What Is The Fresh Air Retreat?
The Fresh Air Retreat is a food blogger/content creator retreat that’s hosted twice a year by Liz from The Lemon Bowl and Lauren from The Curious Plate. These two amazing ladies have the biggest hearts and truly know how to host an incredible week for attendees!
Honestly, as a busy mom with a business that’s full time + more sometimes, it was SO refreshing to be able to get away and connect with others in my industry, share what’s working, frustrations that we have, talk about mom life, eat really good food, and just breathe. Like so many of the other attendees, I came in exhausted, worn down, and not really knowing what to expect. But I left with a full heart and so much inspiration for my business and life as a whole! I could not be more grateful for this incredible experience and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Attendees (AKA My New Besties)
There were 10 of us at this retreat, and I honestly feel like I came away from it with 10 new best friends. I already knew some these ladies from previous events or mastermind groups, but it was the first time I had really spent in-person quality time with them and it was refreshing!
- Liz + Lauren (our hosts) – The Lemon Bowl + The Curious Plate
- MacKenzie – Grilled Cheese Social
- Ashley – The Recipe Rebel
- Brittany – Eating Bird Food
- Erica – It’s a Flavorful Life
- Jenn – Foodess
- Jess – Choosing Chia
- Laura Ashley – Dinner in 321
We also had the amazing Chef Trimell cooking for us the entire time, treating us to the best food and NOT having to cook for once, and Amanda Kamppinen who captured every single moment so beautifully!
Sponsors
After 10+ years in this industry I’ve worked with many sponsors, but getting to connect with these sponsors in person, try their delicious products, and actually hang out over a meal was incredible! I loved getting to just chat with them and know more not only about their products, but hearing the heart and vision behind the brands and why they do what they do. It was a really fun experience!
Everything We Ate, Everywhere We Went, Everything We Did
We kicked things off with happy hour and dinner with Butterball! I’ll never forget eating Ground Turkey Kofta Skewers with tzatziki sauce (ommmmmggg), the most perfect Hickory-Smoked Turkey Breast Roast, and taking photos with all of our fun Butterball gear (the hats are my fave). It was such a fun way to start the retreat!
The next morning we started the day with a yoga and a perfect breakfast made by Chef Trimell. We then went out to Zakia Modern Lebanese for a really delicious lunch (such an understatement), and then for a hot girl walk through the neighborhood with the whole group. Honestly every part of this retreat is now a core memory for me, but our daily walks as a group of 10 girls after lunch each day will always be one of my favorites!
After that we had a really special knife skills class with Zwilling, learning all about how to use their knives and more about their other products, like my new Demeyere Industry Stainless-Steel Essential Pan.
That night we had a lovely happy hour and dinner with Sunset, where we enjoyed pickled produce with spreads and bread, fresh burrata, and a pepper jam that has changed my life. Dinner featured a marinated grilled steak with their mini peppers and chimichurri and oh. my. goodness. It was so good!
Our last day we met the Mediavine team for website audits that were super helpful, and then we had a build-your-own bowl bar with Amylu Foods that was honestly one of my favorite lunches possibly ever! We got to meet Amylu herself (SUCH a treat), and I made a bowl with lots of fresh produce, quinoa, pickled onions, Amylu’s chicken sausage, crumbles, AND meatballs (because I couldn’t decided and needed to try them all), and a sweet miso glaze that brought everything together perfectly.
After that it was off to another hot girl walk (so fun lol), a mastermind session to learn from each other, and then we got ready for dinner out.
Dinner was at Ray’s on the River, where we had the most beautiful views, some really good steak, and the best chats with the Mediavine team about everything from what’s going on in our industry, growth opportunities in all of our businesses, to motherhood and balancing work and life. It was such a wholesome time together and truly the best way to end the retreat!
An Easy Summer Plate in 10 Minutes
I’m still living off of the post-retreat high if we’re being honest, so with that inspiration I decided to dive in and make a fun and vibrant Summer Plate that requires NO COOKING and tastes like such a fun treat! My kids loved this one because I served it on a big platter and they all just picked what they wanted to add to their own plates. I love that it’s one of those super effortless dinner you can enjoy al fresco and perfect for the heat of summer when you don’t really feel like standing over a stovetop!
Here’s what’s on it:
- Warmed Butterball Hardwood Smoked Turkey Sausage
- Freshly sliced baguette
- SO much Sunset produce!
- Fresh burratta
- A drizzle of balsamic glaze, hot honey, and a sprinkle of flaky salt
That’s it! I warmed up the sausage on the stove top (just for about 10 minutes, but it can also be microwaved), then put everything together and we devoured it. Highly recommend making this on repeat all summer long!
The Fresh Air Retreat was one of the most fun trips I’ve had in a while and I genuinely loved every single minute. If you’re a food blogger or content creator and are interested in going, I would definitely recommend it!
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