Eating out can be healthy!

Often times when someone embarks on a new lifestyle of eating healthy they think they must give up one of life's simple pleasures: eating out. Not true!

This weekend my husband and I celebrated our 8th anniversary and in the process discovered a hidden gem right here in Phoenix   (I actually have to give him all the credit, he found it all on his own!). We had dinner at a great place called Rancho Pinot in Scottsdale. The owner and chef at Rancho Pinot is the founder of the Phoenix chapter of "Slow Food International". . Here is a description from their website "
"A non-profit member-supported association, Slow Food was founded in 1989 to counter the rise of fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world". 

http://www.slowfood.com/ 
I love this concept and everything this movement is about so you can imagine my joy when I found out the chef was a founder! The menu at Rancho Pinot changes seasonally depending on what is available locally. All of the ingredients are local and organic. The beef is 100% grass fed and the chicken is organic free range! This restaurant is one of those places that is ALL about the food. It is only open for dinner and requires a reservation because it fills up fast. It has something for everyone including some of the most delicious veggie dishes Ive ever had, right along side a steak and potatoes plate for all you husky boys out there! The meals are prepared slowly and with love and you can really taste it. Everything we tasted was like a flavor explosion! Who said health food has to be boring? Honestly I could not have dreamed up a better place to have a gourmet meal with my love.
The point of my story here is that just because you've made a commitment to eat healthy does not mean you have to sacrifice eating out. Since my family and I have changed our eating habits I actually find that eating out is MORE fun! And really, it hasn't been difficult to find. More and more restaurants are stepping up their efforts to provide healthy options and lately I have seen a huge trend in new restaurants opening that are totally dedicated the healthy food. With that being said I must point out that fast food places offering so called "healthy" food is not what I'm talking about. I don't care what it is, if its at a fast food joint it is most defiantly NOT healthy! Trust me on this one folks, I have done the research. 
Back to the good news though. Its seems to me like healthy places to eat actually just find me now! It really is true that you attract to yourself what you are projecting to the world. Prime example: Last weekend some good friends invited us to go out to eat at a restaurant I had never heard of. While this usually would have made me nervous, we decided to accept the offer and join them. Little did I know that we would be going to an amazing little place called "Hot Pot" in Chandler. I knew it was a hit right when we walked in and I noticed the Feng shui design. All the food at this place was super healthy and delicious and they served us the most amazing pitchers of cucumber water I've ever had. The concept of this restaurant is not something I have seen before. The food all comes out raw. At your table you get this boiling hot pot (hence the name) of broth. You get a bunch of fun utensils and start putting the food into the broth. Low and behold it cooks right before your eyes! The meat cooks super fast in like 30 seconds or 1 min. Some of the veggies and noodles take a few minutes longer. After several rounds of food going in, your broth takes on all the amazing flavors of the food and your left with a delicious soup. I was super impressed with all the fresh greens and huge variety of Asian veggies (which I have never tried before, but were super delicious). The guys at the table were happy with the great lean cuts of Kobe beef. My favorite part of the restaurant is the fact that you take your time and really get into the food. You get to see your food as it is cooking right at your table and it really doesn't get much fresher than that. 
The moral of the story here is that healthy food options are out there, everywhere. Your just have to have your eyes open! 
Please share on my comments some of your favorite places to eat healthy! I'd love to hear them! 
Till next time, 
Lisa 


Links to "Rancho Pinot" and "Hot Pot" : 

http://www.ranchopinot.com/ 
http://thehotpots.com/