Granite City Brunch

There are a lot of great places for buffet brunch in Des Moines.  Some of my faves are The Machine Shed, Americana and Hy-vee Grille at the new Waukee and Urbandale locations. I also just can't keep myself away from the Sunday Brunch buffet at Granite City.  It is just so awesome.

I have dreams about the reggiano hash browns.  Seriously, dreams.  I'm a sucker for a cheesy-potato dish, but these take the cake.  I can't even explain the sophisticated, sharpness of this flavor, you must try them yourself.

Ok, enough about the potatoes, the rest of the buffet is good too.  They offer an omelet station, prime rib station, fruit, eggs, waffles, great quality sausage links and thick cut slices of bacon.  They also have a lunch dish available on the buffet as well like a pasta or rice dish.  An all around great buffet.

And don't forget about the impressive cinnamon rolls.  Always hot, fresh and addictive.

I don't always love buffets for brunch, but everything they serve is great on this one.  It is definitely one of the more pricey in town at about $16 per person. Kids are a reduced price, but definitely a trip for a special occasion.  It does get pretty busy when folks get out of church.  We waited for a bout 45 minutes on out latest visit.  But the earlier you arrive the better.

They offer an all-you-can-drink mimosa or bloody mary special during the brunch as well and you can of course order off of the regular menu, but why would you want to?!  Just kidding, their regular menu of sandwiches, pizza, pastas, etc. is very good and a great option for lunch or dinner.  I just love the buffet!!

Grounds For Celebration

In Windsor Heights, right near the Mustards Restaurant on University Ave is Grounds For Celebration.  They have other locations in Beaverdale as well as the Somerfield plaza on Mills Civic in WDM too.

This is more than just your typical coffee shop.  They of course serve your normal line-up of lattes, smoothies, shakes and teas.  But, at lunch time, they have a full menu with table-service.  The menu includes pasta, salads, sandwiches fruit plates and my favorite, the chicken salad croissant.  The chicken salad is full of relish and grapes.  Sweet and tart with tender chucks of white meat chicken, just how I like it.  For about $8.75 you can choose two menu items served with fruit for a wonderful lunch.

They atmosphere is cozy and the staff is friendly.  They also carry an assortment of locally made bakery items including gluten-free cookies which is great because coffee shops don't always offer something for people with allergies.  They also had some gorgeous looking cakes and muffins all from locally-owned bakeries.

They had a selection of breakfast sandwiches available and even have gelato.

This is the perfect place to meet some friends over a cup of coffee or lunch and dessert!  I once attended a baby shower here and it was perfect.  Casual atmosphere with a relaxing feel and good food and coffee.  Check it out!

Hy-vee Brunch (Urbandale/Waukee)

 While checking out the new and exciting Urbandle Hy-vee, we noticed that they serve an all-you-can-eat Sunday Brunch buffet on, well, Sundays.  They start at about 8:30am and end at 2:00pm.  During that time, for $14 you can pretty much eat anything you want from the Hy-vee Chinese, Italian, home style kitchen, specialty oatmeal bar, Omelet station and prime rib station. It does not include sushi or deli-sandwiches, but it does in include dessert and gelato.  This is a really great deal for only $14 per person if you come hungry.  And the best part is that kids 5 and under eat free from the buffet!

The have an optional bloody Mary bar, but soft drinks and coffee are included in the price.  They also offer some a la cart breakfast items if you'd prefer not to do the buffet.

The new restaurant is pretty nice with servers and cloth napkins, pretty innovative for a Hy-vee.  At 4:00pm they change into their evening restaurant with a regular menu and you can't eat food items purchased outside of the restaurant in the restaurant.  You can't do this during the Sunday Brunch either, but I think it's acceptable during breakfast and lunch on other days.  We haven't eaten there for dinner yet, but we thought the brunch was really neat, especially if you are a fan of the Chinese or Italian sections.

All-in-all I really like the new concepts the Urbandale Hy-vee has brought from the specialty cheeses to the expanded health food section and gourmet prepared food offerings like a sushi bar and gelato stand.  I was pretty impressed with the Sunday Brunch and thought the service was good.  I would recommend That you order your omelet right away though as it took a while to prepare, but it was worth the wait.  Great brunch experience with a good bang for your buck (especially if you have kids under 5!).  Check it out.

Update: The new Waukee Hy-vee also offers this awesome buffet!

New World Cafe

There are few restaurants around that can boast that every menu item is mostly organic, vegan and gluten-free.  New World Cafe in the East Village boasts just that.

The small cafe offers a changing menu of  all local, fresh menu items that are innovative and delicious, even for non-vegans!  They are quite busy for lunch and dinner and also offer fresh juices and smoothies.  Prices are quite reasonable and the environment is clean and casual.

I tried the "The New Mac & Cheese" with gluten-free pasta, kale and "cheese" sauce which has no actual cheese at all, but rather a cashew/pumpkin base which was delicious! And for $6 for a small and $8 for a large it is really a bargain.  I'm pretty sure a lot of you could get your kids to eat this mac & cheese and they'd have no idea they were eating something much more healthy.

I also tried the ginger lemonade which was sweetened with agave and so good!  On another visit I also tried the cucumber lemonade, which was good too, but obviously more "green tasting".

The menu for with week I visited is on the left, but the weekly menu can be found on their website here.

Whether you are a vegan, have celiac disease or are gluten-intolerant or just like great healthy food.  Stop in to New World cafe for lunch or dinner to try something new.

Berry Picking

One of our favorite springtime/summer activities is berry picking! There are a few places that we like to frequent, but please feel free to comment with your favorite place to go! Berry Patch Farm in Neveda and Berry Fresh Farm in Adel are the two that we are most familiar with and love.  

The best times to pick your own fruit vary on the season, but each of their websites will help keep you updated about when to visit the farms. Both sites say strawberries will be ready the second week of June for 2013.  Strawberries are usually available first in late May and early June and blueberries, cherries, raspberries and more seem to be available in July.  

Berry picking is so fun for us because you don't have to make an appointment and it's pretty cheap entertainment, you just pay for what you pick.  You just show up during their business hours and grab some buckets and go gather what you can.  Kids usually love doing this!  There usually isn't too much walking to do since the fields are very close to the main buildings and parking.  This is something you could bring babies in carriers or strollers that are good on grass.  Some of the farms even have some animals the kids can pet when they are done picking and they have concession stands for snacks (smoothies made from fresh berries! yum) and bathrooms available.  We usually only spend an hour or two but have lots of fun making strawberry pies and strawberry shortcake when we get home!

Let's get juicing!

 I love food.  So it's only reasonable that I'm always trying the next new way to keep my weight in check.  I know what to do, I was a weight loss counselor for 5 years.  It's finding something that doesn't feel like a diet, but that is a lifestyle change that is the trick.  I'm still searching.....Anyway, I've tried the paleo diet. I've had my stints with weight watchers and I've even gone the raw food route.  

On my raw food kick, I got really into juicing.  I invested in a juicer, that has now gone to the appliance graveyard in the closet along with my dehydrator, bread machine, soda stream, griddle and fondue pot (to name a few). But the only reason I don't continue with the juicing at home all the time is because it takes so much effort and fresh produce. 

But I still love fresh organic smoothies and juices, not just for weight-loss, but just as part of a healthy diet, which is why I love The Juice Company.  The Juice Company is located on 42nd street at the The Shops at Roosevelt.  The owner/operator Sylvia is amazing.  She is super nice and really helpful.  She'll give you suggestions and help you pick the juice that's right for you.  There are so many benefits to raw organic produce and she knows all about them.

Whether you are looking for juice, smoothies (with dairy or without and a number of them under 200 calories) or frozen yogurt, you are going to find some of the best here.  She even grows her own wheatgrass in the front of the store and you can buy wheatgrass shots or even buy it by the gallon.  She serves the shots with a slice of orange which REALLY helps it go down =) 

One of the coolest things we've done at The Juice Company was the "Mixology Class".  It's a two hour class where Sylvia teaches you to make (and gives you the recipes for)  a bunch of healthy cocktails.  You bring your own vodka (or rum) and get to taste them all.  Check the facebook page for class times.  It's $18 per couple and very worth it.

Stop in and check it out in the morning for a breakfast smoothie or anytime of the day really!  And maybe step out of your comfort zone and try a wheatgrass shot for only $2.  Your body will thank you!

Pesticide free bliss!

Katie actually intoduced me to one of the most fabulous services in the area.  I'm always more likely to make healthy food choices when my fridge is stocked with fresh organic choices.  

Prudent Produce

Prudent Produce is a locally owned and operated supplier of locally grown and organic produce and the best part is that they deliver it right to your door!  It is totally affordable when you compare the price of picking up these items at the store and it saves you the trip!

Angie, the owner is super nice and helpful! And the website is super easy to navigate.  You can start service right on the website and cancel at any time.  They offer weekly or biweekly service and you are able to adjust the menu to your liking!  You can pick items to absolutely hate and they will never include them in your menu, or you can just swap out items you don't want to others.  

For our family of 3 we get a mini-bin every other week and that is totally enough for us.

Give Prudent a try! You'll love them as much as we do!