You Mexi-Can Eat Healthy South of the Border!

So I've already raved about the healthy yet delicious options I found in Cancun. But as promised, there is more!!  And this time, I'll be chatting dining out as well as dining on the adventure tours. Let's roll!

 In the La Isla Shopping complex, neat The Taco Grill, you will find Mr. Papas. A potato house and piano bar, you'll eat well and be entertained without a doubt. Very accommodating to special diets seeing as how you can customize your potato any way you like, Mr. Papas is a fun night out. Even if potatoes aren't' your fave, their expansive international menu is bound to have something for you.

In the main party zone, there are tons of American chain places like Chili's, Rainforest Cafe & Hard Rock Cafe to name a few. You can absolutely find healthy options there if you're not willing to eat local cuisine and I've covered these joints in a previous post of chain restaurant dining.  But, if you are willing to try something new but want to stay in the thick of the action, try Mex-Treme. They got live music and dancing so you can get your preliminary groove on while dining.They can hook you up with plenty of vegetarian options as well as some fun beverages to get your party started!

Hacienda Sisal Mexican Grill is not only a grand looking place,  it boasts a super neat dining and entertainment club whose setting rivals that of Disney World. The faux, outdoor dining area is a large courtyard complete with the "sets" of pueblo apartments surrounding the tables and the large stage. Featuring live entertainment, dancing, music and local folk artists, Hacienda Sisal feels like you're really getting a slice of Mexican culture along with your guac ; )  The food isn't to shabby either!  I loved my sizzling veggie fajitas and yeas, of course, a large helping of fresh, made at my table guacamole.

The coolest thing to do in the Yucatan aside from eating, drinking and lounging, is the tours to the Mayan ruins and villages.  We especially love d our All-Tour-Native Tours to Coba. The Maya Encounter tour to Coba is the only ruin in the Yucatan that you are still allowed to climb and on this tour you get to zip line, rappel and swim in an underground, freshwater lake called a cenote (sen-oh-teh).  Since you are on an all day excursion, they include lunch at a traditional Mayan village. A lunch I was afraid of so I packed lots of vegan bars. But, I was pleasantly surprise with the wide variety of veggie options that were made super fresh. A hearty veggie soup, veggie beans, rice, salsa a guac. That's all I needed to keep me going through my journey into the past ; )

A can't miss is the Chichen-Itza Tour. One of the new 7 wonders of the world, Chichen-Itza is one of the most recognized Mayan ruin villages around.  Unfortunately you can climb any of the structures but regardless, it's impressive. The ball field and main pyramid are breathtaking and the stories behind them are mega fascinating.  On most of the tours they take you to a super neat cenote near by to swim and they too provide lunch. A large buffest full of veggies, salads, beans and other goodies, you won't go hungry.

That's a wrap on Cancun but not of the state of Quintana Roo! Join me when I summarize the best of Playa Del Carmen!!

Can-cun Honeymoon ; )

Nothing screams honeymoon like lying on the beach, soaking up the sun, eating to your hearts desire with a drink in your hand. A drink with an umbrella in it, of course ; ) We decided to go south of the border for some sun as well as some adventure as we knew that the Yucatan had plenty of it. I'm not much for sitting around the beach for a week  so I'm glad we picked a spot that had tons to offer outside of the beautiful ocean.  So much history, great food and great fun, I couldn't have asked for a better place to get away with my new hubby!

On our first evening, of course I wanted Mexican food so we went on the lookout; ) Oddly enough, it was tough to find!! The Cancun area is pretty much the U.S. Laden with American chain restaurants, I refused to partake and hunted down the first local(ish) spot I could. Taco Grill satisfied my craving for local fare and exceeded expectation. A cute outdoor eatery, on the bay, Taco Grill served up some great veggie options. My dinner was complete with a large helping of fresh guacamole, a nice sized marg ; ), and the best grilled veggie burrito I've ever had! It was oozing with sauteed veggies, mushrooms, avocado, beans and delicious sauce. I'm craving one right now! Taco Grill is located in the La Isla Shopping Center.

Now, you wouldn't think that going out for Italian in Mexico would be a good thing but Limoncello was great! Right across from our hotel was this cute, fine dining-ish, locale, right on the water. They even have a private gazebo on a dock for special occasions - very nice! I was delighted that they had my favorite dish, Gnocchi, and I was able to get it with a really great tomato sauce. their bread was a nice touch as well as it came out like a flatbread on a griddle - warm and melty ; )  We really enjoyed the food and the ambiance of Limoncello so don't fret about getting some variety.

If you're looking to do some tequila tastings while enjoying a flavorful, waterfront meal, then La Tequileria is the place for you! So veggie and special diet friendly, I really enjoyed the live music and varieties of their local beverage ; ) Their salads are all veganizable and mega tasty and there's no denying yourself some guac and chip!

I need of curbing a sweet tooth, I stumbled upon Ah Cacao, an all chocolate cafe! And I was able to partake as they could make the cacao goodness vegany. I got a soy Mexican hot chocolate and it ruled! The company is super green and offers the best quality cacao products from the Mayan regions. See, chocolate can be green, helpful and healthy!

Nothing shows the magnitude of the health movement like finding a natural foods restaurant in the heart of Mexican part town. Natura is located on the main drag of Cancun and offers up all sorts of natural dishes, fresh juices and a ton of vegetarian options. Even though it was crazy hot out, I had to try their veggie soup and I followed that with insane vegan nachos. I also imbibed a super green juice and was very happy that I could get one anytime as it was in walking distance of our hotel ; ) Stop in for a healthy meal at Natura - Boulevard Kukulcan Km 9.5, Zona Hotelera, Cancún. 77500
Mexico Tel +52 998 8830585.

There's way more to come as I have more rave reviews for Cancun and the surrounding cities in the state of Quintana Roo!