Better Late Then Never?

It's been a while - I know. I'm doing a terrible job of keeping up with this blog, but I promise to try try try again to post more regularly, dear friends.

Back at the end of February, J took me to Camden, Maine for a weekend, birthday getaway and it was truly lovely. It also proved to us that we can be vegan AND go on vacation! Huzzah! Below is a little review of the many places we went for those of you looking to travel! Overall, I can tell you that Camden is an INCREDIBLY accommodating place - at the time, it seemed more so than even Portland, which is a much larger city. We can't wait to go back again next year!

J and me chilly in Camden, Maine

Harbor

Windward House Bed & Breakfast
Vegan Accommodations: 5/5 Stars
Environmental Awareness: 5/5 Stars 
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Staff: 5/5 Stars


At the recommendation of friends, J booked two night stay at the Windward House in the Chart Room Suite right in Camden. The Inn is owned and run by Kristi and her husband Jesse who are incredibly nice and accommodating. The room was large and cozy and included a little sitting room with propane fireplace  and a jacuzzi tub! On top of it all, how excited were we to come out to breakfast on Saturday morning and find that their menu has vegan items on it - yes! They had tempeh bacon, sticky rice with coconut milk, delicious pancakes with a rum/banana sauce, orange-soy yogurt pancakes, cereals, toast, french toast, beautiful fruit cups, teas, coffees - we certainly did not go hungry! We enjoyed speaking with our hosts who were extremely personable and we greatly appreciated their attention to detail, including their interest in sustainability! J and I want to start a birthday trip tradition and we will absolutely visit again next February!!

Cappy's Chowder House

Vegan Accommodations: 2/5 Stars

Setting: 2/5 Stars

Staff: 5/5 Stars

So Cappy's is a great place to visit if you want to feel like you're a local...especially in the winter when hardly any tourists are around. We sat at one of their back booths in the darkened restaurant decorated with photos and cabin-themed chachkis. J ordered a locally made cider and I had a hot spiced rum drink. As we pondered the menu we realized there really weren't any vegan options available. The waitress came over and asked if we needed help and we explained that we were vegan and checking to see if there was anything we could eat. She was incredibly accommodating and said they could absolutely figure something out using pasta and veggies. We asked about the fries and onion rings, but they fry them in the same fryer they use for the clams and the onion rings are made using eggs. But she was so nice and really really wanted to help us out! Normally, in Portland, when we say we're vegan and can't find anything, the waitress sort of shrugs and says oh, well; so it was very refreshing to have someone actually try to find us an option! We ended up only having our drinks at Cappy's but they get high marks for trying! It's a fun local atmosphere, and we definitely recommend getting a drink there. 

Super yummy drinks at Cappy's

Robot bar!!

Cafe Mediterranean

Vegan Accommodations: 5/5 Stars

Setting: 4/5 Stars

Staff: 5/5 Stars

After our drinks at Cappy's we went up the street to Cafe Mediterranean for dinner. The restaurant is very small and has maybe 6 or 7 tables. There was only one waitress and one guy in the kitchen, which was quite impressive. We sat in a window seat that was fairly private, and watched the snow/rain coming down hard outside. J ordered the falafel and I ordered a Mediterranean sampler plate that included tabouli, hummus, salad, warmed pita, and eggplant. The food was so, so good! There are several vegan options on the menu that don't even need to be modified and I'm sure some of the other dishes could be modified too! It's nice to go somewhere and not have to make a special request though. 

J's falafel

Sampler platter

NOM!

40 Paper

Vegan Accommodations: Unknown

Setting: 5/5 Stars

Staff: 5/5 Stars

After dinner at Cafe Mediterranean, we walked/half ran in the rain over to 40 Paper for cocktails. J was ecstatic that they had Maine Root and I had a a lemony-ginger drink. 40 Paper has a super fun/high-end atmosphere; very modern decor. I can't really comment on their ability to serve a vegan couple since we didn't eat there, but based on the rest of the town's accommodating behavior, I'd say it isn't out of the question. We will likely try to eat there the next time we visit!

Fresh

Vegan Accommodations: 4/5 Stars

Setting: 5/5 Stars

Staff: 5/5 Stars

On Saturday, J and I had a late lunch/early dinner at Fresh. The restaurant uses mainly local goods and their kitchen is open so you can watch the chef prepare your meal. As we peered at the menu, we didn't really see anything inherently vegan, but they had a nice selection of salads that we asked to modify. We asked if they could combine the Rocket Salad and Fresh Bistro Salad together but leave off the dairy and meat products, and they said, "No problem!" The chef prepared a beautiful salad with chickpeas and tons of veggies that was very fulfilling and quite yummy. We also ordered an order of their fresh hand-cut french fries which were DELICIOUS. We had planned to return to the restaurant later that night for drinks but ended up watching a movie and enjoying the warmth of our room at the Inn. 

Mediterranean Grill

Vegan Accommodations: 4/5 Stars

Setting: 3/5 Stars

Staff: 5/5 Stars

On our way home on Sunday, we stopped off in Freeport for a little outlet shopping and had a wonderful dinner at the Mediterranean Grill. We ordered the hummus as an appetizer and then shared the falafel entree. The food was excellent and J said he hadn't had falafel and hummus that good in a really long time. There wasn't a ton on the menu that would accommodate vegans but there is a lot for vegetarians and they're so nice there that I'm sure they'd be happy to modify things if you asked. The setting is a little open and less intimate - it's a very large open room which feels strange at lunch when the rest of the room is empty. Delicious food though! 

Azure Cafe

Vegan Accommodations: 0/5 Stars

Setting: 3/5 Stars

Staff: 1/5 Stars

Before heading to the Mediterranean Grill, we tried to have lunch at Azure Cafe in Freeport. We were seated at a nice window table in a room very crowded with close tables. As we peered at the menu it was clear that something would need to be modified or created to accommodate us. When the waitress came over I asked what they could do for vegans. She looked puzzled and asked what exactly vegan meant - "you mean like vegetarian?" I explained that vegans do not eat any animal products or by-products. She said, "Oh. The only thing you can eat, I think, is the Tomato Vodka Soup. I think that's safe." And then she walked away and stood by the waitstaff station, rather than heading to the kitchen to ask the chef. Annoyed and hungry, we bailed. 

27 is here

Today I turn 27 and the day is always bittersweet. I'm happy to be another year older and don't fear the approaching 3 - 0 as many do. What's makes it bittersweet is that someone isn't here to celebrate with me. In 2007, my mom died from an extremely aggressive version of cervical cancer. She was my idol, my hero, my best friend. And so on this day, I'm spending the day at home by myself with the kitties, baking for an event on Sunday, remembering her life, and feeling thankful she brought me into this world.

I'm glad today is quiet. I'm going to test out two new types of cupcakes: Cookies n' Creme and Peaches n' Cream. It's another test of my willpower over sweets! I've lost another pound this week and am down by 17 since starting, so I'll just keep reminding myself that fitting into those jeans and that skirt and that blazer are WAY more worth it than scarfing down a cupcake.

Yesterday, I took off work and treated myself to a haircut in the morning and then walked around the city with J. We went into LeRoux Kitchen, an amazing kitchen supply store in the Old Port. While there, we did buy a little Taza Chocolate that was salted almond and I stowed it away in my purse. Taza Chocolate is incredible and if you haven't tried it, you need to. It comes as a small circle and although it looks and feels like a dense chunk of chocolate, it tastes incredibly airy and light. Then we walked around a bit more and started feeling hungry by 1:30, so we went over to the Portland Public Market and visited our friends at Granny's Burrito, Kamasouptra, and Market House Coffee. Whenever I visit the Public Market, I try to spread my wealth around by purchasing something small from several vendors. So for lunch we shared a burrito filled with peanut tofu, rice, lettuce, and hot sauce from Granny's, a small cup of vegan chili from Kamasouptra, and a pineapple coconut water from Market House Coffee. It was certainly a larger lunch than we're accustomed to and I was glad we'd skipped both our morning and afternoon snacks. We also spent the good part of the day walking at a good pace - I'm guessing we walked 5-6 miles by the time we were done.

It's all about balance! My coworker says it's simple, "Calories in must be equal to or less than calories out." I think it's important to celebrate things once in a while and to not deprive ourselves of things forever because that is exactly what causes me to fall off the weight loss wagon.

So for dinner last night we had a very very light dinner of 1/2 cup of brown rice over arugula with 1/2 cup of shiitakes and a wedge of lime squirted on top. We followed dinner by a few bites of the Taza chocolate and then ran some errands for my day of baking today. After returning home, we were both hungry. Stomach grumbling hungry. So I suggested we make some Ginger-Lime Hummus and have a little with some carrot and bell pepper sticks. It totally did the trick and I'm pretty sure Ginger-Lime Hummus is our new favorite flavor!

Tonight, J's taking me out for a birthday dinner at the Green Elephant - my favorite restaurant. We've already talked about the idea of getting an appetizer to split and then sharing one entree so that portion sizes are smaller. Green Elephant makes vegetarian and vegan food and it's wonderfully fresh and elegant. I'm excited :) J's birthday present to me is a two night stay in Camden, Maine next weekend and I'm super excited about that!

Since 2006, I've thought my birthday was "cursed." In 2006 and 2007, my mom was re-diagnosed with cancer once on my birthday, once the day before. In 2008, we were told my grandmother (my mom's mother) going to die from cancer just days before my birthday. So I've had trouble celebrating these last few years, no wonder. But I'm going to move past the past and look to the future. A future filled with healthy happiness and a celebration of the strong and beautiful women who helped shape me into the woman I am today.

Boston, here I come!

I'm spending the next two days in Boston at a conference for work and naturally I'm a bit worried about the food choices that will be available to me at the hotel. I did mark "vegan" under "Dietary Needs" on the registration sheet, but still....I'm not so confident that the Radisson will be prepared; so I am going prepared!

Yesterday I went to Whole Foods and picked up a few Primal Strips, a kaia fruit leather, 2 Larabars and some trail mix.

My stash

I was reading My Vegan Corporate Life  and blogger Danielle was talking about facing the same fear on her business trip to Disney World. She delightfully found a warm and accepting food staff who completely catered to her needs. The Radisson is a far cry from Disney - but who knows, I might be completely surprised! Reports to follow - stay tuned!