Ma, The Meatloaf!  EPISODE 3

 

We’re now 8 weeks into our whole food plant based experiment that we’re calling, “Ma, The Meatloaf”!  I sound like a broken record but it’s crazy how quickly the time is flying and how easy we’re finding the whole process.  Now that we’ve got a handle on vegan cooking at home, we wanted to start exploring the different restaurant options here in Nova Scotia.  This week, Humani-T cafe was our pick!

We’ve been to a few pubs & restaurants in the last few weeks and admittedly, it can be a challenge to find vegan options but if you’re willing to ask (nicely), we’ve found we’re able to handle any restaurant situation.  We’re going to do an entire review on our experience at the various restaurants we’ve visited but today we want to focus on just one.

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HUMANI-T CAFE

Halifax, Nova Scotia

We arrived at Humani-T cafe at 11:30am on a Saturday morning and it was bustling with people.  We immediately noticed the bright, open, eclectic atmosphere and felt instantly at home.  There were people working away at their computers, catching up with friends while they waited for their coffees, and enjoying meals together in all areas of the cafe.  It’s clearly a Saturday morning hang out and we could see why!

DECADENT DRINKS

It’s an espresso & gelato bar, so naturally, Humani-T cafe is known for it’s selection of specialty coffees.  Any one of their coffees, lattes or cappuccino’s can be made vegan using almond or soy milk, which we loved!

LUNCH OPTIONS

We enjoyed their Vegan wrap which is always on the menu and, we’re told, is a popular choice.  It was full of roasted veggies, refried beans, and veggies then grilled and served with a side of carrot sticks which was a great alternative to the standard french fries you’d normally see coupled with a restaurant lunch.

Humani-T cafe also serves a daily soup that’s always vegan but you’d never know because the potato broccoli soup we enjoyed was creamy and delicious.  So much so that Brent allowed me one small bite and monopolized the rest!

VEGAN TREATS

If you’ve been to Halifax before you probably already know that Humani-T cafe is known for it’s vegan gelato but you may now know that they also have a variety of vegan goodies displayed on the counter!  Our bellies were full after lunch but hey, that just means we’ll have to visit again and enjoy the sweet treats they’re famous for.

HEALTH UPDATE

To everyone who decides to “try” a new eating style for a few weeks (usually 3-4), this is our public service announcement to you.  It’s not long enough!  We’ve done this too many times to count and while, yes, we see some quick results, we’ve never actually stuck with something this long and folks, WOW!  The changes we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks have been jaw dropping.

WEIGHT

We’re both on a steady decline and feeling great.  No, we’re not losing dramatic amounts of weight but we are consistently losing about 1lb a week WITHOUT counting any calories or restricting our intake at all.  In fact, we eat pasta several times a week, dessert several times a week and we enjoy wine with just about every evening meal.  So, that’s a win!

ENERGY & SLEEP

I’m categorizing these together because I’m sure we have more energy because we’re sleeping better than we ever have before.  You’ve heard me talk about my struggles with insomnia before so I’ll spare you the details again but the bottom line is; we’re sleeping soundly, through the night, for about 9 hours.  It’s life changing!

SKIN

This is one that took a while.  It wasn’t until this week that we both started really noticing a difference in our skin.  Brent’s psoriasis has decreased significantly and my hives (explained in detail in the first episode) are finally starting to diminish.  In fact, this week I’ve received more compliments on my skin that I have in months!

INFLAMMATION

As a former fitness professional, marathon runner and ultra-distance hiker it’s been a miserable couple of years since my ACL reconstruction and the discovery that I have “severe arthritis in both knees” along with no remaining cartilage.  Since then, I haven’t been able to jump, run, squat or lunge AT ALL.  One week ago, I did my first set of squats in two years without pain!

I thought it was a fluke but tried again, adding some lunges and even a few (careful) jump squats and…yep, still no pain!  Now, I’m not back to full range of motion but this is MAJOR progress and something that was completely unexpected.  If the reduction of pain and inflammation in my knees was the only result, it would all be worth it, but it’s just a tip of the iceberg!

 

Giveaway!  We’re giving away lunch for 2 and you can enter a bunch of time here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

*This post was sponsored by Humani-T cafe who welcomed us into their space and made us feel right at home.  As always, all opinions and photos are our own – we will always share our honest and complete opinions with you!