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