All Around the World: Weekend Getaways - Asheville, NC

Asheville, NC

Asheville, North Carolina is one of my new favorite places. There's the eating and the shopping and the eating and the sight seeing and the art and the foot spa (ohmygoodness, the foot spa) and hey, did I mention the eating?

I am in some serious L.O.V. E. with this place, and I'm going to do my best to make you love it too.

Blue Ridge Parkway

First and foremost, if you've never been to North Carolina, you should go. Like, right now. Fall is exceptionally beautiful, especially to this born-and-raised Arizona girl. The colors of the leaves actually take my breath away. The pinks and reds and oranges and yellows- I've never taken so many pictures of trees in my whole tree loving life.

Before I can move on to the actual topic of this post, please enjoy these pictures from a trip I took to Raleigh a long time ago.

Okay, back to business.


How much do I love Asheville? Let me count the ways:

1) The Food

I've never met a city so designed for someone like me, which is to say, I've never seen so many gluten free options in one place in my whole life. (Normal People: Don't let this deter you. Allllllll of the food is amazing.)

The Fiance had been traveling to Asheville for work and after his first visit he told me this place was made for me. It would seem so. Having a gluten allergy is exhausting and irritating. You're continuously on the lookout for places that provide options, and not just boring half-assed options, but well thought out, delicious ones. Asheville is a place with endless eating possibilities for all people. I ate well, y'all. I ate well.

• Fig Bistro - Excellent food and the chef can make almost anything on his menu GF.
• Well Bred Bakery - Somewhat dangerous. I mean, there are so many baked goods!
• Biscuit Head - One of the best breakfasts ever. EVER.
• Curate - This tapas style restaurant is so popular, you have to book reservations weeks in advance. Do it.
• Posana - An entirely gluten free restaurant. It was like every prayer I've ever had being answered in the form of this place. I ordered breakfast and lunch in one meal and, uh, ate all of it.
• Doc Chey's Noodle House - Excellent pad thai.
• White Duck Taco Shop - Two words: Mmm. Yum.

2) The Shopping

Asheville is an un-chainable city, as you'll see if you visit. They prefer unique, one-of-a-kind stores over chains that can be found anywhere and everywhere. Walking through the streets of downtown was like going on an adventure. You never knew what you might stumble upon and discover.

Appalachian Naturals has some bomb diggity bath bombs, you guys. This family owned business has been around for decades. Their philosophy: Don't get naked with anything you can't trust. The products are all natural, all awesome, and those bath bombs I mentioned? They leave your skin silky smooth.

Malaprop's is the local bookstore. If you're a book person, you must go here. They have a little coffee/tea store inside and endless rows of books and goodies for you to check out.

aSHEville Museum is more than a museum. It's a store with tons of fun and handcrafted goodies. Jewelry, kids toys, and weirdly awesome re-created vases from soda bottles. Totally worth a visit.

Honorable Mention Chain Store: Ten Thousand Villages. If Pier 1 and Cost Plus World Market had a millennial baby, this would be it. This fair trade stores brings you products from artisans all over the world to help improve and support their lives. I actually saw items in this store that I'd purchased in other countries, which was thrilling.

3) The Foot Spa

This gets a category all on it's own because yes, it is that amazing. I would buy a one day round trip plane ticket to Asheville for another hour at Wake, a foot spa that I'm pretty sure angels created. Even The Fiance hasn't been able to stop talking about it. For real, you guys, we want to plan another trip out there almost entirely because of this place.

The experience is unlike anything else. First, you choose what kind of foot soak you want, which is to say what oils and herbs they'll be using. Then, you have the option to add on a massage. Last, but not least, you can also order a pot of tea to enjoy while you soak and soothe the day away.

Once you're ushered back through the the gates of heaven to the foot soaking room, you're seated on comfy sofas or chairs with blankets and pillows. A giant Himalayan-looking gong bowl is wheeled out, which is filled with hot water and the herbs/oils you chose.  Dip your feet in and let the good times begin.

Bonus Awesomeness: The front of the spa doubles as a little boutique with, yet again, locally crafted lotions and lip balms and even some of the coolest necklaces around.

You must go here.

4) Everything Else

Are you a dog person? Excellent. Your dog is welcome everywhere. Are you a nature person? Perfect. The Blue Ridge Parkway is just a short drive away. Do you want to drink coffee in a London double decker bus? Yep. They've got that covered. Asheville is artsy, fun and unique.

The famous Biltmore Estate is located here and OMG, the Internet doesn't do it justice. This place is something like 9,000 acres big. We thought it would be a short visit, but nooooo. You need a full day at the very minimum. It's a ten minute drive just from the gate to the first stop at this place! I highly recommend checking out the gardens. It's like something out of Alice in Wonderland. Insanely beautiful.

Biltmore Village (not located within Biltmore Estates) is home to the above mentioned Well Bred bakery as well as a few other stores. Most are chains in this particular location, but there are a couple that host local artist creations such as pottery, furniture, and jewelry.

I must also mention the River Arts district, not just for the handful of artsy stores, but for the awesomeness that is the graffiti. It's beautiful, folks. Beautiful.

As for places to stay, you have endless options. However, if you want something completely different (and if, like us, you have a lot of hotel points to use) the Grand Bohemian Hotel is the place to stay. It's located within Biltmore Village, across from the entrance to Biltmore Estates, and ten minutes from all the food and shopping. Clearly, an excellent location, but also this:

Pay no attention to the weirdo in the tub

Do you see this bathtub? You better believe I used that sucker every single night with the bath bombs I bought in town.

Here are a few more pics from the magical city known as Asheville, just so you get a better idea of how awesome it really is.

The Grand Bohemian Hotel

The famous "Before I Die" chalk wall

Downtown shopping

Some of these pictures are up on my Society6 page.

Whole 30: Week 3 and Some Guacamole-ish Type Things

Green August #19
http://society6.com/rocketrictic/Green-August-19_Print

I made it through another week and the good news is that I did not feel the need to swear or punch anyone. Not much, anyway. I thought about ice cream and it didn't phase me, which really means I didn't have any dramatic moments in my brain of famine striking and no ice cream ever existing again which then resulted in me crying. Also, Pinterest and I are back to being friends. I will admit, however, that I had one night where I really, super-kind-of-badly wanted to eat some gluten free pizza at this new restaurant in town, but my Guardian Angel of Not Cheating While Doing the Whole 30 Program made that impossible. One minute the restaurant has gluten free pizza, the next it doesn't even exist. Maybe I was hallucinating. We'll never know.

Aside from that, things have gotten back to being fairly easy and tragically somewhat boring, with eating the same things over and over. The Whole 30 peeps address that though and have given me more reasons to fuel my technology addiction by looking at a dozen or so different blogs with recipes. I don't want to be alone, so I've included them for you below. You're welcome.

As far as the benefits they talk about, I will say I've noticed some new things going well for me. For example, my "seasonal" allergies have gotten immensely better and are diminishing what seems like daily. Because my "seasonal" allergies exist 365 days a year, I attribute this to the change in foods. No corn, no soy, no sugar. Maybe (crossing my fingers that this isn't true) I'm allergic to sugar. *shudder* Let's not think about that anymore.

Also, I've realized just how many things contain sugar. It's everywhere. I mean everywhere. Even though I avoid the "bad" sugars and stick to the natural ones, they're still out there, sneaking into every doggone thing. I can't help but wonder what the world would be like with less of it. A long time ago I saw a picture of some children in a foreign country that were part of a health experiment, comparing the US to other countries. When offered either a sweet treat or a cucumber, they opted 100% for the veggie. When this same test was applied to American children, 100% of them went for the candy. It makes you think, doesn't it? How addictive is sugar, really? They say it's one of the most addictive substances out there and more and more, I start to believe that. Just some food for thought.

For those of you chugging along with me, keep it up! It does get easier, I promise, and you know I would't lie to you. You can borrow my guardian angel if you want.

Here are my favorite takeaways from this last week. Look at Day 17 for the guacamole as well as the other aforementioned awesome technology addiction fueling recipes. Again, you're welcome.

Day 15: "Whether you make a bad decision, or are accidentally “dosed” with an off-plan ingredient in a food served to you, discovering you’ve broken your 100% Whole30 streak can make you feel disappointed and frustrated. But beware not to step into the dangerous zone scientists have christened the “What the Hell” Effect. (For real—that’s the science-y name for this phenomenon!)

It goes like this: you’re eating a Whole30 family dinner, enjoying every bite. Then you realize—the dressing on your salad tastes really, really sweet. So you ask your Mom, “Hey, does this dressing have sugar in it?” and your Mom replies, “No, sweetie, I told you—no sugar. It’s sweetened with agave!”

This is the part where you feel disappointed, frustrated, angry for messing up (whether intentional or not). But here’s where the WTH Effect comes in; where you say, “Ah, crap, my Whole30 is ruined… I might as well eat the dessert everyone else is enjoying/ have that glass of wine after all/eat the darn bread.” You see where we’re going?

The WTH Effect isn’t just about self-control, it’s about failure to reach a goal. And with each “slip,” the following slip(s) become easier and easier to make. But that’s faulty logic, isn’t it? The lessons you’ve learned during your Whole30 aren’t “ruined” because you had some added sugar/gluten/dairy and there is absolutely no reason to throw that all down the drain because you made a bad choice, or received some bad information."

Day 16: "In the brain: big changes are easier. You’ve probably already tried to live by the “everything in moderation” principle, right? But moderation is really hard for the brain to manage when you’re trying to form a new habit. (This is especially true when some of the things we’re trying to eliminate have a serious mental hold on us… like sugar and carbs.) The Whole30 is a big, radical change—but one that is far easier for the brain to grasp than moderation. Why? No more decisions. Whew! The brain has a hard time with uncertainty, and when faced with too much, it tends to revert back to what it’s always done—the path of least resistance. So every decision (should I eat the cookie, should I have a second glass of wine, should I go for the healthy chicken breast or indulge in the pizza?) means… uncertainty. And for your brain, too much of that means you go back to old, unhealthy food habits. The Whole30 takes that uncertainty away from you. We tell you exactly what kinds of foods to eat, and we say you should eat NONE of these other, unhealthy foods. No decision-making required; if it’s on your ‘no’ list, you simply don’t indulge. And that makes the brain happy, which makes your transition to healthier habits easier."


Day 17: "Want to add some flavor to your meal, but having a hard time finding pre-made dips, dressings and sauces that fit the Whole30 guidelines? No problem! Make your own with the delicious recipes below.

Special insider tip: If a recipe calls for something that comes in a can, bottle, or jar, be sure tocheck the label for sneaky ingredients.

Dreamy Avocado Dressing (from It Starts With Food) ½ large avocado · 1 Tbsp lime juice · ¼ cup Olive Oil Mayo · 1 small garlic clove · ½ Tbsp pickled jalapeño rings (optional) · 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves (optional) · 2 Tbsp water · salt and black pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and purée to desired consistency, adding additional water 1 Tbsp at a time, if necessary. Allow the flavors to meld for 30 minutes before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Dips (I dip. You dip. We dip.) * Cut up some peppers, jicama, and carrots and dig into thisPersian Eggplant Tomato Dip. * Guacamole is perfect for homemade sweet potato chips. * Some like it hot, and for those of you that do try this Hot Pepper Hummus. * Salsa is super quick, easy, and fresh. Try this Roasted Roma Salsa for a little something different. * And for a salsa that’s really different, check out this Black-Olive Salsa.

Dressings (Oil + Acid + Spice = Salad dressing) * The OG-ish Italian Dressing: It’s like the Olive Garden, in your house, without all the coma-inducing pasta. * Thai-inspired Chili Coconut Milk Dressing takes your coconut milk to the next level. * Southwestern Cumin Lime Dressingwill make you want to don some cowboy boots and ride off into the sunset. * Tangy. Carroty. Gingery. What’s not to like? Tangy Carrot Ginger Dressing * I came. I saw. I made Caesar Dressing.

Sauces (aka: Gettin’ Saucy) * If you are looking for a sauce that is delicious on literally everything, Melissa Joulwan’s Sunshine Sauce is for you. * Green Apple Guacamole – add some tang to your guac! * Thank Nom Nom Paleo for this ridiculously good Thai-Inspired Herby Green Marinade. * Presto! Pesto! * You’re not sipping cocktails right now, but you can still enjoy this Cocktail Sauce."

Day 18: "The internet…when you are out there searching for resources and information, it can be your best friend and worst enemy all at the same time. Right now, if you Google “Whole30” you get around 300,000 search results—try “Paleo” and you get back almost 18 million pages to sift through.

• Evolutionary Psychiatry, by Dr. Emily Deans. Emily weaves good music, social commentary, and her own personal brand of wit and tough love into discussions on food, the brain, and our mental health. Highlighted article: Dietary Fat Intake and Depression Risk
• Gnolls.org, by J. Stanton. JS injects analogies, humor, and so much common sense it should be outlawed in his articles. While written from an evolutionary perspective, his writing is vitally important in today’s modern world. Highlighted article: Food Associations and the Pitfalls of the Search for Novelty
• That Paleo Guy, by Jamie Scott. Jamie brings together all facets of health—diet, sleep, stress, exercise, and more—and makes the science on what it means to be truly “healthy” accessible to the masses. Highlighted article: Sunbathing and Circadian Rhythms"

Day 19: "You are what you eat, quite literally, and we believe the health of the animals you eat impacts your own health in a far more direct manner than even the quality of your vegetables or fruits. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t purchase organic fruits and veggies when you can—only that you should take a look at the quality of the meat that is on your plate first, especially from a budget perspective.

We love U.S Wellness Meats because the pork they carry is Compassionate Certified, and undergoes third party verification to ensure accuracy. Among numerous requirements, the animals are not allowed to be given any growth stimulants, hormones or antibiotics. Animals are allowed outside as often as they want, and have full bedding available at all times; slot floors and gestating crates are not allowed. Oh, and did we mention they have Whole30-Approved Bacon?"


Day 20: "We want to help you develop a critical eye when it comes to taking in this information—especially where it deals with food, your family, your body image, and your self-esteem. You’ve made it to Day 20 of your Whole30, and it’s very likely that you’re feeling many of the benefits that come along with our program. Unfortunately, the shallow focus of our modern world encourages you to live by the number on the scale, and shames you into thinking you should be skinnier, more muscular, prettier, just… more.

The media’s influence on our lives:

• A study of 4,294 network television commercials revealed that 1 out of every 3.8commercials send some sort of "attractiveness message," telling viewers what is or is not attractive.
• In articles about fitness or exercise plans, 74% cited "to become more attractive" as a reason to start exercising, and 51% noted the need to lose weight or burn calories.
• Among children 8 - 10 years old, 50% are dissatisfied with their body size.
• Among 9 - 11 year olds, 46% are on diets "sometimes" or "very often."
• 82% of those 9 - 11 year old's families are also on diets "sometimes" or "very often."
• Among 11 - 13 year old girls, more than 50% believe they are overweight
• An average US woman is 5'4" tall weighing 140 pounds; the average US model is 5'11"weighing 117 pounds!
• 44% of US women are on a diet.
• 29% of US men are on a diet.
• 35% of people on a diet develop some sort of pathology around food.
• $109 million is spent in the US every day on diet and weight loss products."

Day 21: "Today is Day 21 of your Whole30. You’ve likely been told that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, so right now you’re probably thinking “I’ve got this thing in the bag, baby!” We hate to break it to you, but recent habit research shows that it can take a lot longer than that for habits to be broken and remade. (Side note from me: DAMN IT! ;) )

Now, don’t go getting all discouraged! When you took on this challenge, we hope it was with the idea that it would change your life. Not change the next 30 days of your life. Not change your year. Change. Your. Life. And it probably goes without saying that whatever habits you had before you started the Whole30 are pretty long-standing—years, maybe even decades-established.

So with that in mind, remember that building new, healthy habits takes time. And patience. And dedication. And awareness. (Another side note from me: Oh, OK.)

For the record, I'm currently half way through week 4 and I'm getting to all the good stuff they talk about. I've gotten more creative with food and I discovered that Cirque du Soleil type yoga is actually pretty awesome, once you can feel all of your limbs again. 

Related Posts

Day 0

Whole 30: Week 1, Plus a Recipe, Apps, and More!

Whole 30: Week 2, Plus Recipes and Books