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5 Comments Posted on December 16, 2015 Health, parenting, reviews, Uncategorized, vegan

Destin, Florida is Definitely Not (Yet) a Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Town

My family has now officially been (and have remained) vegetarians for 4 years now; we converted in December 2011. (Of course, about a year after that, I went and have remained a strict vegan.)

Therefore, I feel the time is appropriate for another vegan/vegetarian post…

Seven months ago our family did a vegan/vegetarian tour of Pensacola, Florida. What we found was that Pensacola is indeed an extremely friendly area for those of us who live the alternative lifestyle of an organic, non-GMO, plant-based diet family.

Pensacola was comparable to Asheville, NC; another place we have done a vegan/vegetarian tour as a family.

However, unfortunately, Destin is absolutely not a vegan/vegetarian-friendly town.

We thought it was, as Whole Foods’ website was showing they had a store in the Destin mall.

Destin, Florida is Definitely Not (Yet) a Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Town

But when we arrived, we soon learned the Whole Foods hasn’t been built yet. This was a major bummer, as we were depending on buying most of food supply there.

Our resort condo had a full kitchen, so the plan was to cook most of our meals there. Without a Whole Foods, this was much more difficult.

Destin, Florida is Definitely Not (Yet) a Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Town

At first, we thought we had a saving grace in that Destin has a Fresh Market. Not so much.

I was officially disappointed as their foods were highly processed; even containing artificial colors made from petroleum.

Destin, Florida is Definitely Not (Yet) a Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Town

We bought a few things there, but ultimately, we quickly learned that we would have to compromise in eating non-organic, GMO grown food.

Destin, Florida is Definitely Not (Yet) a Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Town

To my surprise, one of the places that actually helped save the situation was Chipotle; where they openly promoted their non-GMO food. They even had a special vegan tofu option for my burrito!

We also made a visit to For the Health of It for some smoothies.

Destin, Florida is Definitely Not (Yet) a Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Town

Ultimately, though, the current plant-based score of Destin, as a whole, is extremely low. It’s comparable to just any other town that has chain restaurants.

You learn this the moment you Google “vegan restaurants Destin.”

A few of the restaurant choices were based on my son.

We took him to The Pancakery for a special M&M pancake for his 5^th birthday. He loved it!

Destin, Florida is Definitely Not (Yet) a Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Town

I special ordered off-menu a veggie burrito, but for the price and the size of it, I definitely was missing Whole Foods!

As much as I hate to admit it, because I love Jimmy Buffett so much, my wife and I were similarly disappointed at Margaritaville.

Destin, Florida is Definitely Not (Yet) a Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Town

It was the first time we’d ever been to Jimmy Buffett’s theme restaurant. I must admit that the staff was extremely accommodating as to helping us figure out what we could eat there; as they did have a special vegetarian menu already printed up.

Destin, Florida is Definitely Not (Yet) a Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Town

My wife is a vegetarian so it was easier for her to order. But for me, as a strict vegan, I had to explicitly explain what vegan means: no dairy, no milk, no butter, no eggs…

Ultimately I paid $17 for a few grilled veggies and pasta.

Destin, Florida is Definitely Not (Yet) a Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Town

Again, the staff was nothing but helpful. However, it become obvious that as a chain restaurant that likely depends on Sysco (like nearly all chain restaurants), I assume their food was canned, boxed, and GMO; which is what is served in most prisons and public school systems, to my understanding.

My son was perfectly happy though. It was because of his birthday day that we were actually there. He had the $7 mac-and-cheese; which the waiter admitted was just a box of Kraft (which contains food dye made from petroleum).

Destin, Florida is Definitely Not (Yet) a Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Town

We also paid another $6 for him to have to special battery-operated light up cup, filled with a cocktail of more food dye, as well as high fructose corn syrup.

Granted, when you go to a themed restaurant, you’re paying for the environment more than you are the food.

And I must admit, we definitely appreciated sitting right there on the Gulf of Mexico, with open windows looking out on to the harbor; while Jimmy Buffet’s music played.

Plus, the waiter brought my son some ice cream, knowing it was his birthday.

But the whole drive home my wife and I felt so horrible that we had just paid over $60 for that meal. (We tipped well there, as we did a The Pancakery; as we do not hold it against the individual establishment or its servers just because they’re not truly equipped for a plant-based family.)

Our experience with Margaritaville would have been the same way at pretty much any themed restaurant. We could went to the Rainforest Café and I’m confident my review would be the same.

Here’s the bottom line: Our family loves Destin. We will absolutely be going back the next chance we get.

But first, we are going to wait for that new Whole Foods to be built. That will take care of the issues we experienced.

Because then we can have a go-to restaurant as well as a trustworthy place to buy our groceries to cook meals back at the resort condo.

As for now, though, Destin is definitely not (yet) a vegan/vegetarian-friendly town.

Leave a comment Posted on November 6, 2015 food reviews, Health, Uncategorized, vegan

Brian’s Homemade Vegan/Vegetarian Tomato Soup Recipe

Earlier this week I began inviting potential guest bloggers to send me their vegan/vegetable recipes, in my attempt to help create a collaborate experience. After all, I know there are plenty of families out there who aren’t actually vegan/vegetarian, but who are experimenting with vegan/vegetarian recipes.

The first to respond was Brian, with his blog, Love, Food and Beer, featuring his homemade vegan/vegetarian tomato soup recipe. Here it is:

“This healthy, vegan tomato soup recipe was my first attempt at digestive redemption following the misguided (albeit delicious) aforementioned meal. In short, I came home with a hankering for soup, the realization that I should have a salad, and the industriousness to attempt a combination of the two. I scoured my cabinets and the recesses of my refrigerator, and produced the following ingredients, which I turned into a simple, hearty, and beautifully rust-colored tomato soup.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 red onion – diced

1 large carrot – peeled and diced

1 clove garlic – minced

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp celery salt

1 large can (28 oz) diced tomato

1 1/2 cups veggie broth

2 cups mixed “super” greens (chard, kale, spinach, etc.)

salt and pepper

Directions:

Prepare all of the ingredients first. Believe me, this stuff is way easier if you prep ahead of time.

Heat the olive oil in a medium soup pan over medium heat.

When the oil is hot, add the onions and carrots. Saute the vegetables, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until they’re just softened.

Add the garlic, basil, thyme, and celery salt, and stir until they’re well-mixed and effervescent (about 60-90 seconds).

Add the tomato and veggie broth and mix.

Puree the mixture in one of two ways. Either pour the mixture into a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth, or use an immersion blender (the most wonderful kitchen tool in the world) to puree the tomatoes and vegetables in the soup pan.

Add a pinch each of salt and pepper, and cook the tomato mixture for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After the soup has cooked down just a bit, add the greens, and another pinch of salt and pepper (give it a taste) and puree the greens into the soup in the same manner as before.

Return to the heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve it up when you’re ready!

For the record, I definitely made a gooey grilled cheese to go with this soup. Granted, this totally negates the vegan-ness of the meal… but that’s definitely the point of the grilled cheese. Cheese is delicious.” -Chris

Here’s what I’m looking for in a guest blogger:

1) In 300 words or more, share your (and/or your family’s) journey of exploring the vegan/vegetarian path. What positive benefits have you noticed since experimenting with a diet free of dairy, eggs, and or meat? Or simply share a vegan/vegetarian recipe that your family enjoyed, like my wife does.

2) Share relevant pictures in the post. Make your story come to life by including photographs to illustrate; even if they are just from Instagram.

3) Email your blog post and pictures to me at nickshell1983@hotmail.com.

I am excited about this new blog series. It will be a collaborative experience. I’m used to hosting the discussion about the plant-based life, but I eagerly invite you, the reader, to join me on stage.

If you already have your own blog, this could be a good way to grow your own audience, as I will obviously include the link to your blog in the post.

I look forward to hearing from you!

-Nick

1 Comment Posted on November 4, 2015November 4, 2015 Health, parenting, Pregnancy, Storytelling

Signs of Life from the Womb: Family Friendly (Mommy) Blog

Guest Blogger: Jill Shell

Let me just start by saying, pregnancy truly is an amazing thing. The act of taking cells, that individually by themselves would just be cells and combining them to make another human life, is undeniably a miraculous thing. But along with the beauty of the creation of life, comes the sometimes unforgiving and relentless attacks and changes to the body, mind and life of the new mommy.

Now, I don’t want to complain, but you know that since I just started a sentence with those words, that I am about to complain, right?

What is with the nausea, the hunger, the tossing and turning at night, the pains that start turning up in random places in your body, the clothes that don’t fit right, the leg cramps, and some of the other strange occurrences that you barely want to share with your closest friends?

It seems appropriate that you should expect to endure one or two of those things, but how you get chosen to experience all of those is beyond me.

Forgive me because I know I do not have the worst of it and each pregnancy is different for every woman. And despite their annoyances, I do consider it a good sign that these signs are present because often times in pregnancy you fear the worst and sometimes these little nuances can be the confirmation you need to know that all is okay.

Again, I don’t mean to sound like the Debbie Downer of pregnancy, but it’s just a reminder of the labor of love that we get to experience (and let’s give some credit to our significant others, family members and friends who support us through it all) as we take this journey.

On a slightly heavier note, this little blog entry here is just a forum to share these light-hearted thoughts (and maybe, just maybe, get a little empathy from those around me). I recently read in a magazine that 1 in 8 couples struggle with infertility and I know far too many people who have been affected by this news. I can only imagine what they must go through, and I certainly do not take that lightly.

Okay, sorry, I can’t end on a heavy note. Want to hear a funny story? Okay, so do I. Please add a comment with your funny story and make us all laugh.

7 Comments Posted on November 4, 2015November 4, 2015 food reviews, Health, Uncategorized, vegan

Calling All Guest Bloggers Who are Experimenting with Vegan/Vegetarian Recipes!

You don’t actually even have to be a blogger. Maybe you simply have found yourself positively and curiously effected by my steady stream of “vegan life” blog posts or my wife’s “Family Friendly (Mommy) Blog” posts; many of which features her original vegan/vegetarian recipes.

By now, those documentaries on Netflix (like Forks Over Knives, and Vegucated) have really made an influence over many of us.

This week I had a friend from college reach out to me, explaining he is “going vegan” until Thanksgiving. My response was basically to force him to agree to do a guest blog post for me. He agreed.

So then I figured, why stop there? Why not extend my offer to anyone out there who has discovered my blog, who would like to share their vegan/vegetarian stories here on Family Friendly Daddy Blog?

Here’s what I’m looking for in a guest blogger:

1) In 300 words or more, share your (and/or your family’s) journey of exploring the vegan/vegetarian path. What positive benefits have you noticed since experimenting with a diet free of dairy, eggs, and or meat? Or simply share a vegan/vegetarian recipe that your family enjoyed, like my wife does.

2) Share relevant pictures in the post. Make your story come to life by including photographs to illustrate; even if they are just from Instagram.

3) Email your blog post and pictures to me at nickshell1983@hotmail.com.

I am excited about this new blog series. It will be a collaborative experience. I’m used to hosting the discussion about the plant-based life, but I eagerly invite you, the reader, to join me on stage.

If you already have your own blog, this could be a good way to grow your own audience, as I will obviously include the link to your blog in the post.

I look forward to hearing from you!

2 Comments Posted on November 3, 2015November 3, 2015 food reviews, Health, Recipes, Uncategorized, vegan

Jill Shell’s Friday Night Vegan/Vegetarian Pizza Recipe: Family Friendly (Mommy) Blog

Let’s talk pizza! Our family LOVES pizza and our favorite restaurant to dine at currently is Mellow Mushroom. They are vegan and “family friendly” and we’ve been to several here in the Southeast (in Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida and Alabama, as a matter of fact). Pizza is often a staple for us on Friday or Saturday nights when we are up for something quick and easy to make. Now I don’t claim to be Betty Crocker, so I will tell you now that 9 times out of 10 I do buy my pizza dough (as opposed to making it).

Where we live you can buy pre-made pizza dough from Publix, Whole Foods, or Trader Joe’s. Whenever possible, I generally buy our pizza dough from Trader Joe’s because it is vegan, the ingredients are simple and pronouncable, it’s really good and you can’t beat the price ($1.19 here in Nashville). I try to make a trip to TJ’s about once every other month and stock up on essentials like pizza dough (it’s perfectly fine to put it in the freezer and then thaw out the day you will use it). And I will say that not only can you use the dough for making pizzas and calzones, but they are great to make into breadsticks to go along with soup in the winter.

To make a vegan veggie pizza, here’s what I do:

1- Preheat the oven to 400* and grease a medium sized pizza pan with a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

2- Pat the dough in your hands and pull from each side to stretch it out, and then spread it out onto your pizza pan.

3- Add the sauce of your choice (we generally buy jarred organic pasta sauce from either Kroger, TJ’s or Whole Foods . . . sometimes you can get it for $2.19 a jar at Kroger and all of the ingredients are ingredients that are real).

4- Cut up veggies of your choice and sprinkle randomly over the sauce . . . our veggie pizza staples are onion (cut into thin, long slices), multi-colored bell peppers (cut into thin, long slices), and tomatoes (cut thin) to layer on top. Sometimes we add mushrooms, but those are only for nights we feel a little crazy and step outside of the norm.

5- Slice up some Kalamata olives and sprinkle all over.

6- Shake a little salt, a little cracked pepper, and either an Italian herb blend or simple oregano other the entire pizza. If you have fresh basil, go ahead and cut some of that up and spread it over the pizza.

7- Toss it in the oven for 10-15 minutes (depending how crispy or soft you like your crust).

8- Eat and serve with a side salad.

For Jack’s pizza, we tend to go a much simpler route (because he is 4 and a very picky eater). I generally break the dough in half and put the other half in the freezer for another night. I grease the pizza pan, work out the dough in my hands and spread it onto the pan. I add the sauce (and I try to opt for a sauce that specifically has some kind of extra veggie, like a sauce with bell peppers or mushrooms). Then I top it with mozzarella cheese . . . or almond cheese which still has casein in it so it’s not vegan, but seems a bit better for him than the mozzarella. I bake it anywhere from 10-15 minutes and serve his with cut up apples or a side of applesauce.

Here again, if you are not into the whole vegan thing (I get it, I really do) and just want to make a good, meaty or cheesy pizza . . . just follow the first few steps and then add your preferred toppings. Or if you are a super meat lover and want to try inserting a veggie option in every now and then, try this, you won’t be disappointed (unless you are, then in which case, I can’t help you there; I can just vouch that we like it)!