With all the outdoor adventures to be found in the San Luis Valley, it's nice to know there are several healthy filling stations to fuel our fun. My super sustenance for my insanity, running up the steepest gnarliest trails I can find, is not about super sizing, or super foods that get hyped in the media, like 'zing zing berries.' No such berry of course, but they would be rare and cost big dollars. Not to worry, because zing zing berries do everything for us, cure our ails, give us 12 hours of energy and provide motivation to clean our houses! I am referring to normal super foods that are nutritious and have always been available to us if we source them properly. How much is our health worth? Seems as though we all have a different price tag...

For the summer into early fall, the Alamosa Farmer's market, the Community Garden, and roadside stands from farmers and ranchers throughout the valley have been my food sources. As the growing season has come to an end and these sources become unavailable, I have found two new places that will become regular stops to keep me running, and cleaning!

LOCAVORES and Smoothy's source local foods as best they can and pack as much health into their food and drink offerings as possible. Hear ye hear ye to our health!

Introducing LOCAVORES - How many restaurants have maps of where they source some of their food and have hydroponic lettuce growing on their walls? From which, is born their motto - 'fresh inspired food.' Wendy and her crew will greet you, place you on a first name basis and take your order after you have reviewed the menu board, simple, with lots of yummy healthy goodies from which to choose. I build my own, my favorite has become building a pulled pork salad. Choosing a base is step one, from tortillas or pita bread, or substituting for mixed greens, adding a protein, lots of toppings, and then your favorite sauces. Customers are becoming regulars from the students at Adams State University, to locals who take a break from their kitchen but prefer to choose a healthy alternative when going out to eat. Others are drive by tourists on Highway 160 who are also looking for local place. Hard to miss the sign in the commercial section on the west side of Alamosa.

At the junction of 160 and 285 is Smoothy's. Donna has been in the healthy food business for a while and it is reflected in her menu choices from fun exotic drinks to wraps, soups, salads, and hot and cold sandwiches. Where can you find a Beach Bum, a Powerhouse, a Pumpkin Spice, a Tropical along with other seasonal drinks that combine health and flavors?

I stepped out of my smoothie style and went with a green one. The Coffee Almond may not sound green but add a handful of spinach and flavor the mix with honey and cinnamon and voila - a tasty green concoction that is rich enough for me to save half for later or the next day. I also got a taste of the Apple Jack, a thick and gooey drink that includes oatmeal and peanut butter in the mix. I walked out of there with a happy healthy energetic buzz going. Where's that trail right now?

Healthy living tip for the week - October is the Harvest Moon and is a great time for a lunar excursion. Presently in its waxing phase, the moon is getting bigger as it heads toward its full fall glory. Catching it as it rises on the eastern horizon, the moon is often glowing orange and with the magnifying effect of the atmosphere, looks huge! Have a good local healthy meal, go out to the Great Sand Dunes and go dancing in the Dunelight! This will be the closest we get to walking on the moon. Perhaps it will only be a once in forever experience but it is well worth it to see the Great Sand Dunes lit up in the moonlight. See ya there around the weekend of the 15th of October. Maybe we will all see the alien goblins who begin arriving for Halloween, their favorite Earth Holiday. They use the Great Sand Dunes for a landing zone and disperse around the country to various Halloween parties...