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Where We Ate in San Francisco

by Stephanie

Where We Ate in San Francisco

My husband Mark and I just got back from a six-day trip to San Francisco. Yes it was six days without the kids. I was bliss! As I mentioned in my post about travelling, Mark and I like to stay on track when we’re travelling. We’ll have some extra drinks of course, but typically we’ll search out for places to eat that use whole foods so we don’t feel bloated and horrible on our trip. It makes a difference let me tell you!

I thought I would give you a little rundown of where we ate on our trip and how we made modifications to our meals.

The Hearth by Lynn Crawford
Toronto Pearson International Airport

As you probably know, many airports leave little to be desired when it comes to a search for healthy food. We left Toronto early in the morning and even though we ate something small at home before we left, we wanted a bit more to eat to sustain us for the five-hour flight. We found The Hearth and it was perfect. Unlike most of the restaurants in the airport, food at The Hearth is made at the actual restaurant—versus in the central catering kitchen. This means that the food is fresh, unpackaged and for the most part pretty healthy. I was able to get a couple of poached eggs, bacon (yes now and then I have bacon!) and asked for a side of greens. They didn’t really have greens that early in the morning, but the waiter was so kind and brought me some watercress and a cute bowl of cherry tomatoes and cucumbers.

Cafe du Soleil 
345 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

Mark and I were heading straight to see the Giants play, but I wanted to get something to eat before we went into the stadium. On our way down we walked by Cafe du Soleil—a quaint French cafe that served the most delicious salads along with all of the other yummy French fare of course! We were a bit late for the game (oop!), but it was worth it in my opinion!

K-OZ Restaurant and Brewery
121 7th St
San Francisco, CA 94103

K-OZ was attached to our hotel in San Francisco and we were happy to see that they offered great coffee and a couple nice breakfasts. We were able to have eggs and sub our toast and tater tots for a huge side of greens for two mornings that we were there. Perfect for a day for walking up all of those damn hills!

Lite Bite
1796 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123

The day after our baseball game, we jumped on double-decker bus for some city sight seeing. This is the best way to get to know a new city because then you can jump off anywhere and go back later if you love it. After being on the bus for an hour, we decided last minute to jump off at Union Street. This was one of our favourite areas of the city. It didn’t have a lot of tourists, the streets were quiet and it had a lot of cute little shops and restaurants including Lite Bite!

We went to Lite Bite first for a juice and smoothie, but we went back later for lunch. There were so many options for lunch from fresh salads, soups, sides and snacks. We had salmon with a side of roasted cauliflower and chickpeas and a kale salad. Delish!

 

Photo via NOPA

NOPA
560 Divisadero (at Hayes)
San Francisco, CA 94117

Thursday night we headed up over to NOPA which specializes in organic, local, wood-fired cuisine. I made reservations for this place six weeks in advance—it’s that busy. The food we had here was hearty, earthy and delicious. I had the most flavourful avocado toast I’ve ever eaten. Mark had half a chicken for dinner (ha!) and I had a vegetarian Moroccan tagine. We needed to walk off dinner, so we headed up-hill again to a little jazz place in the Haight-Ashbury district called Club Delux. So fun.

Copita Tequileria y Comida
739 Bridgeway
Sausalito, California 94939

On Friday we headed out on another tour to Muir Woods which had a drop off in Sausalito—a gorgeous little bay-side town that reminded us so much of being in Europe with its homes built into the hills. We arrived around lunchtime so we headed to the main street and found a Mexican restaurant called Copita Tequileria y Comida. Copita specializes using in seasonal ingredients in its menu items and makes everything from scratch. Everything on the menu is gluten-free. We had delicious chips and quac of course, as well as ceviche and fish tacos. It was a beautiful, fresh meal.

The Barn
3068 N Cabrillo Highway
Half Moon Bay, California 94019

After our stay in San Francisco we rented a car and headed down the coast to Carmel-by-the-Sea. You may have heard that sometimes that traffic isn’t great in California, so during one of our slower driving moments, we saw The Barn—a farm-to-table establishment offering fresh, homemade food using local and seasonal ingredients. Their burgers are made with local grass-fed beef! So we stopped for burgers and a salad and it was the perfect pit-stop during our drive.

Basil Seasonal Dining
Basil, San Carlos Street
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921

We had reservations on Saturday night for Basil Seasonal Dining—again the reservations were made in advance. Basil is located in a quaint courtyard area in Carmel and has a few tables inside and a few tables located outside on the patio. We chose to stay inside because this area of California is cold at night! Everything at Basil uses seasonal (as per the name), locally-grown and organic ingredients. It’s also considered a Green Restaurant which takes into consideration how an establishment uses various facets of its restaurant whether it’s efficient water usage, sustainable food, energy efficiency and more. Abalone was on the menu which I read about in Omnivore’s Dilemma so we decided to try it. I also had a goat ravioli pasta dish and Mark had a roasted veggie plate. We also tried some Crème brûlée and strawberry sorbet because strawberries are in season there right now. Everything was fantastic.

Carmel Belle
San Carlos between Ocean and 7th
Carmel-by-the-Sea

We found Carmel Belle after our night at Basil. To look at it at a glance, you might see a plain little food court inside a mini shopping area. But upon further inspection you would see a hub for delicious, whole, real food. I believe everything is organic and/or local. The high quality of the ingredients is noticeable. This is beautiful food. We enjoyed a gorgeous salad, sandwich and soup and came back after for a tea and smoothie.

After Carmel we went back up to visit Mark’s dad’s cousin Annette and her husband Lorne in a place called San Carlos and she put on a beautiful dinner as well. Annette loves to buy everything from the local farmers’ market. We had salmon, asparagus, rice, local crusty sourdough bread and a beautiful local fruit salad. For breakfast the next day we had pasture-raised eggs and more of that yummy bread.

Taking it all in
It was so easy to eat well in this area of California. I barely had to think about it—it just was there to enjoy. There were few fast-food joints (although I wasn’t really looking for them). People seemed to care about the food they were eating.

It was a great trip and got me thinking more about our local foods. I’m determined this year to visit the markets more often and build meals around what I find there instead of relying on my organic greens from California. Local food just tastes better. I challenge you to do the same this summer! If you’re in Ontario you can find your closest farmers market here: farmersmarketsontario.com.

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: real food, san francisco food, whole food

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So many people say that groceries are expensive. ⁠
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Ok yes, right now they're a bit over the top. ⁠
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But many times the expense can come from not using up what you have in the cupboards and fridge.⁠
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My tip today is to use up the food you have *before* you make a brand new list for the week.⁠
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Go through your fridge - what do you need to eat up? ⁠
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The sub-tip to this is that you don't have to have a recipe for everything. Many foods might seem random, but they go well together on the plate.⁠
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Are there a bunch of random veggies you can roast together to eat with a protein or put into a salad or soup?⁠
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Do you have cans of beans or salmon in the cupboard you could eat up? ⁠
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Always check what you have and then make a list and head to the store to buy food to fill in the gaps.⁠
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If you really need help DM me to see how we can work together.
Meal prepping can be fun I promise! Especially whe Meal prepping can be fun I promise! Especially when you’re prepping fun and delicious food.

1. Oats don’t have to be boring! Use whole oats and top them with prepped seasonal fruits. Figs are AMAZING on oats, btw! 

2. Hearty greens like romaine lettuce and kale can be prepped into a salad that will last about 3 days in the fridge. Only add tomatoes if they’re whole so they don’t get mushy. Homemade salad dressing is your friend! Make a big batch and it will last at least 2 weeks in the fridge.

3. Yogurt parfaits are delish, can be made in advance, and taste amazing with regular greek yogurt or coconut yogurt. Raspberries at the bottom turn into scrumptious jam as it sits overnight and nuts and seeds add a necessary crunch! They’ll last about 3-4 days in the fridge.

4. If you’re feeling peckish prepping a hearty snack will help you get to the next meal without a crash. Pumpkin bites with sesame are delish and satisfying! They’ll last about 4 days in the fridge or you can freeze them for a month.

5. Lastly veggies and dip! Prepping veggies to snack on with a hearty dip will help to keep you satisfied all day. Prep once, and eat all week!

If you’re looking for meal plan and prep help I’m accepting new clients at One Heath Services. We’ll work together to set up a plan that’s just for you so every week can be a breeze when it comes to meals. DM me for more info.
***EDIT: These are RAMPS! Oops. But you can still ***EDIT: These are RAMPS! Oops. But you can still read about all the benefits of garlic and green garlic below. Also, you can use ramps in the recipe I gave you!***

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This week I got my first batch of green garlic in the veggie box!⁠
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Green garlic, or spring garlic, is a younger version of the garlic we know well and use in our cooking. It’s milder and can be used in many recipes. You can eat the white and green parts.⁠
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It has a white base like a green onion although it’s a bit bigger and its green stems are more flat than rounded. ⁠
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The younger version of this garlic has the same amazing health benefits as its older version making it an excellent addition to your recipes.⁠
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Not to mention it’s local and can basically be grown anywhere which is fantastic news for our environment.⁠
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Health Benefits of Garlic:⁠
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⚡️Helps to reduce cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure⁠
Garlic’s sulfur-containing compounds can be beneficial to the upper digestive tract.⁠
⚡️We need to eat garlic in our meals at least 2-3 times a week in order to see these health benefits.⁠
⚡️Use it raw and cooked. Raw garlic retains its health benefits more so than when it is cooked.⁠
⚡️Dried garlic doesn’t have the same effect as raw or cooked. Tastes good though!⁠
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⚡️A Quick Recipe: Quinoa (or rice or millet) with Green Garlic⚡️⁠
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Slice the ends off of the green garlic and thinly slice the entire vegetable including the green parts.⁠
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Put a tablespoon of olive oil into a pan and sauté the green garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add quinoa (about 1-2 cups) and stir. Add a bit of salt and pepper and voila! You have a flavourful side dish. ⁠
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#recipe #springrecipes #simplerecipes
My brother-in-law Steve spent a large portion of o My brother-in-law Steve spent a large portion of our Christmas dinner sharpening my knives. I was so grateful, but also hesitant that I would cut myself.⁠
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When I started cooking with my newly-sharpened knives, I was in awe.⁠
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Sharp knives make all the difference when it comes to enjoying cooking. It's also safer if you can believe it.⁠
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With a sharp knife, you're less likely to push down harder on the knife trying to get it through an onion, for example.⁠
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It just slices through with little pressure. ⁠
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Dull knives leave room for error and slicing fingers (listen, I've cut a few fingers over the years...).⁠
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If you're having trouble enjoying cooking at home, I encourage you to either get a new knife (it doesn't have to be expensive), or get someone to sharpen your knives for you (call a Steve in your area!).⁠
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Take care of them with a little holder and treat them kindly. Having a sharp knife will bring you one step closer to love cooking at home.⁠
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xo⁠
Steph⁠
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#kitchenskills #cookingtips #easycooking #enjoycooking #inthekitchen

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About Stephanie

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Hey! I'm Stephanie. I'm a Writer, Culinary Nutrition Expert and Cooking Instructor helping families cook nourishing meals. Read more about me {here}.

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