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)
(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!!!
Soon enough it was time to head back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
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.
Angela did a great job scoring us the upstairs room all to ourselves! (eeks, wish I had gotten a better picture with her!)
I started with an “original daiquiri.” Unlike most daiquiris that are overly sweet, this one was a little tart and quite nice tasting.
I found a friend to split an entire night of food with me!
We started with the heirloom beet salad.
Did you guess correctly on the photo from last night?!
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!
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!
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.
Here’s my partner in crime – Freya – best foodie sharing friend!!! Isn’t she gorgeous?
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.
We decided to go for one more dessert.
But not before Angela shared a bite of her super yummy pizza. I can’t believe it was vegan, it was so good.
Oh and Evan let us try a tiny bite of his tiramisu. 🙂
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. Nommm
And look who we got to meet! Karyn herself! She was so nice!
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!
I got the crab cakes right! Where is my prize? 😉
I’ve always been scared to take a zumba class because I’m not a great dancer. I take ballet, but that’s not really the same thing!
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. 🙂
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!
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! 🙂
you girls are both just so gorgeous! i love the pictures of dessert…in fact, i’m thinking something sweet sounds good right about now 🙂
Hey great Zumba class! I am Laura, aka the girl in the pink headband. I had never tried Zumba before last night and absolutely loved it… already have a line in on an instructor in my hometown and can’t wait to shake it again 🙂
Great meeting you and I look forward to reading more of your posts!
Thanks so much for coming to the HLS zumba class! So glad to hear you liked it. I hope you find a great zumba instructor back home! 🙂
Hey it was really nice to meet you last night… and I love that picture with Karyn. She was rocking last night :).
Nice meeting you too! 🙂
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. 🙁
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! 🙂
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!
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!
Oh my….I just drooled all over my plate at the memory of those desserts 😛
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