Green Dog Cafe

We are always looking for new vegan friendly restaurants. It can be challenging to dine out however not impossible. It is nice to add another restaurant especially an environmentally conscious one to our list. Jason and I never have afternoons alone together due to our schedules however a few weeks ago we both were home on a Friday. We decided to go out for lunch and wanted to check out a new place. I googled "vegan restaurants Cincinnati" and Green Dog Cafe pulled up. Green Dog Cafe is a locally owned restaurant that serves food from local and regional farmers, composts their waste, and focuses on operating green as well. We were intrigued and decided we would check it out. Check out their website to learn more...Green Dog Cafe




Cilantro Pesto Quesadillas

We ordered the cilantro pesto quesadillas for an appetizer. They were incredible. I could eat these as my main meal. We both highly recommend them. Jason ordered the "Hey Perro" wrap and I tried the Green Dog burger. We both agreed that our next dishes were good however lacked a little something. The ingredients were fresh and the employees were delightful. We still had a wonderful time and good meal.

"Hey Perro" wrap

Green Dog Burger

My sandwich was too big to eat in a civilized manner. I was a mess after tearing into it. Even with the lack of spice and my giant sandwich, we both are excited to go again. We can always ask for a cup of the yummy salsa to spice up our meal next time. Elena has not been so we have to go back. We discussed saving this next trip to Green Dog Cafe for our vegaversary which is right around the corner.

To supporting local restaurants,
Christy

An Apple, Tofu, Kale, Beans a Day...

If an apple keeps the doctor away what keeps someone with their doctor? I loved hearing my daughter's pediatrician tell us "we are partners working together to keep Elena healthy. You have an intuition and connection with your child that I don't have however I have the medical expertise and together we can do a pretty good job". She has answered every question we have had and takes the time to make sure we understand why she is doing what she is doing, asking, etc. We love her. Elena and I were a bit anxious however for her 9 year well visit. This would definitely be the visit where the vegan diet would come up. We were not worried that she would talk us out of it however we were worried that she would not support us.

Our worries were unnecessary! During the visit, the doctor started to ask Elena how many servings of fruit she ate a day. Elena looked at me as if to ask if this was the best time to reveal her exciting news however she refrained.  She was then asked about vegetables, grains and finally...meat. She didn't ask about protein, she asked about meat. Elena looked at me, smiled real big and slowly explained that we were vegan and she ate tofu, greens, and beans to get her protein. She stopped and waited for the doc's reaction. She simply said that a vegan diet can be very healthy as long as you make sure to get your nutrients and stay away from processed foods. Fist pump! We didn't have to explain or defend our diet and she agreed it could be very healthy.

Elena's height and weight were right on target and she was told she was a healthy little girl. We left  happy however we left with something else as well. About 6 days after the well visit, we returned only for her to be diagnosed with Influenza B. Elena had the flu. It didn't stay too long and she is back to normal now. I truly believe she recovered so quickly due to the healthful, plant based foods she eats everyday.

Eat your apples,
Christy