what better day than monday to kick-start your week & make healthful choices? i personally am not a monday goal setter type girl but i know a lot of you are & that is why i am encouraging you on this happy monday! it’s the first day of a new week, particularly the week of thanksgiving (woohoooo!). this can be a week of peace, freedom and thanksgiving. it doesn’t have to be a week of regret, seriously, you deserve better.

a lot of different emotions can get stirred up around the holiday season. this is a time to be with family, friends, coworkers and your community. a time to fellowship, give thanks & count your blessings. if you are feeling anything less than amazing on this thanksgiving monday it’s a perfect time to look up and recognize the one that came and died for YOU. you are loved, beautiful, forgiven, valued & dang sexy in that bathing suit! don’t let anything tell you different. this time of thanksgiving is perfect for those of us who are struggling with identity, appearance, weight, choices and all of life’s other wonderful treats (sense the sarcasm?).

one thing i love about the holiday season is the chance i get to educate you and others around me of the importance of treating out bodies with the respect they deserve. i get to teach free classes in the community, do blog posts like this and meet with my clients. these are all opportunities where i share the good news that our bodies don’t have to hurt, ache, pop or swell. i get to share delicious recipes and restaurant reviews and the latter is what this post will be about.

i had an idea one day and was like “hey, why don’t i go around the community and interview the like-minded people in this town?” so i did just that. i compiled a list of great local restaurants, brands and natural food stores. i then set up appointments and began interviewing them & the results were fantastic. here is a review of a super cool local restaurant in spokane, washington. i hope enjoy!​

Mizuna
– for those fancy casuals in the pnw –

Mizuna is a long-time favorite in the greater spokane area; to locals and tourists alike. Sylvia & Tonia, the original owners, had a vision to satisfy both spirit and appetite (sounds like my kind of ladies). this beautiful combination of a satisfied conscience and digestive system makes them one of the most popular places to eat in all of spokane. Mizuna got its start as a fully vegetarian restaurant that serves quality, local and organic ingredients. later, to keep up with demand, they incorporated sustainable fish and organic meat to their menu. boy, is their ahi tuna to die for! today, Mizuna holds true to their original values of clean, real food; even under new ownership.

In 2006 a long-time employee, Mike Jones, took over the restaurant and is slaying it. He manages to fill the restaurant for lunch, dinner and weekends. Mike even works in the restaurant aside from the whole owner role. he cooks, chats with guests and does all the fancy business work, he’s a pretty cool guy. i had the chance to sit and chat with him for a while and just hear his heart & i’ll tell you, it’s in the right place.

here is a little dialogue from our meeting:

what is your ultimate goal? “100% consistency is what i strive for: when all of my employees fire under the same cylinders there is so much we are capable of.”

how do you hold true to the values of mizuna? “one of things things i do to make sure there is transparency is to work closely with the vendors who are supplying our food. i make sure we hold similar values and that they are sustainable. one of our wonderful vendors is Northstar, they give us great seafood without question.”

what do you love most about mizuna? “one of my favorite times of year is the spring when the man who grows our produce for us comes in and we go through the seed catalog together. i hand pick what i want in the restaurant for the season and then we order them!”

what is your favorite dish to eat/cook? “whatever the special is because i get to play around with the recipe and make it something good. i also love to cook seasonal meals that we haven’t had in a while. there’s nothing that hasn’t been done but you can still try.”

mizuna is a wonderful choice if you are vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian or normal! it’s a perfect place to go for parties, work gatherings, bridal showers, birthday dinners or a romantic date. basically, if you have a need, they meet it: large dining room, bar, meeting room, lunch & dinner (and of course desserts). even though they aren’t 100% organic always, they have clean(er) ingredients than you are going to find at other places around spokane. i can eat here without getting sick or feeling gross.

want to know what i eat?
either the ahi tuna poke orrr the candied pecan salad with soup, then i obviously have the amoretto pear with coconut ice cream. you’re welcome!

head over to their website to make e reservation for you, your fiends and me.. (but really). be sure to let mike know that you read about his restaurant on my blog! enjoy, you lovely people. treat yo self & let me know what you think in the comments!

don’t forget about your free box of goodies from thrive market!

photo from picquery