Lower East Side eats

New York City is my home. I've been living in Omaha Nebraska for about a year now for work, but my husband and I still own our cute little apartment on the Upper West Side and visit frequently. We will definitely be back in the city full time at some point! Until then, it is my favorite place to visit, mostly because of the food. Here are just a few of my Lower East Side favorites.


Organic Avenue - This is an amazing place to drop by for some healthy raw food or just some fresh squeezed juice. My pick is their lemonade, made with lemons, limes, agave, ginger and salt. It is incredibly refreshing on a hot summer day. They also have a full raw cleanse that they will deliver to your door...I have never tried it, but I would love to!

Babycakes is a must for me, every time we visit. I simply cannot NOT stop there for a cupcake or a donut. In case you've never heard of them, they're a vegan institution. They are extremely food allergy friendly, no dairy, gluten, soy or wheat. Everything there is good, but the brownies and the cornbread sandwich with jam and frosting are my personal favorites. Yes you heard me right - two pieces of toasted cornbread with raspberry jam and vanilla frosting in between. The donuts, shown below, are a close second. They come in frosted sprinkle, lemon coconut and cinnamon sugar.

Doughnut Plant is a cute little donuterie on Grand Street that is not vegan, but their donuts do not contain any eggs. That isn't the only thing that sets them apart - all of their ingredients are fresh and the flavors are unique and delicious. My favorite is Strawberry, which has real strawberry chunks in the frosting, and is only available in the Summer.

This way my idea of an afternoon treat for my husband and I...a carrot cake donut and an orange glazed.

Here is his idea of what an afternoon treat should be...The Pickle Guys pickles. I have a sweet tooth - my indulgences always involve sugar (with the exception of french fries). My husband, on the other hand, indulges in anything savory and/or pickled. It is quite a sight to see all of the many barrels filled with every kind of vegetable that can be pickled, along with all of the variations of pickled cucumbers.

Palm Springs eats

It only makes sense to start my posts with the location that inspired it all...Palm Springs, California. I was there for a photo shoot for 2 1/2 weeks in January and got quite familiar with the local eateries. It was at that point that I decided I wanted to document the amazing vegan/vegetarian options that are out there, especially when you're away from home in a new city. So when I went back to visit recently for the weekend, I visited two of my favorites there...enjoy!

If you ever find yourself in Palm Springs, I highly recommend the Ace Hotel. The rooms are bright and airy, the pool is heavenly + the restaurant has lots of veggie options!

Here are some pics from around the hotel...

And here is my favorite afternoon snack while lounging poolside.

The Mediterranean plate - which consists of hummus, baba ghanoush, tabouleh, feta cheese + pita chips and cucumbers. With a side of fries and ketchup = perfection.

It was a quick visit, so I only had time for take-out from Native Foods. They are completely vegan and have several locations in California. I was a regular there during my long stay. My favorites are The Mad Cowboy, The Chicken Run Ranch burger (which my friend Cory could live off of) + the Native Nachos. Here are their Baja surf tacos - breaded tempeh with cabbage, guacamole, pico de gallo + their surfer sauce on corn tortillas, also a favorite of mine.