Sensational Santa Barbara

So, I had to take a quick day trip for business up to Santa Barbara. Rough, ain't it? I know, I know ; ) What a beautiful place to have a meeting, a spa treatment, an out of this world meal, a history lesson.... You catch my drift! Santa Barbara is choice!! (Yeah, I'm bringing that back)

Of course, I had to eat somewhere so I popped into Le Bon Cafe in Downtown. It's super close to the popular State Street and ridiculously good! I almost fell out of my seat when I took the first bite of my Plantain Sandwich. Yeah! No bread for you low and no carb people as well as gluten free'ers. It was jam packed with hummus, black beans and corn, avocado, and more. So Yummy!! I also had some of their fresh squeezed watermelon juice ; ) They've got a great selection of salads, sandwiches and juices and is mostly organic. I was so excited and I will definitely be back!! Look them up at www.leboncafe.net .

If you are in town for a long weekend, definitely stop in for dinner at Sojourner Cafe (it happens to be right next door to Le Bon). The menu is to die for! Incredibly vegan/vegetarian friendly, the dishes are phenomenal. It really is a leaf eaters paradise that won't scare away any carnivores as they also serve poultry and fish. Check out their imaginative menu at www.sojournercafe.com .

Finally, this little secret will make your stay even better. Spa Angels is a private studio spa as well as a "we come to you" treat. They have super innovative treatments, a serene studio with a private chef, pilates and yoga classes as well as their own signature line of holistic, natural products. Go to their studio or have them pop into your hotel, office or home by booking them at www.spaangels.us .

So much to do and see, so little time. Guess I will have to go back soon!!

Pleasant Pensacola

If you ever find yourself in Pensacola, Florida, you will be pleasantly surprised. Not only by their white sandy beaches and their southern hospitality, but also by the variety for us green eaters ; )

For a light meal, I stopped at the End of the Line Cafe. It was a vegan coffee house and eatery that absolutely delighted me. They had some delicious sandwiches, salads and deserts. I had a phenomenal tomato and vegan mozzarella panini as well as a great chocolate mousse pie. It was very indie, arty coffee house and you will love all of the local artists contributions to the look of the place. It's a non profit co-op so you're eating smart and spending smart! Don't forget to pop in to one of their Monday movie nights!! You can check them out at The End of the Line Cafe .

For a special occasion, we visited Jackson's in downtown. Right in the historic Jackson Square and very near the hip Seville Quarter (Pensacola's mini version of the French Quarter just a few hours west), Jackson's is a beautiful fine dining establishment that went way out of their way to create an immaculate, vegan gourmet meal for me. I was blown away by the 5 course meal that just got better and better with every dish. And might I mention the exceptional wine pairing with every course!! With advance notice, Jackson's will accommodate any diet and they will hit it out of the park! Their information can be found at Jackson's Restaurant.

Lastly, but definitely not leastly, catch a cool local band, a bottle of beer and a vegan snack at Sluggo's. In more of a residential part of town, Sluggo's is a watering hole of choice for veggie conscious artists and musicians. Definitely worth checking out! Try the nachos or one if their killer sandwiches! Sluggos on Myspace

Take a nice Northwestern Florida vacation this summer and leave your worries about your taste buds and your tummy at home!!

Sunny San Diego

One of the most beautiful towns in California, San Diego really is a paradise for those who want to live a healthy lifestyle. Surfing, hiking, biking, this ocean side town just makes you feel good! We did some great stuff during our four days in town as well as having some pretty awesome meals.

After our drive down, day at Legoland and out hot air balloon ride, we were spent. But the next few days were filled with deliciousness! I will say that Legoland had some great options for healthy theme park goers. If you are taking the kids or are just poppin' in to see some nifty lego architecture, be sure you eat at the Fresh Market in Fun Town. I got a yummy rice bowl with freshly cooked teriyaki veggies. I also saw a great salad and soup bar in that food court. I was pretty impressed because you are always hard pressed to find something good for you at a theme park. See for yourself at Legoland!

Below in our featured San Diego webisode, we visit three wonderful places. Naked Cafe, which has locations in Point Loma and Solana Beach is a perfect place for a late breakfast, brunch or hearty lunch. It is beyond vegetarian friendly and the menu is just fantastic for anyone in your party. All their info can be found at The Naked Cafe.

For the serious guilt free sweet tooth, we visit Stephanie's Bakery in Ocean Beach. It's a cute bakery that has ridiculous cookies, cakes, strudels, and pizza! It's fully vegan and fully Yumm!! Just 2 blocks from the beach and with a pet friendly patio, you can't pass this place by if you ever head to the city north of the border! Stephanie's Bakery rocks!!!

Lastly, if you and your travel partners want a cool night out in the city and you still want to be cuisine conscious, Indigo Grill in Little Italy downtown is a must! Chef Deborah Scott is famous with a good reason. Her southwestern fusion menu is out of this world. They have superb dishes for health nuts that won't make you feel left out when you see your friend's masterpiece of a dish. Check them out at Indigo Grill.

Enjoy!!

The Mile High City

Denver, Colorado...Home of the Broncos and Rockies, the unsinkable Molly Brown's House, and some pretty good grub!!

In the video at the end of the post, we visited Watercourse Foods and chatted about it's other location, City O' City Pizza Bar and Coffee House. Both locations were excellent and really involve their loyal customers and the community in regards to the artwork and feel of both locations.

www.watercoursefoods.com

In addition to Watercourse, we visited the Vesta Dipping Grill in Lodo (the locals abbreviation for lower downtown). It was a perfect choice as I was the only veggie in the group but I was still able to enjoy a fantastic meal. They specialize in dishes that are to be dipped in a variety of sauces of your choosing and I got a rad grilled tofu with brown rice dealio. The trendy look of the restaurant and the cool bar really give the place a certain "je ne se quoi" and it is a definite must for everyone, healthy or not ; ) www.vestagrill.com

One more place to visit when you are in the mile high city is Mercury Cafe. They are an organic, "colorado cuisine" cafe that also boasts a bar and nightclub! They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and party on through the evening with no gastronomic guilt! www.mercurycafe.com

Viva Las Veggie!!

Ok so, I know it's hard to feel healthy in the city of sin, but it can be done!! As long as you steer clear of the buffets and all those sugary drinks, you can still keep your waistline in tact and not feel guilty every time you see some rail thin showgirl ; )

There are some great options on the strip but if you have a car and some time, there are even better ones in the residential areas. What? People don't LIVE on the strip? Yep!!

Off the strip:

Paymon's Mediterranean was killer. We had lunch there with some friends and there was something for everyone. I had an enormous veggie plate packed with hummus, tabouli, dolmas, rice and babaganoush. Everything was incredibly fresh and tasty. My main squeeze and our friends had a roasted chicken meal that also looked very fresh and prepared quite nicely. Apparently they have 2 locations - http://paymons.com/med_main.html

For the Raw Foodist, try the Go Raw Cafe. They have 2 locations really close to the strip. http://www.gorawcafe.com

Why not be a little sinful and check out Ronald's Donuts. They have all kinds of specialty toppings and fillers, including soy cream as well as vegan donuts!! 702-873-1032

Whole Foods has landed at Fort Apache, just minutes away from the strip as has Wild Oats on Lake Mead Blvd.

On the strip:

For the luxurious health nut, spoil yourself at the Canyon Ranch Spa at the Venetian. They have all kinds of organic plates as well as veggie and vegan options.

There is no harm in a chain restaurant like PF Chang's as they have lots of tofu dishes and brown rice. They can also steam any dish to keep away from the fatty fried stuff. I love the Cheesecake Factory for the monstrous salads (they veganize everything for me) as well as their veggie stir fry and home made veggie burger.

So no matter who you are with or where you go, there is no excuse to not keep healthy, kosher, vegan or just plain vain in Vegas!!

How I Love Mount Zion...

Let me count the ways!! Zion National Park is nothing short of breathtaking. The Virgin River running through it, the greenery and the majestic canyons were enough to make me want to pack up my city life and move to a ranch just outside the gates; ) The Zha Zha of Zion!

We arrived fairly late in the day so we decided to stay the night and tackle some hikes the following morning. We got so lucky by getting the last room at the cutest hotel ever, The Pioneer Motel. Not only was it convenient, it was hands down adorable. At the foot of the hill, we enjoyed a jacuzzi and a cabin style room with the whole kit and caboodle, mini kitchen, etc. The lobby boasted a gift and coffee shop that carried soy for my morning fix. Next door to the hotel was a great deli that made fresh sandwiches for hikers.

We had dinner at Pizza & Noodle, a great place in a converted church that shared space with a cool outdoor sport shop. They made me a cheeseless veggie lovers pizza and I noticed they had some nice pastas and big salads (good for people staying away from carbs or glutten).

During our day long adventure through Zion, we hiked into the cafe inside the Zion Lodge. I was afraid I'd be out of luck here as it was a very theme parky, order-from-our-limited-menu-at-the-counter scenario. But no! Zion surprises yet again! They had fresh salads, juices, veggie sandwiches and veggie burgers!!

Reluctantly, we had to leave that evening but made one more grub stop at the Bit & Spur. We each had a huge and delicious salad and the staff went out of their way to make sure my salad was vegan. A+

So a HUGE thumbs up for the beauty that is Zion and the small town of Springdale for making our stay awesome!!

(Art work by my one and only, Dan Hamilton. It's an on site watercolor sketch of Angel's Landing in Zion)