tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38841491476149192882024-03-13T07:20:58.791-07:00Vegan in the Big Applearielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-27834013710410549932015-09-08T15:59:00.002-07:002015-09-08T16:01:20.800-07:00Au Luc Restaurant Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">ÂU LẠC REVIEW<br />
by a friend</span><br />
(pictures by me)<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br />
Whenever I have a craving for vegan food, I rest assured that once I get to the
location, my tummy will be filled. This is always the case unless things
go awry. Such was my experience visiting Los Angeles. My friend lived right by
the subway station which would take us to Downtown L.A. While many
Californians don't make use of the subway, as a native New Yorker, I had no
qualms. So after an eventful morning visiting some Disney
Studios(or visiting the outside at least), we headed out to get our cruelty-free meal. Fortunately for me,
the restaurant was a few blocks away from the Japanese American
National Museum
where a Hello Kitty exhibit was that I wanted to check out. So I could
experience both, all on foot.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VLWEQdpsHBo/Ve0CS4jrT0I/AAAAAAAAA3c/zcwJR1RFbls/s1600/IMG_1675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VLWEQdpsHBo/Ve0CS4jrT0I/AAAAAAAAA3c/zcwJR1RFbls/s400/IMG_1675.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We got off of the subway
and walked down some narrow sidewalks past ramshackle toy shops or bargain
electronic stores. Over one mile of this and we finally get to our
destination--<br />
<br />
--only to find that they open at 5pm. Now we were stranded in the middle
of nothingness with aching hunger, no vehicle to escape, and no plan B.</span> </span><br />
<br />
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traffic. I fell onto the hood of a car and continued on miles and miles
until I landed at the front steps of a vegan restaurant in Chinatown.
"Now this is more like it,"I thought as I brushed myself off and
ventured into Vegan Delite which serves any seitan, tofu, or tempeh dish you
could dream of. Okay, that didn't happen. My friend asked his Siri
for nearby vegan restaurants with his shaking hands, starved of nourishment and
exhausted from strenuous activity. I also texted some people. Siri said
"I don't understand the question but there are no vegan restaurants
nearby." We cried and sobbed and held each other for warmth.
He then suggested we walk to the Hello Kitty exhibit and get it out of the way
while we strategize further.</span><br />
<br />
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the restaurant had been opened, it would have been perfection. A nice
meal, then a brisk walk to the museum, then headed back to the subway, satiated
and satisfied. Instead my voracious friend desperately suggested we step
into a Subway sandwich shop to hold us over. "I came all the way
from New York,"
I snapped as he turned red with humiliation. "I want to try vegan
restaurants; not fast food chain restaurants that I can get
anywhere." I could see I hurt his feelings and he ran away in the
opposite direction leaving me far, far behind. Well, this last part
didn't happen but we still couldn't figure out where else to eat and both of us
were too fatigued to walk back to the subway without any food. Then I got
a text from one of my vegan friends who suggested I try Âu Lạc, a mostly raw
restaurant that has a location in Fountain
Valley and now one in Downtown L.A. which would be
about a mile away.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EAZsLXEIj4Y/Ve0FWJwmE2I/AAAAAAAAA30/jIQqRoFxjAk/s1600/IMG_6187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EAZsLXEIj4Y/Ve0FWJwmE2I/AAAAAAAAA30/jIQqRoFxjAk/s400/IMG_6187.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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went inside and enjoyed the exhibit while he stayed behind, appreciative of
both the air conditioning and the fact that I had convinced him to get a
protein bar that morning.<br />
<br />
The Hello Kitty exhibit was super cute!</span> </span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ony48NBfiTs/Ve5SThBE5OI/AAAAAAAAA5g/8E2ETN6gDFo/s1600/IMG_6233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ony48NBfiTs/Ve5SThBE5OI/AAAAAAAAA5g/8E2ETN6gDFo/s400/IMG_6233.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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friend looked up the location on his phone and it was a little over a mile away
but fortunately close to a subway station which we'd have to venture towards
anyway. We were so hungry & fatigued, so I suggested we use an Uber
to go there. Due to it being the afternoon, the rates were $35! It seemed crazy
to pay that much for a 12-block car ride. So, despite our exhaustion, we
decided to walk to the restaurant, 1.2 miles away.</span> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><br />
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of town (just a few blocks north of where we walked initially) was a much
easier venture with much nicer scenery. There was City Hall, The Civic
Center, Grand Park,The Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Before we knew it, we arrived at Âu Lạc. We had made it in one piece.</span><br />
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upscale. The ambiance was stunning, like we had entered the lobby of an
expensive hotel. The place was entirely empty; apparently nobody waits
until 4pm to eat lunch. Our jovial hostess/waitress greeted us right away
and I asked her how to pronounce the name of the restaurant -- I was told it's
Aw Lock. She said it was a Vietnemese word. When she asked if we had parked downstairs, we told her how we
had taken the subway, reached a dead end with our initial dining experience,
and then had to trudge back to our current destination. She took mercy on
our hunger and retreated to the back for a surprise. She returned with
complimentary Cheezy Lime Popcorn that we had seen when we looked at <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the menu. It was perfect!
Salty, tangy, light and fluffy -- probably air popped. We devoured it
quickly and were appreciative of her gesture of good will. </span> </span><br />
<br />
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<![endif]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The waitress suggested we
start off with the eggrolls as appetizers(not really egg, don't worry). She returned shortly with them and
explained that they are best when wrapped in the lettuce and mint, then dipped
into the accompanying sauce. [note: now it explains why Lan Cafe always gave mint & lettuce with their spring rolls.. I never had any clue!) She showed us how to roll it. When
we dipped them into the sauce, wow… the combination between
the crispy hot eggless rolls and the crispy cold lettuce and mint, dipped into sauce was amazing.</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7gSvVEm-dgs/Ve0H3uk_uTI/AAAAAAAAA4M/AmYHXUtbOZY/s1600/IMG_1772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7gSvVEm-dgs/Ve0H3uk_uTI/AAAAAAAAA4M/AmYHXUtbOZY/s320/IMG_1772.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wqhy8kLEJps/Ve0H3-bZt1I/AAAAAAAAA4Q/C9Jdm-8wN-w/s1600/IMG_1776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wqhy8kLEJps/Ve0H3-bZt1I/AAAAAAAAA4Q/C9Jdm-8wN-w/s400/IMG_1776.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Now it came time to order
our entrees. My friend was balancing his time between Shazaam-ing every
song that played in the restaurant (something he is notorious for) and looking
up reviews on Yelp to get a sense of what to order. He was interested in
the Ito Burrito because he really liked the vegan burrito he had had at V Spot
in Brooklyn… but then remembered that this was
a raw restaurant and it would be a different experience altogether. We
then both decided we wanted the Sweet & Spicy Tempeh but I didn't want to
get the same thing because with two separate dishes, I could experience them
both. I picked a dish that came highly recommended on Yelp -- the Curried
Rice.</span> </div>
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and the Curried Rice was so cute, in the shape of a heart!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My friend tried some bites of his tempeh and
he seemed enamored, too. It was exactly what he had been in the mood for
so he chose correctly. On the side of his plate was a jalapeño pepper
which the waitress warned him about. He promised to at least give it a
try at some point in his meal.</span><br />
<br />
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every bite, he decided to take a bite of the pepper to live up to his
promise. And then everything changed. He spit it out almost
immediately but the heat and flavor had altered his tastebuds. Now
whenever he took a bite of tempeh, the texture had changed for him, as did the
taste. It was hard for him to swallow.<br />
<br />Hooray for me! We switched plates and I finished off his tempeh while he
much appreciated the lighter, creamier curried rice. </span></div>
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<![endif]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">When the waitress returned,
I commented on how the pepper had changed his palate and she said it happens
all the time. It's so odd something very, very minuscule in size can have
such an effect. The entire thing seemed to have completely altered his
perception of the meal which he had initially loved so much.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I wanted to try some
dessert and couldn't decide, despite their being limited options -- Baklava,
Gelato, Choconut X-tasy, and Tirawmisu (all raw versions of the popular
desserts). Every Yelp review warned not to get the tiramisu and my friend
even reminded me of this. My friend isn’t a fan of coconut so that took
the Choconut off as an option. When the waitress returned and tried to
help me decide, I spontaneously decided on the Tirawmisu. He seemed
optimistic about the choice despite it clearly being disliked by all reviewers
online.</span> </span></span></div>
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<![endif]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">When it came, we finally
learned that the reviewers were correct -- the entire thing had a weird texture
and wasn't very tasty in any capacity. It was made with macadamia cheese. It
wasn't creamy and rich like you'd expect, nor was it chocolatey, Our favorite
part was the beautiful presentation.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Our meal was now
completed. I took in the stunning atmosphere, appreciated the savory
meal, and was thankful for the attentive service. Âu Lạc was a high
quality yet affordable vegan dining experience. It made me want to rush
back to Los Angeles to take the subway to experience it all over again --
fortunately, the restaurant is right by the subway since we walked a mile east
to get to our first location and then a mile west to get back. So if you
live along the Red Line in Los Angeles,
you can get there in no time. Bypass the traffic! Escape the $35
Uber fees! But if you're up for a walk, by all means, work up an
appetite. We did. And it made Âu Lạc the perfect place to get a
vegan meal.</span> </span></div>
arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-46227392420489642132015-03-01T16:59:00.000-08:002015-03-01T17:07:27.860-08:00Review- Lyfe KitchenI pass by Lyfe Kitchen often, but I'm always on the way somewhere and never had time to stop in, until last week. It's located on 55th Street between 7th and 8th Avenue.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Always like seeing this on the outside.</div>
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How cute! A fork to open the door with</div>
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They have their menu up on this wall, on a sign in the window, on the wall when you come in AND paper menus! haha I always like reading paper menus because I find it easier for some reason, than reading a board.<br />
<br />
This place is not all vegan, but it clearly marks what's vegan, what's gluten free and what contains nuts. It also lists the calories and the amount of sodium. Definitely have never seen the amount of sodium listed. I was thinking of getting the Thai Red Curry Bowl, but that has 950mg of sodium!! Yikes! I decided I'd get several things, and went with the Sweet Corn Chowder (though now I see it's 953mg of sodium haha I must have looked that over at the time! Yipes.) , Roasted Brussels Sprouts, a side of their Garlic Lime Tofu and a Chocolate Chip Cookie, which is listed as "still warm, fresh out of the oven", that was definitely not a hard sell! Drool.<br />
<br />
I paid and the woman gave me a buzzer and said my food would be brought to me.<br />
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Seating area. There's also some counters in the front and more seating
upstairs. I was going to go upstairs to see what it looked like, but
was lazy haha<br />
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Love these quotes at some of the tables<br />
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After waiting about 15 minutes, a woman brought my food to the table. The buzzer didn't go off or anything so not sure exactly how that works..maybe it's used more when it's crowded..not sure<br />
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Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Squash and Cranberries. Of course, typical vegan worry.. "what's that sauce? it looks creamy" I was pretty sure it said vegan on the menu, but now wasn't sure. I went up to the counter and she told me it was dijon vinaigrette, and sure enough, my initial thought that it said vegan on the menu was accurate.<br />
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side of the garlic lime tofu. Tasted it on it's own and it was super flavorful! The woman at the counter told me she add it into the brussels, & so I decided to copy her idea<br />
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SO tasty!! Really loved this. Although, it was cold, and I expected it to be warm and think it would have been better if it was warm. I mentioned it when I was leaving and the woman thought it was odd and said it should have been warm. hmm. Nonetheless, it was really yummy.<br />
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Sweet Corn Chowder soup, which is made with cashew cream. This was also delicious<br />
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& last, but certainly not least:<br />
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This was also really good! It was crunchy.<br />
Everything was so good here!! Really enjoyed my meal! Was a bit full, as everything was really filling.<br />
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Total calories: 772<br />
Total sodium:1,678<br />
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A bit excessive for one meal. I think I'll definitely ask them next time, why some things have SO much sodium in them..<br />
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I'm definitely going to come back here though.<br />
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They even have their own little garden! How cute<br />
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<br />arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-6000088331780273932015-02-05T20:16:00.001-08:002015-02-05T20:26:06.358-08:00Chocolate that I'm in Love withI've never been a huge chocolate bar person, until now.<br />
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A few weeks ago while I was at Whole Foods, a woman was sampling <span class="url" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_10_0_1_1423190559043_278"><a href="http://www.vitaorganicfoods.com/">Vita Chocolate</a> , she had a few flavors, but she wasn't the friendliest, so I only sampled two. The goji berry and the orange almond chocolate. I really liked both, but at $4.99 a bar, I wasn't sure if I should buy one, two, or both. I wandered around the store and kept thinking about it & after a short while, decided I'd buy both! </span><br />
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(yes I took the photo after opening it and after finishing the goji one)<br />
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This is what they look like. Yum Yum Yum.<br />
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<span class="url" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_10_0_1_1423190559043_278">I
really
love both of them. They're so tasty!!! I only eat a few pieces at a
time, so they last me a few days. I usually don't love super dark
chocolate because I find it bitter, but these aren't bitter at all
despite being 72% cacao. Since these bars use raw cacao, they're super
high in antioxidant. Many people know that antioxidants are good for them, but they don't really know what antioxidants are. </span><span class="url" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_10_0_1_1423190559043_278"> Antioxidants are nutrients in food which help prevent
or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body cells use
oxygen, they produce "free radicals" which can
cause damage. Antioxidants help prevent and repair the damage. Some people say they help prevent cancer and other diseases. </span><br />
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<span class="url" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_10_0_1_1423190559043_278">I've been alternating with which bars to buy each
week. In the orange one, I love the flavor combination of the chocolate
with the orange. In the goji bar, I like the combination of the
chocolate and the chewy goji berries. Goji berries are one of
the highest foods in antioxidants, the combo of the cacao and goji
berries, make this one super filled with antioxidants! Both bars have
only 5 ingredients. The orange almond has 7.5g of sugar in 1/2 a bar and
the goji berry has 9g in 1/2 a bar, not bad at all! I don't feel guilty at all about eating these, especially because there are some health benefits too! I
do want to try some of their other flavors at some point, especially the
peanut butter since I love mostly everything that's peanut butter and
chocolate. I also noticed they come in a package of mini sized
pieces[instead of a bar], but it's the same price. I guess it just
depends on the shape you like of your chocolate! </span><br />
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<span class="url" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_10_0_1_1423190559043_278">Here's their <a href="http://www.vitaorganicfoods.com/store_locator_s/1845.htm">store locator</a>, and if they don't have them in a place nearby, you can order them online!</span> <br />
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-2zTh1k6Zobs%2FVNQrosyCAfI%2FAAAAAAAAAjM%2FlwyJYrYi2Fw%2Fs1600%2Fchocolate3.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2zTh1k6Zobs/VNQrosyCAfI/AAAAAAAAAjM/lwyJYrYi2Fw/s1600/chocolate3.jpg" -->arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-53777678157437348342015-01-22T07:41:00.000-08:002015-01-22T07:41:22.770-08:00Vegan in New Jersey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently traveled to New Jersey to check out 2 new all vegan restaurants with my friend. The first was Positivitea, which is in Verona, NJ. Turned out it has been opened for about a year. I had only heard of it in the past few weeks.<br />
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Here's the menu. There were several booths, counters by the window and a bunch of tables. Several things sounded good, but since I knew I wanted dessert, I decided to go healthy & went with the Garden of Vegan: Spinach wrap, chickpea patty, kale, romaine, onion, cucumber, pickles and vegan mayo (I said no tomato). The burgers said they come with chips or kale slaw, the wraps didn't mention it. I asked for a side of kale slaw and I wasn't charged, so I guess it's included with the wraps too.<br />
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The kale slaw was really watery and not super flavorful. The wrap was good, though I tried the chickpea patty on its own and it was flavorless. I think without the vegan mayo, this wrap would have been super bland, but the mayo helped it. It was very light and healthy.<br />
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My friend got the Bean Jr. Burger on a pretzel bun!<br />
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This was really flavorful! (It comes with special ahi sauce, whatever that is, vegan mayo, miso spread and vegan cheese, as well as the black bean patty and veggies) I think the sauces etc made it very tasty! If I come back here, I will definitely get this! and the pretzel bun was very tasty too. I was a fan!<br />
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Cute signs and art.<br />
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Next up was dessert! They offer vanilla soft serve (which after asking, found out they use Temptation from Chicago Vegan Foods). They offer milkshakes as well as sundaes. They have a bunch of options with all sorts of toppings.<br />
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My friend went with the Cookie Munster (yes spelled that way)<br />
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Vanilla ice cream, chocolate chips, chocolate sauce and cookies, & YES you see that currently! There are toppings in the middle! They put the ice cream in, add the toppings, then add more ice cream! Love this idea!<br />
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Here's mine:<br />
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Peanut Butter & Jelly! Vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, jam, & graham crackers. Neither of us were sure of what she put on top..but I think it was either maple syrup or agave. Think agave.<br />
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Super yum!!<br />
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and here's a photo of the pretty bathroom wall art & the neat mirror<br />
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I would definitely come back here and recommend checking it out!<br />
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A few hours later we went to Killer Vegan, which is in Union, NJ. They have only been open since September. I had been excited about trying when I first heard about it, although less excited when I saw a photo of their limited menu. Nevertheless, we decided to give it a try with an open mind<br />
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The space inside is HUGE! & my friend and I both wondered what was there before. The first thing my friend noticed was that they had a sign that they were out of milkshakes. I wasn't too upset as they use Kleins ice cream. Ick.<br />
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Once inside we chatted with the woman working about the menu and a customer who was taking a bunch of food to go and he recommended what we should get (which was basically everything. He was head over heels with the place). The woman working was very nice and friendly. Their menu is very limited (a few sandwiches, salads..) They were having tacos for dinner, but they weren't going to be ready for 30+ minutes, those sounded like they would have been really good. My friend and I both decided to get the Sausage and Peppers. I got mine with a side of kale salad and she got hers with roasted brussels sprouts.<br />
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The kale salad was very tasty, much better than the kale slaw at Positivitea and the roasted brussels sprouts were also very good. I really liked the sandwich as well. I'm not a huge fan of sandwiches, but I enjoyed it. The woman working told me they make their own sausage..which is a mix of wheat, beans..and now I can't remember what else (I should start writing things down so I remember these things!) I especially liked the ends which were crunchy (oddly my friend wasn't a fan of the ends and gave me hers)</div>
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The texture was great. The taste was not. It was smokey, and there was no mention of it being smokey anywhere. If you're a fan of smoked food, maybe this mac and cheese is for you, however I very much dislike smokey so I didn't enjoy it & my friend got to eat most of it. She also felt there was another weird taste that she couldn't pinpoint.</div>
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We each got a chocolate chip cookie to go </div>
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Lots of chocolate chips! but didn't think it was anything special..</div>
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Due to its very limited menu, I wouldn't go back to Killer Vegan. Both my friend and I agreed after we left, that we wouldn't know what to get if we were to come back. However, they do have all you can eat brunch I think twice a month and I might come back for that. The owner told me they have pancakes, french toast, biscuits and gravy, tofu scramble, steamed kale, rice and beans..(odd, though I know when I was in Costa Rica people ate rice and beans for breakfast lunch and dinner), and coffee/tea. She did say to get there early because people like to go and not leave. I recommend giving this place a try though, especially if you're in the area.</div>
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<br />arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-76720786309198941302014-10-29T15:21:00.001-07:002014-10-29T16:02:02.302-07:00Vegan in Disneyworld<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I recently went to Disneyworld, I took my sample packs of <a href="http://www.barneybutter.com/">Barney Butters</a> that I got at Natural Products Expo East, and bought some bananas to have for breakfast. [I did have some granola as well]<br />
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Each day I tried a different Almond Butter. [note: they also have an espresso and vanilla bean one which I gave to my mom since I'm not a fan of espresso & a honey and chia one that I also gave to her]<br />
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I really liked all of them! I think my favorite was the Raw + Chia one. I liked the crunchyness of the chia seeds. The Cocoa and Coconut one was such a nice flavor. <br />
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Update: I found 1 more at my house: crunchy. It was so good!<br />
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However, I probably wouldn't buy them since they add sugar, oil and salt to them and I prefer to have just plain almond butter with nothing added, but these were definitely yummy tasting.<br />
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& now for everyone's question: "What did you eat at disneyworld?"<br />
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Day 1: We went to Epcot<br />
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We had lunch at the Land. There's a bunch of different quick service places there. We went to the Asian one, where they had vegan Mongolian beef. I was pretty surprised to see this as as an option!<br />
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I was pleasantly surprised by how good and flavorful this was! Really enjoyed it, as did my friend. Of course, I wish they had brown rice but can't be too picky in Disneyworld. They also had Enjoy Life cookies which I wasn't a fan of and gave my second cookie to my friend (who loved them).</div>
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Also in the food court I saw these:</div>
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Unsweetened apple sauce! so cute. I didn't have any. They also had little bags of carrots, as well as grapes and apples too.<br />
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It turned out the International Food & Wine festival was also taking place, which I wasn't aware of prior to coming. After some quick googling [free wifi throughout all of Disneyworld btw] I found out there was an all vegan stand!<br />
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We were still full from lunch but we got a crab cake and cupcake to share.<br />
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THIS WAS SO GOOD!! I wish I was hungrier because I would have gotten 5 more. We did try to go back later on, but were too late. I've never had a crab cake in my life, but my friend had and he said it takes just like a real crab cake. I also loved whatever the sauce was. tarter?<br />
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I wasn't sure if I'd like this but it was pretty tasty! A bit too much frosting but it wasn't overly sweet. Nothing amazing either but was tasty.<br />
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For dinner we ate in Morocco at Tangine.<br />
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I got the vegetable platter minus olives (not a fan), and minus falafael because the woman working told me it's cooked with the chicken tenders. yeck. She said I could have 2 extras of something else which I thought was really nice! I got extra hummus and extra couscous. The couscous was my favorite, so flavorful! Everything tasted good. <br />
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next day we went to Hollywood Studios [previously known as MGM which I still prefer calling it!] <br />
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We had lunch at Pizza Planet. They offer vegan pizza with Follow Your Heart cheese, they told me it would take a bit longer, but I was fine with that and said they'd put some veggies on top.<br />
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probably one of the most unattractive pizzas! haha I also was expecting cooked vegetables, not raw. It wasn't too flavorful but they did have packets of red pepper flakes and black pepper so that helped, but yeah was a bit bland, but I'm happy they offer it & it definitely wasn't terrible at all! Side salad of veggies with shreds of the cheese and they had italian dressing.<br />
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For dinner, we went to the Sci-Fi Diner, which was a really cool atmosphere! The tables are cars and they show movies. I wish there was a place like this is New York! It was really neat.<br />
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They offer vanilla or chocolate milkshakes. They use tofutti. I was *not* a fan. Thought it tasted..not good, but my <a href="http://www.planetchocko.com/">friend</a> really liked his! I guess we all have different taste buds :)<br />
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For my meal I had their veggie burger. It was so dark inside so the photo didn't come out well. It was pretty tasty and came with a side of sweet potato fries.<br />
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Next, (best) and last day. was Magic Kingdom!<br />
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I had really wanted to go to Liberty Square, because I heard they make a quinoa burger, but they were booked for the entire day! sheesh! I had met up with some friends and they suggested we eat at Tortuga Tavern in Adventureland. I got a burrito which comes with cilantro rice which has dairy in it, I asked for regular white rice instead. In my burrito, was just rice and beans..maybe there was lettuce but now I can't remember if it was in it already or if I got it from the toppings bar. They have a toppings bar where they have various salsas to add. They had also given me a cup of white rice on the side too(I didn't ask for it). My friend had also asked for white rice and they wouldn't give it to him. When they gave me my rice, the woman working said they only give it to people with allergies. (I didn't say I had an allergy, think I just said I don't eat dairy, but just an FYI for anyone who wants the plain white rice, just say you're allergic to cilantro or dairy from the regular rice) I was actually surprised, but the burrito was pretty good! I liked it.<br />
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We also got the famous Dole Whip, that I've heard so much about. They offer pineapple, orange and vanilla. The vanilla isn't vegan, but the other two are. I got a twist of pineapple and orange and liked it. Very sweet but tasty. My friends told me to just get pineapple on its own since it's classic. Was going to go back to do that, but never made it back there. Next time!<br />
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For dinner we went here:<br />
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The people working were so helpful. [note: ALL locations in Disneyworld have books with all the ingredients. Some of the workers are nicer than others when you ask to look at it] The woman working told me I could either get the vegetable burger, but the bun wasn't vegan, but said I could get the gluten free bun that was vegan or a vegetable wrap but the dressing wasn't vegan so it'd just be the wrap with veggies. I went with the vegetable burger on the gluten free bun. They also said they'd cook it separately but that it'd take a bit longer, again, I didn't mind. The vegetable burger comes with just the burger and the bun but they also have a toppings bar. At the toppings bars they had regular onions, caramelized onions, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes.. I added a bunch of lettuce and both types of onions. I must say...wow! I couldn't believe how amazing this burger was. One of the best, if not the best, veggie burger I've had. It was SO tasty. You could see some corn and red pepper in the burger. I really couldn't believe how good it was. My non vegan friend also got the vegetable burger and also agreed about how good it was. <br />
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& that's my recap of vegan food at Disneyland. 'til next time!<br />
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<br />arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-54052220134872290912014-10-15T22:09:00.001-07:002014-10-16T07:20:58.909-07:00Protings<br />
On my second day of walking around Natural Products East, I passed a potato chip table. I figured in my mind that it was just another potato chip and wasn't too interested, so I kept walking, until one of the guys behind the table yelled "vegan in the big apple! come on over here! We're from New York!" & so I did.<br />
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<a href="http://www.protings.com/">Protings</a> are a vegan, gluten free and GMO-free potato chip, that you guessed it (or were you even guessing?) has protein in it! They make their chips from pea protein. This is definitely something I have never seen before! I was quite interested when the 2 guys behind the table, Krik and Ryan, told me about their product. They have 3 flavors: Sea Salt, Chilli Lime and BBQ. I tried the lime and really liked it! I was pretty full, so they gave me some samples to take home. They were both so nice and were so excited about me writing about them. [sorry for the delay!]<br />
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On my way home to New York, I was getting really hungry. I remembered I had some bags of Protings in my bag and decided to eat the chilli lime, well with 15g of protein in 1 bag, it kept me full for the remainder of the bus ride and for a while after! <br />
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My friend and I eating Protings on the train.<br />
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I think I prefer the chilli lime, though they're spicy, or some of them were spicy, the whole bag wasn't, only some of them were spicy. hmm. These chips aren't greasy or oily which is nice!<br />
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Nutritional Info! Barely any sugar! </div>
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You can see where they sell Protings near you by plugging in your zip code, <a href="http://www.protings.com/pages/locations">here</a><br />
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These guys were so nice and I love the idea of a protein filled potato chip, and dare I even call them a healthy potato chip? Who would have thought there'd be such a thing? go try them out! arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-10111662088143891982014-10-02T07:49:00.000-07:002014-10-02T07:49:34.623-07:00Natural Products Expo East Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I attended Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore a couple of weeks ago. It was my first time going and I had a great time! I am pretty overwhelmed. I got A LOT of samples and I'm going to try to review as much as possible. Currently everything is in a full suitcase, full bag and some in my fridge. I decided that first I'm going to post photos of the items I got to try at the expo, but that I wasn't able to take home, as well as some samples I didn't get to try, but ones I am looking forward to coming out!</div>
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First up:</div>
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Oh so good! Actually, all their products were really tasty! Here's another:</div>
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really good! I also tried a black bean strudel, which was also yummy. Sadly for me and other East Coasters, they're products are currently only on the west coast. Please bring them here!!</div>
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Sloppy joe in a taco..I also tried the artichoke one, and they were both AMAZING. so tasty. I could have stood there and had sample after sample. The artichoke burger is made from artichokes, cashews and brown rice. The sloppy joe is made from seitan and the griller burger which I didn't try, is also made from seitan. They are Ohio based and also, sadly not here yet. Please come to the East Coast!!! </div>
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I've seen this in whole foods, but had never tried it prior. They had little cups with one or two of each fry and I loved them all. (broccoli, chickpea, and carrot)</div>
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Wildwood (don't think I've ever bought their tofu, is it any good?) made some Chocolate Mousse, so creamy and yummy</div>
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I would have posted a photo of the actual burger but they were giving out samples with their burger on non vegan dressing and so they just gave me the burger with no dressing & it didn't look pretty, however both the nut burgers and nut balls tasted really good. Made from cashews, brown rice, sunflower seeds and spices, they were very tasty. However, they too, are based in CA and not available here yet :( sensing a pattern...</div>
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Coming soon! Sambazon acai bowls! While, I make my own acai bowls, this is a great alternative if you're on the go!</div>
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I chatted with owner, Dionne, for quite some time and she was so sweet! She told me the idea for the tea pops came from her sons. One son, doesn't eat sugar and likes tea and the other son suggested making tea popsicles. How cute! I tried both the coconut and the mango and loved both, especially the coconut. They are low in sugar and tasty! She told me she has gotten them into over 100 stores in a year. Sadly, I checked and they are not yet in stores in New York, but they are sold in Wegmens on the East Coast, so hopefully they will make it to NYC soon! </div>
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New product alert! Cookie Dough by Hampton Creek who brought us Just Mayo. It was yummy and they had cookies as you can see, which they told me they used their cookie dough to make them, and they were all so soft and perfect. or at least the 2 I tried were :)</div>
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Another new product alert! I usually buy my quinoa and quinoa pasta from Ancient Harvest & while I didn't get a chance to sample these (they weren't sampling them the times I passed by), I am super excited for these to hit the shelves so I can try them!</div>
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From Berlin! I tried 2 of them..the mint and I'm not sure which other..but they were both really good! Sadly, not available in the US yet, but he did tell me you can order from their <a href="http://www.cosmoveda.de/">website</a> <cite class="_Rm"></cite></div>
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Another new pasta! Didn't get to try this, but they told me it's sold at Eataly! So I'll have to pick it up one day to try</div>
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That's all for now, but I will try to write some reviews for actual products I got to take home, as well as tried there very soon! Stay tuned!</div>
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arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-30986952882790157812014-09-12T06:54:00.002-07:002014-09-12T06:54:51.902-07:00Favorite places in BerlinBerlin is one of the most vegan friendly cities in the world. According to <a href="http://www.happycow.net/">Happy Cow</a>, there are about 30 all vegan restaurants in Berlin. There are more vegetarian ones & countless are veg friendly[<span style="font-size: x-small;">if not, almost all]</span>. Almost everywhere has vegan options clearly marked<span style="font-size: x-small;">[I even noticed in some supermarkets things in the bakery, as well as on the shelf, were clearly marked with the word "vegan"]</span> Even most ice cream shops offer several soy flavors. There's also the popular vegan grocery store <a href="http://www.veganz.de/">Veganz</a>, which has 2 locations in Berlin & I visited them several times.(as well as the location in Hamburg)<br />
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Now, on to the actual restaurants & food! Here are my top places, in no particular order:<br />
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Let it Be, as the sign says is an all vegan creperie, selling both sweet and savory crepes.<br />
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This is only part of the menu. They also have both a German & an English menu. As you can see, the names of the items are vegan celebrities, the whole menu is designed this way.<br />
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this cute guy was behind us! </div>
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Shortly after ordering, they gave us free mini muffins! They were corn muffins, my friend
thought they were dry, but I thought they were tasty! I was a fan! &
how nice of them to give them to us!</div>
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It was hard to decide what to get! So many things sounded really good! & I kept trying to decided if I wanted savory or sweet. I kept going back and forth, but since I rarely get the sweet option these days when I eat, I figured, I'm on vacation! So Why not? & so, I went with the Alicia Silverstone : Chocolate Cream & Banana. It was delicious! & not too sweet!<br />
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how cute are those plastic hearts to hold the bread together! (I'm sure there's an actual name for this..but can't think of it haha)<br />
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This was the dish I was trying to decide between, the Johnny Marr: <span class="st">caramalized <i></i></span> tofu, apples, walnuts, greens and chutney. I tried a piece and really liked it! I was thinking of getting it to go but after the meal I was so full, I couldn't think about food. [I do regret this, as it was really good and would have loved to have a whole sandwich of it)<br />
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My other friend got the Mike Tyson burger, which I remember it being BBQ Chicken & not sure what else was in it, but he was a fan!<br />
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Then! I couldn't believe it! They brought over this:<br />
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More free food! I'm not exactly sure why they gave it to us..said something about having extra? not sure..After my sweet crepe, I couldn't eat too much of this! but of course, I did have a few bites. It was tasty but I was sweetened out!</div>
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Anyways, I highly recommend this place. We all liked it & I'd definitely go back.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next up!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sfizy Veg is an all vegan pizza place! Since we do have some vegan pizza options in NYC, I didn't feel the need to run to it, and wound up going here on my last night. Well, had I gone earlier in my trip, I would have definitely come back. The menu is huge! probably 20 pages! All in German, but luckily, since I was with Germans, they helped me out. They had a page for salads, several pages for pizza pies, one page for slices, one for calzones, there were pastas & more.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately, it was dark & so my photos of the food didn't come out well :( so I will just tell you about them (I know, not as exciting as photos!) I went for the pie with cheese & spinach and broccoli & it was amazing. In Germany, there's a ton of vegan cheeses, & I have no idea which one they used, but it was delicious & the style was like old school pizza. So good. My friend got the..well I'm not sure what it was called, but it was a mix of Mexican Food & Italian Food..I remember there was marinara sauce, but there was also guacamole, there was cheese, maybe beans. When she told me she ordered that, I was a bit scared that it was going to be awful, but, surprisingly, it was AMAZING and I would definitely order it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's some photos of the inside</span></span></div>
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How cute!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Oh & a heads up, it's cash only.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Next we have</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TpQI0D4AqmI/VBE5q-weTbI/AAAAAAAAASc/U7tRsLnF7Ac/s1600/IMG_6346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TpQI0D4AqmI/VBE5q-weTbI/AAAAAAAAASc/U7tRsLnF7Ac/s1600/IMG_6346.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> This place was SO cute! Look at all the pink!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">& before I go on, I must show the beautiful dessert case</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CfOOP0PF2lo/VBE57XJnUSI/AAAAAAAAASk/E_-KXhybFnY/s1600/IMG_6345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CfOOP0PF2lo/VBE57XJnUSI/AAAAAAAAASk/E_-KXhybFnY/s1600/IMG_6345.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Oh La La specializes in French desserts, but they also have food. On the weekend, they have an ALL YOU CAN EAT VEGAN BRUNCH! (turns out several restaurants in Berlin offer this, but sadly I didn't make it to them :( <span style="font-size: x-small;">[Kopps, Mia Matto, Cafe Morgenrot, Viasko..& there are probably other places I'm not aware of]</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh La La's all you can eat brunch, I believe was 12 euros, that is considered on the pricier side of things, though it didn't seem like a lot to me! There was a mix of both sweet & savory:</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--qXd4cxk4Yw/VBHmmBbsruI/AAAAAAAAATE/0yxQRmYD8IQ/s1600/photo-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--qXd4cxk4Yw/VBHmmBbsruI/AAAAAAAAATE/0yxQRmYD8IQ/s1600/photo-19.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I want those bowls! So pretty.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YolVX17JsKs/VBHnSiWSd_I/AAAAAAAAATM/aRiOFt-s3YY/s1600/photo-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YolVX17JsKs/VBHnSiWSd_I/AAAAAAAAATM/aRiOFt-s3YY/s1600/photo-20.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pineapple Coconut Smoothie! So delicious </span></span></span></span></div>
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these were yummy, filled with different beans and corn</div>
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I took more photos but they didn't come out too clearly unfortunately and my regular camera battery had died. Other things that they had were the most amazing strawberry mousse crumble, I went back to get it several times & it was the first thing they ran out, the other most amazing thing was this vanilla cream dish with almonds , I'm not even sure what it was, but it was heavenly. Other items were various salads, one that I enjoyed had tempeh in it, there was a gazpacho soup, a risotto, some tofu dishes. Definitely lots to choose from.<br />
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After I finished eating & chatting with the people at my table, it was time to figure out what to have for dessert. I was so full, so I had to take it to go. It was very hard to decide but the woman working helped me telling me what their specialties are and what you can and can't find elsewhere.<br />
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I went with:<br />
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Indiana - Peanut Butter</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d7pO5p4w9EA/VBJbldXzXSI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/KqMNrlX1n44/s1600/photo-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d7pO5p4w9EA/VBJbldXzXSI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/KqMNrlX1n44/s1600/photo-25.jpg" height="640" width="476" /></a></div>
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Igloo's- Chocolate with coconut cream</div>
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I had both several hours later while at the park & they were both delicious. I think I liked the peanut butter one more but loved both! &surprisingly they were both not overly sweet!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ghqMGcaksIE/VBJdm2yPMmI/AAAAAAAAAUk/1Bv16_nyF40/s1600/photo-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ghqMGcaksIE/VBJdm2yPMmI/AAAAAAAAAUk/1Bv16_nyF40/s1600/photo-22.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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This seems to be their image, if it was on a shirt I would have probably bought it.</div>
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The last two places that I'm going to mention are actually in Hamburg. I went there for the day.</div>
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My first stop there was Eisbande, which I actually found out about randomly on Instagram! </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lzGxsPbWpfE/VBJc8rsInQI/AAAAAAAAAUc/ZnYJ9QjXIKs/s1600/IMG_6140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lzGxsPbWpfE/VBJc8rsInQI/AAAAAAAAAUc/ZnYJ9QjXIKs/s1600/IMG_6140.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[Eis is Ice Cream]</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">This place was super cute & the woman working was very helpful, and translated things for me, as everything was written in German. I sampled several flavors, but in the end went with Vanilla & Snickers!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I love how this looks! You can't go wrong with a heart wafer! There's also strawberry sauce and those little bits are hazelnuts. SO delicious! I wish i had more time to come by for more later in the day.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">For lunch I went to <a href="http://happenpappenblog.wordpress.com/">HappenPappen</a>. I randomly picked this place from the list of vegan places on HappyCow and I'm glad I did, because not only was the food probably my favorite from my trip so far (went there on maybe my 4th day) but the people working there were so nice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Red lentil balls with sweet potato mash. This also came with a side salad which had THE most amazing dressing, which the woman told me they make in house, it was a mix of mango and passion fruit if I'm remembering correctly [<span style="font-size: x-small;">note to self: take notes next time! I'm not sure why I thought I'd remember everything!].</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The red lentil balls were so tasty, really loved it. For dessert I had the blueberry pie. I know it may look a little odd, but I can assure you, it was delicious!</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-742L6U0akJg/VBJjkwfU2DI/AAAAAAAAAVU/RwoX8fYt_fo/s1600/photo-28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-742L6U0akJg/VBJjkwfU2DI/AAAAAAAAAVU/RwoX8fYt_fo/s1600/photo-28.jpg" height="640" width="476" /></a></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>I would definitely recommend this place. Yummy food, super nice staff & they have vegan books for sale too.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before I go though, here's a photo of some of the things I bought at Veganz, as well as some from the local supermarket. Favorites were the Vego, Dame Blanche, Shortcake cookie, Nougat bar, Amore Milo wafer, the Twibio, and the Teegeback cookies...why did I bother saying favorites? all of it was pretty amazing!!! & I still have a fridge filled with some of these! Trying to make them last! <a href="http://www.veganz.de/"><br /></a></span></span></div>
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arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-50066608148456121532014-08-29T21:45:00.002-07:002014-08-30T10:24:49.954-07:00Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches & more!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jXrh-WkiMqI/VAFUdgRXzxI/AAAAAAAAAQA/QQc_uaOx3eI/s1600/icecreamsandwich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jXrh-WkiMqI/VAFUdgRXzxI/AAAAAAAAAQA/QQc_uaOx3eI/s1600/icecreamsandwich.jpg" height="320" width="272" /></a></div>
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Woahh! I was recently in my favorite ice cream shop ever (516 East 6th Street between Ave A & Ave B) and saw there were now macaron ice cream sandwiches!<br />
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I love <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SweetMaresa">Sweet Maresa's</a> macarons, they're so good and addictive. I found out about them from the monthly vegan shop up's at <a href="http://www.pineboxrockshop.com/">Pine Box</a>. I've never had a non vegan macaron(not to be confused with the coconut macaroons, they're two completely different things, macarons are a French pastry), so I have nothing to compare it to, but I love them. Love the taste and texture. Maresa is so sweet & she always has different macarons to choose from. My favorites are the almond, pistachio or fruity ones.When I found out she was pairing up with my favorite ice cream for an ice cream sandwich, I was beyond excited! Two of my favorite things together? What could be better?<br />
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A staff member at the ice cream shop recommended the lemon macaron which came with strawberry ice cream(always a favorite), and it definitely did not disappoint!! It was so good!<br />
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Other new items include ice cream bars!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mqLML3EPX9I/VAFc7FrMU1I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/rGRFdtKGTlg/s1600/delicious.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mqLML3EPX9I/VAFc7FrMU1I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/rGRFdtKGTlg/s1600/delicious.jpg" height="640" width="393" /> </a></div>
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thanks <a href="http://myvegangut.blogspot.com/">My Vegan Gut</a> for the photo</div>
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On the left is pistachio and the right is mint chip. [Both bars are the same size, it's just the way the photo was taken] I loved the pistachio and I tried a little of my friends mint chip and liked that as well, I had also previously tried the vanilla and loved that too. There is also a peanut butter one. Aside from these, there are now rice krispy ice cream sandwiches using <a href="http://www.sweetandsara.com/">Sweet & Sara</a> rice krispy treats, and regular ice cream cookie sandwiches using <a href="http://www.gonepie.com/">Gone Pie's</a> cookies! & that's aside from all the delicious ice cream!</div>
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So go on, head to the best ice cream shop ever[currently has no name in case you were confused] and try a macaron ice cream sandwich, ice cream bar or just plain ice cream for yourself!<br />
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I was recently in Berlin, so stay tuned for some restaurant & food reviews from there!arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-86199782514849897512014-07-29T14:01:00.001-07:002014-07-29T15:31:40.302-07:00Snacks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know it's been a while! Hi again! I took a summer class for about 5 or 6 weeks and that kind of took over my life! However, I didn't stop eating! & so I have been saving wrappers & things that I have been wanting to write about! This entry is going to be dedicated to snacks..not sure what else to call it. I definitely prefer to eat actual foods, but sometimes if you're in a rush, it's nice to have a snack!<br />
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We'll start with the first items:<br />
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I spotted these at Commodities (health food store) and thought they sounded interesting! I had never seen them anywhere else, and still have yet to see them anywhere else. It's hard to see, but in the bottom right hand corners it says "Energy Balls", so that also made me interested! I loved both of them! I think I liked the almond butter slightly more, but they were both really good & I'd get both again. There are also almonds in the Spirulina Ginseng ones, so they both kind of taste like marzipan! They are a mixture of soft and chewy. They are both 170 calories and 80 calories from fat. I don't love that they have agave in them . I try to avoid agave. <a href="http://consciouscooking.com/agave-3-main-reasons-avoid-agave-syrup/">This is a good post about why agave is bad</a>. Not sure I would run to get them, but I would get these again though. They were very yummy.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8HJ_vua9xIE/U9cfnAApwDI/AAAAAAAAANo/hXKJDKueg3Y/s1600/squarebar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8HJ_vua9xIE/U9cfnAApwDI/AAAAAAAAANo/hXKJDKueg3Y/s1600/squarebar.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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omg this is SO GOOD! I discovered this at <a href="http://juicegeneration.com/">Juice Generation</a>. I actually don't think I've seen them elsewhere. The first time I had one..now I unfortunately can't remember which one it was! It was awful so I must have blocked it from my memory! I went back shortly after and asked the woman working "do people like these?" and she recommended the cocoa crunch..I hesitantly bought it..and I am glad I did, because it's SO good! I love products that have rice crisps in them, I love the crunchyness of them. All their bars are vegan and gluten free. This bar has 12g of protein! 200 calories and 80 calories from fat. It's a great pre or post workout bar & they don't use any refined sugar. It's sweetened with coconut nectar. Yum Yum Yum. Read more about them & where to buy them on their <a href="http://www.squarebar.com/">website</a>. They donate some of their profit to the non profit Not for Sale which helps to fight against human trafficking.<br />
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<a href="http://www.larabar.com/">Lara Bar </a>came out with protein bars! I've just recently discovered these. Have seen them at Commodities & Westerly. On their website, they show 6 protein bars, but I haven't seen the other varieties yet. These are both really good, and also really filling! They use pea protein for their protein source, and these have 10g of protein them. I always liked Lara Bars because they have such few ingredients. These do have slightly more, but not a lot compared with most bars! (only 8 ingredients!) On the wrapper, it says "1 bar= 1/4 cup of fruit" I think I like the chocolate chip macaroon more, but they're both really good!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YEqDLk0-I44/U9c0VIuGB8I/AAAAAAAAAOc/Y9IYeSZtGuo/s1600/laragranola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YEqDLk0-I44/U9c0VIuGB8I/AAAAAAAAAOc/Y9IYeSZtGuo/s1600/laragranola.jpg" height="320" width="156" /></a></div>
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Aside from <a href="http://www.larabar.com/">Lara Bar</a> coming out with protein bars, they have also come out with granola! I actually can't remember where I got this! I'll have to keep my eyes open. I liked the handy single serving bag it came in, and only 5g of sugar! (Granola often seems to have lots of sugar added!) This is made of almonds, sunflower seeds, coconut, pumpkin seeds, cocoa nibs, cashews and cocoa powder are the main ingredients. I had half in a smoothie bowl and half in some coconut yogurt. It was delicious! If I can find it, I'll definitely buy it again!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0_07sgr3-0Q/U9coaWVHEqI/AAAAAAAAAOI/ygvjB2KPR2Q/s1600/mangochia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0_07sgr3-0Q/U9coaWVHEqI/AAAAAAAAAOI/ygvjB2KPR2Q/s1600/mangochia.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TihEz-8391I/U9corg9PXOI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/KURbNM0ELRM/s1600/chiacherry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TihEz-8391I/U9corg9PXOI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/KURbNM0ELRM/s1600/chiacherry.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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I had <a href="http://veganintheapple.blogspot.com/2014/03/ch-ch-ch-chia.html#comment-form">previously posted </a>about the Chia Bars, but they have just came out with 2 new flavors!! I was excited when I saw them in Whole Foods! The mango one is good, but I don't think I will get it again. I think I prefer my mango plain, and not in things. Oddly, I don't like eating cherries but I love cherries in things, and cherries and chocolate together? So good! I loved the dark chocolate cherry bar & have already gotten it again since getting it the first time. I love these bars!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7eLtjuNxOAE/U9c3Qe20eZI/AAAAAAAAAOo/aUNVgTi2ftY/s1600/reallygoods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7eLtjuNxOAE/U9c3Qe20eZI/AAAAAAAAAOo/aUNVgTi2ftY/s1600/reallygoods.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.reallygoods.net/">Really Goods </a>, gotta love the title "raw fruit and nut thing" at least, I did. Found this at <a href="http://www.greensymphonynewyork.com/">Green Symphony </a>a store/salad bar/juice bar/hot bar etc. in Times Square. I occasionally work in Times Square, so I love coming here sometimes to get some healthy food or snack before work. Raw, gluten free, refined sugar free.. made of walnuts, bananas, pecans, macadamia nuts, coconut, raisins, and sweetened with coconut nectar. 170 calories, 12g of fat. Crunchy and really tasty! I checked the website and it doesn't even list it as being sold in New York, I'll have to check if it's still at Green Symphony! I'd definitely recommend it.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pRRiW8G1akU/U9c54pUrQ2I/AAAAAAAAAO8/U91xtVNg38w/s1600/photo-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pRRiW8G1akU/U9c54pUrQ2I/AAAAAAAAAO8/U91xtVNg38w/s1600/photo-7.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-006YQvo2QQg/U9c5-2kUuTI/AAAAAAAAAPE/fFuWbKg_F80/s1600/photo-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-006YQvo2QQg/U9c5-2kUuTI/AAAAAAAAAPE/fFuWbKg_F80/s1600/photo-8.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a><br />
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I was really excited about trying this! I love lemon poppy & liked that there were no "bad" ingredients in it, then
when I took it out of the package to see its shaped in a heart..look how
cute it is!! I was even more excited. Sadly, it was not "the Great Tasting Energy Bar". It was SO
dry! I took a couple of bites and then gave it to my mom, who wasn't a
fan either. If you see it, skip it.<br />
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Lastly [for now], <a href="http://ravebites.com/">Rave Bites</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rTHop78TErM/U9gGcxbW8dI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/neO1gpdwUGA/s1600/chiaorange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rTHop78TErM/U9gGcxbW8dI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/neO1gpdwUGA/s1600/chiaorange.jpg" height="400" width="332" /></a> </div>
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These are SO good!! Found them at Westerly. All natural ingredients: dates, cashews, sesame seeds, coconut, raisins, chia seeds, cocoa butter and orange extract. That's all, 8 ingredients. No added sugars. 5 pieces are 120 calories and 60 from fat, so it's not too bad. They are so delicious! They have several other flavors, I'd like to try the others, but these were so good, I bought a second bag after I was done. Super healthy delicious snack! </div>
arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-4860133503247590362014-05-30T22:04:00.001-07:002014-05-31T18:36:45.061-07:00Go Raw Bars & Fed Up Documentary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In a recent swap, I was given a <a href="http://goraw.com/">Go Raw</a> Spirulina Energy Bar. I didn't eat it for a while because I had tried Go Raw's cookies before and wasn't a fan at all, so I wasn't too excited about trying it. Then I did one day & since then I've been hooked. Yes it's green which might weird some people out but I really love the taste. It's very crunchy. I love it as a pre-workout or post-workout snack or a snack on the go. I love that there's only 5 ingredients in it. I recently decided to try 2 of their other bars: the Banana Bread Flax Bar and the Granola Bar. The Banana Bar only has 4 ingredients! and the Granola Bar has 6. The last two I mentioned are softer than the Spirulina Bar. I also wound up buying their granola cereal, which has the same ingredients as the bar. As for the bars, the Spirulina one remains my favorite. <br />
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I love that these bars have such few ingredients and that they're healthy! They are high in calories and fat but it's healthy fats.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2nS8AxgLcWI/U4bChSjooRI/AAAAAAAAALo/WgnxKm_wrdE/s1600/photo-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2nS8AxgLcWI/U4bChSjooRI/AAAAAAAAALo/WgnxKm_wrdE/s1600/photo-22.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
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I haven't tried the Apricot Bar or the Pumpkin Bar because they both have agave in them, which brings me to my next topic.. the documentary<a href="http://fedupmovie.com/#/page/home"> Fed Up</a>. <br />
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I first heard about this movie several weeks ago, through a woman I know, whose daughter was one of the producers. Since I am into health & nutrition, I wanted to see it. After seeing it, I can say , it's a movie EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE! It's all about the sugar industry and what it's doing to children and our society. It's very sad; children who are 13 and weigh 400 pounds, the lunches they give kids in schools these days etc..<br />
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At the end of the movie they suggest going on a 10 day "Fed Up Challenge" which is giving up all sugar & all sweeteners for 10 days. I've gone without sweets before, once for 2 weeks, but have never given up sugar completely. It's crazy sugar really is in EVERYTHING! Here are some other names sugar goes by that you may not be familiar with:<br />
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In my opinion, sugar should be left for things like cookies, cakes, ice cream etc. It shouldn't be in the food we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner & it's kind of maddening how it really is in everything. "Found in 80% of the 600,000 food products found on American shelves." An Odwalla juice contains almost as much
sugar as Coke. Three Oreo cookies contain the same amount of sugar as a Luna Bar. For a while (though not in several years), I did drink Odwalla and eat tons of Luna Bars thinking I was eating & drinking healthy.</div>
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I recently bought the new (or new to me..I've never seen it before) <a href="http://www.pacificfoods.com/food/broths-stocks/stocks/organic-simply-stock-vegetable.aspx">Pacific Foods Unsalted Vegetable Stock</a> which has a lovely 6 healthy ingredients, whereas before, I had been buying the 365 Low Sodium Vegetable Stock, which has more than 6 ingredients, one being cane sugar!! Why would one add sugar to vegetable stock?! Before seeing this movie, I did look at ingredients, but now that I'm doing this challenge, I'm thinking about it in a different way. I would avoid foods that were high in sugar, but now it makes me angry! </div>
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The <a href="http://www.goraw.com/">Go Raw</a> bars for instance, do have on average 12-14g of sugar, but the sugar is from dates and bananas and our bodies don't process natural sugar the same way as added sugar. </div>
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The movie isn't going after the desserts we eat, but about how the industry adds sugar to all these food products. My parents thought they were eating healthy by eating fruit from a can (which I've always been against them doing & they would tell me it's just the fruit and the juice from the fruit). However, upon inspecting their cans..95% of them had added sugar! [After they're done with what they have, they said they won't buy them anymore] </div>
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Even so called healthy places like the chain Juice Generation add sugar to everything. Some of their smoothies have bananas, dates AND agave. There was a period where I was going almost daily and would always say "no dates or agave" and the smoothies with just bananas and other fruits were still SO sweet. I thought to myself "can bananas really make a drink this sweet?" and I finally asked them why their smoothies are so sweet. Turns out they use sweetened almond milk AND sweetened acai! Ridiculous. I found this so maddening. I thought I was being healthy (& of course I still was in retrospect to other things I could have been eating/drinking) but it was upsetting to know how much sugar is added. I've asked other smoothie places & almost all use sweetened almond milk or soy milk. When I asked why they' ve told me people didn't like it when they used unsweetened. </div>
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Conclusion is of course it's better to make your own smoothies & food which I have been doing a lot of this year.</div>
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The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6-9 teaspoons of added sugar a day..of course how can you know how many teaspoons you're eating because everything is listed in grams, well I have this handy formula:</div>
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Some candy bars have 24g on their own! so this is a really good equation to think about.<br />
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I highly recommend just going and seeing this movie & reading labels & trying to avoid sugar/sweeteners in your every day meals. Look at your pasta sauces, breads (I'm a big fan of <a href="http://www.foodforlife.com/about_us/ezekiel-49">Ezekiel Bread</a>), your drinks, your protein bars, yogurts, dressings, cereals, veggie burgers and other boxed food, etc)<br />
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<br />arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-28818454160678096742014-05-22T20:16:00.000-07:002014-05-22T20:28:22.833-07:00Vegan Protein ShakesI recently found out about the vegan protein shakes, <a href="http://drinksvelte.com/">Svelte</a>. They have apparently been around since 2009, but I am only now seeing them. They are soy based so I was a bit apprehensive about trying it (my body doesn't always like soy!), but I decided to give it a try.<br />
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They have 5 flavors: French Vanilla, Spiced Chai, Chocolate, Cappuccino and the new Banana Creme. I'm not into coffee so I don't really have any interest in trying the Cappuccino, but I have become in love with the Spiced Chai and the French Vanilla! & best of all, my body seems totally fine with it! yay! The chocolate tastes just like chocolate milk. I'm not drawn to really drink chocolate milk often & it's heavy, so I've only had this one once. I wasn't a fan of the banana creme (they're the only protein shake on the market that uses real bananas, according to their website). I think this is a personal preference though, and not something wrong with this flavor. The vanilla though is SO good, it is so creamy, really just love the taste. Love the spiced chai as well, the spices are perfect. It is how I always want chai to be. I just bought a 6 pack in Vitamin Shoppe (they were on sale, a 6 pack for $9.99! They always have coupons on their site & if you buy them at Westerly in NY they come with a $1.00 off coupon on the container) All of the flavors are smooth and creamy. I've been having them on my busy days in between meals and they help keep me full until the next meal. I recently had one for breakfast with my oatmeal and it kept me full for a long time! I haven't tried to use them as a full meal replacement or after a workout but I'm sure I will drink them that way at some point.<br />
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All their products are 260 calories, 11g of protein and only 6g of sugar. There is also B12 and Vitamin D in it, as well as calcium.<br />
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Interestingly, while looking for Svelte one day in Whole Foods, I discovered new vegan protein shakes by <a href="http://shop.orgain.com/VEGAN-Nutritional-Shakes/c/Orgain@VeganShakes">Orgain</a>. Orgain has been around since 2008 and until very recently, have only had dairy protein shakes. They have now come out with 2 vegan protein shakes. These are brand new!<br />
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I was pretty excited to try these . Not only are there 16g of protein, but the protein comes from brown rice, hemp, chia seeds, and flax seeds (on the back it says there is also pea protein but that wasn't listed in the ingredients..) They also have fewer calories: 220, and less fat. (Slightly more sugar, 9g &slightly less calcium, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D) I was also excited about them because they both have 10 certified organic fruits and veggies (kale, beets, spinach, carrots, tomato, blueberries, banana, acai, apple and raspberry.) As well as 21 vitamins and minerals! Sounds pretty awesome, right?<br />
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However...the taste...not so great. I'm not really sure what these tasted like...the vanilla bean had no vanilla flavor and actually there is no vanilla listed in the ingredients list, so that is a bit strange. I am a bit puzzled by that fact. I keep re-reading the ingredients to see if I somehow missed "vanilla" as an ingredient, but nope, no vanilla in the vanilla bean. I really can't describe what the taste was like, there was no recognizable flavor, it was just strange. The chocolate you could taste the chocolate so it was better than the vanilla, but still had an odd taste. The consistency is not as creamy as Svelte, whereas Svelte reminds me of a shake, Orgain is a lot thinner. <br />
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What's better though? Taste or ingredient list? I have been drinking a lot of Svelte, but am thinking maybe I should try Orgain again because I'm a bigger fan of what's inside them. I also did read that if you put them in the freezer and drink them ice cold they are apparently a lot better...<br />
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Interested in hearing other people's reviews of these products!arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-58282637385193070032014-05-08T07:06:00.000-07:002014-05-08T07:06:07.263-07:00So Delicious, Unsweetened Coconut Yogurt!Shortly after my <a href="http://veganintheapple.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-first-product-i-want-to-review-is.html#comment-form">first post</a> about So Delicious Greek Yogurt, my friend told me they just came out with 2 <a href="http://www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com/products/cultured-coconut-milk/unsweetened-cultured-coconut-milk">unsweetened coconut yogurts!</a> Plain and vanilla! How exciting! She had bought both & we sampled them and they tasted like pudding! The next day I went to buy one of each.<br />
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The Unsweetened Vanilla has 60 calories & the plain has 10 less. The plain has 4g of fat and vanilla 3.5(not sure how that's less?) and the plain has 6g carbs and the vanilla has 7. Other than that, they have the same nutrition. Same exact ingredients, except for the vanilla of course, having a vanilla flavor. Just like the greek yogurts, they both have Vitamin D2 and Vitamin B12. <br />
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I was getting both and switching between them, but I think I've decided I like the vanilla slightly more. I have eaten it plain and I like it a lot, but I started dipping strawberries in it recently and I can't believe how amazing it tastes! It's like dessert! I also don't feel the coconut flavor is too strong for those who are not into coconut. The texture is very creamy, I love it.<br />
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Recently I decided to make a yogurt bowl for breakfast:<br />
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strawberries, granola, flax seeds, mulberries, goji berries and hemp seeds. You can't see the yogurt, but it's under there! & everything tasted so delicious together.<br />
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I really love this product and eat it often. I highly recommend it and am so happy that they came out with a sugar free one! If you want to up your probiotics and/or have a yummy snack or a healthy dessert, or have it for breakfast, like I did, I really recommend trying this.arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-86358642693357152282014-04-25T20:53:00.001-07:002014-04-26T06:30:51.987-07:00Vegan in the apple becomes vegan in Chicago, for a few days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently went to Chicago to see my current favorite band <a href="http://www.bastillebastille.com/">Bastille</a>, everyone go check them out, they're awesome. What else was there to do in Chicago though? Eat Eat Eat (though I did do some other things too!)<br />
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My first stop was <a href="https://www.nativefoods.com/">Native Foods</a>, which sadly, my photos didn't come out too well so I'm not going to post them. I had the azteca salad (<i>greens, quinoa, avocado, pumpkin seeds, currants, cucumber, jicama, mango, with mango lime </i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><em>vinaigrette</em></span></span>)</i>, my favorite sweet potato fries ever and a carrot cream cheese cupcake. Everything was delicious (& also things I had last time I was in Chicago).<br />
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The next day I met my friend for lunch at <a href="http://handlebarchicago.com/">Handlebar</a>. I got so lost getting there that it somehow took me 45 minutes to get there instead of the 9 minutes google maps said it'd take. Don't ask. My friend had already ordered the fried pickles:<br />
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My reaction was "ew". Never in my life would I pick/think/choose you name it to order fried pickles..but, I decided to try them anyway...THEY WERE SO GOOD! I couldn't believe it! I don't even really like pickles much these days, but these were so good. I think the sauce (their homemade ranch) is what really made it good..but the breading was so good. These were delicious. I wanted more after we finished.<br />
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Then we decided to split the kale quinoa salad and the biscuits and gravy(which that was what I was most looking forward to. by the way..Handlebar has brunch EVERY DAY until 3pm!).<br />
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Kale, avocado, quinoa, pumpkin seeds..& not sure if there was anything else in it..I can't remember what the dressing was, but what I can remember is, this salad was delicious!<br />
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Next up! What I've been waiting for, biscuits and gravy with seitan sausage.<br />
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It was amazing!! I loved how much gravy there was and the biscuits were so good. All I could think was "I want to come back and have these tomorrow" and "why don't they have anything like this in nyc?" They were so good and the gravy was so tasty. They were just delicious. Probably the best biscuits and gravy I've ever had.<br />
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After lunch, we walked to <a href="http://www.thewormhole.us/%E2%80%8E">Wormhole</a> which is a pretty awesome 80's themed coffee shop. They have a delorean. They offer soy and 7 grain milk. I just got this huge delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. If I lived in Chicago, I'd definitely hang out at Wormhole all the time. (I did come back another day and had tea and went again on my last day for another cookie.)All the staff seemed really nice too.<br />
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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip<br />
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Next up! <a href="http://www.veggiediner.com/">CHICAGO DINER!</a><br />
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I really wanted to try their wings since they're made of seitan instead of the usual soy chicken or even tempeh. They offer them in either BBQ or buffalo sauce. My friend & I got it with BBQ sauce. I was a little worried since I'm not a huge BBQ person, but luckily these did not disappoint. They were so good. I LOVED the texture of them, so chewy, so good. (Note: I wound up going back on my last day and got the buffalo ones to take home with me..They were tasty too & not as spicy as some wings I've had (usually they make my eyes and nose run but these didn't, these had a very nice kick to them.)<br />
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mmmm. (sorry, didn't take a photo of the buffalo ones, but imagine the same thing but orange-y looking). Anyone know of any place in NYC that makes wings out of seitan? I don't..someone should get on that!<br />
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For my main meal, I decided to try the reuben with a side of garlicky greens. I don't think I've had a reuben in my life, they generally don't sound appealing to me and I've only recently gotten into tempeh which most reuben's are made out of. However, like the wings, their reuben is made of seitan. It also happened to be their <b>31st birthday </b>and so the reuben was $6 I think it was (which the waiter said was what they charged in 1983). so why not try it?<br />
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Seeing this, it did not look appetizing at all to me..It really looked like meat! They use beets to resemble the color of meat..ick. However, one can't judge a book by its cover, and one can't judge food by its looks and so I took a bite..and it was really tasty! I really enjoyed it. I'm not sure if it would be my go to meal here, but I would probably get it again. The greens were amazing.<br />
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& of course you can't leave Chicago Diner without a shake..and so I got the cookie dough peanut butter shake, which I've had before and it was as before, super yummy!<br />
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Also, like Handlebar, Chicago Diner has brunch EVERY DAY! I came back a few days later and got the soul bowl which I've had before</div>
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I really love the soul bowl..garlicky greens yet again, avocado(added for $1), beans (hidden in photo), mashed sweet potato (also hidden in photo), quinoa and seitan. This dish normally comes with tofu but I asked if I could have seitan instead. He gave me about 5 different types of seitan they had to choose from! I can't remember which one I picked (think I said the one that's in sandwiches?) but it was delicious (hmm how many times have I used the word delicious in this post?) The waiter was unsure how seitan would go with the rest of the meal, but I loved it! This time had the mint shake which I've also had before (I'll venture away from ones I've had before next time!) and that was yummy too. Shared sweet potato fries with everyone and yum but definitely overate at this meal and felt full until even the next day! haha but it was so yummy while eating!<br />
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On my last day, I went to what was my first stop, <a href="http://www.nativefoods.com/">Native Foods</a>, I didn't do that on purpose, just happened that way. Decided to try something different:<br />
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the Sesame Kale Macro Bowl, which had tempeh, steamed
kale, brown rice, creamy ginger sesame sauce(very slight), tangy sauerkraut,and toasted sesame seeds. It was very tasty (and healthy!) the tempeh was a bit bland..actually no, very bland. I'd get this again, but probably ask for a side of the ginger sesame sauce on the side, to have extra.<br />
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Got a side of the mac and cheese & that was yummy, though I remember liking it more last time I had it..it was kind of watery? wish it was thicker.<br />
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To go I got the Twister Wrap : <i>Salad greens, fresh avocado and cucumber salsa,
creamy chipotle sauce and your choice of crispy, blackened or grilled
Native Chicken in an organic whole wheat wrap (</i>I got it crispy)<br />
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My flight wound up being over an hour delayed & I was so hungry, so I was very happy that I decided to get the twister wrap to go. IT WAS SO GOOD!<br />
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I also got the brownie which I later had at home and that was delicious.<br />
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I am crossing my fingers that Native Foods opens in NYC someday soon. Last time I spoke to them in August they told me they'd be opening in Washington DC soon, so would be nice if NYC came shortly after. Their food is so good!<br />
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& that about concludes the food I ate on my recent trip to Chicago! 'til next time! <br />
<span id="goog_334489386"></span><span id="goog_334489387"></span>arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-69385863951027554972014-04-07T19:20:00.000-07:002014-04-08T07:19:35.910-07:00Run, don't walk to my favorite ice cream shop in the world<br />
My favorite ice cream shop in the world is located at 516 East 6th Street, between Avenue A and Avenue B in the East Village. This shop is created by Blythe Boyd, one of the founders of Lula's Sweet Apothocary. The shop is all vegan, with so many options for flavors as well as toppings! (sprinkles, their own made coconut whipped cream, cookies, chocolate chips, caramel sauce, hot fudge, the list goes on and on) You can get sundaes, brownie sundaes, root beer floats, shakes and more. Most of the ice cream is cashew based but they do have some soy based flavors. They have different flavors all the time (always have chocolate, vanilla, strawberry & cake batter soft serve), but the other flavors are rotating. It's always exciting going there to see what flavors they'll have that day!<br />
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I frequent it often so stay tuned for future photos from my trips here.<br />
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Here's one from a recent trip:<br />
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What you're seeing is cake batter soft serve with strawberry sauce, graham crackers and lots of chocolate sprinkles, on top of a brownie (which you can't see in this photo due to all the lovely sprinkles). Amazingly delicious. I'm not sure what Blythe does, but whatever it is, it is magic. I've been trying to stay away from eating sweets lately, but I can never stay away for too long from this place! arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-14605759130707050162014-03-29T22:00:00.000-07:002014-03-29T22:18:20.351-07:00Sweets by Sweet<br />
I first discovered Sweet at one of the monthly vegan shop ups at Pine Box Rock Shop(a shop up inside an all vegan bar in Brooklyn where local vendors sell their items). I think they were at several in the very beginning. I remember liking them a lot. Over the past year I've seen their cream sandwich cookies at health food stores that I frequent (Natural Frontier, Westerly & Commodities).<br />
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I was drawn to the gingerspice ones (all the variations come in a pack with either vanilla cream or chocolate cream) I've gotten the gingerspice vanilla cream sandwich cookies several times and always eat them quickly. I love the texture of them, they are soft and chewy and have a slight gingery kick.<br />
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Very recently they came out with a brownie (which I got to sample at Westerly and instantly fell in love) and I also recently bought the mint mallomar to try. Here's all the ones I decided to try:<br />
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the <b>almond oat</b> sandwich was disappointing. I love the flavor of almond and felt you couldn't taste almond at all!<br />
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the <b>mint mallomar</b> was so good, it's like a healthier version of a peppermint patty, it was creamy and yummy.<br />
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the <b>chocolate</b> sandwich was good, but just too much chocolate for me, I probably wouldn't get it again. Was very rich.<br />
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as I've mentioned before, the <b>gingerspice vanilla </b>is the one I've bought several times, the <b>gingerspice chocolate </b>did not disappoint, though I think I prefer the vanilla one.<br />
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Now the <b>brownie</b>...oh my...this reminded me of a certain brownie I used to eat often as a child..it was AMAZING! I could not believe how good it was!!! Seriously. It was SO GOOD!! Definitely plan to buy it again very soon!<br />
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All of these items are raw, vegan, gluten free, no refined sugars, flours or oil. They are a bit pricey (cookies are $5 and change for a pack of 3, brownie is $5 & mallomar is $3 and change) but they are also all handmade. The sandwich cookies come in packs of 3 and packs of 6. I stay away from the 6 pack as I always eat the 3 in a pack one after the other, so I know I'd do the same with the 6 pack!<br />
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For more info & for full products check out their website <a href="http://www.sweetbyjana.com/">Sweet </a>(they also now have macaroons, truffles & more)<br />
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<br />arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-82592544451213037052014-03-23T09:42:00.000-07:002014-03-23T09:42:03.440-07:00Ch Ch Ch Chia!Chia Seeds! I love chia seeds. For those who don't know, chia seeds are a superfood. They have more calcium than a glass of milk, more omega 3's than salmon and more antioxidants than blueberries! You can add them to your smoothie, salad, cereal or anywhere really!<br />
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From the Health Warrior website they recommend having 2 tablespoons of chia seeds a day, by doing so you get:<br />
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"6000mg Omega-3′s (200% of the World Health Organization’s recommended daily amount)<br />
40% of the daily recommended amount of fiber<br />
More antioxidants (more than blueberries) than almost any other whole food<br />
8 mg of iron (more than spinach)<br />
350 mg of calcium (more than milk)<br />
190 mg of magnesium (pounds and pounds of broccoli)"</div>
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About 2 years ago I discovered Chia Seed Acai Berry Bars at a nearby health food store. I liked them so much that I had the store order me a case of them. Don't worry, I didn't eat them all in a day! :) They're such a great healthy little snack consisting of only 100 calories, and 5g of sugar.<br />
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Over the past few months I've noticed more and more flavors come out so I decided to buy them all to try them.<br />
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All of them have 100 calories, except for the coconut which has 110. Half have 4g of sugar and half have 5g. All have 3g of protein, other than the Chocolate Peanut Butter which has 4g.<br />
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<b>Coffee-</b>This flavor tastes just like actual unsweetened coffee. I like coffee ice cream, but I'm not a fan of actual coffee so I wasn't a fan.<br />
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<b>Chocolate Peanut Butter-</b>I usually love anything that's chocolate peanut butter but, this, I was disappointed in. Just didn't really have a choc pb taste to me. Maybe there wasn't enough peanut butter? Not sure really but wasn't a fan.<br />
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<b>Apple Cinnamon-</b>This one smelled good! As soon as I opened it, I noticed how good it smelled, but sadly I wasn't a fan of this one either. I couldn't taste the cinnamon, it just tasted like apple to me.<br />
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<b>Banana Nut-</b>This one is AMAZING! It tastes just like banana nut bread! It is SO good!!<br />
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<b>Coconut-</b>Tasted just like coconut, very tasty<br />
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& as I stated before the <b>Acai Berry</b> is great. My dad said it tasted like raspberry to him.<br />
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While, I didn't love many of the flavors, the ones I do, I really loved. I recommend trying them, especially because they are healthy and not too sweet! I love the texture, and yes they can sometimes get stuck in your teeth, but they easily come out. <br />
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<br />arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-20775332495163808832014-03-15T18:33:00.000-07:002014-03-19T12:15:04.435-07:00Soltero Bowl from Champs<br />
For those who don't know, Champs is a cute little vegan diner in Brooklyn, NY. The menu ranges from tempeh wings to sandwiches to salads and more and has a large breakfast menu served anytime. The menu is large and I like that it's so varied. My favorite thing at Champs is probably the soltero bowl. It comes with kale, quinoa, peppers, onions, field roast, mushrooms and home fries. I got it without the mushrooms (not a mushroom fan) and without the home fries (I try to avoid eating potatoes other than sweet potatoes). BUT I did get avocado added! (& wasn't charged for it).<br />
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The portion size is considerably smaller without the fries..I guess the fries are the filler! but it is SO tasty and flavorful! I just wished the size was double what I got. I was still hungry so I ordered the granola which came with yogurt and berries and that was super yummy (forgot to take a photo). Here's a photo of the soltero bowl which I definitely recommend. The field roast sausage gives it a slight kick.<br />
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<br />arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-83683128878101066112014-03-14T07:23:00.000-07:002014-03-14T09:27:07.479-07:00Quinoa Burgers<br />
Originally I was going to just post a review of one quinoa burger I recently got into, but then I saw another quinoa burger in Westerly (health food store) that I had never seen so decided to buy it to give it a try & to compare.<br />
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I have recently gotten into these sweet potato quinoa chia burgers. They are tasty and healthy! I am not too familiar with vegan burgers in general since I used to not like them, but my parents also tried these and they said in comparison to other burgers, the texture was very soft. I like these a lot, my only problem is when I buy them I wind up eating all 4 in one seating, they're light though, so it doesn't feel like a lot/doesn't make you feel like you ate too much, but health wise eating 4 is quite high in sodium, making it 1,120mg of sodium in one meal! That's pretty bad..The American Heart Association recommends that people don't exceed 1,500mg of sodium a day (& cutting sodium to 1,200 mg per day
is even further recommended to avoid health issues later in life). Other than that they are quite healthy, though high in carbs (if you eat 4!) so I'd advise not being like me and only eating 2 at a meal! They are quick and easy to make and to me they are tasty and I just eat them plain! (with veggies on the side)<br />
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I then saw this product a few days ago and decided to give it a try. I checked the directions on how to make them and it said to put them in a toaster! That was definitely a first. They are already cooked, so they recommend putting it through the toaster a few times (you can also use the toaster oven or oven but the first recommendation was a toaster) Very unexpected. After about 5 minutes, maybe even slightly more, they popped out and were already browning and felt crisp, so they definitely didn't need to be put in a second time. Now I know why this brand is called Qrunch, this burger was definitely very crunchy!! I like crunchy things so I was a fan of the texture. (Definitely the opposite texture of the Sol Burger) There wasn't much flavor though. I wound up eating it with tahini sauce. I'll eat the other 2 but won't buy this one again, but they do have other flavors (spicy italian, green chile and a curry one) that I plan to try to see if the others have more flavor. These are also definitely heavier than the others, I definitely couldn't have eaten all 4 at one meal! These are sugar free and have more than 100mg less of sodium than the Sol burger, but they have more fat.<br />
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Here's a nutritional comparison (Sol Cuisine on the left & Qrunch on the right)<br />
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<br />arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-6903302623758737882014-03-12T22:19:00.001-07:002014-03-13T21:26:48.004-07:00So delicious Plain Coconut Milk Greek Yogurt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first product I want to review is So Delicious Greek Yogurt Cultured Coconut Milk. I never liked yogurt growing up, and I never even had greek yogurt in my life. I've been wanting to up my probiotics and thought it'd be easy to do that with yogurt. The various So Delicious yogurts comes in various flavors and with those flavors comes a lot of sugar, which I'm trying to avoid. The plain greek style almond milk and the the plain greek style coconut milk both have 7g of sugar which is less than the flavors (which have 10g and above, the raspberry has 20g! yikes). I tried the almond milk greek plain yogurt last week and thought it was disgusting. I decided to try the plain coconut one, and I actually liked it a lot! The texture reminded me of pudding. It's smooth, thick and creamy. I thought it was tasty, but I decided to add some blueberries which definitely made it even better.<br />
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Now, unfortunately whereas regular dairy greek yogurt has about 12g of protein (hence why all the fitness people recommend it), this unfortunately has a measly 2g of protein! so sad.<br />
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Good points other than this being a probiotic is that it also has B12 and Vitamin D2! Also has 9g of fiber. I'll definitely keep this in my rotation of healthy snacks to have.<br />
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Can someone out there make a vegan yogurt that's low in sugar and has lots of protein? It'd be such a perfect after workout snack! <br />
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<br />arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3884149147614919288.post-32422090574064889062014-03-08T22:58:00.000-08:002014-03-08T23:00:52.608-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi guys! This is my first blog. I had a livejournal for many years and I've missed writing but have never gotten around to starting a blog until now.<br />
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My name's Ariela. I've lived in New York City my whole life. I love traveling. I've been vegan for 15 years. I love food. Have recently gotten more into health. I love working out (I started doing Kettlebell Kickboxing in March of 2013 and have been going regularly since July 2013). I love movies. Photography. I love board games. Love my friends and meeting new people..wait. This is starting to sound like a dating site..<br />
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Anyways. I thought it'd be fun to document new products I try, restaurants I go to and food I find in other cities and countries and maybe some other things from time to time that aren't food related..so here goes nothing!arielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004604175065841509noreply@blogger.com3