Fit Girls’ Getaway: Dinner Party & Recipes
By Kate Horney
6 months ago, I had a (crazy) idea to plan a “Girls Weekend.”
My vision: weekend retreat for women who love fitness and nutrition, and who deserve a break from the hectic, 24-7 hustle & bustle of daily life.
Last week, my vision became a reality…
It all turned out perfectly and was a wonderful event that gave a fabulous group of fitness minded women time to relax, unwind, and connect with other like-minded women who shared common interests: staying fit, eating healthy food that tastes amazing, learning the latest in fat loss fitness & nutrition, AND getting pampered! (Because let’s be honest, what girls’ weekend is complete without massages, yoga, shopping, and time in the sun & water?!)
The event was held in my hometown (historic New Bern, North Carolina).
And everyone loved our quaint little town on the coast- we’ve got great restaurants, boutiques, and easy access to sand, water, and sun!
I pulled out ALL the stops for our big weekend:
- A professional hair & make-up team and photo shoots with one of North Carolina’s top fitness photographers, Ariel Perez.
- A massage therapist on hand all weekend to knead the knots out of our tight muscles and stressed bodies.
- Education sessions on the latest in fat loss fitness & nutrition.
- Saturday and Sunday morning workouts – Bikini Boot Camp and sunrise yoga.
- Sunday morning girls’ brunch.
- Afternoon activities like Stand-Up Paddle Boarding on the river, and leisure walking around downtown New Bern.
- The SWAG BAGS to end all swag bags and more prizes and giveaways like CRAZY.
- A Fit Girls Dinner Party on Friday night with fabulous Fat Loss Foodie (and my good friend) Leslie Ann Quillen from LAQ Fitness.
Leslie Ann loves to cook (think: serious foodie) and I LOVE mission her mission:
To teach women how to eat real food that tastes good AND helps them achieve a lean, fit, healthy body!
I called Leslie Ann in to organize a dinner party at Batten Farm using real food, seasonal ingredients, and fat loss-friendly recipes that ANY busy Fit Girl could recreate in her own kitchen, and it was a hit!
Our Fit Girls’ Dinner Party was a raving success….
It was a wonderful time for our girlfriends to together on a Friday night to have a glass of wine, throw together some simple, healthy (and DELICIOUS) eats, and then just RELAX and have fun.
LAQ found most of the ingredients at the local Farmers’ Market and let the seasonal ingredients determine the menu.
(Note: Local food at the height of its flavor requires VERY little work in the kitchen – saving you time and money)
Here’s how the night went down…
First, she started the pork first – 8 pounds of pork tenderloin rubbed with garlic, fresh rosemary, sea salt, black pepper, and olive oil, then covered in foil and refrigerated.
Then, she roasted the sweet potatoes, fried a few slices of bacon to start cooking the greens, and sliced the melons.
Several of the girls arrived early and asked, “What can I help with!?”
So Chef Leslie Ann put them to work!
“You can shuck this corn! Slice these melons! Peel these baked sweet potatoes! Cut up those strawberries!”
And they did! 🙂 It was so fun to see the kitchen come alive with this group of women who wanted to learn how to cook & eat REAL food to nourish their bodies.
Everyone arrived by 6:30 p.m., they cracked open the wine (nope, none for the pregnant mama) and started the appetizers…
(Seriously, prosciutto-wrapped melon is AMAZING!)
Meanwhile, Leslie Ann seared the pork tenderloins while Alaina mashed the sweet potatoes with the Garlic & Basil Goat Cheese. Jill and Suzanne worked on the Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad, and Jill even learned some mad new knife skills to impress her husband with once she gets back home to Georgia. 🙂
As soon as everyone was eating dinner, we got started on dessert…
(My favorite part of the night!)
There was a gallon of fresh-picked North Carolina strawberries macerating in a little coconut sugar in the fridge, so all that was left to do was throw together some gluten-free shortcakes and a little whipped cream.
Hot-from-the-oven shortcakes topped with strawberries and fresh whipped cream….
Really. Does life get any better than this?
Thank you to EVERY single one of you who joined us for the Fit Girls’ Friday Night Dinner Party, and a huge thank you to my fabulous friend & foodie, Leslie Ann for giving us the BEST Fit Girls Dinner Party on the planet!
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Throw Your OWN Fit Girls Dinner Party!
Couldn’t join us in New Bern?
No problem!
We’re giving you ALL the recipes you need to throw your own Fit Girls’ Dinner Party!