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#foodie Denver Life health support local

Caveman Cafeteria, Feeding a Revolution Paleo-style

Besides the incredible taste, did you know that Caveman Cafeteria's lamb is also 100% GRASS-FED?!
Did you know that Caveman Cafeteria’s lamb is 100% GRASS-FED?!

I first came to know about Caveman Cafeteria from their mobile food stand at 16th and Larimer back in May. I was on my way to the Market Street Station to ride a bus to DIA and saw the stand firmly anchored on that corner of the 16th Street Mall. I took a kale and wagyu beef dish with me to Market Street Station; satisfyingly much tastier than any food I could grab n’ go at the airport.

Since then, I have been following the Twitter account, @DenverCaveman (now @FeedARevolution) and have learned a lot about the Paleo Diet through the business. When they first announced their meal plans, I was intrigued: Monday thru Friday lunch and dinner for a full month? Sign me up (because I am lazy, ha). However, I did not want to commit to a full month without trying out some of the meals first. So, I waited…

And then, Caveman Cafeteria announced 1-week trials of their meal plans. I immediately signed up, justifying the cost as almost equivalent to a week’s worth of groceries (the meal plans cost a little more than my usual grocery trip).

Delicious 100% #grassfed WAGYU steak w/ #Organic golden yams, brocolli & demi-glace.
Delicious 100% grassfed WAGYU steak w/ Organic golden yams, brocolli & demi-glace.

I tried the Cavemean Meal Plans out during the week of October 14-18. First things first: pick up my lunchbox for my Monday and Tuesday meals (then I went back for my second lunchbox on Wednesday for Wed-Fri meals). Members have a choice of where to pick up their meal boxes at several Crossfit and other locations in the Denver area. I opted for pick-up at the Corepower Yoga on Grant/13th.

From the first bite, I was definitely enamored with Caveman’s meal preparation. I went with the 3-block medium portions and that was just the right amount of food for me that week. Grass-fed, organic meat with steamed vegetables was on the menu for the week; of course, various meat and vegetables were in each separate meal. My most favorite offerings that week were the wagyu beef (so tender! so juicy!), lamb, and the roasted yams and radishes. Yum yum.

Also, during my trial week, I had two delicious paleo salads–so many delicious nutrients with a light dressing. With the hot dishes, all I had to do was microwave them (or I had the option of baking the dishes, too) for a few minutes and voila~ meal, complete!

Alas, during my one-week trial, I forgot each time to take a photo of my meals for this post; instead, I contacted Will White, the Founder of Caveman Cafeteria, to get me some photos from his own collection.

100% #GrassFed Wagyu beef meatloaf w/ #Organic criminis, broccolini, fresh herbs & demi-glace; YUM!
100% GrassFed Wagyu beef meatloaf w/ Organic criminis, broccolini, fresh herbs & demi-glace; YUM!

After my trial week, I had the option of signing up for my monthly fill of meal plans. The smallest (medium portions) option is $499 for four weeks of meals during weekdays. This is the plan recommended for most women. There are also options of 4-block (large) portions for $599/month or 5-block (XL) portions for $699/month. The fees vary depending on how you pay for the plan. There are also options for couples and families.

Now here’s a disclaimer: I myself do not subscribe to Paleo principles, but I thoroughly enjoyed my meals from Caveman Cafeteria. Their meals are well-balanced and filling, no matter the size and no matter which diet (outside of Paleo) you work with. I would like to sign up for monthly meals sometime in early 2014; as of now, my funds are tight so I have to forgo the monthly option for the rest of this year.

My interactions with Will have been nothing but kindness and accommodating; Will built Caveman Cafeteria with the philosophy of being a YES company: whatever the customer wants or needs in meals, the business will get that request fulfilled. For example, with the meal plans, Caveman Cafeteria is willing to work around travel schedules. Don’t see many businesses like that doing the same thing. Will is very approachable and always willing to help and answer questions.

I highly recommend Caveman Cafeteria meal plans for those of you who have busy weeks/no time to cook! My weekdays are usually not too busy, but I admit that I usually avoid cooking meat for myself as the process always seems too laborious for just myself.

Try out a week and tell me what you think!

(And follow Caveman Cafeteria via FB or Twitter!)

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#foodie Denver Life drink health support local

Pressed Juice Daily: Denver’s Juice Source

 

Colorful bottles of delicious juices.
Colorful bottles of delicious juices.

Remember that post I wrote about my 3-day cleanse? That only happened several weeks ago; anyway, yes, I got all my juices, chlorophyll water, aloe water, and DELICIOUS raw almond milk from Pressed Juice Daily.

Pressed Juice Daily opened its doors in Denver on September 20th; the kiosk/store is located on the 16th Street Mall at Court (near the World Trade Center). I had only heard of PJD from their following me on Twitter; I was intrigued by the name and the concept. So I began following their Twitter account and pounced on the chance to check PJD out on opening day.

I was promised that I could sign a $1 bill for being the first to arrive; alas, I was second to arrive, but that was okay. The owners, Adam Cianciola and Christian Davis, are both so kind and accommodating. They make the juices daily (heck, apparently they did not get much sleep the hours before their grand opening; they were bottling and pressing their juices for the big day!) They let passersby sample some juice before they buy; kids and adults love the various kinds of juice. Sure, a bottle averages about $8 each, but I can imagine pressing so many juices daily takes a lot of time, energy, and money (especially for organic, natural fruits and vegetables).

Raw Almond Milk & Clarity 2
Raw Almond Milk & Clarity 2

Now, with the 3-day cleanse, I got 27 bottles of all the different juices (you can see what the cleanse includes on their page). At first I didn’t believe I could be successful with the cleanse (ah, my darn mind & its limitations). But throughout the first day, I found that I was not missing solid food. It helped that I was keeping track of my hours to space out the juices evenly throughout the day.

My favorites out of all the juices? Energy 2, Detox 1-2, and Clarity 2. One of the juices I had during the cleanse was seasonal: it had watermelon in it as well (I think that was in one of the Clarity bottles). Of course, I cannot stop raving about their raw almond milk; SO creamy and delicious. I could hardly believe that the milk was not sweetened with sugar, but with nature’s goodness. At the end of each day of my cleanse, I savored the raw almond milk, sipping slowly and mumbling “Mmmm” each time. Yes, it’s THAT good.

I succeeded in completing my cleanse by the end of that weekend; so thankful that I had PJD to guide me along with what to drink and when. Definitely felt cleaned out and ready to reset my diet.

While I know I can easily buy juices from national brands at Whole Foods, or hit up a well-established juice bar in town, I prefer the trip downtown to get cold pressed juice from PJD. I am all about supporting local, and I can see that the owners and their staff work hard to get the products out daily!

Check Pressed Juice Daily out when you’re wandering around on 16th Street Mall!

(Oh, and by the way, they do deliveries!)

Categories
Denver Life support local

Craft Ninjas: Crafting, Drinking, and Being Cool.

I suppose I should just go ahead and say: most of the organizations/individuals I am highlighting in my Denver posts have been active on Twitter. Craft Ninjas sucked me right in with the concept of craft time (plus beer) for grown adults. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Every time I’ve gone to a Craft Ninjas event, I feel so welcomed. We’re all in it together, to create things! The group is pretty much a bunch of ladies…but that’s all good. We’re sassy and smart.

Projects thus far: Record Cover Box (whee!), decorating vegan Christmas cookies, pasties (oh-lala!), and soon…felt flowers (this coming Sunday). Yay hooray!

Pasties: I went the nerdy way with Ms. Pacman & a Ghost.

Becky, the organizer for Craft Ninjas, is simply amazing. Join in on the fun!

Categories
Denver Life support local

Creative Density: Where Minds Collide

One of the summer BBQs at City Park with CD members & friends.

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably wonder why I always mention Creative Density. This is another organization that I started to follow on Twitter before my big move to Denver. Coworking was a foreign thing to me early last year, but by now, I am so entrenched in the movement of shared office space.

Craig, the owner of Creative Density, is so awesome. Talk to him about any business topics, and he is quite knowledgable. I love going to Creative Density to see my regular crew: Craig, Jason R., Kevin M., and Pontus (when he’s here in the US and not in Sweden). I love the energy that flows through the whole space. This was where I launched TAOpivot, with the wonderful help of the support at Creative Density.

I feel that Creative Density has been my ticket to get into the Denver tech/startup community more easily. Everyone is just so helpful, approachable, and generally fun. Although my membership here has gone back and forth between part-timer and a regular, I will always go here to get away from the coffee shop atmosphere & my home office.

Check Creative Density out for a free day of coworking. You won’t regret it!

Categories
Denver Life support local

Fabric Bliss on Santa Fe: We Sniff Yarn Every Day

That was meant to be a rhyme.

Anyway, to start off the wonderful week and a half (or so) of my Denver Appreciation posts, here is Fabric Bliss.

Just recently learned how to crochet!

When I was not yet out in Denver, I remember I started following several business owners/etc. on Twitter to infiltrate the crowd that way. I remember Aurora Sisneros, owner of Fabric Bliss, was one of those reciprocal to my following. I’d read each update about what all was happening with the new shop (not yet opened!) and anticipated visiting the store when I arrived in Denver.

I actually didn’t get to go to Fabric Bliss until earlier this year; it was at a First Friday Art Walk and I waltzed into the store, introducing myself to Aurora and the both of us nerding out to yarn, fabric, etc.!

The store is really a dream haven for anyone who sews, knits, crochets: lots of fabric along the left side of the store (and throughout the smaller shelves in the center right area); LOTS of yarn lining up close to the ceiling along the shelves on the right side. There are patterns, sewing/crochet/knit supplies, and then some locally-made goods as well.

On one First Friday, I sat at the front of the store (in one of the sofa chairs) and knitted while patrons were coming in and out of the shop. A few weeks ago, I finally was able to make it to the Sewing 101 class, where I got to make a double-sided tote bag. So fun! I really like the energy here. Aurora is so approachable & always willing to show a newbie the ropes. She taught me how to correctly cast-on for knitting; somehow I wasn’t doing it right these past few years!

Thanks to Aurora and her shop, though, I’ve been re-inspired to get back into my projects. Please, when you visit Fabric Bliss, say hi to Aurora if she’s there! She’s so friendly and helpful. Let her show you the ropes (no pun intended) on the different yarn weights, different sized needles/hooks, etc.