Phoenix Recommendations | 2019

I had a great time in Phoenix, and will be happy to return. I always look for others blogs to find recommendations when traveling to somewhere new, so when I can add my own little recap or recommendation to a city I’ve been I like to. 

So today I want to share my favorites in three categories: coffeeshops, food and hikes in and around the Phoenix area. 

But I was only here for two separate two week periods, so like a month in total. So I couldn’t make it to all the different places there is, and I guarantee I missed quite a few cool places. 

Coffee — Michael and I work a lot from coffeeshops when we’re traveling and we usually find a few that we keep returning to. 

+ Songbird — when we came down to check Phoenix out we went almost every day to get coffee here and work. It’s in an old house, has a great vibe and yummy chia seed pudding. 

+ Schmooze — probably my favorite place overall to work from. It’s in Scottsdale and is literally a workspace cafe, so you’re not going to get any dirty looks for pulling out your laptop to get some work done. 

+ Be coffee + Food + Stuff — only went here for coffee once but it was such a neat space. I would love to host an event there. 

+ Ollie Vaughns — this was the coffeeshop around the block from the first place we stayed during our last trip and we went here quite often to work. They have really reasonably priced avocado toast and for that I’m a fan. 

Food — We tried to cook some meals at the places we were staying but there are so many great veg options here. 

+ Vegan House — if you like Thai food and are veg this is a great place. They’ve got the classics as well as some different combination as well. Plus the people who work here are super sweet. 

+ Simon’s Columbian Hotdogs — this is one of my favorite places we ate. We would go here for lunch after working the morning away at Schmooze. They have vegan hot dogs, coleslaw and all those things you can’t have at grandmas anymore. 

+ Shady Park — I have had a hankering for ramen, and this hits the spot. So often it’s hard to find vegan ramen because of the broth, and I’m not a fan of having a bunch of extras in my ramen. I literally just want the broth and a pile of noodles. And this place delivers!

+ The Coronado — Everyone loves this place. I appreciate it for their vegan biscuits and gravy. I’ve gone there three times and that’s what I got every single time. 

+ Ikes Sandwiches — the Handsome Owl was my favorite. If you want an easy delicious vegan sub this is your place. Plus they give you a sucker with your sandwich, what’s not to love.

+ The Cutting Board — this is a random one we went to twice while we were staying with Michael’s parents out in Mesa. Simple, vegan and delicious. I had their biscuits and gravy and a burrito or something like that another time. 

Hikes — one of the biggest factors that drew me to spending our time in Phoenix. 

+ Flat Iron via Siphon Draw — My favorite hike here by far. It was challenging, but doable. We tried it once but didn’t give ourselves enough time so we came back with friends and tackled it. And it’s one that you feel super accomplished when you make it to the top. 

+ Jacobs Crosscut (and anything at Lost Dutchman) — this one was great for a little trail running, or a leisurely stroll. You’ve got a beautiful mountain backdrop as you wind through a desert wonderland. 

+ Cholla Trail on Camelback — Camelback is a popular hike, but one worth doing. Michael took us up the Cholla trail, which I came to find out was the more difficult path. But it was a fun, rocky challenge. 

+ South Mountain — Michael’s cousin took us on a hike here while we were visiting, and its a nice quiet place to go on a hike. 

And there we have it, a handful of my favorites from our time in Phoenix. 

Spring Additions to My Diet

I recently wrote a blog post about how my diet changes with the seasons, just with what’s available and what I feel like when it’s cold vs. hot outside. 

We’ve finally just slipped into summer officially, even though it’s felt like summer most of the spring here in Iowa anyway. 

Today I wanted to share some of the things that I added into my days these past few months. I know it will change more over the summer, but I always think it’s interesting to look at and share. 

So the first one, and the biggest change is probably fruit. I am a huge fruit fan, but it seems the only thing available in the winter is apples, which are fine. They’re good with peanut butter and on their own, but too much of anything gets old. 

Lately I’ve been really craving and enjoying mangoes and watermelon, as well as different berries (blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries). 

Fruit makes for a great addition to meals and is a great snack on their own. 

Now that the weather is nicer we’ve been going over to one of our friend's houses, as well as Michael’s parents to grill out and sit on the porch to enjoy the nice weather. 

Our favorite go-to thing to grill is definitely the vegan beer brats from Tofurkey. I mean I like veggie patties too, but I ate so many of those over the winter that it’s been good to have something different to eat. 

And it’s nice to still “participate” in things like grilling or a BBQ even though people don’t think plant-based people can. 

One of my favorite summer dishes, even though it’s really just a side dish is this chip dip that I make. It has everything from avocados, onions, black beans, corn, hot peppers, tomatoes and any other veggies you want to add. I season it up, and then have to keep myself from eating the whole bowl I’ve just made. 

It’s also a fan favorite for any type of potluck or "bring your own dish" sort of event. 

Finally, I love trying new recipes, and I’ve been really loving all of the recipes I’ve tried from Ellen Fisher’s eBook “Epic Vegan Food”. She’s one of those healthy vegans (aka doesn’t eat vegan processed junk food), so you know anything from her is really good for you. 

Not to mention her family is the cutest. 

I’ve been loving her Pad Thai recipe. I’ve only made it twice so far, but the sauce makes it so much better than other versions I’ve tried. The Pad Thai noodles seem to soak up all the juice and moisture so if you don’t have enough in your dish then it gets too dry. 

Other recipes from her book that I’ve enjoyed are her Creamy Kraut Salad and her Lentil Curry. 

And we can’t forget about her vegan nacho cheese recipe, which I’ve made and ate way too much of. She shares the recipe for this in a video of hers. 

I know that’s not a huge change or a ton of new recipes, but my diet doesn’t change too too much. I just slowly crave more and more fresh foods as the weather gets warmer. 

What have been some of your favorite recipes this season? 

How My Diet Changes From Winter to Summer

While there are plenty of foods that I eat year round, my diet definitely changes with the seasons. Not necessarily through each of the four seasons, but from the warm months to the cold months. 

I shared this winter what I was eating, and so I thought it would be interesting to share how it’s changing once again now that the weather has gotten warmer (much warmer at the moment). 

I go from eating much heavier meals in the winter to much lighter meals in the summer. I crave those comfort foods of pastas, breads, and rice dishes when it’s cold out, but when it’s summer I want fresh and light things.

While I’m still cooking plenty of meals, I mean, I do love a good cooked meal, I’m adding back in fresh dishes like salads and such. (For some reason I don’t gravitate towards salad in the winter). And I get back into smoothies when it gets hot out. I love a good smoothie in the morning or post workout, but since I’m a cold being I just can’t do them when it’s freezing out or I’ll never warm back up (even if i’m inside, wrapped in a blanket with gloves and hat on).

I eat smaller, more frequent meals in the summer, grabbing plenty of snacks in between. During the winter I often have two larger meals and possibly a snack at some point throughout the day.

And another thing that’s changed in the past month is I’ve started dabbling in meal prepping. I went all in the first time I tried it, spent hours cooking, portioning, seasoning and putting into the fridge. I had multiple options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in between. 

I’ve also done it where I created 4-5 portions each of two different meals for lunch and dinner, and then made a bigger batch of oatmeal for breakfast to last the week. 

Meal prepping surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. You get such a sense of accomplishment when your fridge is full of meals ready to go, and it makes life so much easier when you can just grab, heat and eat. 

This past grocery trip I bought much more fruit than normal, mostly for snacking. I love a good bit of fresh fruit to snack on. I got blueberries, strawberries, watermelon and mango. I also bought kale and romaine for salad dishes and possibly raw tacos. 

The difference between fresh meals and cooked meals is I don’t like meal prepping the fresh meals because I think they can get a bit soggy or wilted by the time I go to eat them. 

I’ve also got the remaining bits of heavier foods to finish up from the winter like a bag of rice (I’m so close to finishing that 25 lbs!), or there’s still some ingredients that are still appealing to me like potatoes that I’ve still got in stock for things like vegan cheese (drool). 

I wish I could eat more frequent, lighter, fresher meals throughout the seasons because that is definitely when I flourish. But I don’t reach for salads when it’s cold, not to mention it’s hard to get your hands on things like fruit and avocados in the winter. 

I’m never too hard on myself when it comes to eating with the seasons and what I find myself reaching for. I just try to make sure I am getting in fresh fruits and veggies here and there. And at the end of the day if I can stay mostly away from processed foods I know I’ll feel just find, regardless of the meals I’m making.

How does your diet change from the cold to warm months? What are some dishes you’re excited to start making again? 

Intuitive Eating + Listening to Your Body

I just made a video this week about my five year anniversary of going vegan, which includes how it’s changed over the years for me. 

But I think one of the most amazing things I’ve learned, now that I know everything I can eat and what makes me feel the best, is how to listen to my body and what it needs/wants. 

There’s a place for treats and junk food just like there is a place for nourishing meals filled with fresh veggies and fruit. 

What I eat changes with the seasons and what’s available. 

I eat a bit heavier, with more cooked meals, during the colder months, and lighter, more fresh meals when it’s warm out. 

And I think that’s one of my favorite things about being vegan/plant-based. I can eat whatever I want and not have to worry about calories or any of that. I can just eat what my body wants and not worry about it. 

Yes, I’m blessed with a fast metabolism, but that didn’t stop me from getting clogged up and bogged down when I ate a Standard American Diet. Not to mention being almost 20 pounds heavier than I am now when I lived in Thailand. I wasn't veg then, and I drank pretty regularly, but not excessively.  

But now I’m conscious of what I eat, I know what makes me feel good and what weighs me down. 

I know you hear it all the time but it’s about balance. If I go a few days eating heavier, more processed stuff I find myself really craving/needing something fresh and light and that’s what I eat. 

I think it’s so important to listen to your body and to recognize what makes you feel good. 

I’m not a fan of food journals unless it’s to track what you’re eating and how that’s making you feel in order to discover some sore of digestive irritant. 

This is how I originally realized it was meat that was causing all my digestive woes. 

Seriously, I used to only go number two once a week. Once a week! That is insane for me to think about now, but that used to be my norm. I always had a stomach ache, was always tired and felt bogged down, especially after meals. 

Why it took me so long to realize that wasn’t normal, or good, baffles me. 

But now I know. I’ve put in the time to listen to my body, and I can balance the things that make me flourish and still get my fix of a little bit of junk food. 

What foods make you flourish, which make you feel not so great, and how do you find the balance between them?

Meals I've Been Eating Now That I'm Bored

I don’t know about you, but winter is a season full of comfort foods. They’re heavy, filling and not always the most healthy options. 

And while I try to eat intuitively, giving my body what it wants, it always gets to this point at the end of winter when I find myself weighed down and sick of what I’ve been eating. 

I wrote earlier this month about how I was over what I’d been eating for winter so today I wanted to share what I’ve been eating lately to balance out those heavy meals. 

I’ve been craving more light meals, fresh fruits and vegetables and basically foods that wouldn’t have me wanting a nap after I finished them. 

The easiest one is adding a salad to your day. People cringe when they’re told to eat salad. They think it’s so boring and unsatisfying. But that just means you’re doing it wrong. Sometimes I love salads full of other ingredients like tomato, onion, black beans, etc. and other times I just want a basic kale salad with a tasty dressing. 

Seriously, I’ve been craving salad that is literally just kale that I mash with some avocado, kraut, salt, pepper, balsamic and sriracha. There’s so much you can do with salad. If you’re not feeling greens try something like a cucumber salad with onion tomato, vinegar, salt pepper and a dash of oil. (There’s a ton of recipes online for this). 

Get on Pinterest and feel the inspiration!

Another thing that I’ve been craving and loving lately is fresh juices. Recently it’s been a basic combo of grapefruit and a few clementines that I needed to use up. And it is one of the most refreshing juices I’ve tasted. Juice is also a great way to squeeze more greens into your day. 

Along the line of liquids, I always find I come out of winter dehydrated and dry. When you’re feeling bogged down I think just drinking water is such a great trick. I always feel so much better when I’m adequately hydrated. 

But plain ol’ water can get boring. If I’m chilly I’ll make a cup of herbal tea, but now that it’s warming up I’ve been loving this light lemonade I’ve been making, and it’s so easy. Just squeeze a bit of lemon or lime into a glass of water, and mix in a bit of honey or maple syrup. You’ll be slurping that down easy. 

I’ve been avoiding pasta, potatoes, and too much bread, which were all staples in my winter diet. So many potatoes. 

Instead, I’ve been really loving rice dishes. Curries, veggie bowls, you name it. There are so many amazing recipes to try.

Last week I made a buddha bowl with roasted chickpeas that was on point. And I also made these to die for veggie rice bowls with my sister. 

Really, I’ve just been trying to listen to my body and what it wants. What are some of your favorite spring recipes to shake off the winter blues? 

I'm Bored With My Winter Meals

I wrote last week about how I was over winter and ready for spring to come. 

The same goes with my eating habits. I eat many more “comfort foods” or meals in the winter.

I’m not sure why, but I’m not super into eating fresh veggies in the winter. I much prefer warm, cooked things. I’m a cold being in the winter, and I need to warm myself with what I eat and drink. That’s why I have a problem drinking enough water in the winter as well. 

But it’s getting to that point in the season, where we’re coming to the end of winter and I’m bored with what I’m eating. I’m over the meals I’ve been making, and I’m ready to change things up. 

I also wrote a post in January about What I’ve Been Eating This Winter if you’re curious about what some of those meals are. 

And I’m at the point where I’m not craving these filling, comfort foods. I find myself wanting fresh, light meals. 

I haven’t made the transition yet into eating this way. 

To be honest I just made a huge batch of potato and onion pierogi (so good). But I did buy kale and avocados to make a quick salad to add to my diet each day. I also try to have some sort of fruit in my house to snack on when I need a little kick of something fresh. 

I’ve got a huge bag of jasmine rice that I want nothing to do with, as well as a pretty big container of couscous that I also don’t want at the moment. I know I’ll make my way through both of those eventually in the coming months, but for now, no thanks. 

I’m over bagels and oatmeal. I’m nearly over potatoes. All those heavy things I craved, hold little desire for me right now. 

I’m ready for it to get warm so I can have smoothies for breakfast, salads for lunch, and don’t even get me started on watermelon. Could I eat these things in the winter? Yes, but like I mentioned before I’m a cold person in the winter and would be miserable drinking a smoothie in the morning. 

I need to spice it up with the meals I’m making (obviously, duh). So if you have any favorite meals, share them! I also just need to get on Pinterest and do a little meal hunting. 

What I've Been Eating This Winter

I was scrolling through my Instagram the other day and I came across some of the refreshing smoothies, salads, and plates of fruit I had enjoyed in the warmer months. And while I dearly miss things like avocado and watermelon I'm still making it through the colder months just fine. 

And it got me thinking how my diet changes with the different seasons. So, today I wanted to share some of my current staple meals, regardless of how boring they might be, they are what's getting me full through the winter. 

Every now and then I like to share what I'm eating to show that you can be plant-based without having beautifully arranged acai bowls and that it doesn't have to be expensive or difficult

Oatmeal  — an easy, inexpensive breakfast that can be made without much thought. You can keep it simple with just some brown sugar, molasses or maple syrup, or you can doll it up with fruits, nuts, seeds, and countless other toppings. 

Potatoes — easy to pop two in the microwave or oven. You can pour some soup (chili or lentil) over the top of them, or you can top them with beans, hot peppers, pickled beets, sauerkraut and pickled cabbage. Potatoes is one of the things I always try to buy organic because they're on the dirty dozen list. 

Chickpea Sandwiches/toast — so easy, so filling and so customizable. I can just simple mash up some chickpeas with a few spices and sriracha or stack them to the nines with all the fixings like saurkraut, pickled beets and seeds. 

Soups — warmth is key in the winter. And whether it’s making a stew or chili from scratch, or picking up a couple cans of soup to have on hand for a quick meal, soup is an easy option. You can also add different toppings to them, eat them with potatoes or chips. And if you make a big batch from scratch it can last for quite a number of meals. Not to mention you can often make an amazing soup from leftover ingredients and vegetables in your fridge. 

Nachos — odd, I know but easy, filling and you can throw whatever you have on top of a pile of chips and it works as nachos. 

Pierogi — a little time consuming so I don’t make them more than like once a month, but they are so satisfying. I always put potato and onion in mine and then eat them with a little vegan sour cream, sriracha, and pickled beets. Drool.

Salads — a lot of my meals have been “heavy” and I guess that’s just something I crave in the winter. But I also have to balance it out with something lighter like a nice big salad. Sometimes I just want something fresh, and that’s when I go for a big salad. And there are literally so many options when it comes to salads. 

Fruit — the ultimate compliment to breakfast or any other meal to be honest. I always try to add in some fruit whether it's a snack or a side dish for the same reason I reach for salads because I’m craving something light and fresh. 

As you can see none of these are time-consuming or fancy (Pierogi maybe but they're just flour, onion and potato so therefore easy). I do try to spice things up by trying a new recipe every few weeks, but keeping things simple cut down on the time used up planning and cooking.

What are some of your staple dishes for the winter months? 

Stop Counting Calories | A Better Use of Food Journaling

I have tried to count calories on maybe two separate occasions, and both times I failed at whatever restrictive goal I had set for myself. 

I don’t know about you but I finally realized that counting calories just isn’t something I’m interested in. When I hear about people tracking what they eat, the majority seems to be using it to keep track of the caloric aspect of food. 

But today I wanted to share an alternative benefit I have found from tracking what you eat, and it has nothing to do with losing weight or restricting yourself. 

The first time I discovered the power of tracking what I ate was back in 2012. I had suffered from never ending stomach pain that I just sort of wrote off as normal for the longest time. I was uncomfortable, groggy, and constipated. 

But it finally clicked, pain and discomfort should not be the norm. Not to mention that I thought one bowel movement a week was perfectly normal. 

I decided to track what I ate for a week, and how I felt after that meal. A pretty simple task. I knew it must be something I was eating that was causing me so much pain, but I couldn’t figure it out before recording my meals. 

So I would write down what I ate, the ingredients involved, and then how I felt after. Was there pain, discomfort, bloating, and when was I going to the bathroom. Things like that. 

From this I discovered that meat, especially red meat was a big trigger for the stomach pain. I was a pretty typical Iowa girl. I love potatoes and bread, but I decided what’s the harm in giving up meat for a week just to see if anything happened? 

And if you’ve heard any of my story before you know the answer. I felt so so much better after that week. But just to make sure, I decided to eat meat once more to see if I could tell a difference. And I could. The stomach pain, bloating, etc. returned quickly after eating that meal containing meat. 

I thought, ok what’s the big deal with giving up meat. I can do that. So I started in on my vegetarian journey in October 2012. I felt so much better after that switch that in the following April I decided to go 100% vegan as well as cut out gluten. And that summer was a definite peak in life on how I felt. I had no more stomach pain, bloating, I lost 5 - 10 pounds, and started having daily bowel movements, which I’ve learned is the norm.

I have done it on a smaller scale since then. Sometimes while traveling abroad I will experience some digestive issues. By tracking what I am consuming, and how I feel after I am able to see what foods I need to cut out while my stomach heals itself. 

Another time I’ve done it is when I started breaking out again this past summer through this winter. I started paying attention, and discovered the culprit, sugar. Because of this I challenged myself to take a month long break from added refined sugar, and have been pleasantly pleased with the results. No longer is my forehead broken out. Yes, I still get the occasional pimple or two around ovulation, but that cluster of ever lingering acne on my forehead is almost gone. I have also noticed renewed energy as well as less of an afternoon fog, and sudden drops in energy throughout the day. 

What in your life is currently ailing you? Is there a chance it could be related to your diet or fixed by food? Start tracking your meals, not restricting anything, but just noting how you feel after each meal. What are your food triggers? Maybe you don’t have any, but maybe you do. 

Keeping a food journal is a great first step into starting to pay attention to what you put in your body, next you can start noticing environmental factors. Quality of sleep, daily activities, exercise, relationships, work, etc. 

Feel free to share anything you’ve noticed through food journaling.  

Some Cold Weather Vegan Recipes

The weather is getting colder so I wanted to share some vegan recipes for the season. Enjoy!

Vegan Biscuits and Gravy

One thing that I find myself craving from my pre-vegan days is biscuits and gravy. And then found this recipe on The Southern Vegan. Yum. Obviously not an everyday breakfast recipe but gosh sometimes it’s nice to have some warm, comfort food. 

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 C flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 C vegan butter

3/4 C cold dairy free milk

1 tsp vinegar

— Preheat oven 450

— Mix milk + vinegar. Put to side to curdle. 

— Put dry ingredients into bowl, mix in vegan butter with a fork.

— add milk/vinegar mixture + quickly stir until dough forms

— make dough into ball + refrigerate for 20 - 30 minutes

— roll dough to 1/2” thick + cut into circles

— put on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 - 12 minutes. 

Sausage Gravy

1/2 C flour

4 C non-dairy milk

4 vegan sausage patties or links

1/2 C oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

— Saute vegan sausage, until cooked and browned, crumble into smaller pieces + set to the side

— add oil, flour and black pepper to pan + stir over low heat until brown and creamy (mine formed into an almost dough)

— slowly add milk, stir until creamy and thicker + add in sausage  crumbles

— serve hot over biscuits

Vegan Chili

There are so many great variations on this but I love recipes that use squash as well.

1 onion

1 bell pepper

1 large sweet potato

butternut squash

4 cloves garlic

1 can black beans

1 can of pinto beans

1 can diced tomatoes

2 1/2 C vegetable broth

chili powder

cumin

paprika

cayenne pepper

salt

(I don’t measure the last five ingredients, I just put some in and taste it as I go, usually adding more and more)

— cut up all the vegetables first

— put your large pot over medium heat, saute onion and bell pepper for 6-7 minutes.

— add sweet potato, squash, and seasonings, for 3 minutes

— add garlic for 1 minute

— add broth and tomatoes

— add rinsed beans

— bring to boil, then cover, lower heat, simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally

— add more seasoning if you want

— scoop into bowl and add any toppings you want (avocado is delicious if it’s in season)

Vegan Cookies

My mom makes the most delicious chocolate chip cookies, and I stole her recipe and made it vegan. 

Preheat oven to 350, grease cookie sheet.

2 sticks vegan butter

3/4 C white sugar

3/4 C brown sugar

— cream these together with whisk

2 vegan flax “eggs” 

tsp baking soda

tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

mix two T of flax seed with 3 T of hot water, set to side for a minute until it becomes an “egg like” consistency. then mix all of this with butter/sugar mixture. 

3 c flour

1/2 C (or more) dark chocolate chips

slowly mix in flour 1/2 a cup at time, then add chocolate chips. 

Bake for 12 - 14 minutes each depending on how gooey or firm you want your cookies.