Bobo's Oat Bars

We're currently in Massachusetts and spent the last two days at the Whole Foods North Atlantic Region All Access show. This is a show exclusively for Whole Foods Market employees to come, check out products that are newer to the store, and eat eat eat! As a result, we ended up leaving with quite a few snacks of our own. One was this Original flavor Bobo's Oat Bar! Needing a quick, healthy breakfast this morning before we get on the road, I grabbed this and it was delicious! The first three ingredients are oats, brown rice syrup and Earth Balance. They are vegan, wheat free, and really tasty! Not too sweet, which is always a plus. This version is also nut and coconut free (my personal allergies). What a great snack!

Red Lentil

I am currently in Massachusetts, which is very exciting as I haven't been here in about a decade. It is also exciting because this is a work trip, which means that we've acquired business in Massachusetts (and the rest of New England). Love it!

Last night, after a long day of work, we headed to Red Lentil  in Watertown and had a wonderful dinner. As you may know, I LOVE any meal that can be described as a "macrobiotic plate" (or "bowl") and when I saw one on the menu at Red Lentil, I had to order it. The macro plate consisted of pinto beans with sea vegetables, brown rice, seasonal veggies, plum sauce, and your choice of seitan, tofu, or tempeh. I chose tempeh (Dan actually ordered the same thing) and loved this delicious plate of flavorful, healthy veggies and protein. The squashes, sweet potatoes, and carrots were grilled, which is something I hadn't expected, but really enjoyed. This was a great meal! I finished off with a banana, raspberry, mango smoothie for just enough sweetness (I also asked for some added cinnamon). If you are ever in Watertown, head over to Red Lentil for some super tasty, fresh food!

Living in a Modern Way

While in Southern California for Expo West back in March, we had almost a full day off to enjoy. It was Dan and I, as usual, but we were also with two of our employees for the Expo. The whole group of us met upon arrival at the airport and then headed off. We had lunch at Seed Bistro, went for a walk along the beach, and then headed to LACMA for the sole purpose of viewing the exhibit California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way. The exhibit had a collection of modern furniture, automobiles, photos, clothing, and other design that was marvelous to behold. The centerpiece of the design was the full Eames House living room, which has been transported in it's entirety to the museum, all  1,864 items. Having never visited the Eames House (it is currently undergoing restoration, which is why the living room pieces could be temporarily removed), it was really wonderful to see the items amongst which Charles and Ray made their home. If you are a fan of modern design, or just like beautiful, clean design, I recommend that you visit this exhibit! It is going until the beginning of June.

(Photo: A Saul Bass-designed restaurant doggie bag that I particularly liked.)

Chickoo Fruit

I'm back from India! Truly, it was the most magical place that I have ever been and I am already planning to return in 2014. If you want, take a peek at my photos here!

While in India, I tried a few new foods, but my favorite was the Chickoo fruit, also known as the Sapotta (in South/Central America, I believe). The chickoo is like a magical, super sweet combination of a date and a pile of brown sugar. I found them in the US in very small quantities fresh at my local Indian market and also frozen or canned (in syrup). I haven't tried them frozen yet, but have a hot tip that they're awesome blended with non-dairy milk. I didn't buy the canned because they were in syrup and that sounded like something I wouldn't eat. The fresh were delicious, but seem like they'll be challenging to find on a regular basis (there were like 10 total at the store), so we'll see how much of a staple they become. I think the chickoo fruit will be a great once-in-a-while treat! If you see them, pick one up, break or cut it open, scoop out the inside, and don't eat the seed (someone in India told us that the fruit, when broken open as above, looks like Krishna's eyes... I like it).

Simply Suzanne Granola

Yesterday, we were at Whole Foods stocking up on snacks for our upcoming trip to India on Tuesday and I saw this on an end cap: Simply Suzanne's Lotsa Chocolate Granola. It is vegan, nut-free, and really tasty! It's also made in my home state of Michigan. The ingredient list is simple and includes things like cinnamon and black pepper in addition to the chocolate, brown sugar, and maple syrup for a great balance of sweet and savory. They have a few other flavors listed on their website that I will be interested to try, but this chocolate is pretty darn good!

(For some reason, the Lotsa Chocolate flavor is not listed as vegan on their website, though it appears to be totally vegan based on the ingredient list.)

Caveman Foods Water Kefir

We are currently at ExpoWest, which is turning out to be the most magical place in the world both for discovering awesome vegan products and also for business expansion possibilities (which is the real reason why I'm here... no really!). We've had a lot of awesome people visit our booth including today's visit from George of Caveman Foods. George is a vegan dude from Philadelphia who now makes and distributes a kombucha-like fermented water kefir drink in five flavors. He brought over one of each and I decided to start with the original flavor (rose!). I haven't tried the others yet, but with flavors like tarragon, vanilla, and black pepper, they sound pretty promising. One of my favorite things about their brand is that all of their products are flavored naturally with things like real vanilla beans and not with "natural flavors." These taste very strongly fermented (stronger than most kombuchas) and are very refreshing and have a number of health benefits. Check out their website (which is very informative)!

Isabella's V-Chip Cookies

I am currently in Southern California for Natural Products ExpoWest and stopped by Santa Monica's Co-Opportunity Natural Foods store today for a snack. I was in the mood for something sweet and didn't see anything nut-free in the cooler case with all of the raw vegan desserts where my co-travelers were looking, so I asked an employee if they could recommend any local vegan baked goods. She had a few tasty-looking suggestions, but none looked as exciting as these chocolate chip cookies from Isabella's Cookie Company. I shared these with my travel companions and they were winners all around. These tasty vegan chocolate chip cookies are sweetened without refined sugar. They reminded us of the Soft Batch cookies of years past (remember when those were vegan?!).  A must-try if you find them in your area!! They also have an option to order online if you are so inclined. They are definitely worth the effort!

(Very exciting - I now have a laptop and can make these updates on the road instead of storing up pictures until I get back home!)