A Healthy Lunch Spot in Barcelona

While I could go on about how amazing it is to eat clean, local ingredients… or tell you the many benefits of a dairy/gluten/meat free diet, I’ll spare you… as there are many opinions, variables, and objectives I don’t wish to delve into. So for the purpose of this post, I am a mere food lover who has a favorite lunch spot, that happens to be extremely health conscious with chic vibes. 

Enter Flax + Kale. An amazing restaurant nestled into the trendy Raval neighborhood in Barcelona, where the options are all equally as tantalizing and delicious as they are healthy. This haven has something for every health food nut but could also fool any diehard foodie looking for a hearty meal. 

My friend and I started with juices and smoothies, with my personal favorite being the Frappe Mocha, pictured above, that has almond milk, cold-brewed coffee made in house, ice, frozen young coconut, dates, raw cocoa, and agave. I also ordered a turmeric chai drink that was spicy and creamy with a totally new flavor. 

We then ordered a few appetizers to share including a coconut and mushroom toast which was totally different then anything I’ve ever tasted, thanks to the combination of the earthy mushroom with a nutty sweet coconut twist. The beetroot tuna tartare is a staple that shouldn’t be missed, along with the crunchy fish tacos and double black cod that legitimately melted in my mouth. 

Not into fish? Fear not, there are tons of vegetarian/vegan options ranging from a raw vegan lasagna, to a to-die-for mezze plate covered in hummus, aborigine, quinoa, pumpkin and more. 

The menu is coded so that you can quickly assess exactly what you’re ordering, while keeping in mind your personal preferences. They list everything from: GF: Gluten Free, RF: Raw Food, PB: Plant Based, to OF: Oily Fish. 

After traveling around Europe for a while, it can be challenging to find healthy options that aren’t either filled with crap, or tastes like crap. To be honest, Flax + Kale is doing it completely right. You leave their charming establishment satisfied, nourished, and really incredible about yourself. 

Maybe that’s why their slogan is Eat Better. Be happier. Live longer. Honestly couldn’t agree more… Xx

Shopping at Pike Place Market

Finding the best local market is the first thing I do when exploring a new city or town. I am always fascinated by the people, products, and energy that is radiating from each stall and stand. After hearing so much about the food, coffee, and culture in Seattle, I was thrilled when I arrived at Pike Place Market.  

I was blissfully overwhelmed by the bustling market stalls and winding aisles packed with products, produce, and flowers. I stopped to smell the hundreds of vibrant flowers that quite literally drowned the women who cut and arranged them.

I browsed the racks of local wines, tried, smelled, and tasted local chocolates, teas, and spices, and embraced my inner hippie while testing out various essential oils and chakra beads. While I wanted to buy everything that I had seen, smelt, and experienced… there were a few products that I simply couldn’t pass up.

This is what wound up in my shopping bag:

• Bee Propolis Chewing Gum: Bee Propolis is the substance used by bees to seal their hives and keep out infection. They collect sap from trees, and convert it to this waxy sealant. People can use it for sore throats, and use it as an antiviral as well as warding off infections or sickness. The owner of this amazing Bohemian shop, called Tenzing Momo, adds peppermint to this gum-like consistency and created a gum that is not only freshening your breath, but also improving your health.

• Chakra Mala Necklace: I purchased a Chakra Mala with beautiful colored gemstones that represent all 7 chakras. There are 108 rudraksha beads that make up this necklace, which is the traditional number for chanting and prayer. Each rudraksha bead has been handpicked, blessed, and chosen for its energy level. Created by Aum Rudraksha Designs.

• Almond Coconut Chocolate Bar from Theo: Not only are these chocolate bars absolutely delicious, they are also USDA organic, Fair Trade, and non-GMO. The Theo brand is involved in every step of the process: From the cacao farmer in the Congo, to the truck driver in Seattle, to the chocolate lovers like me all around the world. I bought this 65% dark chocolate as a “celebration of spring” that has crunchy almonds and toasted coconut making a smooth, and rich dark chocolate that is nutty and refreshing.

• Zodiac Essential Oil Aquarius:  I thought this concept was so fascinating and of course had to buy it. The bohemian shop, Tenzing Momo, hand blends essential oils based on your zodiac sign. Each astrology sign has different strengths and weaknesses, which creates a unique combination of essential oils to become most beneficial to the user. Being a Valentines baby, I bought the Aquarius blend and love wearing it on the inside of my wrists and neck.

• Sage Bundle: As I walked around the market, the smell of something burning wafted into my nose. Originally I figured it must have been weed, after all... Washington is one of the places where marijuana is legal, so this concept was not too far of a stretch for me. However, shortly after my nose picked up this scent, I came to a table covered in small sage bundles, some of which were on fire. I learned about smudging, which is the cleansing of energetic and metaphysical aura’s completed through the burning of a sage bundle. It is said to help with conflict, anger, illness and evil energy, while also calling forth energies of peace and love. So I bought this little bundle of wonder to burn in my New York City apartment to bring in good energy and burn out anything negative.

• Rejuvenating Rub: After a long weekend of skiing the slopes, my body was aching and exhausted. So when I hit the stand for Moon Valley Organics... I was so pleased to find their Rejuvenating All-Over Body Rub. Moon Valley is a “Farmacy” nestled in the majestic foothills of Washington's Cascade Mountains. Their herbalists take nature's healing agents and turn them into truly effective and luxurious care products. The Rejuvenating Rub combines mint and lavender with arnica to create the ultimate cooling and calming experience, perfect for my aches after workouts, long plane rides, and strenuous activities.

Lunch at Edible Canada

After a long weekend spent skiing the sunny slopes of Whistler... I had a full day to explore Vancouver before my flight back to NYC. I ventured over to Granville Island, which was a short "Aqua Bus" ride away from our apartment in Yaletown. Here we strolled the aisles of produce and products at the public market and pondered the arts and crafts of many small local shops along the water. 

After working up an appetite, my girlfriend and I took the recommendation of a good friend and pulled up a barstool to the open-kitchen dining at Edible Canada. 

This incredibly inviting and lively bistro serves up authentic Canadian classics, infused with modern and ethnic influences. From Oxtail Poutine to Yukon Arctic Char, Edible Canada focuses on local, sustainable, and seasonal ingredients that showcase all that Canada's diverse cultures, farmers, and artisans have to offer. 

Edible Canada opened its doors six years ago and operates as a full service bistro, an artisanal retail and online store, as well as a tours/events company. 

The store, located near the back of the restaurant, is a foodie haven that offers the highest quality Canadian-made gourmet items that are handpicked by Eric Pateman (the founder) and his retail team. Products range from maple syrup and smoked salmon, to more exclusive products like Amola's bacon or truffle salts as well as custom gift baskets. 

They also offer food tours in and around Vancouver including: Granville Island Market Tour, Worlds Best Food Truck Tour, as well as a Guilty Pleasures Gourmet Tour. In addition to these walking/guided tours, Edible Canada also offers monthly market dinners from cultures and chefs around the world including: Lebanon, China, Japan, and Peru as well as a Canadian dinner series serving local wines and fare. 
 
For my lunch at the bistro, I started off with a glass of Pinot Gris from Naramata (as per the servers recommendation). I scanned the mouthwatering menu and stopped at the Northern Alberta Elk Tartare. 

Now I'm not a huge meat person, let alone a raw red meat person... But once my interest was peaked I asked the server what was the most unique and daring choice, and she led me straight back to the Elk Tartare. 

So naturally I went for it. 

It consisted of hand-chopped raw elk, a truffle aioli, Biota mustard, and grilled bread. The meat was fresh, lean, and delicious. The combination of the truffle aioli, mustard, and quail egg on top created an explosion of flavors and textures with every bite.

After all that meat, I opted for a light salad that consisted of smoked sturgeon & salmon, a soft boiled egg, citrus, mint, sprouted pulses, grilled greens, spiced seeds, with a white miso vinaigrette. 

I was so impressed by the food, atmosphere, and concept of this company that I absolutely had to write about it. Whether or not you are a foodie... The Granville Island market and Edible Canada is an amazing way to spend an afternoon discovering all that Vancouver and Canada as a whole have to offer. 

She's Likes Seafood by the Seashore

I remember being a little girl driving next to my grandpa in his vintage Mercedes. The smell of leather and Cuban cigars always gently and familiarly wafting in the car. With my little legs kicking up from the warm sheepskin seats, he would roll the windows down...

“Take a deep breath… you smell it?”

I would take a deep inhale and the immediate smell of the sea and salt in the air would wake me up and make me giggle with excitement as it cooled me.

His love for the ocean was the reason I forced down my first squishy bite of calamari, it was the reason my sister, cousin, and I would wake up at 4 in the morning to catch the all-day fishing boat in San Pedro. And with a fishing pole bigger than I was, he taught me the strength, beauty, and mysteries of the sea.

He is the reason, to this day, I know you should only eat seafood in a place where you can see the ocean. (I doubt he would consider the Hudson River a feasible excuse to eat oysters on Grand Banks... but I digress).

In his honor, no matter which beach town I’m visiting from Portugal to Hawaii... I always go on a hunt to find the freshest seafood I can, and this lovely meal was my latest jackpot served up in Esperanza at a local joint called Bili’s. This place was the recommendation of the local friend I had made earlier in the day, and we ordered the calamari, the poke tuna, and the daily paella which came complete with a half lobster.

My love and fascination in finding the most incredible beaches, is always backed by a quest for equally outstanding seafood thanks to my diehard, ocean loving, fisherman for a Grandpa. And I have to say, I think this little pastel ramshackle in southern Vieques would've been right up his alley. 

The Insider: What to Buy and How to Shop for Healthy Meals on Deck

At some point every summer I find myself aboard a boat… sailing for an extended period of time, whether it’s exploring a new route for The Yacht Week, or lazily tanning, sightseeing, and hopping from island to island. Sailing is by far one of my favorite ways to explore new places.

1. You get to jump straight into the ocean every morning… Who needs coffee?
2. There is nothing quite like jamming to your favorite tunes laying in the sun watching islands float by
3. Feeling spontaneous? Just pull the boat into a nearby cove and go for a quick snorkel/cliff jumping sesh
4. BBQing off the back of the boat with the salty wind in your hair just can’t be beat

However, that last item on my list lead me to a big challenge I’ve faced after living on a boat for a week or longer the past few summers. On a boat, you typically don’t have the luxuries or amenities readily available, that are necessary for maintaining that healthy bikini-body regime.

What ingredients do you really buy in a tiny market at a marina that will serve a big purpose in a bite-size kitchen below deck? As a first-timer, I stood in the middle of the bustling aisles of the local store with my shopping cart, mouth agape, with no clue where to even start.

Through the years, I have learned what works and what doesn’t when sailing or living on a boat for an extended period of time. So below are the tips of things to buy, based on availability, price, and tolerance to sea life. It’s all about the ease of making a meal that’s healthy and tastes great, to keep you happily fed while maintaining your pristine waistline.

First off the biggest and most common mistake I’ve seen, is travelers going hog wild in the canned food section. Hoarding cans of tuna, beans, and tomato sauce like an apocalyptic lunatic. And while yes, it’s great to have these items on hand for the occasional tuna sandwich, you are creating much more trash onboard as you go, it’s healthier and greener to just go with the fresh ingredients.

Essentials:

• Vegetables:

-Lettuce: obviously great for salads but also a fabulous alternative to bread for  quick and easy lettuce wraps

-Tomatoes: they’re inexpensive, keep well, and are an easy addition to any meal. Think salads, sauces, and salsas

-Carrots: amazing for munching and dipping into local delicacies such as hummus or tzatziki

• Fruit:

-Mango/Peaches: by itself is stellar, in yogurt, as a salsa or dip for fish, with honey and dark chocolate as dessert, or sliced into your morning champagne… who doesn’t love a good Bellini?

-Apples: Helps keep digestion regular, as it can be a little funky on a boat: FIBER, FIBER, FIBER. Also great as a healthy snack with peanut butter, an addition to a cheese plate, or topping on a fresh salad

-Bananas: huge source of much needed potassium that is essential when swimming and being in the sun all day. (Also, ladies sneaky tip… when paired with coconut milk, and honey this delicious smelling concoction doubles as a natural deep conditioner. Perfect for your hair after it becomes fried from the sea and the sun.)

-Grapes: easy in the morning or as a snack but also awesome when used as iced cubes when frozen… sneaky trick when everyone thinks the ice is gone.

• Eggs: amazing source of protein, and even easier to keep fresh then American eggs as they are kept at room temp in most European ports, which is great if you have to go a day without power while also saving on fridge space. Obviously a great breakfast option, but can also be hard boiled and tossed into a salad or a grab-and-go filler between meals

• Cheese: pick up a little local cheese just to try, then grab some essentials to help pump up a salad (ie. feta for a greek, mozzarella for caprese etc), or a spread for an antipasti on a lazy afternoon.

• Meat: cured is always easiest, prosciutto, salami etc. As well as deli meats such as turkey and ham. The smoked/cured meat is great over eggs in the morning, or served on a charcuterie plate, and the quick protein boost you get from wrapping up turkey, cheese and lettuce for example is a no-brainer. You can also do chicken, or burgers but I typically stay away from serious raw meat as I never trust fridges that can turn on and off.  It’s also great to try and get local fish daily from wherever you are docked and grill it off the back of the boat.

• Spices/Herbs/Condiments: these are essential and save your life in the long run. Sea salt and pepper, as silly of a reminder as this is in the heat of the moment it isn't always the first thing that comes to mind when grocery shopping. I always try and get basil and dill for salads and eggs, as well as red chili powder and some form of hot sauce… cause I’m an addict for spicy! Really good to get mustard to add moisture and flavor to meats & cheeses as well as sandwiches. Balsamic is great, and olive oil is a must. I also always pick up a little chocolate as I get a sweet craving after every meal. It’s great as is and is also wonderful melted over fruit.

• Yogurt: This is a big deal-breaker for me… It’s (if you buy the right kind) full of protein, has probiotics, which helps for stomachs at sea, easily mixes with honey and fruit for a sexy morning parfait, or can be just as easily pair with savory ingredients like mint, garlic, and chive for a enjoyable dip or topping.

Topic of Water-

It’s hard to admit but this part of the traveling world has yet to go green… People, myself included, have to load up with hundreds of plastic water bottles to insure there’s enough water to survive long sails and hot summer nights. However, if you know you will be docked at a marina where you will have access to water, I highly recommend bringing (beforehand) both personal water bottles with filters, as well as large water filters. This eliminates the use of plastic, cuts down on waste, and really saves on space used in the boat for storing all those extra bottles.

Take it from a local-

I started this small thing at marinas that had great restaurants, I’d ask them for a large batch of their local specialty: in Turkey I asked for their fresh baked pita bread, and a large container of tzatziki, in Greece it was their hummus, and in Italy their homemade spaghetti sauce. Buying these things straight from a restaurant means that there is little to no prep involved, the ingredients are fresher than those packaged in a factory for sale at a market, and typically everything is authentically better tasting. Not to mention the amount of space you’re saving by having all the ingredients already blended together.

As I mentioned before I always seek to try local products wherever I go such as: wines, cheeses, nuts, spices, meats, herbs, sauces, and produce. This helps me really get a flavor for the culture and the cuisine.

I’ve learned these tips and tricks of the trade during my times sailing through the ports of: Croatia, Italy, Greece, Turkey, as well as the British Virgin Islands. These essential things on my list are just simple suggestions and guidelines that I follow personally while on board and of course are open to be tweaked and played with depending on your diet and preferences.

Photos by various Yacht Week Photographers (as watermarked)

Delightful Dining in Zagreb

In Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, I sat outside on the gorgeous outdoor patio of Zinfandel’s Restaurant, conveniently located at the Esplanade Hotel, where I was staying for the night. I ordered a glass of light sparkling wine on the hot August day… luckily not confusing my choice with Prošek (an intense Croatian dessert wine, that’s at least 15% alcohol with a dark amber hue… Woof).

I ordered a caprese salad with a side of watermelon and mint gazpacho. The salad had delicious heirloom tomatoes, fresh arugula spritzed in lemon and vinegar with small mozzarella bites to create a fresh, creamy, and tangy salad that was both light and satisfying. After feeling like I was roasting alive in the mid-summer Croatian heat, the watermelon and mint gazpacho was exactly what I needed. Cool, sweet, zesty and refreshing. It was the perfect portion and complimented the leafy salad effortlessly.

My second course I ordered at Zinfandel's Restaurant was a true Croatian crostini. With fresh olives from Istra, Croatia, sun-dried tomatoes, Dalmatian ham and olive oil with a slice of semi-firm Croatian cheese known as Kashkaval. The combination of the crispy and warm toasted bread, savory smoked ham, and creamy Croatian cheese was enough for me to pass on to gastronomic heaven.  

The cuisine in Croatia is the perfect blend between Mediterranean and Italian with fresh seafood, vegetables and pasta being their dietary staples. Their main condiment’s are similar to that of their close trans-Adriatic neighbor: Olive oil, garlic and fundamental herbs such as basil and rosemary.

One thing I loved about Croatia is that 67% of the wine made in the country is white, which is exceptionally important when dealing with the intense heat all day. After a long day in the sun, I rarely felt like a big glass of Cabernet. Instead I always chose a nice refreshing glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc. My wine choice was a bit ironic however, as Croatia is known as the birthplace of the Zinfandel. 

Whether you are stuffing your face with pasta or remain carb-conscious with a seafood salad, Croatian food is delicious, fresh, and can (depending on what you order) be quite healthy. With a great history in wine-making and tons of great restaurants and menu options… Croatia was a dream to explore gastronomically. 

Photos by The Blonde Vagabond. ©