Active Culture Natural Foods Cafe

Active Culture, Natural Foods Café and Yogurt, is a family owned restaurant with two locations in South Orange County - Laguna Beach, and San Clemente.  Active Culture believes you can live healthier and happier by putting better food into your body, which is their mission statement on their welcome board.  They embrace their community of beach goes, yogis, outdoor enthusiasts, families, and on-the-go people, with a relaxing environment that offers simple, organic food that tastes great.  

This is an informal, order at the counter establishment.  Menu items include breakfast and lunch bowls, bagels, (including a sprouted bagel option), salads, wraps,  soup, smoothies and shakes.  When you first walk in, you feel like you are in a frozen yogurt shop. They have a self-serve frozen yogurt bar with many of the typical sugar-laden toppings.  However, the food they serve is really delicious and organic.  Even the frozen yogurt is certified organic.  (Just a note, not all the yogurt flavors are organic so be sure to ask which flavors are not.)  

The bowls are a favorite menu item.  They have several to choose from, but the wholesome bowl is my favorite, a blend of organic ingredients including black and red beans, cheddar cheese, cabbage and their famous vegan OG sauce. The OG stands for organic goodness, made with olive oil, lemon and a secret spice blend.  

If you have a sweet tooth and want something cold but can’t eat dairy, then you have come to the right place.  The shakes are not made with ice cream, but instead made with their frozen coconut base, which is vegan, gluten-free and soy-free.  The moonlight mint shake’s fresh mint perfectly complements the dark chocolate and frozen coconut base and it is amazing!

Another popular menu item is the Naked Coconut Shake. It’s fantastic. It is like you are drinking “nothin’ but coconut” because, really, their coconut base is the star of this one.

The San Clemente location has more of a restaurant feel than the Laguna Beach location, with better seating and a nicer ambiance.  San Clemente also offers a few extra menu such as organic fresh juices, egg dishes and lentil burgers.   Both locations have options for vegans and gluten-free folks as well, which is clearly marked on the menu.  It is a mostly vegetarian restaurant.  They have a wonderful kids menu with several healthy items to choose from.  

Active Culture is environmentally friendly and they work toward reducing their carbon footprint.  From the utensils to plates, you can be assured it’s all 100% biodegradable and BPA free. Support for local vendors who share their values of keeping things organic and sustainable is part of their philosophy, too. 

Just a heads up, parking can be a challenge especially in the Laguna Beach location.  Be patient though, it’s worth it.  

(Review originally posted 6/15/16)

Urth Caffe Review

In 2015, in a famous, historical location in Laguna Beach, Urth Caffe made its Orange County debut.  Already a popular, well established restaurant in Los Angeles, this cafe, with roots as an organic coffee and tea spot, quickly grew in popularity in the place once known simply as The Cottage. 

Certified organic, sustainably grown coffee is the basis for Urth Caffe’s existence, but they have grown into a great destination for all-day dining.  Breakfast offers everything from oatmeal to omelettes, including some not-so-healthy options like pasties and waffles. Willpower may need to be used if you have a weakness for sweets. Salads are a lunchtime favorite, but sandwiches, panini and a few pizzas are also on the menu. On our lunchtime visit we had a few salads and the quiche. The Urth’s Farmer’s salad had shaved fennel, artichoke hearts, red onions and tomatoes with radishes, pecans and spinach tossed in a peppercorn dressing.  A grilled chicken breast was added on top.  The hearty fruit and nut bread on the side was a great compliment to the flavors of the salad.  The Urth Salad takes a Mediterranean approach and combines feta, Kalamata olives, hearts of palm, garbanzo beans and pine nuts in a tangy vinaigrette. And finally, the bacon and leek quiche with a side salad was a great way to make a breakfast staple into a hearty lunch. 

Urth Caffe puts together menu items that keep health in mind and are crowd pleasers,too. Their salad greens are organic and when organic vegetables are not available, they purchase locally grown produce.  The fish is wild caught.  They have a wonderful selection of pastries and baked goods that are made with natural sugars and are baked fresh daily. With several locations to choose from, the newest addition in Orange has a great historical vibe to the architecture… worth a visit for sure.

(review originally posted 3/24/17)

Thrive Juice Lab

When it comes to juicing, Thrive Juice Lab is the real “real thing”. “Real” meaning they use organic vegetables and fruit and then cold-press (no heat to destroy vitamins) to extract the juice and retain all the vital nutrients.  Vegetable juice is a liquid vitamin and it beats soda and sugar-laden coffee drinks any day.  Drinking green juice is a better idea, but If you want an optimal juicing experience, drinking juice for the health benefits, it should be 100% organic and freshly cold-pressed. 

Many juice companies are using the HPP (high-pressure pasteurization) process, which kills bacteria and allows for a longer shelf life, but the downfall is that it reduces the active enzymes, antioxidants and vitamins to the juice.  Because vegetable juice and smoothies are so popular now, many large corporations have jumped on the bandwagon including Coca Cola and Pepsi. Coca Cola owns the brand Odwalla juice and PepsiCo owns Naked juice and also has recently acquired the probiotic drink KeVita. These larger companies use the HPP method for a more shelf stable product.  Your best bet is finding a juice bar that does it right,  like Thrive Juice Lab, located in Newport Beach and Laguna Niguel. 

Thrive Juice Lab is a casual, all organic, juice and wellness café. Their menu features juices, smoothies, wellness shots, bowls and salads.  Organic coffee and loose leaf tea are offered as well.  Feel like it’s time to do a cleanse?  They offer that service, too. Everything they carry is organic and gluten-free. Their menu items and cleanses are specially created with the help of raw food chefs and certified nutritionists.  

The salads, wellness shots and juices are made fresh daily and can be found in their open refrigerator section.  Kombucha and various other items, including “healthy” desserts, can also be found there.  Smoothies and bowls are made to order with either sprouted almond milk or coconut milk. They do offer a curbside delivery service if you call in your order 5-10 minutes ahead.   They offer many superfood boosters you can add to your smoothie. 

Thrive Juice Lab is proud to be a “farm to cup” establishment and takes pride in serving high quality products.  When you drink one of their juices, you feel the healing power of the pure and simple ingredients.  Your cells drink up the green elixir of vitamins, minerals and enzymes immediately. I love their Green Wonder smoothie, which has spinach, kale, banana, apple, lemon and sprouted almond milk. It helps me feel nourished and ready to take on the day.  How about you?  Have you noticed a boost in energy by adding green juice to your diet?

(review originally posted 4/7/17)