Whew! I have done so much traveling in the last three weeks and I am so glad to be parked at home for the next few months. Yesterday, I went into New York City, and I spent some time going through my phone on the train. I like to use the train time to clear out photos I don’t need anymore, sift through email, etc. In going through the photos, I had a moment to reflect on the places I’ve been recently, and some of the great food I’ve had along the way. I thought I’d share some of the snaps because I often struggle with what meals to make when I’m at home. These restaurant dishes are healthy, simple, and would be pretty easy to recreate. Let me know what meals you’ve had recently that would be easy to recreate!
Pasta in Italy
Location: Bolzano, Italy, at Hotel Eberle’s restaurant
Healthy Meal: Ok, ok, hear me out before your side-eye me for calling pasta healthy. I do believe a little pasta is healthy. Especially when it’s real deal, straight from Italy, type of pasta. Now, unless you are visiting Italy, live in Italy, or are willing to make your own, the chances of you getting the real deal pasta are slim to none. However, HomeGoods has a really good gourmet food section and I find the same pasta at the local markets in Italy, in that gourmet section of HomeGoods. So check there if you are looking for pasta. Also, note the portion size. It was about the size of my palm - just enough to feel satiated, but not uncomfortably full. I think that’s where we as Americans get into trouble. We tend to have huge portion sizes and then we wind up feeling awful after. This pasta came with a little sauce, zucchini and mushrooms and a little cheese. DELISH.
Fish in Italy
Location: Bolzano, Italy at Hotel Eberle’s restaurant
Healthy Meal: Fresh baked white fish over a bed of roasted veggies with a few potatoes. Simple is how I like it, and you can’t get much simpler or clean than this! This would be so easy to recreate at home!
Hu Kitchen bowl
Location: NYC, Hu Kitchen
Healthy Meal: organic leafy greens, dairy free cauliflower hummus, pork meatballs, seasonal slaw, shredded raw veggies, lemon dressing. Ok forgive me for the messy bowl but this was a seamless order while I was at my appointment in the city. The thing that makes this is the lemon dressing. I’m not sure exactly what they put in it, but I really love and trust Hu Kitchen, so I’m sure it’s super clean. I’ve been experimenting with my dressings lately, and have found that putting in the juice from raw sauerkraut can really level up the flavor, so my suggestion would be to find a kraut flavor that really appeals to you (I love a good ginger kraut) and then use some of the juice (a tablespoon or two is all you need for a single serving). Add that to a little olive oil, apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper and you cannot go wrong!
Mahi Mahi in Costa Rica
Location: Costa Rica, random restaurant
Healthy Meal: Baked mahi mahi and sautéed veggies - all cooked in coconut aminos. I picked up coconut aminos a few weeks ago and they really are a game changer. You could marinate your fish in it for 20 minutes and then bake it or fry it up (along with the veggies) and wow - flavor explosion, my friends.
Breakfast Burrito in Costa Rica
Location: Costa Rica, at a restaurant called Surf Box
Healthy Meal: breakfast burrito without egg (!!) - tortilla, black beans, plantains, sautéed veggies, shredded chicken. So I’ve recently found out I have an egg sensitivity, so I’ve been avoiding eggs. Breakfasts have been a challenge, so I was psyched when I asked if they could use shredded chicken as a protein in a breakfast burrito instead of eggs when I was in Costa Rica. It was fantastic. You could also cut down on the carbs by taking out the black beans and plantains, but man those plantains really give it such a sweet, delicious flavor.
Baked Chicken and Sautéed Veggies
Location: Room service at The Fontaine, Kansas City
Healthy Meal: baked chicken with sautéed greens and mushrooms with a lemon dressing. I really like simple, no-fuss meals, and when you’re on the road, it’s tough to do. Marketing Director Lauren and I had a whirlwind of a week this fall when we traveled all over the mid-West for our workshop tour, and by the time we hit Kansas City, we were psyched to see such a simple meal on the menu at The Fontaine. It’d be so easy to recreate at home with a rotisserie chicken (and then use the carcass for a broth!), and some sauteed veggies. I didn’t use the lemon dressing, because I felt it didn’t need it.
Salad and Chicken
Location: Austin, at a hotel restaurant called Café No Sé
Healthy Meal: Organic greens and veggies with grilled chicken, avocado and a ginger dressing. How how I live for ginger. This ginger dressing was so good, and I just love a fresh salad with lots of variety. This had radishes, carrots, tomatoes, beets, and avocado. YUM.
The next time I travel, you’ll have to share your restaurant recommendations! I’m always looking for fresh local fare on the road. Any places I can’t miss the next time I’m in your city? Drop them in the comments!
