Health Friendly Flagstaff

After walking over the Grand Canyon with nothing but glass between us and the canyon below, we headed off to Flagstaff, Arizona. We stayed here for a few nights and I loved the health friendly vibe.

A nice mountain town and the closest place to stay if you are heading towards the southern rim, and most frequently visited, portion of the Grand Canyon. Home to Northern Arizona University and somewhat of a ski town as they are a quick drive to the Arizona Snow Bowl, Flagstaff has alot of great options for the healthy food aficionado. Flagstaff has a great downtown area with some rather cute bars (yes, I am The Healthy Traveler, but I can still whoop it up!!)

I stumbled across Macy's Coffee House & Vegetarian Restuarant our first morning. My better half was none to excited as he is my polar opposite when it comes to dining. Although he was happy to indulge me as most of our trip I was making do at any stop we made. Just another obstacle that The Healthy Traveler has no problem conquering ; )

Macy's had a great indie, college vibe with the menu to match. Fresh Juices, soy lattes and delectable snack size meals were a great way to start our day. And health was the name of the game here at Macy's. Nothing was fried or processed and even though I saved no room for dessert, they looked great in all their organically sweet glory. www.macyscoffee.net

On our way out of town, I wanted to stock up on goodies for the road and I hit the jackpot. We passed right by New Frontiers Market as we pulled in to gas up next door. This was a small version of a Whole Foods but sacrificed none of the variety. In fact, I wanted to do cartwheels in the deli!! They offered all types of breads for their sandwiches, including wheat free spelt, as well as some killer sides like vegan potato salads, dolmas, quinoa and much more. I also had to throw a scrumptious slice of chocolate tofu cheesecake into my overloaded basket. Even my convenience food counterpart agreed it was convincingly yummy! I have to add that the service was impeccable and the staff incredibly sweet!

So yes, I was as happy as a kid at Chuck E Cheese in Flagstaff and when I return, I want to stop at these places I missed:

• Amelia's Garden
• Morning Glory
• Mountain Oasis
• New Jersey Pizza
  

All of which offer clear conscience cuisine for the omnivore and herbivore ; )

Get Your Kicks On Route 66!

Recently, my honey and I took a little excursion across the great southwest. We visited some great places during our loop around the Grand Canyon, some extremely healthy, some not so much. But the Healthy Voyager always makes do and always enjoys the journey! This week's highlight from our week long trip is Kingman, Arizona.

Kingman was our first stop on our way to the west rim of the Grand Canyon to check out the new SkyWalk (that's a whole different blog; ( ) . Kingman is a small town that offers up authentic old west landmarks along with the longest stretch of the original Route 66. During our short stint there, we made sure we stopped by the historic Hotel Brunswick and the White Cliff Wagon Trail Path.

The Brunswick was quite the step into the past as this 100 year old hotel still has the look and feel of how one would imagine it once did in its youth. Fully operational and renovated, the Brunswick boasts one of Kingman's finest restaurants and bars as well as, you guessed it, ghosts!! Don't be scared as I'm sure they won't affect your meal ; ) In fact, the Brunswick hosts weddings and banquets of all kinds and from what I saw, some pretty delicious sandwiches and salads. So maybe the "guests" might not feel so natural but the dining experience sure is. The Healthy Voyager suggests the Baby Spinach with Grilled Chicken Salad (the hotel proprietors have no problem accommodating their vegan guests either!)

After we popped in to the once booming brothel, we took a short drive over to the the White Cliff Wagon Trail Path. This trail leads you to pioneer tracks that over time have been preserved as deep grooves in the rock. It was incredible to see how they came through and the rough terrain these brave travelers endured to settle in the west. One of the neatest things I've ever seen, the wagon wheel tracks are an incredible piece of our nation's history.

For more information on Kingman tourism and the Hotel Brunswick, check out their websites ; )

Being that the town was on the smaller side, we ate at a Chili's and loaded up our cooler at a local grocery store. Chili's always has a something to offer those of us on special diets as you can order up some great salads as well as grilled veggies and chicken or seafood. The local market, Smith's, had a great produce department and a suprisingly good selection of veggie meats and snacks. I was extremely content!

So if you find yourself passing through or staying in Kingman, pop into any of the a fore mentioned spots and enjoy!!