Snooze

This place is on the list for my next trip to Denver. It’s a breakfast joint and they’re committed to locally sourced and delicious food as well as to recycling about ninety percent of their waste.

Plus one percent of their sales go back to the community.

If the food is half as good as their philosophies, there’s much to look forward to. They even have vegan and vegetarian options as well as some French toast that looks divine. The creativity and consideration toward non-carnivores found in small chains like this place makes dining out fun for people like me.

Want to learn more? Visit their website!

Are you in the area? I would love a review! Meanwhile, I’m just gonna enjoy this fabulous sign!

How To Dress A Turkey

Meat hasn’t been on my menu for a lot of years and so this is how I think you should dress a Turkey – simply give it a cute hat!

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!!

Healthy (and delicious) Lunch

Eating healthy in restaurants is hard but it finally occurred to me that Chinese restaurants will serve plain steamed veggies with rice for just a few bucks. This bowl was much larger than it looks here and was packed with fresh, healthy veggies. With a side of rice, it cost about five bucks, officially making it the cheapest and healthiest lunch I could desire. You can’t even get greasy fast food for that price anymore. Plus you get a fortune cookie with some wisdom and your lucky numbers!

The Games We Play: Healthy Food Edition

I learned something about myself last week. When there are nicely arranged platters of fruits and veggies in the fridge, I eat about five times more fresh produce in a day than if it were all packaged up in separate containers.

It would be lovely to say that I’m exaggerating but it’s true! I had made fruit and veggie platters for a small retirement get together for my dad. Leftovers came home with me and I nibbled on them till they were completely gone. So I made smaller versions and found myself eating fresh veggies with every single meal!

What can I say? I’m a visual person and I like pretty things! Oh, the games I play to be healthier!

Beyond Burger

A recent trip through Kroger revealed a refrigerated case full of Beyond Burger patties near the check out. I squealed like a little girl and grabbed a package to try.

I’ve had Beyond Burger in restaurants but never had the opportunity to cook it at home.

In case you’re not familiar, it is a simulated beef that contains no meat or dairy. If you eat beef every day, it may be a clear imposter. However, if you’re like me and haven’t tasted cow in a while, it’s a convincing replacement. The texture and taste are great but I will admit that it doesn’t smell quite right. It doesn’t smell bad – just not right. However, it cooks up nicely with no shrinkage and good flavor.

If you are a beef eater and are happy doing that, say no more. Do your thing. I’m not interested in pushing my choices off on anyone.

If you’re interested in eating less meat, this might be a good way to ease into it. And if you’re vegan or vegetarian like me, it’s a fun way to have something that reminds you of your old life without harming an animal or eating meat.

When I stopped eating meat some years ago, there were few faux meats worth eating. Thankfully, many advancements have been made and the options are broadening rapidly. It’s fun rolling up to Burger King for an Impossible Whopper or finding really good fake chicken tenders in the frozen food section.

This stuff is still processed and not something we should be eating every day but it’s a great treat and I highly recommend giving Beyond Burger a whirl if you’re so inclined.

Eating At Home

As things start to open up in my state, everyone I know seems to be dying for a restaurant meal. I can honestly say that eating in a restaurant is almost at the bottom of my list of things to do.

It may be because I’m a decent cook and know how to prepare meals exactly the way I like them. It’s partly because restaurants in my area aren’t interested in people who wish to eat healthy or who eat plant based.

Sad salads and greasy grilled cheese sandwiches are the standard faire for vegetarians in my area. A few nicer restaurants in neighboring towns offer the Beyond Burger or a black bean burger but most vegetarians or vegans are better off just staying at home in my part of the state.

Personally, I eat mostly vegan at home and hope for vegan but am happy with vegetarian in restaurants. I tend to use eating out as an excuse to have pizza or some other really bad cheat dish because the options are so slim.

The above picture is from my lunch yesterday – just a simple sauce packed with veggies over soy noodle spaghetti and a nice little salad. All the ingredients came from Aldi and nothing was expensive.

Dessert was this big bowl of berries. Easy, simple and delicious!

People act like those of us who don’t eat meat or dairy are asking for something ridiculously hard to achieve. It’s really not when you stick to simple ingredients.

So I’ll just continue doing my thing at home and be happy. At least cooking at home is cheaper than take-out!