Finding Enlightenment at The Bodhi and in San Carlos, Mexico

Crossing over the Salt River onto the ASU campus in Tempe feels like entering another world. It’s fun to see all the kids scurrying to class on bikes and battery powered skateboards, and is a reminder of the importance that ASU plays in our town of 1.6 million plus. It was on College Street across from the Mona Plummer Aquatic Complex that I had the opportunity to meet with Fares Tarabichi (of Crepe Club fame…see my post here) to chat about his new concept called The Bodhi. Bodhi is short for Bodhisattva, which in Sanskrit means “enlightment-being”. And what are we to be enlightened about on a visit to The Bodhi? A fast-casual concept that focuses on nutritious food that is affordable and delicious, The Bodhi offers diners the opportunity to cater their meals towards their specific diets and/or health objectives. Fares and his brothers, Omar and Karim, partnered with nutritionist, Sasha Bayat, who had a health scare when she was 24, to open The Bodhi in March. Sasha started to view nutrition as a form of medicine and became motivated to inspire others to do the same. In addition to their menu of proteins and vegetables arranged in choices of bowls, salads, sweets and breakfast items, customers have the opportunity to purchase meal plans in 1, 5, 10, and 30 day packages. The meal plans are arranged in 5 categories that focus on your brain, hair/skin/nails, weight loss, muscle and heart. Customers can also consult with Sasha who will create a custom plan for a specific focus or diet. Think keto, vegan, paleo…they have it all covered…even for hang overs. Contacting The Bodhi directly via email is the easiest way to start on your path to enlightenment.

The falafel bowl with kale, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Broccoli with a trio of dips, their most popular being the almond dip, and my favorite, the harissa dip. The third one pictured in the corner is a cilantro chimichurri which is also very tasty.

Juices by Bodhi. If only I knew in college that a hangover could be cured by a juice drink!

Spring Break with our kids was a bit condensed this year for many reasons, but Hubby had the idea of taking the kids to San Carlos for their SCUBA certification dive. Why dive in Lake Pleasant with no visibility when you can dive with sea lions in the neighboring Mexican state of Sonora? I couldn’t argue with that. So, we took an American flight from Phoenix to the capital of Sonora, Hermosillo, and drove two hours south to San Carlos, situated along the beautiful eastern part of the Sea of Cortes. We found a house on HomeAway, and spent two days diving with rays, angel fish, turtles and the playful California sea lions. Our fearless dive master was Ron Osborne from No Limits Scuba in Mesa who booked our dive boat through Gary’s Dive Shop in San Carlos. Nighttimes were spent sipping on margaritas watching the sunset. Not a bad way to spend 3 days…if you have any suggestions for us next spring break, drop me a line in the comment box. xo M