Posts Tagged ‘restaurants’

Yesterday’s CHEW Health and Wellness Tour of Chicago was amazing! I had such a blast and would recommend anyone and everyone to do it!

The tour met at Green City Farmer’s Market in the heart of the Lincoln Park neighborhood. We stopped at Tiny Greens, a farm in Urbana, IL that sprouts greens and sells them to put on salads or sandwiches. They sell everything from sunflower and cilantro to broccoli and onion sprouts! We got to sample all sorts of sprouts, but my favorite were these delicious black onion sprouts!

Our next stop at the farmer’s market was Potter’s Crackers. These homemade crackers come in a variety of flavors including flax seed, rosemary, and garlic. They were quite delicious but rather pricey.

Throughout the tour our guide consistently emphasized the importance of greens in one’s diet and how they are extremely under-rated, which I totally agree with! A lot of people get nervous about buying greens because they feel like they don’t know how to cook them. Our tour guide had a great idea; she buys collard greens and then uses them as wraps for lunch. She makes a sweet wrap with almond butter sprinkled with granola and a chopped apple wrapped up in a collard green leaf or makes a savory wrap using hummus, veggies, and protein such as chicken. I’m going to have to try these!

After the market we met with a yoga instructor in the park for a 20 minute yoga class. It was so great to be doing yoga outdoors, I felt totally connected with nature! Then we walked through Oz Park on our way to get some frozen yogurt.

We all stopped by this fountain for a photo op and to cool off! There were a total of 8 of us on the tour, 4 of them being friends of mine!

Then we arrived at Starfruit, which reminded me a lot of Berry Chill but they use Kefir instead of regular yogurt. Kefir contains 10 probiotic cultures per cup which help strengthen the immune system and aids in digestive health. Kefir is a great source of calcium, protein, and fiber and can even help with lactose intolerance.

We got to sample pomegranate and vanilla frozen kefir as well as the Berry Good 4U smoothie which contains blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, goji berries, pomegranate acai kefir and vanilla kefir. All of it was so delicious I never wanted to leave!

Then off the Lululemon Athletic we went. We got a tour of the store and had a chance to shop around and cool off in the air conditioning! I of course fell in love with a pair of plaid running shorts that I want to go back and buy to wear for my half marathon in August!

After Lululemon we walked over to LUSH. If you have never been to LUSH you have to go! They have so many wonderful beauty and bath products that are all handmade! Check out these colorful bath bombs and bubble bath bars!

They even have face masks that are made fresh on a daily basis! We got to try a ocean salt scrub on our hands as well as some lotions and massage oils; all of which were amazing! I will definitely be returning to LUSH to stock my bathroom with a few of these goodies!

The tour continued on. Just as I thought it couldn’t get any better, we went to Karyn’s Raw! Karyn Calabrese helped pioneer the raw food movement and Karyn’s Raw is a holistic health center and cafe that sells everything from raw/vegan smoothies and snacks to books on detox and holistic supplements to keep you energized and radiant!

We got to sample a Morning Cleanser smoothie made of Karyn’s Green Meal, apple juice, Rejuvalac, banana, flax oil, and Lecithin. We also sampled some dips including a vegan sour cream, a beet puree, hummus, and a vegan cheese dip!

And get this! I got to meet Karyn! She just happened to be in the store during the tour along with her famous mentor! I wasn’t able to get any pictures with them, but it was surely a great surprise!

Here we are at the cafe; Jess and Catherine are enjoying their green Morning Cleanser smoothie shot!

Sadly the tour had to come to an end, but the great thing was that we ended at the new Whole Foods Market on North and Kingsbury! If you live in Chicago and have never been to this particular Whole Foods you must go! This place is HUGE and its absolutely incredible, they have it all! Out on the back patio you can eat lunch and enjoy the view of the Chicago skyline over the Chicago River. It was such a gorgeous day, there were even a group of kayakers going by as we took pictures!

I ended up staying at Whole Foods for a bit to grab lunch and shop around a bit before heading home. This tour was an incredible way to spend my Saturday, not only did I meet some great people who love health and wellness as much as I do, but I got to experience new places around the city and even came home with a vast array of goodies, coupons, and a complementary nutrition consultation with our tour guide and founder of CHEW Chicago, Jessica Marie, who is a Holistic Nutrition Practitioner!

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Yesterday morning, after a 5 mile run in the gorgeous summer weather, I went to brunch at Eggsperience Pancakes & Cafe in the River North area of downtown Chicago. Eggsperience is a newly opened 24 hour breakfast/lunch/dinner restaurant that I had hear nothing but great things about, so I had to check it out!

Eggsperience was bustling on a Saturday afternoon (picture above from www.eggsperiencecafe.com); luckily we only had to wait about 15 minutes to get a table. The menu at Eggsperience is endless, they have everything from omelets, pancakes, and crepes to salads, burgers, and paninis.

Upon looking at the menu, I came across a picture of this; the The Famous Oven Baked Apple Pancake. If a restaurant is known for a certain dish, I always have to try it, how else can you get the full restaurant experience without it! I absolutely had to have this pancake. Everything in moderation right?

The Oven Baked Apple Pancake is layered with fresh apples and topped with cinnamon glaze. I barely made it through a forth of this monster pancake before coming to a screeching halt of extreme fullness. Every bite of this pancake was loaded with flavors of baked apple and caramelized sugar, it was incredible! The portions at Eggsperience are enormous, so be careful what you order! I learned this the hard way and ended up taking the majority of my meal home with me!

One of my favorite things to do is go out to breakfast, so far I have fallen in love with Yolk and the Bongo Room here in Chicago, and now I’ll have to add Eggsperience to the list! What’s your favorite breakfast restaurant?

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Before I left Omaha yesterday afternoon I had to try out the newest cupcake bakery in town, Jones Bros Cupcakes!

I was drawn to the bakery by the sweet smell of freshly baked cupcakes and was greeted with a variety of samples when I walked through the door. I tried the Black and White cupcake (Valrhona chocolate cake with vanilla butter cream and Godiva white chocolate liqueur) and the Chocolate cupcake (French Valrhona chocolate cake with callebaut chocolate frosting).

When I finally got around to leaving the bakery, I walked away with a Chocolate Raspberry (Valrhona chocolate cake with raspberry topped with cream cheese frosting), a Chocolate cupcake (the sample had me sold), and a slice of Cinnamon Swirl cake (Bundt cake infused with orange and packed with streusel), all to take home and share with the family!

I paired the cupcakes with a delicious Raspberry Watermelon Champagne Spritzer! Simply blend watermelon and raspberries together, mix in champagne, and add sugar to taste. Enjoy in a tall champagne glass – love this summer cocktail!

If you haven’t checked out Jones Bros Cupcakes in Aksarben Village in Omaha you definitely should make a trip for a summer treat that won’t disappoint!

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Unfortunately the weather here in Chicago has been rainy and gloomy all weekend! But that didn’t stop me from going to the Green City Market farmer’s market for the first time this summer yesterday morning! Located at the south end of Lincoln park between Clark and Stockton Drive, Green City Market is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7am-1pm. Green City Market has over 55 vendors and proudly supports local, fresh, and sustainably raised farm products.

I had heard nothing but great things about Green City Market so I rode my bike to Lincoln Park to check it out yesterday morning! The weather held up on my way out there and I came home with a few goodies!

I bought organic strawberries, a loaf of Honey Oat bread from Bennison’s Bakery, a family run bakery in Evaston, IL and Brun-uusto Baked  Cheese with Garlic from Brunkow’s Cheese in Darlington, Wisconsin. Brun-Uusto cheese is extremely unique. It is a version of Juustalepia, a variety of cheese from Sweden and Finland whose name translates to “bread cheese”. The cheese is baked to form a tasty crust similar to toasted bread and is best enjoyed cut up into cubes and grilled on a skillet or outdoor grill to bring out it’s rich buttery flavor. At Green City Market, vendors grill multiple Brunn-uusto cheese flavors including Jalepeno, Garlic, and Original; all of which are tough to resist!

Towards the end of my visit to the farmers market the clouds rolled in and rain began to pour down, leaving me without and umbrella and completely drenched. I was not about to ride home in the rain so I walked around in search of a place to have some breakfast and came across Perennial, a local brunch stop on Lincoln Avenue. Located right across the street from Green City Market, Perennial is dedicated to using local and sustainable produce whenever possible.

After drying off and warming up with a hot cup of coffee ordered French Toast; an almond baguette topped with apples, lemon ginger, and creme fraishe.

My boyfriend Will went with the Strawberry Pancakes; pancakes with Cap’n Crunch strudel with vanilla milk custard. Both dishes were delicious, but I much preferred the French toast over the pancakes! Perennial was such a fun place to stop on a Saturday morning; the contemporary atmosphere was bustling and the food was incredible! I may have to make this a permanent stop whenever I go to Green City Market!

Luckily the ran let up just long enough for me to bike home! However I don’t think the weather is going to be much better today.

Have you been to any farmer’s markets yet this summer? Check out our Top 5 Farmer’s Market Tips to help you on your next trip!

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The last thing I wanted to share with everyone from my trip to Omaha was my visit to Greenbelly, an eco-friendly restaurant that serves environmentally friendly food. Greenbelly emerged from a catering company called The Cooking Club, and provides customers with healthy environmentally sustainable gourmet food.

Greenbelly not only prides itself on their delicious food but also on their use of containers and disposables made from 100% compostable corn. Their menu offers everything from a build-your-own salad, signature salads, soups, and paninis, as well as grilled pizzas with homemade crust!

While there, I ordered the the Very Berry Salad: a mix of greens with fresh strawberries and blackberries, dried cranberries, and sliced almonds with raspberry vinaigrette. I also got grilled chicken to top it off. The salad was delicious, but as I was eating, I noticed that a lot of people around me had ordered the Chicken Bruschetta Grilled Pizza, which looked phenomenal! Seeing the fresh ingredients atop a fluffy homemade crust made me which I had ordered the pizza instead! Next time I go to Greenbelly I will definitely have to order it as it seems to be quite popular!

pictures and information from thegreenbelly.com

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