HLS Zumba + Vegan Foodie Heaven

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Check out all these fabulous girls who came to do zumba with me and The Fitnessista!!!

We had: Jaclyn, Freya, Kristi, Sheila, Sarah, Theodora, Courtney, Sabrina, Sana, Nicci, and a few other girls who need to tweet me so I have their names! 😉

(photo credit: The Fitnessista)

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(Thanks to Sabrina for taking photos!)

The Fitnessista and I took turns leading lean mean and booty-shaking routines and had an awesome class. The girls dancing with us were awesome and some of their were even first timers! I totally couldn’t tell. Everyone did great! And of course, The Fitnessista is an amazing zumba instructor – her regular participants are lucky girls!

Special thanks to Sabrina for helping round up the troops and to X Sports Fitness for letting us use their facilities for our class. Thank you!!!

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Soon enough it was time to head back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

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After working up quite the appetite, we hit up a swanky vegan restaurant for a group dinner that Angela planned at Karyn’s on Green.IMG_0191 (640x427)

Lovely interior.IMG_0193 (640x427)

Angela did a great job scoring us the upstairs room all to ourselves! (eeks, wish I had gotten a better picture with her!)IMG_0195 (640x427) IMG_0197 (640x427)IMG_0198 (640x427) IMG_0200 (640x427) IMG_0204 (640x427)

I started with an “original daiquiri.” Unlike most daiquiris that are overly sweet, this one was a little tart and quite nice tasting.IMG_0214 (640x427)

I found a friend to split an entire night of food with me!IMG_0224 (640x427) IMG_0212 (640x427)

We started with the heirloom beet salad.

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Did you guess correctly on the photo from last night?!

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These are vegan crab cakes! The bartender said he’s a meat eater but these are some of the best crab cakes he’s ever had.

He was RIGHT! They were fabulous!

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IMG_0239 (640x427) Sharing made our meals the perfect portion and let us try a couple different flavors.

Everything was DIVINE! Freya and I were in foodie heaven! We were so happy just eating that yummy food!IMG_0243 (640x427)

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Freya even managed to score us a free sample of the canneloni with her beautiful accent and charm. It was like a plate of stuff that I normally dislike that tasted delicious! It had eggplant and olives, neither of which I like! But somehow, they both they both tasted really good. Must be a testament to the proper preparation. IMG_0254 (640x427)

Here’s my partner in crime – Freya – best foodie sharing friend!!! Isn’t she gorgeous?

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Of course, we also had to try dessert – crispy polenta with thyme sorbet and a fig compote. Amazing! All of it! The polenta was crispy on the outside and a little creamy on the inside and the sorbet was so unexpected but wonderful.IMG_0256 (640x427)

We decided to go for one more dessert.IMG_0268 (640x427)

But not before Angela shared a bite of her super yummy pizza. I can’t believe it was vegan, it was so good.IMG_0288 (640x427)

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Oh and Evan let us try a tiny bite of his tiramisu. 🙂IMG_0275 (640x427) IMG_0279 (640x427) IMG_0287 (640x427)

Lastly, we tried the chocolate terrine. It was a delicious layering of chocolate and buttercream. soooo so good. It was served with some  refreshing berry sorbet and fresh berries. NommmIMG_0255 (640x427)

And look who we got to meet! Karyn herself! She was so nice!IMG_0206 (640x427)

What a way to end the HLS foodie fun!

I had so much fun chatting with people, making new friends, and meeting others face-to-face that I’m only friends with online. Dinner was amazing.

And if you’re lucky enough to live in Chicago, even if you’re a meat eater, check out Karyn’s on Green for a wonderful dinner. I bet you won’t miss the meat and I know they will take great care of you!

19 thoughts on “HLS Zumba + Vegan Foodie Heaven”

    • I was afraid to try zumba at first too. I wasn’t as coordinated back then as I am now. But you go, act fearless, dance like no one’s watching and know that you will improve. It’s kind of like a fun challenge and gives you something to look forward to. Plus you get a great workout. 🙂

      Reply
  1. Vegan crabcakes?? They look so tasty! Seeing all of your zumba pictures makes me want to give it a try. I used to spend an hour on the treadmill every Wednesday at my old gym just watching the zumba class. It looks so fun but I have always felt intimidated about it…your pictures make it look really fun, though, so maybe I will muster up the courage to give it a try!

    Reply
    • Almost everyone else in the class is as nervous as you. You just have to dance like no one’s watching and focus on how much fun you’re having! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Zumba was so much fun, thanks again for hosting it! I had no idea what I was doing but I had fun!

    WOw your dinner looks amazing, I tried to go to that Raw Vegan place today before I left, in French Market, but Sunday…. closed?! Bummer. 🙁

    Reply
    • Thanks for coming to Zumba Jaclyn! Glad you had a good time. Zumba definitely gets easier the more you do it…once you start getting used to the basic moves and stuff. I hope you go again! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Zumba SERIOUSLY rocked!! How will I ever find instructors as amazing & a group of ladies as fun?!

    Ok, I am dying to know what exactly goes in a vegan crab cake?! And, by the way, yellow is a FABULOUS color on you! Gorgeous dress!

    Reply
    • Thanks Sarah! I’m a big yellow fan. 🙂

      You are too sweet btw! You can find zumba classes near you by going to zumba.com and searching for classes or instructors. Hope you find a good one!

      Reply
  4. Zumba was so much fun, thanks again for hosting it! I had no idea what I was doing but I had fun!

    WOw your dinner looks amazing, I tried to go to that Raw Vegan place today before I left, in French Market, but Sunday…. closed?! Bummer

    Reply

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