Radial Cafe

Vegan options, check. Farm-to-table, check. First certified Green Restaurant in the state of Georgia, double check! So many reasons to love Radial Cafe besides from the fact that the food is wonderful! Check out what being green means for this local restaurant.  It's located right smack in between downtown and Decatur. And on weekend make sure you call ahead because the wait can be a tad bit long.  However, they do have delicious organic shade-grown coffee, which discourages weed growth and encourages bio-diversity among many other things, for patrons while you wait.

I've been going here since I moved to Atlanta and am finally ready to share this gem! Plus, they are open for dinner now which they weren't before. So now when you're going to dinner in that area you don't have run straight to Fox Brothers (hard to stay healthy with Frito Pie, just saying). My typical order is the Biscuits and Vegetarian Gravy but I'm trying slim down so I decided to try something new!

Just an fyi - they're closed on Wednesdays. And for dinner, you can order any entree halved.

My Order (Make sure to check out their weekly specials too):
- Hummus with Whole Wheat Pita (awesome)
- Walnut-Lentil Burger. So Yummy with spinach, onion, oats and quinoa flour.

Whoopsie I forgot to take a picture because I was too busy stuffing my face. So here's one I stole from the world wide web that I thought was pretty. :)

Xo,
Zo

Workday Breakfast III

I've been starting to get up earlier so I can get to work a little earlier and get stuff done while it's still quiet and no one is bothering me.  With that, I need a quicker breakfast that's still nutritious. So, if you need a change from Workday Breakfast I and Workday Breakfast II, here's something new.
What you will need:
- 1/2 Cup Fat-Free Greek Yogurt
- Fruit. I used 1/2 cup of organic blueberries
- Chopped Nuts. I like using almonds or walnuts.
- A little squirt of organic honey (less than a teaspoon, don't get crazy)

You will feel full until your morning snack with this protein packed breakfast.  Yum! I'm hungry just writing about it.

xo,
zo

Workday Breakfast II

As "they" say, "breakfast is the most important meal" and I agree with "them."  If you skip breakfast because you think it will help you shed some lbs, you done made the wrong decision. 

By skipping breakfast you are more likely to over eat over the course of the day. Your body isn't sure when you will get your next meal so it stores more fat AND your metabolism doesn't get started until later and you really don't want that, trust me.

That's why eating a healthy and nutritious breakfast is so important.  If you haven't heard of steel cut oats, you're welcome for the info. Steel cut oats are better than instant oats for two main reasons, they have more cholesterol lowering fiber and they take longer to digest so you stay full for longer.  Usually these oats take around 20-30 minutes to make which is pretty far fetched for a workday. But Trader Joe's makes it way easier by introducing already made, frozen steel cut oats. Pop 'em in the microwave and 4 minutes later you have an amazing breakfast. For even more healthy goodness add a pinch of cinnamon, a teaspoon of all natural peanut butter and blueberries!

I own too many coffee mugs.

Nutrition Facts: 150 cal, 2.5g fat, 7g sugar, 5g protein

xo,
zo

Highland Bakery Breakfast

A haiku for Highland Bakery:

Highland Bakery

Is Yummy in My Tummy

I love Your SOYsage

I’ve been going to Highland Bakery since I moved to Atlanta.  I feel comfortable saying it’s my most favorite brunch spot in the city.  The food is amazing. They have a TON of vegetarian brunch and lunch options. Plus, they expanded about a year ago so instead of waiting an hour and twenty minutes (or less!) for your delicious Burrito de Huevos (eggs with veggies wrapped in tortillas on black beans – I order mine with whites and hold the tortilla) you now only have to wait 20 minutes!  Apart from the awesome food and great coffee, the vibe there is super chill. I walk in and am immediately happy. They have a really friendly wait staff and local art on the walls.  So I realize it's only Monday, but if you're looking for a brunch spot this weekend, this is the place to go!

My Order:

-          Highland Lite (w/ egg whites & SOYsage) + Whole Wheat Toast



YUM!



Xo,

zo

Airport Ingestion

Things I love about the Atlanta airport:
1. It's close to my house.
2. I get to go on a fun ride called MARTA to get there
3. It's easy to get around
4. A+ people watching

The one thing I don't love about most airports is the complete lack of healthy food options.  If you have the most amazing self-control in the the entire universe (ok that may be a little dramatic, but still) then the airport isn't a place of anxiety for you and congrats, you are superhuman. If you had a father that made you get to the airport at LEAST 2 hours in advance and are a healthy eater on top of that...welcome, anxiety attack.  Now, I will never be able to stop you (or me) from always being nervous I'm going to miss my flight (thanks dad!) but I can help lead you in the right direction when it comes to healthy airport snacks.

So, If you don't have time to make your own nutritious (not to mention money saving) snacks, look for KIND bars or Special K protein bars and drink TONS of water, all available at newstands. Here are a few options at Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport.

Starbucks (all Concourses): Oatmeal. Steer clear of the additional brown sugar and just add nuts. They only add about 100 calories to this already 140 calorie healthy choice.

Subway (all Concourses): 6 inch whole wheat veggie sub.  They have avocado now so this makes for a super yummy sandwich.  I make mine with tons of veggies, one slice of swiss, a line of fat free honey mustard and some avocado.  All of this is only around 275 calories and 4g of fat.  If you don't want just veggie, choose a lean meat like turkey or roasted chicken.

GreatWraps (Concourse A): 7' Pita, hummus, lots of spinach, cucumber, red peppers and green peppers.  This sounds delish even right now as I'm typing. Plus, it's only 360 calories.

**Nature's Table (Concourse E): This is the gold medal winner of airport eating. They have TONS of different options that are both fresh and healthy.  I usually get the hummus, pita and fresh fruit but they have a variety of crisp salads and wraps as well.


Nature's Table Bistro - Concourse E

 NOTE: walk away from the trailmix.  It's high in fat, sodium and sugar. You'll be parched and pissed that you didn't eat something satisfying.

xo,
zo

Healthy Hangover Helper

So you're hungover. Headache, little queasy and majorly dehydrated.  What's next? Many people just head straight for grease hoping that it will soak everything up. Although a greasy hashbrown and a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit does taste mighty good, it's not the most nutritious option to help your body heal.

Here are a few healthy hangover tips that will get you on the road to recovery:

1. Hydrating Liquids - I go with Powerade Zero to replenish electrolytes.  It has zero calories which I obviously love and vitamins B3, B6 and B12.  I also drink a small serving of coconut water. Zico tastes good and so does Vita Coco (I like the one with pineapple, it tastes kinda like a Pina Colada). You can pick up a pack at Publix or WholeFoods.  The cool thing about coconut water is it has tons of potassium, zero grams of fat, is usually all natural and has tons of essential electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium and phosphorous. 
2. Caffeine - This always just helps my headache a little.  Make sure you are not drinking this alone though because caffeine can make you dehydrated so it's best to combine hydrating liquids with this.
3. A nutritious breakfast that's not going to make you barf.  I usually choose Rocky Mountain Toast on low sodium Ezekial bread.  One piece of bread with just the whites and the other the entire egg. Just poke a hole in the bread drop the egg in and cook on both sides.  Ezekial bread is great because it contains no flour but has 4 grains and 4 beans. The eggs provide protein, amino acids and the yolks contain choline which helps regulate the brain, nervous and cardiovascular system.

Take a shower and get some sleep. Cheers to feeling better you party animal!

xo,
zo

Freezer Burn

Did a little light grocery shopping a few nights ago for breakfast, lunch and snack options for this week.  I usually shop on Monday because I have a better idea of what I'm doing for the rest of the week so it helps me save money and not waste food if I know I'm going out.  This trip was more about navigating the freezer section (i.e. how to steer clear of the frozen pizzas).

So here is my list of healthy and nutritious staples that I like to have around my freezer (and a few extras). 

• Veggie Patch faux chicken nuggets (4 Nugs - 190 Cal, 8g fat, 3g fiber 10g protein)
• Avocados
• VitaTops Egg, Cheese & Veggie (150 Calories per Sandi!)
• Silk Pure Almond Milk in Dark Chocolate (90 Calories and perfect for a snack)
• Butter lettuce
• Low Sodium Ezekial Break, i love this stuff (1 slice - 80 cal, .5g fat, 4g protein, 0 sodium)
• Morningstar Soysage (80 cal, 3g fat, 10g protein)
• Almond Breeze Unsweetened Milk (40 Calories)
• Green Giant Healthy Heart Steamers (90 cal, 2.5 fat)
• Kashi Spicy Black Bean Enchilada (260 cal, 7g fat, 8g fiber, 8g protein)
• Morningstar Lasagna (270 Cal, 6g fat, 20g protein)
• Organic Pasture Raised Half and Half (for my coffee)
• Egg Whites

Workday Breakfast

As much as I would like to cook a full breakfast during the work week, 80% of the time it doesn't happen.  What can I say, I like sleep more than I like scrambled eggs.

So this breakfast isn't some grand concoction or Top Chef recipe.  BUT it's super easy, takes about 5 minutes to make and provides some healthy goodies that will keep you satisfied throughout the morning.  It is packed with fiber (that will keep you from getting hungry later), tons of antioxidants, protein and doesn't taste like cardboard (yessss)!  Ok, so it's a fancy cereal recipe and I thought twice about putting a cereal suggestion up as my first recipe, but really, who doesn't love cereal!?!?  Also, every book I've read gives me all of these delicious but super time consuming breakfast recipes so I figured I'd give you guys what I really eat.  That's what this is all about right?

What you'll need:
- 3/4 cup of Kashi GoLean Crunch (190 calories, 3g fat, 9g protein, 8g fiber)
- 1 cup Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Less than 1/3 the calories of skim milk. (40 calories, 3.5g fat, 1g protein)
- 1/4 cup of washed organic blueberries
- 3 washed and quartered organic strawberries
Optional: If you would like more protein, just sprinkle some whey protein on top!

Probably should have washed my counters but how good does all of that fruit look!

Like I said, I'm no Emeril, but BAM this breakfast is Yum-ee. Plus, when I eat healthy breakfasts it helps me make smarter decisions throughout the day!

xo,
zo