people that actually recognized me and told me they liked my blog was beyond shocking for me. In a few days, it will become more apparent, but school has been a tough place for me where I feel lonely and my self esteem plummets. The support from the blogging community has been indescribable. I cannot believe I waited this long to meet so many great people. I will need you all to carry me through this school year. I’m determined to make this last year a positive experience!
Thank you to everyone that has greeted me with open arms!
And A HUGE thank you to Kath, Tina, Heather, Jenna, Caitlin, and Meghann for their hard work and dedication to putting together this amazing event. I cannot wait for next year. I can’t imagine how it could be better, although I’m sure it will be!
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Later that night, I went to Mari’s friend’s house for a second cocktail party! Some delicious finger food that we destroyed: guacamole, salsa, brie cheese, cheddar cheese, carrots, Triscuit crackers, and red pepper hummus.
Then we fried up homemade Argentinean empanadas that Mari made. Don’t mind her apron, haha!
They were so freakin’ fabulous.
There were more eats and drinks that I did not photograph. I was totally blogged out!! Stay tuned for my LAST day in Boston. Thanks for being patient! I’m trying to pack up my life to go to school this week.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
WOW! Sounds like an amazing time–I would have loved to be there! That’s so cool, I can’t imagine going somewhere and people actually recognizing me for my blog! That must have been a really cool feeling!
And that’s QUITE the swaq bag…love it!
I LOVE the “eat like your grandparents” point – it makes perfect sense!
Everything looks like so much fun! And I’m totally jealous of all the swag – love it!
wow that goodie bag is packed with loot – totally jealous of the barney butter samples!
sounds like you had a great trip!
great recap! and horay for argentinian empanadas!!! say hi to Mari for me!
Did you fly Jet Blue? If so it probably wa syour jar of barney Butter that got stolen. I’m so sorry they took it away
Also your Almond Butter Bites are fantastic! My friend Lindsay was actually the one who won them but she was very generous in sharing them. Yum!
Allie — Great coverage of the big event
You hit all the high points. SO SAD about the stolen Barney Butter. I would have been happy to take it off your hands prior to airport security…
Hang in there at school. You have an awesome following of lovely ladies (and maybe some men?) reading your blog here on the internet. But don’t forget — we count as real people and real friends too! You’re not alone.
SOunds like you had a fab time in Boston! The speakers had some really good points. And all the food looks terrific, of course!
AWW! I hate airport security! I remember them stealing my precious sunblock as I boarded my flight for North Carolina. so sad. Any who…you will for sure see me at the HLS next year! Everything looks so YUM-O and it seems that a lot of bloggers have grown from the experience.
ah, just catching up now…the summit sounds incredible!
Living vicariously through you 
I am NOT surprised that people love your blog girlie- though I am surprised to hear that you struggle with self-esteem in ‘real life’…you seem like one fab chica to me and have NOTHING to worry or feel self-conscious about!
the more recaps i see the more jealous i get! looks like a GREAT time. thanks for sharing your adventure!! oh and i love your blog.
I attended the Summit, too. Actually, I’m pretty sure I saw you there! Excellent recap! Great photos and summary. Zesty’s talk even inspired me to start my own health blog — stop by if you’d like
The conference looks SO AMAZING!! I’m so jealous I wasn’t in Boston at the time
haha it’s especially weird for me to see so many pictures on people’s blogs of places I walk past every day during the school year! I’m glad you had a great time 
Awww Allie I’m so glad that you are getting so much out of blogging! Seriously your blog is awesome–very nice format, great topics, and love your spunky, down-to-earth personality
HLS sounds amazing! Thanks for the detailed post. I actually haven’t read one that was this detailed and informative! Food looks amazing too, especially the roasted veggie-salad-sandwich meal.
My mom grew up in Argentina and always talks about these empanada things. I must try them some day!
I am SO glad to have met you this weekend. May we continue to be blog friends AND real friends:)
your pics from the summit came out great. what kind of camera do you have?? a lot of people i’ve met complained about how dark it was in there but your pics look amazing!
Thanks so much for including your takeaway points! I found them very helpful!
I don’t mean to be critical, but the takeaway points were based on very ill-informed “conventional wisdom.” Although, humans should NOT eat lean meat, that is correct. We are meant to eat full fat meat. Bring on the STEAK!
check out marksdailyapple.com or google “primal blueprint” to learn about how we really should eat.
Leslie–
I actually do read Mark’s blog and I agree, fat does not make you fat and is necessary in everyone’s diet. I did not totally agree with everything that the RD discussed, I just wanted to present her points as part of the conference recap. Thanks for your comment!
haha your response was awesomely perfect! Usually when i say something like that on these kinds of blogs (which i do enjoy) people freak out! Not trying to be critical, just wanna make sure people have all the available information before going with the grain (pun intended)
Thx for taking it for what it was!
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