Let's get one thing straight...I LOVE meat. I'm one of those people who love to grill outside with my Dad or friends, and slap down an assortment of meat and poultry.

When my older sister invited me to eat lunch with her this afternoon, I wasn't prepared at all for what I was about to eat. The name of the restaurant we were meeting at was Cafe Manna...okay, cool name, I thought. When I arrived there I looked around for my sister and spotted her at a window table. She waved me over and I sat down. She hadn't brought along my 2 year-old nephew, so we were able to eat in peace for once. Don't get me wrong, I love kids, but not while I'm eating.

So we looked over the menu. It wasn't until I started noticing words like "gluten free" and "vegan" and "vegetarian" that I started to freak out. My sister tricked me! This was one of those times I almost got up and left, I wasn't happy. She told me the food was great, and that I'd be a fool not to try it. Then let me be a fool. I'm not sure why I was so adverse to trying it. I always had this idea that vegetarian food was this tasteless, colorless, and just plain nasty stuff...but, boy was I wrong.

It was so good! The server we had was so helpful. He explained the restaurant's commitment to bringing all their customers fresh, “made from scratch” delicious food. Our ingredients were grown either organically or using sustainable farming practices whenever possible. They also use locally grown foods as seasons permit. Additionally, they use a reverse osmosis water purification system-something I thought was pretty cool.

The server helped me decide what to order seeing that it was my first time there, and he chose right for me. I ended up ordering this:


It was described on their website as Twin pyramids of brown basmati rice and quinoa with seasonal vegetables in a rich coconut curry sauce. Topped with a curried cashew crunch.

I'm now completely addicted to this place. I want to go back so bad and try other menu items. My sister had something called the Tu-NO melt. I'm getting that next time we go. It had a blend of tempeh, celery, cashews, red pepper and dill. Then it was topped with tumeric nut cheese and grilled on rye bread. It was also served with fresh fruit. I had a little bite of it and man was it good.

So I guess I need to start listening to my big sister more when it comes to branching out of my food comfort zone.

Oh and I almost forgot! With the meal, my sister and I drank something called "Nutrition in a Glass". A live enzyme-rich drink made with kale, swiss chard,bok choy, cucumber, parsley, celery, leaf lettuce, ginger and apple. Apparently this drink is loaded with vitamins and minerals which helps the body detoxify. I didn't really care about any of that...it was so good! I would have drunk ten glasses if they weren't so expensive. $8 a glass!

Hope y'all have a great week. I'll try to post again in 2 days or so. I'm working tomorrow and on Thursday I'll be registering for classes online. Wish me luck that I get some of the Freshman Architecture classes I need. Think positive!

Oh, I'll be writing an update on Wednesday regarding the kitchen and bathroom remodel. The bathroom is almost complete, so I might be able to show some before/after pictures, but we'll see if they finish painting by then. The kitchen and rest of the dining room has a way to go. It is definitely a slow process, but the bathroom is looking really different - in a good way. :)