Category: California

Healthy Eats in LA, Part II

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Behold, the cupcake in all its glory.

 

Let’s keep sharing LA restaurants, specifically those that offer tasty gluten and/or dairy-free meals.

First stop: An entirely DF ice cream shop.

  • Hug Life: Orange  ~  Garden Grove

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Honestly, I kind of can’t say enough good things about Hug Life.

Let’s start with it’s name: Hug Life: Anti-dairy ice cream n’ stuff. The sense of humor there–it’s fab.

Respect gif #respect

Besides being 100% dairy-free, Hug Life offers quite a few gluten-free options. The ice cream is deliciously smooth, creamy (not icy like some DF ice creams), and it doesn’t taste coconut milk-y, which is cool and mysterious and idk how they do it but I’m happy for them. And me. I’m happy for my stomach. Speaking as a rep for my stomach, it thanks Hug Life. 

Go there. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed…unless they’re out of the ice cream you wanted when you looked up their flavors ahead of time, like my mom.

She got over it, though. She got two super unique flavors and LOVED THEM.

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Nektar Acai Bowl

This is a lovely place for a quick and healthy snack, or even meal, if you go for a big acai bowl. Nektar offers a good variety of fresh, delicious smoothies, acai bowls, juices, and snacks.

You can explore Nektar’s menu here.

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  • Sensitive Sweets: Fountain Valley

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We had a lovely experience at this allergy-friendly bakery. The owner and head baker, Melanie Hohman, was super sweet and helpful, giving us suggestions and even offering samples of her delicious gingerbread.

We ended up getting a little mix of goods: garlic rolls, cupcakes (vanilla and midnight), remedy cookie bars, and a pumpkin donut hole.

My personal favorite was the midnight cupcake. The frosting-cake combo was flavorful and it just looked really fun. 🙂

The remedy cookie bars were a deliciously chewy texture, but, as Melanie warned us, they were on the less-sweet side. The donut holes were also on the less-sweet side.

Overall, I’m really glad we went to Sensitive Sweets. It seems like a cool place to support, especially since Melanie was so nice and everything was gluten/dairy-free. Plus it had some beautiful and fun little treats.

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  • Stacked: Huntington Beach  ~  Torrance  ~  Cerritos  ~  San Diego  ~  Thousand Oaks 

Stacked's physical menu

This place is just so.much.fun. See below for the interactive menu where you can literally digitally build your meal. It just turns me into a five year old. *insert shrug emoji*

If you go, join my family’s new tradition of trying to build the most expensive meal you can–the current highest total is a $30-something entree. No need to order it. 😉

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One more BONUS, non-healthy option, just for funsies.

  • BomBurger: Huntington Beach
Lettuce-wrapped burger
Lettuce-wrapped burger

BomBurger’s a pretty casual place in the heart of Downtown Huntington Beach. It’s way more on the fast-food side, but they offer a hearty lettuce wrap option for the burgers.

If you’re looking for a quick burger to take to the beach, consider BomBurger as your solution.

 

 

That’s a wrap, friends! I’m glad I got to share the fun places my parents were up for trying out!

Comment with your fav healthy eateries!

Healthy Eats in LA and San Fran

Beach picture in Huntington Beach, CA

Gluten-free and dairy-free? Not a prob, friend. I’m (mostly) right there with ya.

Let’s chat about some fab eateries in the Golden State. (That’s California, for all you people who, like me, “forgot” that was its nickname)

 

(Greater) Los Angeles:

  • Cafe Gratitude: L.A.  ~  Arts District  ~  Venice  ~  San Diego  ~  Newport Beach  ~ Beverly Hills

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We go to Cafe Gratitude every.time. we go to L.A. It’s just a thing.

Their food is delish and clean, their menu extensive, and their service upstanding.

And where else can you get REALLY good (like, unhealthy-good) fries with a BBQ portabella burger on a gluten-free bun and homemade cashew aioli? It’s great.

Also, the “Cool” smoothie. If you like fresh mint, try it please.

Delicious

 

  • Mother’s Market & Kitchen: Anaheim Hills  ~  Brea  ~  Costa Mesa  ~  Huntington Beach  ~ Irvine  ~  Laguna Woods  ~  Manhattan Beach  ~  Santa Ana  ~  Signal Hill

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Mother’s wins the “Basically beating Cafe Gratitude” award. Which is a MAJOR award. The thing is, those two are very different–Cafe Gratitude is plant-based and just super healthy. Mother’s has lots of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, but, overall, it’s not as “healthy” as Cafe Gratitude. If you’re looking to give your immune system a major boost, go for Cafe Gratitude. If you’re craving a scrummy (thanks for helping me add thisMary Berry adorbs new abbrev. word to my vocab, Mary Berry) omelette with vegan cheese, mushrooms, and spinach, perfectly-textured gluten-free toast with vegan butter and jelly, and a plentiful serving of roasted potatoes, go to Mother’s.

 

It’s gluten-free/dairy-free/vegan food at its finest.

 

  • Sweet Laurel: Pacific Palisades

Sweet Laurel bakery exterior

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All gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free. Do I need to say more?

Let me just also add that my occasionally gluten, dairy, and sugar-consuming dad really liked the chocolate raspberry cake he got. So there’s that.

Also, isn’t it just adorable?

 

  • Fred’s Mexican Cafe: Downtown Huntington Beach ~ Old Town (near San Diego)

Not the healthiest. But, honestly, it completely hit the spot for me, and I’m still not entirely sure why.

Oh wait, I am now.

2 words: chipotle + aioli

Yep, that’s it.

But, also, the food was delicious, and our waitress (I really wish I could give her credit, but I don’t remember her name) was truly excellent.

I got the Cheeseburger taco without cheese and on a corn tortilla, which came with rice and beans. It wasn’t guaranteed gluten (or dairy, for that matter)-free, but it was substitute-y enough for me. It was fabulous. The portion was huge and I had leftovers for days. #leftoversfordays (If that doesn’t sound like a hashtag, what does?)

Also, the margaritas were really good. Refreshing and not too sweet or too alcohol-y. (Basically I’m an alcohol expert, so those terms are textbook-standards. Just FYI.) 😉

Cheeseburger tacos with a DELICIOUS aioli, beans, and rice
Cheeseburger tacos with the DELICIOUS aioli, beans, and rice

 

San Francisco:

This was my first trip to SF. I loved it. We knew we’d have a jam-packed day, so we researched several restaurants and activities ahead of time.

I’m thankful to say that the one restaurant I REALLY wanted to go to turned out to be a good choice. Praise God for that!

Wholesome Bakery: Nopa/Haight-area

Wholesome Bakery sign picture

 

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Guys, it was lovely. This place is all gluten and dairy-free, too, so no worries about cross-contamination.

Trey Kennedy

(Also, total side-note, Trey Kennedy is a fabulous person and you should go watch all of his singing videos.)

The carrot cake was GIANT, and the icing was good, especially since it was dairy-free, and sometimes dairy-free icings can be a little too coconut-y or shortening-y.

One of the biggest highlights was the potato soup my mom got. It was perfectly flavored, and it was deliciously creamy. GET IT IF YOU GO.

 

What are your favorite restaurants in the Golden State? Comment below with your suggestions!

 

 

And HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward you and give you His peace.

Numbers 6:24-26