Got home at 1AM this morning from an A-MAZ-ING weekend in NYC.  I was at the IIN Fall Conference where I heard so many amazing speakers, including Dr. John Douillard and Dr. Bernie Siegel.  I am still on a post-conference high, full of ideas and enthusiasm for changing my health, my family's health and my community's health.

Today, being Oct. 1st, begins the Unprocessed challenge.  Due to my late night, today was, instead, "clean out the refrigerator and pantry day" to remove any and all processed foods that may tempt us over the next month.  The kids are open-minded and ready to start tomorrow.  Still not sure about the hubby.  It's going to take a lot of preparation and work on both of our parts to keep him eating well while he's on the road.

I wanted to share some of the completely amazing meals I had in NYC.  Our first afternoon there, we went to The Hummus Kitchen where I ordered the Super Healthy Salad.  (yes, that's really what it's called, check the menu)  Of course, I snapped this photo after I'd already eaten half of it, but you can still see how beautiful it was.  It had a great mint flavor infused throughout.  Totally delicious!

Then, that evening we went to Taboon , a Middle Eastern inspired Mediterranean restaurant, where I enjoyed a light dinner before heading to see Phantom.  This beautiful salad was delicious and refreshing.  I also tried my friend's order - the house focaccia bread and the tdadziki dip - yummo! And the restaurant gets a 5-star rating from me because they totally saved me. As we entered the Majestic theater, I realized I had lost my cell phone.  My friend called Taboon and our waitress had found it under our table.  They held it for me until after the show, where we hoofed it over there before they closed.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!! 

I so enjoyed the variety of restaurants in New York.  There were so many organic and/or vegan options.  Of course I also visited Tutti Frutti for a little treat on our last night there.  Hey, it's healthy frozen yogurt!  And I only added a small spoonful of chocolate chips - don't judge me. :-)

Check back tomorrow for my family's Day 1 of the October Unprocessed Challenge!