Blueberries

I love blueberry muffins and blueberry pancakes...and blueberry oat bars. (And most other blueberry cereals, grains and other treats). However, according to an article in the Washington Post's Lean & Fit newsletter this week, those "blueberries" in packaged food may not be blueberries at all. Yuck.

"Those blueberry impostors turn out to be lumps of sugar, corn syrup, starch, hydrogenated oil, artificial flavors and artificial food dyes."

According to a study by the Consumer Wellness Center, blueberries containing artificial food dye blue No. 2 and red No. 40 are easier to find in foods than the antioxidants we think we're getting when eating a blueberry muffin.

Want some yummy recipes featuring real blueberries? Check out 10 recipes from health.com. I especially like the blueberry salsa.

Pita Jungle

Jesse and I met in Tempe for an early dinner date this afternoon since I'll be staying at my dorm over the weekend. Since we're not in Tempe for dinner very often, I was so excited to go back to Pita Jungle, an Arizona treasure.

I wanted to be back at the dorms early, so we ate at 4pm, which ended up being great because we got to hit up their happy hour. (They also have reverse happy hour, 9pm-close). Beers were $2, wine $3. Their tapas were amazing, too. We got the hummus trio (only $1), but there's a large selection of other great starters like baba ganoosh, dolmades (my favorite) and garlic sauce for pita.

Jesse got the gyro and I ordered the lentil fetoosh salad (what's a fetoosh?). Lentils and rice cooked with carmelized onions, over mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, sumac, toasted pita chips and lemon vinaigrette. It was superb. And, did you know that lentils + rice = complete vegetarian protein?

Another location just opened up in downtown Phoenix, walking distance from the downtown ASU campus (eek!). I have a feeling I'll be eating more than my fare share of dolmades and hummus with a closer location.

Inside The Bungalow

In the heart of downtown Mesa, there's a hidden gem: Inside the Bungalow. It's an historic craftsman, bungalow house that's been converted into a cafe and yoga studio. When I was little my mum and I would go on lunch dates to the old house, I loved walking into a real-life Alice in Wonderland fantasy. Full of cozy chairs, fireplaces and charming decor, it's a wonderful spot to spent a day reading (and sipping on a handcrafted latte, complete with latte art). My favorite is the chicken curry salad, made fresh daily.

Hidden on Robson Street in Mesa's downtown district, Inside the Bungalow's entrance calls my name every time I walk by. 

The patio is just as charming as the interior of the cafe and yoga studio. There are gazebos, fountains and greenery to provide an hour's escape from the real world.

One of the rooms of the cafe portion of the Inside the Bungalow. See the Mad Hatter type character on the back wall? Notice the awesome tile work floor, too.

Fair Trade Cafe

One block away from ASU's downtown campus, this coffee shop offers students a way to get caffeinated while supporting local businesses and ethical, fair trade sourcing. In addition to great coffee, Fair Trade Cafe also offers breakfast and lunch.

During finals week I stopped by for lunch (and to redeem my Groupon for the cafe!) and spent my afternoon cuddled up with my favorite book, sipping a cinnamon latte and munching on a chicken curry salad sandwich (that came with an amazing chocolate chip, peanut butter cookie).

I love the coffee bean bags used as decor for their counter front and their chalkboard menu!

I try to eat at local, Arizona restaurants whenever possible. For a list of other Phoenix restaurants I'm dying to taste test, check out this post.

PHX restaurants to try

I've had a Microsoft Word document on my desktop for a while where I'd add new restaurants I want to try. But, I keep telling people about the list, but then don't think to email it to them (who'd want to read it via email, anyways!). So, here's my incomplete list of must-try PHX eateries.

If you've got another great restaurant in PHX, especially on the light rail, send it my way!

Switch Wine Bar

Hula's Modern Tiki


Postinos Wine Cafe

Hanny's

Blue Nile Cafe 

Luci's Healthy Cafe

Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe

Sidebar

Ticoz Resto-Bar

Verde 12/30/2010 update: Sadly, Verde went out of business before I was able to try it. Open less than a year, they closed due to a slow dinner crowd. :(