I’ve been dying to get to Chicago but had no real reason to visit the windy city. Well, my husband recently had to go there for a business trip and he let me tag along. I was super geeked!!! Since being introduced to a plant based diet there were certain people that I had learned of who I just had to meet. I really wanted to meet these people in order to connect and learn how they have been able to thrive on a plant based diet for well over 30 years. These people who I  learned of were people who had mastered the cleansing and healing lifestyle and who also mastered consuming an all plant based diet.  So, far I’d met everybody that I needed to meet except for this one person who was located in Chicago. Before meeting her, I’ve bought her books and followed her on social media and even called and talked to some of her staff during times of cleansing and detoxifying my own body.

Well finally the day came and it was just days after her 67th birthday. I must say I hope that I look this FABULOUS at 67. I finally made it to Chicago to meet the beautiful Karyn Calabrese. She is a raw foodist and owner of one of the longest standing raw vegan restaurants in the country. She also is the owner of two cooked vegan restaurants and author of two books. She is quite phenomenal and continues to be an inspiration to me on my own personal wellness journey.

It was such an awesome trip because I actually got a chance to meet Karyn and she was such a beautiful spirit. While we were there she held one of her monthly detox informational sessions where she shared on the benefits of cleansing and detoxifying the body and the benefits of consuming an all plant based diet. She also shared her journey, her successes and how things were when she first got started. During the informational session she shared with us some amazing samples of raw vegan cuisine and all of them were quite phenomenal. If you are ever visiting Karyn’s raw restaurant I totally recommend the raw raviolis, nut milk, ice cream and any of the desserts. I pretty much ate at her restaurants the whole time I was there and it was like being in vegan heaven as some days we even got vegan food delivered to our hotel.

One of the biggest take away’s that I got while listening to Karyn is that living a healthy lifestyle is a journey and no one goes from A-Z overnight. The final take away was if you want to win people over to healthier eating then you yourself must become healthy first.

Now for my review of the food. Pretty much everything was phenomenal. I have nothing bad to say about the food. The food at her raw restaurant was great and I also tried some selections from her cooked vegan restaurant. My husband
got one of her menu items called Southern Comfort several times which was red beans, rice and collard greens and he absolutely loved it. We also tried several dishes from the cooked vegan restaurant including vegan lasagna, veggie burger, falafel, carrot cake, coconut cake. OMG!!!! It was so AMAZING. We will definitely be planning another trip to Chicago to pay another visit to Karyn’s COOKED and Karyn’s RAW. Here are some photos of some of the cooked dishes that we tried.

So Karyn has 3 restaurants in Chicago Karyns Cooked which is located at 738 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60654. This is where you will find an array of cooked vegan items along with some raw vegan selections and some amazing desserts

Then there is Karyn’s Fresh Corner which is located at 1901 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL. This is where you will find fresh pressed juice, raw vegan cuisine to grab and go or the option to dine in all raw vegan style for great gourmet raw vegan cuisine and a great ambiance. Karyn’s Fresh Corner is broken up into two sides plus you will find a healing center with lots of alternative healing therapies.

Karyn’s on Green is located on 130 S Green St, Chicago, IL 60607. I haven’t been there yet but I’m sure its fabulous!!!  It is the newest of all of her restaurants. If you live in Chicago or are ever visiting in the Chicago area and looking for healthier alternatives. I totally recommend any of Karyn’s restaurants.

To find her on the web you can find her at www.karynsongreen.com and www.karynsraw.com

Finally a veg friendly burger made from REAL food that is REALLY yummy. I’d heard about this burger from this brand but was nervous to try it. I’ve decided to take a break from cooking on the weekend so I’ve tried a couple of vegan frozen items after carefully reading the ingredients. This burger made the cut. I’ve only tried the Adzuki Bean Burger. Based on the packaging and the information found on their site this burger contains the following ingredients.

organic whole millet, organic adzuki beans, organic quinoa, coconut oil, sweet potato, onion, green chilies, psyllium seed husdk powder, arrowroot, apple cider vinegar, garlic cumin, sumflower seed oil, chipotle powder, chili powder, lime juice.

GLUTEN FREE, DAIRY FREE, SOY FREE, CORN FREE, YEAST FREE, EGG FREE, NUT FREE

The flavor is present but its not overpowering it is just right. It is really filling. It comes in a package of two and I purchased it from My Organic Market for around $3.00 on sale.

Are you serious, no soy, no wheat, no mock meat. THANK YOU GOD!!!

This burger was really yummy. Don’t expect the firmness of a real burger or one made
from soy or wheat but it really is a good replacement. Only requires for you to
heat it for 10 to 15 minutes in the oven and add you favorite toppings.

This burger is perfect for the person that suffers from allergies and did I mention
its made from REAL FOOD!!! Check out their site to learn more: http://www.hilaryseatwell.com/

November was a fun and exciting month and I had the chance to enjoy some fun in the sun and celebrate my birthday and wedding anniversary in Miami Beach, Florida. One of the things that I enjoy about traveling is discovering new and exciting healthy hot spots. When traveling to new destinations I keep healthy living fun and enjoyable by trying new restaurants and new foods. I always do my research to see where I can find some healthy places to eat.

I have to say that South Beach is my new favorite veg friendly and healthy hot spot. The hotel that we stayed at this time too was totally a winner. I totally recommend the James Royal Palm if you want to have a variety of healthy alternatives to choose from while on vacation. The Florida Cookery which is the restaurant located in the Royal Palm had a variety of healthy options, from fresh pressed juices to smoothies, wheat grass, fresh fruit and veggie options to choose from on the menu. We were so excited that we were able to get fresh pressed green juice everyday without having to go on a wild hunt. The veggie burger at the Royal Palm was really good and not the usual soy patty that you will find at most places. It was made of chickpeas and spiced really nicely. We ordered in one night and we were quite pleased.

The hubby also surprised me with a nice spa visit during our stay and The Renew Spa is quite amazing. The thing that I enjoyed most about the spa was that we were able to combine several different modalities into one treatment. My massage consisted of Swedish massage, hot stone and reflexology. It was really quite amazing and really rejuvenating and I highly recommend the spa.

Finally my favorite gem in south beach is Juice and Java. It is a small very casual restaurant where you can dine in or order take out. They also offer a delivery service for the hotels that are located close by. Juice and Java has a huge smoothie and juice menu with every combination imaginable and if the combination you desire is not available you can create your own.

In terms of food I highly recommend the pita veggie melt, Java’s famous quinoa bowl or anything with the falafel. Everything is really yummy!!!! The service at Juice and Java is pretty good and the waitresses are willing to explain anything on the menu and accommodate most request. SOBE is a highly recommended veg friendly hot spot!!!!!

Eating more vegetables no longer has to be boring and flavorless. Most people who have never tried a plant based diet often express that they would be bored by eating only plant based foods. Most people also fear and can only imagine being hungry and eating lettuce only. Others express not having any variety. The key to eating more plants and keeping it interesting is adding in the flavor and in this blog post I will be sharing with you my top tips on how to make eating veggies totally and completely enjoyable.

TIP #1: Spice the Food

Getting creative in the kitchen and spicing plant dishes is critical in order to have an enjoyable experience. When I refer to spicing the food, I am suggesting that you experiment with spices that you love but also experiment with new spices from different ethnic cuisine. You can put a spin on any plant based dish that is reminiscent of flavors that you love. It is important to make it fun. There are tons of plant based recipes loaded with bold flavor and found in Italian, Mexican, Asian and Mediterranean cuisine. Eating healthy does not mean that you have to compromise the flavor. Start experimenting with one new dish a week and you will soon have a variety of recipes to choose from.

TIP #2: Balance the Flavors

This is definitely an inside secret of any good chef but especially a good vegan chef. Balancing the flavors in dishes is the science behind making plant based foods taste good. Our tongue is always looking for all 5 flavors to be present in order for us to have an enjoyable dining experience. I bet you are wondering the top 5 flavors that need to be present? The top 5 flavors that need to be present are: salt, sweet, spicy, sour and bitter. The saltiness and spiciness of the food will intensify the other flavors that are present.

Example:
Salt (sea salt, tamari)
Sweet (dried fruit, coconut nectar)
Spicy (cayenne pepper, jalapeno pepper)
Sour (lemon juice, apple cider vinegar)
Bitter (cumin, basil, nutmeg)

TIP #3: Recreate The Healthy Version of Your Favorite Dish

Recreating your favorite dish allows for you to continue to savor the flavors that you know and love in a healthier way. Sometimes it can be a little tricky recreating a healthier version but it can definitely be done. To recreate your favorite dish include the ingredients that are healthy and find substitutes for those unhealthy ingredients.

TIP #4:Add In Different Textures

I personally believe that texture will determine if a particular dish is a keeper or not.
Experimenting with different textures adds depth to plant based cuisine and makes it
more  interesting and less flat and boring.

TIP #5:Add Fresh Herbs

Adding fresh herbs vs. dry herbs will also take any recipe to another level. The use of fresh herbs makes a boring lifeless dish more bold and exotic. Experiment with fresh herbs and you will notice they are much different than dry herbs. Just in case you are wondering what herbs to add in, some of my favorites are thyme, sage, basil, cilantro and tarragon. Also, adding fresh herbs to sauces is also super yummy.

This past weekend my husband and I went to The Counter which is one of our favorite Veg Friendly hot spots located in Reston, Virginia. The Counter is actually a custom burger joint with veg friendly options. I personally think that this spot is also great if you have non veggie friends as it allows for you to dine out and not fall all the way off of your healthy eating regimen. In addition to that everyone is bound to find something at this place. The counter looks like a cross between an old burger joint with an industrial feel. If you visit this place you can be seated indoors or find a place outdoors on a nice warm day. You can also sit at the counter where they also serve drinks.

The Counter’s veg friendly burger is called the Asian Veggie which is made up of 1/3lb veggie patty, organic mixed greens, carrot strings, chopped red onion, grilled pineapple, roasted red peppers, scallions and a ginger soy glaze and peanut sauce. However you can customize your veggie burger as well and you have the option of a gluten free bun or you can get your burger in a bowl which I almost always do. If you choose to customize your burger there are tons of veggie toppings, sauces and dressings to choose from.

The other thing that I like about The Counter’s burger is that it is made of whole foods and is not made from mock meats which are found at most places. The texture of their veggie burger is great and it is actually really tasty.

The Counter has a ton of locations in California. However you can also find a location near you (Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, New York, Texas, Ireland) with lots of new and upcoming locations coming soon according to their website.

I totally recommend The Counter and I know that you will love it!!!!

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I recently got introduced to the book WHEAT BELLY from a colleague who lost a total of 45 to 50 pounds in five months. We talked in depth about her journey and during  our discussion she attributed that her success was through eliminating wheat from her diet. She then told me about the Wheat Belly book and blog by Dr. William Davis. Because I am completely fascinated with all things related to healing and food I had to go and dig a little deeper. I first checked out the Wheat Belly blog and a day later scooped up the book. While Dr. Davis does not necessarily advocate an all plant based diet of which I am very much an advocate of lots of truth can still be found in his book.  I also personally believe that he provides insight on why many people who turn to a cooked vegan/vegetarian diet still struggle with weight loss. This blog will cover a short review of the Wheat Belly Book.

WHO IS DR. WILLIAM DAVIS – according to his book he is a preventative cardiologist whose wheat free approach to diet allows him to advocate reversal, not just prevention of heart disease.

MY PERSONAL RATING OF THE BOOK – On a 1-5 scale I give this book a 4 with a 4 being VERY GOOD!!

WHEAT BELLY REVIEW
I think that in his book Dr. Davis gives our culture more insight on what is really contributing towards the obesity crisis within our culture. He specifically focuses in on the the consumption of wheat and gives the reader an in depth look on how the consumption of wheat and wheat by products contributes to the wheat belly. The wheat belly is everywhere in our culture and some are larger and smaller than others which he talks in more detail about this as it relates to insulin. I’ve observed that the wheat belly does not discriminate and can be found on women, men and children. Dr. Davis gives us the science behind it all which at times can be be very heavy and loaded with scientific and medical jargon but if you can get through that there is so much truth that can be found in this book. Dr. Davis discusses when and where wheat went wrong pin pointing it back to a specific time frame in history and indicating that that the wheat of today is not the wheat that our grandmothers consumed. In Dr. Davis’ book he says how “wheat has been genetically altered to provide processed-food manufacturers the greatest yield at the lowest cost”. Eliminating just wheat bread is not enough. Be sure to read food labels as wheat is in everything.

I personally believe that the information provided in this book is great for anyone who continues to struggle with weight loss, cravings, diabetes, overeating, fatigue, high blood pressure and heart disease. Dr. Davis’ blog provides countless testimonies of people who have seen amazing results from following the recommendations in this book. Dr. Davis drives home the point of consuming real foods and stabilizing blood sugar levels in order to do away with the wheat belly for good!!

Dr. Davis also gives us support in implementing the principles outlined in his book by providing us with a list of foods that are ideal for consuming in unlimited quantities, foods that should be consumed in limited quantities and foods that we should consume rarely or never. If you are anything like me I’m sure your dying to see this list right now. There are tons of resources on his blog. Check out the link below for more information on how to eliminate the wheat belly for good.

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/