Shoot me an email: dingerdivesin@gmail.com and hopefully I can help you figure it out. You can be anonymous and it will help provide blog posts so that others may learn too!
Are you curious about eating healthier but unsure of how to go about doing it?
Shoot me an email: dingerdivesin@gmail.com and hopefully I can help you figure it out. You can be anonymous and it will help provide blog posts so that others may learn too!
Whether you are a vegetarian or vegan, eating out can be tricky. Eating out and trying to be kind to your wallet, now you've got a real predicament. Just because we don't eat meat or animal products doesn't necessarily mean we only want to eat a salad when we eat out. Boring. I can make that at home. And no, I don't want to try another frozen "veggie patty." Been there, done that thousands of times.
I live in the Washington, D.C. area with my husband and wanted to share a short list of a few favorite places I've tried that are not only vegan/vegetarian friendly, but also forgiving on my wallet. Here they are in no particular order and by no means a complete list. I hope to write up another post soon that includes another handful of vegetarian/vegan cheap eats in DC. I will say, it saddens me that I can't include Native Foods, a vegan fast casual restaurant, in this list as they closed all of their DC locations suddenly at the end of 2015. 1. Amsterdam Falafel Shop. You can eat here and be truly full for under $10. They have three DC locations and one location in Arlington, right at the center of the Clarendon neighborhood. If you like falafel, this is a place for you. You can chose from a small (3 falafel balls) or regular (5 falafel balls) pita sandwich which you can then fill with 22 toppings including hummus, babaganoush, cucumber salad, tahini sauce, cilantro, onions, cabbage, and the list goes on. Delicious. The trick is to squish your falafel balls in your pita so that you can fit more toppings in it. They also have a falafel bowl to chose from, which is all of the tastiness of their falafel and toppings without the pita. Depending on which toppings you put in your pita, this could be a vegan or vegetarian place. 2. Buredo. This is a relatively new shop that opened in the summer of 2015. There is only one location right across from the McPhearson Square metro in DC. It's a very unique place that is definitely worth trying. First off, it's fast casual and has only one communal table in the middle of the shop. I didn't even see a bathroom in there. It's small and really best for take out or if you are making a quick pit stop for some nourishment. The other thing you might have difficulty wrapping your head around is what they offer: burrito-size sushi rolls. Mind blowing, I know. But it's oh so yummy! I tried the "Elle" and their organic miso soup, so with tax it came to about $15. The burrito-size sushi was amazing, fresh, and filling. It was entertaining just watching the staff make it. The miso soup, which came from a dispenser, included fresh jicama, carrots, and green onion on the bottom of your bowl. (Check out my Instagram: @DingerDivesIn for a picture of the "Elle.") 3. Teaism. Teaism is hands down my favorite cafe/restaurant in this area. They have four locations -- three in DC and one in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. They offer nearly two dozen different teas, a mango lassi, and beer, wine and sake. My favorite drink is their chai -- Indian spices, milk, and sugar. It's a little piece of heaven in a cup. As for food, they offer a variety of vegetarian and vegan treats for breakfast and dinner. They offer Indian vegetable curry, organic grilled tempeh bento box organic tempeh scrambled "eggs", lentil soup, and udon noodle soup, just to name a few vegan options. If you have a drink or tea with either your breakfast or dinner, it'll probably run you close to $15. Check out their menu. 4. Grilled Cheese DC or GCDC. There is nothing vegan about GCDC. It's all about the comfort food and some cheesy goodness. They have just one location near the White House in DC. For lunch, you can get away with spending about $10 on just a grilled cheese sandwich, mac & cheese, or quesadilla. Their dinner menu is slightly pricier with different options, and it'll cost you closer to $15 - $20, especially if you order a drink. Needless to say, it's OK to indulge once in a while. The "mushroom melt" was delicious! Don't forget to order a side of tomato soup to dip your grilled cheese! This is a great, affordable brunch spot. They even serve mimosas! Grilled cheese and a mimosa on a Sunday? I don't know what more you could ask for! 5. Busboys and Poets. This local chain restaurant just oozes a cool factor. There are six Busboys and Poets locations in the greater Washington, D.C. area. It has a hip, organic, and laid back atmosphere and their menu is simply divine, offering vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. In many ways, I'm surprised Busboys and Poets has done so well in the DC area because this area is very much centered on typical expensive American fare geared towards the elite. They offer a wide range of options on their breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch menus from vegan "beef" sliders, vegan nachos, coconut tofu bites, to vegan "crab" cakes and vegan "tuna" sandwich. Most of their vegan/vegetarian starters, sandwiches, and entrees are about $10 - $15. While you might be tempted like me to order a bunch of items off of the menu, you can definitely get out of there for under $20 and be very satisfied. Everyday for me is meatless, so I don't really need to post for "Meatfree Monday," but I try to have my husband (an omnivore) participate in Meatfree Monday. Tonight for dinner I created mini polenta pizzas. They were quick, easy, tasty, and budget friendly, but most importantly husband approved! They are also low fat, gluten-free, and of course vegetarian!
These are great as an appetizer or as the main course with a big salad. The picture is fairly self explanatory, but I'll walk you through the process. Time: Approximately 30 minutes including prep. Cost: Approximately $10 with guaranteed leftovers. Ingredients: 1 tube Trader Joe's Organic Polenta 1/2 jar tomato sauce 8 ounces part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced small enough to fit on polenta slices 6 large fresh basil leaves, cut into halves oregano salt pepper 2 tbsps Olive Oil 1 grilled/baked Portobello mushroom 2 tbsps balsamic vinegar Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Slice polenta into 1/4" thick slices or bigger if you desire a fatter bite. 2. Clean and wash a Portobello mushroom. Place in tin foil and sprinkle olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper onto mushroom. Bake for 15 minutes. 3. While the mushroom is baking, arrange the polenta slices on a cookie sheet with wax paper. You can also spray the cookie sheet with olive oil cooking spray. 4. Drizzle olive oil onto all of the slices. Spoon approximately 1 heaping teaspoon of tomato sauce or more depending on how much sauce you enjoy onto each slice. 5. Sprinkle each slice with oregano. Place your sliced or shredded mozzarella onto the polenta. 6. Top with basil and Portobello mushroom and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 7. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your polenta. 8. Enjoy! For the past two years, I have volunteered to make breakfast on a Sunday morning once a month at a homeless shelter in Alexandria, Virginia. It's early...think 7 a.m. early to start making the breakfast. But it's such a humbling and rewarding experience that I don't even think twice about waking up at 6 a.m. on a Sunday. Me and several others then serve the residents at 8 a.m. for about 30 minutes. When it's slow or there aren't many residents, that's a good thing. That means those people have hopefully found a job or a home. But when it's packed and busy, it breaks my heart. It breaks my heart even more when I see kids in line for breakfast. They don't have a choice in being there. This Sunday I found myself at the homeless shelter making scrambled eggs. I wanted to post about the food aspect of this volunteer work. In the past two years, I've only helped assist with scrambled eggs, pancakes and two types of bacon. Although, I will admit, I have never offered to make the bacon. One thing that bothers me is that the food we serve isn't all that healthy. Sure, everyone loves pancakes, eggs, and of course bacon, but is that the best way we can be treating these homeless people in a shelter? The fact that they will undoubtedly have health problems later on, not from one meal like this, but from many, almost seems unintentionally cruel. And then of course we put out the butter and fake maple syrup. There is a bowl of fresh apples that goes out with the breakfast, but it really can't counteract the unhealthy breakfast being consumed. Part of the reason low-income, poor, and even homeless individuals have disproportionately more health problems than other demographics is because sugar-laden, highly processed foods are so cheap. It's unfortunate that our society gives so many subsidies to the sugar and corn industries to make producing this junk food cheaper than ever. It drives me nuts how almost everything we eat nowadays has sugar in it. It takes me longer to go grocery shopping because I read the labels on most everything I buy and put back the foods that have sneaked in mass amounts of sugar. What's worse, is that sugar filled foods are cheaper than foods that don't have sugar. One prime example is peanut butter, an item my husband and I consume quite often. Peanut butter made simply from peanuts and salt is actually MORE expensive than the peanut butter with hydrogenated sugar, high fructose syrup, and other ingredients I can't pronounce. So, when someone on a very tight budget has to chose their foods and options are limited, of course they are going to chose whatever is cheapest and it will most likely be filled with sugars and artificial ingredients. Many people don't even know to read the labels on food products and have no clue how much sugar, artificial ingredients, and fats are in the products. I don't want to criticize the people who donate and buy the ingredients so that the volunteers like me are able to make the breakfasts at the homeless shelter, but I do wish there was more awareness about how unhealthy the food is that we are serving. And perhaps one day, when enough strong-willed, determined consumers stand up to the giant food companies, slowly more and more sugars, fats, and artificial ingredients will be eliminated from the labels and healthy foods will be cheaper than junk food. It's the moment the Vegan community has all been waiting for...vegan ice cream from Ben & Jerry's, one of the country's most beloved brands! Frankly, considering how "crunchy" and forward thinking Ben & Jerry's has been for nearly 40 years, it's surprising it took them this long to launch a non-dairy line. Ben & Jerry's has been an advocate of campaign finance reform, LGBT equality solar power, GMO labeling, fair trade, peace building and they have opposed the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone or rBGH. Needless to say, it's a very welcome new line of products and I know thousands of people are dying for a Chunky Monkey, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Coffee Caramel Fudge or P.B. & Cookies to appear in the frozen section of their nearest grocery store. The four new products are made with almond milk (yum!), certified vegan brownies from a bakery in New York, and of course the remaining ingredients are fair trade certified. I'm most looking forward to trying P.B. & Cookies, as my love affair with peanut butter has been going strong for as long as I can remember. Just because these new vegan frozen desserts are without any animal by products, it doesn't mean they are free from fats. The Coffee Caramel Fudge has 240 calories and 12 g of fat for just a half cup, which is barely enough to get a taste. The P.B. & Cookies has 290 calories and 17 g of fat per half cup. So beware friends, vegan treats can still be as unforgiving on the waist line as non vegan treats. Glamour Magazine also did a fact check on the vegan ice cream and told its readers that no, this new product line doesn't actually make them a health food. |
AuthorThanks for taking the time to explore this healthy & mind conscious food blog. It's a mix of vegetarian/vegan restaurant reviews, health food news, and recipes. I hope you find it interesting and keep coming back for more! Archives
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