I’m really excited to have another place to eat healthy. When I cook at home, I normally follow paleo rules, but when I can’t stand to do another set of dishes, I prefer to dine out vegan style. I do this for two reasons, the first one is for my dairy allergy. I don’t even have to ask if it was cooked in butter since they don’t have any animal products in their kitchen. The second reason, relates to the low quality of animal protein at restaurants. There are exceptions, but most of the time you just don’t know what you are getting or where it is coming from.

Shameer and I tried out the Veggie Grill in Santa Monica, and I can easily see why they are so popular. The prices were very reasonable for food that tasted fresh. I also saw a lot of locals getting take out, so I can see how this would be popular for people after a long work day. My favorite part of the mindful living menu was the portions. Even though they have to list calories, they still gave you a decent size dinner. I absolutely hate it when you order something healthy and you’re hungry and then they bring out a small portion. The great thing about truly healthy food is that you can eat a lot of it, and not have to worry about calories or gaining weight. So big props to Veggie Grill for that.

When we were there, we tried the Bombay Bowl which was my favorite, the Quinoa Power Salad which is what the picture above is, the All Hail Kale Salad with Blackened Chickin’ and the Chill Out Wings with BBQ Sauce. Normally, I’m not a fan of fake meat, but I wanted to try it out since it was organic and non-GMO. Would I order it again, probably not. Did it taste good? Surprisingly yes. The Chill Out Wings were uncannily close to fast food chicken fingers, so I could see why they might be a yummy alternative when you have a craving, but I still prefer to eat as unprocessed as possible. I loved the Bombay Bowl, because the curry sauce had a ton of great flavor which made the roasted veggies and steamed kale taste delicious, plus the fat from the coconut milk in curry sauce made me feel satisfied. For the same reason, the Quinoa Power Salad was awesome because it gave you plenty fat from chopped avocados and almonds.

We went to dinner early … about 5:15ish to avoid parking issues. They have a small lot in the back in their Santa Monica location, but it was full and difficult to maneuver when we left, so I’d avoid the rush if possible. Santa Monica parking can be hellish, but it’s the closest to us. They have plenty of other locations if that is a concern for you.

If you liked this article, check out my List of Healthy Restaurants in Los Angeles.

I was crazy excited when I received Cooking with Coconut Oil by Elizabeth Nyland. Not only am I a big fan of her blog guiltykitchen.com, but I’m in love with my new food processor from Cuisinart, so when I discovered you could make your own mayo in the food processor with healthy fats, I had to test her recipe. And it worked!!!

I haven’t had mayo in a long time, but I used to love a little bit in tuna salads when I made it for myself back in high school. In retrospect, that’s one of the first things I learned to make for myself. Anyway, I don’t consider myself a connoisseur of mayo. But I am one of fats, and this recipe combines eggs yolks, coconut oil, and extra virgin olive oil which are all amazing for your health. The recipe was really easy to follow too, and can easily be adjusted to suit your tastes or make flavored aioli. This recipe did use the juice of one whole lemon, which is great if you are eating it with seafood, but it could be too strong for some people. I don’t see why you can’t reduce or eliminate the lemon juice if needed.

Coconut Oil Mayonnaise

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Serves: 1.5 cups

Ingredients

• 2 egg yolks from pastured hens
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard (I used Cadia, which is organic, gluten free, and non gmo)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ cup of coconut oil, melted
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. In the jar of a blender or bowl of a food processor, combine the yolks, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and sea salt until smooth.
2. With the motor running at medium speed, begin to pour the melted coconut oil into the blender or processor in a very fine stream. You will almost be dripping the oil in. It should take a good 5 minutes to emulsify all the coconut oil. When you've finished with the coconut oil, continue the same process with the olive oil. Don't be tempted to pour the oil faster, or risk breaking your mayonnaise.
3. Once all the oil has been combined with the other ingredients, pour into a jar and store in the refrigerator.

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I wanted to review this green powder before the holiday season, since many people will be traveling. I purchased this before I went on a vacation and was very happy with the product. Since I was in a hotel, I didn’t have access to a kitchen or a blender and wanted a green drink to alkalize my body. It’s a green powder so it’s not meant to taste great, but it didn’t taste horrible. I drank it with some coconut water I purchased at the hotel to make it more palatable.

It was pretty expensive, but worth it for traveling. I would find it expensive to use regularly, but many people add this product to their daily smoothies according to the reviews I read. I liked how it including a probiotic and prebiotic blend to make the powder easier for your body to digest and assimilate the nutrients. This product would also be great to build up your immune system when when visiting germ filled airports, or colder climates. It’s got a Vitamix C blend called Nature’s C with Qpower that includes acerola berry extract, camu camu berry extract, amla berry extract, and goji/lycium berry extract. This powder also contains a freeze dried berry blend, all organic, that should contain Vitamin C. This blend includes strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, tart cherry, pomegranate, and cranberry.

Their label says their product is “100% vegan. Contains NO animal products, common allergens, added sweeteners or flavored fillers. Our wheat aned barley juice powders are harvested from young grasses before the gluten containing endosperms develop and are gluten free.” It also states that they use “42 certified organic and pesticide free ingredients.” Their organic ingredients are clearly listed on the nutrition label.

Conclusion: I plan to use this product to travel with in the future. Disclaimer: I purchased this product myself, and this is meant a review only. If you liked this article, you may be interested in my article on Carry-On Airplane Travel Essentials.

One of my chiropractors recommended the IntelliSkin Womens Zipper Empower Posturecue Sports Bra for helping out my posture. Although I find it expensive for a sports bra ($100 plus shipping), there are no side effects so I decided to give it chance. Bad posture is an extremely hard habit to correct, and I struggle with remembering to sit and stand straight even with my high quality ergonomic equipment. When I was wearing the bra, I did find it hard to slouch wearing this. Plus, since I was already in my sports bra, I found myself more likely to do my back exercises for physical therapy, exercises that help improve my posture. I recommend the zipper style so you won’t injure yourself getting in and out of the bra, but I do some light running (approximately 2 miles of jogging) to improve my circulation and did not like the zipper against my skin. You would likely be fine doing some light cardio or walking, but anything more and I suggest getting the bra without the zipper.  Even if it doesn’t help your posture or reduce your pain you are still investing in a high quality sports bra that is used by fitness and health professionals. My nerve pain is crazy stubborn and I didn’t notice a decrease in pain, but I will use it and trust that every little improvement to my health will help me reach my goal of being pain free.

Disclaimer: I purchased this product, this is not an advertisement. This post is meant as a review only .