T is for Transformation - Day 84

 Give Me A "T"

    While I don't miss fast food (or how I felt after eating this food ~ugh!) I do miss the experience of going out to dinner. Enjoying heart delighted conversations; savory bites and the biggest plus - not having to do the dishes. 
     With the dietary restrictions of Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Corn-Free and Yeast-Free the idea of dining out is concerning. At the beginning of the Treat Yo Self Cleanse I needed time to live without. It was almost a mourning period of letting the way I used to eat transform into the way I'm eating now. I needed to build confidence with choosing other foods and gain comfort got asking for what I need.
     My inner cheerleader jumped up and down and is cheering for me as I recognized that I can really have fun transforming with the Treat Yo Self Cleanse. As I now celebrate day 84, I realize how great I feel with the dietary changes and know that my commitment to this transformation is alive and well.
    So I was ready - ready to finally discover restaurants that could cater to my list of specifics. In my search for the perfect restaurant my frustration grew and I knew I needed help. I reached out to a coworker - who by her delightful (and informative response) was the perfect resource. I started with asking for recommendations for Vegan Twin Cities restaurants. Here are the ones I'm most excited to try:

• French Meadow Café (Lyndale and 26^th)"is a great sitdown restaurant (in the evening) with several vegan options for each meal. They make amazing food and it’s a perfect fancy date place, or a very un-fancy breakfast place."
• Ecopolitan (Lyndale and 24^th) "is the only all-vegan restaurant in the Twin Cities. They have an entirely raw menu, which can be a turn-off for some or it can be a huge selling point. I’ve found that some of their food is just too rich for me, while their juices/smoothies and desserts are amazing."
• Namaste (25^th and Hennepin), Gandhi Mahal (Minnehaha at Lake), and Himalayan (Franklin and 25^th-ish) "all offer amazing Indian food that has clearly labeled vegan options. Namaste and Himalayan do more north Indian food and Gandhi Mahal is more southern Indian. Namaste has amazing chai tea and the best chole I’ve ever had, Himalayan has great values for their prices and Gandhi Mahal is a great place to bring a date - nice atmosphere and a great range of dishes for everyone."
• Sen Yai Sen Lek (Central and Lowry) "has delicious, amazing, fantastic Thai food. They are very knowledgeable about what’s vegan and what’s not, they have a good beer/wine selection, and they also have gluten-free options. They always have one vegetarian/vegan curry each day."

    She also provided me this resource: http://www.vegguide.org/. So thank you my friend for helping support this transformation! As I continue on with this journey - I realize that I will always need to ask "what was that made with?" or "does this include X?" But starting with these places with a conscientious approach to food is a great start.