Denver Restaurant Week... Goes Vegan!

February 23rd kicked off Denver Restaurant Week, a celebration of Denver's food & culinary scene. So in honor of DRW, we're going out!

This weekend we decided to try a new pizza place that gave us lots of vegan choices: Pizza Fusion on Colfax and Pearl. This place popped up back when we lived in Cap Hill, but we never made it over. After a quick internet search on what vegan options Pizza Fusion offered, I was starting to get hungry!

Pizza Fusion, a chain in Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Ohio, not only caters to vegans, but also to those who are gluten-free, vegetarian, or just looking to eat at a place that has a very long list of Eco-friendly initiatives (including delivering in hybrid cars & and using mostly organic ingredients).

 Almost all of their pizzas can be made vegan, along with some of their sandwiches and salads. But focus on the pizza, people. YUM. The crust is the perfect thin-ish thickness, and available in multi-grain. We ordered the Farmer's Market pizza with Daiya and whoa my goodness, did it hit the spot. They also have a vegan chicken product, and a couple of other non-dairy cheese options to choose from. They even have a Very Vegan pizza on the menu! Our Farmer's Market pizza was absolutely loaded with veggies and cooked perfectly. The large was perfect for 2 people with enough to take home for lunch the next day!

I was pretty impressed with this place and happy to have given it a whirl. They also have a pretty killer Happy Hour: 3-6 M-F, and all day Sunday with $3 personal pizzas, $3 organic beers and wines. They had Asher Brewing on tap when we visited.

All in all, I really recommend this place. The pizza is delicious and they're doing their part to make our world a better place!



To read more about Pizza Fusion and see if they're in your area go to: http://pizzafusion.com/

Now, it's time to go back to snuggling on the couch after a day in the snow!

A Peek Inside a Vegan's Lunch

When I talk about being vegan with friends and co-workers I am often asked the same question. So...what DO you eat? Everyone is always surprised by the variety of my lunches at work and what I make at home. So today, I wanted to give you a little peek into a typical lunch I bring to work everyday!

I tend to make extra for dinner so I'll have leftovers to throw in the lunch bag for the next day. Or I like to make some things on Sunday so I'll have options on days I'm not in the mood to cook. Last night I made a warm kale salad with sweet potato hash. Quick and easy! So I just chopped up extra sweet potatoes and opened up a can of black beans for today's lunch.

Lunch consisted of Sweet Potato Hash with jalapenos, kale, and spicy black beans.

The kale was raw, and I just threw it in the microwave with everything else so it would wilt a bit and warm up. For the spicy black beans I just add crushed red pepper, onion power, and chipotle chili powder to spice them up a bit. And my sweet potato hash is just sweet potatoes, chopped jalapenos, chili powder, and pepper with a pinch of cumin.

And of course I can't make it through a work day without my protein "shake". Each morning when I make Scott's smoothie, I throw some unsweetened almond milk into my Magic Bullet to-go cup, scoop in my personal favorite, GeniSoy protein powder, and blend it for 30 seconds. Protein in a hurry!

You can buy it online here:http://www.genisoy.com/Soy-Protein-Shake--Chocolate/p/GEN-041702&c=Genisoy@Shakes

This is my go-to at 10 am when breakfast wears off and lunch is not-ever-going-to-come-omg-i'm-gonna-die-from-starvation-feed-me-help!

I also bring a banana, berries, or grapefruit and pack granola or carrots to snack on if I get extra hungry.

And that's that! Some days it's salads, some days it's veggie sandwiches, other days it's rice & veggies, tacos, pasta, and on & on! I tend to stick close to Mexican food as I must have spicy food to survive.

Bringing your lunch to work is a great way to get in a meatless meal if you're looking to transition into a vegan or vegetarian diet. I'm also a pretty big preacher of bringing your lunch instead of eating out. Restaurant food is always going to have more sodium unless you eat salt by the spoonful at home. And I prefer to spend my money on things I'm not going to poop out the next day!$8-$13 a day for lunch? 3 times a week piles up to over $1500 a year. ON LUNCH. That's a vacation...

Now, I'm off to start the vegan chili and vegan sweet potato biscuits I'm making for tomorrow's Southern-themed potluck at work! Yum!


I'll leave you with my view on the weekends :)

Loveland Ski Area, February 2013

Scott and I on Lift 6, Loveland Ski Area

The Totally Doable Detox

It's time folks. It is time to get our acts together and properly ring in the new year by swearing off last year's bad habits and getting ourselves ready for 2013. I wanted to share with you my totally doable 2 day detox. I am not a person who can survive for a week of juices and "detox drinks" and I prefer to simplify the food I eat for a couple of days to help cleanse the body and feel better.

Here are a couple of guidelines to get started along with your grocery list and recipes!

It's pretty simple. 2 days. Lots of fruits and veggies. No starches, meats, dairy, sugar, caffeine or artificial space-food. And no juicing. One aim is to get lots of fiber the real way! I also recommend exercising each day to help sweat the toxins out. Yoga, running, walking, whatever.The recipes are here to help guide you, but as long as you stick to the basics you can adapt the salads or dinners to your taste. Just remember, no cooking with oil, butter, or fat.

I also recommend, as always, to drink at least 80 oz of water each day.

Start each morning with hot lemon water. Simply heat up a mug of water with half of a lemon. Squeeze the juice first, then add the peel and all and sip away. This is a great way to get your digestive track moving. I normally do 1 or 2 of these every day, but it's especially essential to the detox.

So here's the food plan for each day:

Day 1:
Breakfast: Blueberry & Almond breakfast Quinoa (recipe below)

Snack: 1 grapefruit

Lunch: Salad made with fresh kale, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers with fresh basil. Dress with lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil.  Add sunflower seeds or nuts if you'd like.

Snack: 1 cup of diced watermelon

Dinner: 1 baked sweet potato and side of brussel sprouts. Nuke the baked sweet potato and season with fresh garlic, pepper, chili powder and crushed red pepper. Can also drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil on top for a good fat serving. For the brussel sprouts, wash and halve sprouts and bake at 400 for 7-9 minutes on each side. Season with fresh garlic and pepper.

Day 2:
Breakfast: Apple & Cinnamon breakfast quinoa (recipe below)

Snack: 1 grapefruit

Lunch: Salad made with fresh spinach, strawberries, shredded carrots, cucumber, and chopped honeydew. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and lemon juice. Can add almonds as well.

Snack: Sliced bell peppers and celery or carrots

Dinner: Fajita-style lettuce wraps: Saute chopped onion and bell pepper (you can add some water to the pan to help cook). Season with lime juice, fresh garlic and pepper. Use large lettuce leaves as wraps and top with fresh jalapeno, cilantro, and tomato.



See? Easy enough with plenty of food. I always say raw, green veggies are freebies so if you feel like your starving, grab celery, carrots, etc! And don't skip the olive oil on your salads. Many of the vitamins and nutrients in your veggies are fat-soluble!

And here's the recipe for the breakfast quinoa. It is much easier to cook both servings the night before you start to save time and dishes. You can also pre-slice your fruits and veggies for the next two days if you know you'll be busy.

Breakfast Quinoa (makes 2 cups)
2 cups of unsweetened almond milk
1 cup of quinoa, rinsed

Bring almond milk to a boil, add quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until most of the milk is absorbed. Then spoon 1 cup each into tupperware.  Then, the next morning you can pop in the microwave for a minute or two, then add blueberries, raw almonds, cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. The second morning, add chopped apples, walnuts, and cinnamon. Easy-peasy!


And I'd also like to share the grocery list with you guys to make life a little bit easier!

Grocery List
Quinoa (1 cup)
Sunflower seeds (unsalted)
Almonds
Walnuts
Olive oil

Unsweetened almond milk

2 grapefruits
1/2 cup of blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1 apple
1/2 cup honeydew
1 cup watermelon
4 lemons
1 lime

1 sweet potato
1/2 lb of brussel sprouts
1 bunch of kale
1 bunch of spinach
2 bell peppers
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
 1 cucumber
1 bag of shredded carrots
1 bunch of cilantro
1 bunch of green leaf lettuce
1 or 2 jalapenos- depending on taste
1 bunch of celery
1 or 2 tomatoes

If you decide to give this a go, let me know how it went!

Happy Monday!
-Jessalyn