Healthy Living in Placer County, CA

The Fountains is an upscale outdoor shopping mall with plenty of places to eat but I want to point out my favorite, the Japanese restaurant Mikuni. Mikuni is a neighborhood favorite, serving fresh fish and expertly handcrafted sushi rolls.

You can stop in for their lunch menu or their happy hour menu, which offers great discounts on popular classics, like chicken or pork gyoza dumplings, “freaky” edamame, tofu tempura, and of course amazing and fresh sushi.

Further along, down Galleria, keep an eye out on the right side and you’ll see the Garden of Eat’n, a local chain with a couple of locations throughout Placer County. This popular lunch spot serves wraps, salads, and sandwiches with a focus on fresh, organic ingredients. Their house specialty is the piadina, a type of Italian flatbread sandwich loaded with healthy fillings like lean chicken breast, fire-grilled artichoke, and organic corn, spinach, and arugula.

Garden of Eat’n has tons of vegetarian and vegan options, making it a great choice for lunch no matter what your dietary and lifestyle choices are.

Across the road, on your left side, you can’t miss the Galleria, a large Westfield shopping mall with all your favorite clothing and home goods stores, from large department stores like Nordstrom and Macy’s to upscale boutiques with brands like Tiffany and Louis Vuitton.

Let’s keep moving and we’ll head forward through the neighborhood of Stanford Crossing and into the city of Rocklin, Roseville’s next-door neighbor.

The shopping center ahead is home to one of Rocklin’s best places to jumpstart your health. Farm Fresh Juice Company advocates healthy living through natural plant-based means. They have several thought-out juice cleanses that can sustain your body while you naturally detox for one to three days. These cleanses give you the nutrients you need while allowing your body’s natural digestive systems and gut biome to repair themselves, free from any complicated or toxic ingredients.

Popular menu items include the “green goodness” juice, with Pineapple, Cucumber, Celery, Granny Smith Apple, Lemon, Spinach & Parsley, and the “fat burner” with Grapefruit, Orange, Lime, and Ginger.

They also offer fresh smoothies and shakes, featuring plant-based protein and probiotics, as well as blended bowls filled with healthy oats and antioxidant-rich fruits.

Head back over to Sunset Boulevard, and turn left to head toward the freeway. You’ll pass our next stop pretty soon after you turn, so keep an eye out on your right side!

Zest Vegan Kitchen ahead on the right, is Rocklin’s premier destination for plant-based eats.

The Zest menu is inspired by flavors from around the world, especially the largely vegetarian cuisines of India and the Subcontinent. They prepare a daily rotating Indian soup, a traditional lentil porridge called kitchari, and an entree they call a “Prana bowl”, fresh veggies stewed in a spicy tomato broth, and now I’m hungry, and I need to stop!

They don’t stop at South Asian flavors, either. Like many Californian restaurants, you can taste the influence of Spanish, Mexican, and classic American cuisines throughout their menu. If you’re feeling like a quick snack, order their classic quesadilla, made with three different flavors of cashew-based cheese. Or try their delicious chipotle pepper tacos, mushroom burger, or delicious California “chikn” sandwich, a vegan patty made from spiced black-eyed peas.

Zest is also open for brunch! Vegan eggs made from mung beans are the base for their breakfast burrito or their scramble, and their menu is loaded with plant-based favorites like avocado toast and protein-packed pancakes.

So, moving on down Sunset, take a left on Pacific street, at the Moska Brewing Company. Though delicious homemade beers aren’t always considered a healthy option, this charming gastropub is a great way to spend a cheat day or celebrate a long run or bike ride through the hills of Placer County.

Pacific will take you through the center of Rocklin, where you’ll find the Amtrak station, Quarry Park, and the local police department. Keep following your GPS navigation to Granite Drive, which runs alongside the freeway and hosts a couple of great spots for healthy eats and activities!

A Rocklin staple, Wally’s Cafe, on your left side, is the third location of this home-grown chain, with additional outposts in Emeryville and one further up Sunset Boulevard on the north end of town. Wally’s serves traditional Lebanese food, promoting the healthy Mediterranean diet that sustains most of the longest-living people on earth.

If you’re looking for a quick lunch bite, you can’t go wrong with Wally’s Shawarma or Kafta sandwiches, served in a pita wrap or grilled in a french bread roll. Plant-based options include falafel, tabbouleh, hummus, and baba ganoush!

Wally’s is a great place to enjoy a casual bite or grab food to go. Their “family meal” plan is a great choice for feeding a hungry group, with two proteins, six side dishes, and a hearty serving of baklava for dessert!

Our next stop is just a little way up Granite drive, on your right side. Keep an eye out for Pottery World!

While a place called Pottery World may feel a little out of place on a tour of healthy eateries, this is one of my favorite spots to relax, shop, and yes, grab a bite to eat. This luxury design depot has a wonderful little cafe that serves breakfast and lunch daily, making it a great place to pick up a quick bite for curbside takeout or take a break from shopping.

The store itself is more than a shop for pottery – it’s a boutique for indoor and outdoor furniture, clothing, and decor with a signature west coast flair. Sleek, modern furniture, amethyst geodes, flowing maxi skirts – the aesthetic of Northern California is prominently on display for sale at Pottery World.

Even without the attached store, the Cafe at Pottery World is something to write home about. With specialty coffee drinks, locally brewed beer, and California wines, the cafe is a great place to sit and relax any time of day. Its main claim to fame, however, is its selection of handcrafted sandwiches, featuring farm-to-table ingredients served hot from the grill.

Try their patty melt, made in traditional deli style with caramelized onion and Russian dressing on rye bread, or their inventive veggie grilled cheese, with California sharp cheddar, sriracha cream cheese, fresh tomato, and spinach.

If you find yourself at Pottery World early on a Saturday morning, their breakfast menu is worth checking out, because this full-service brunch hits all the classics: French Toast, pancakes, avocado toast, omelets, and more are served every day until 11 AM.

The next leg of our trip will take us up the freeway to the seat of Placer County, the city of Auburn. Take Granite up to Rocklin Commons, a shopping center that surrounds the junction of I-80 and Sierra College Boulevard, then hop on the freeway. As we drive a little further along, I’ll tell you all about this beautiful county in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

As I previously mentioned, I-80 roughly follows the route of the California Trail, the original footpath that led pioneers to Sacramento and the Bay Area: groups like the Donner Party, for example. Though early settlers of the area were primarily interested in the fertile agriculture and shipping access that California granted, everything changed with the discovery of gold in the American River at Sutter’s Mill in nearby El Dorado County. Soon, emigrant parties and prospectors flooded the area, and the mining camps they established would grow into urban cities in their own right.

The next stop on our tour, Auburn, is one of those towns. It was founded by French prospectors that set up camp in the Auburn Ravine on their way downstream to Sutter’s Mill. When the party’s youngest member found gold present in the soil, they abandoned their original plan and began making a permanent settlement here.

Much like Placerville in El Dorado County, the county is named for the style of mining that was practiced here. As much of the gold in the area had been washed downstream from the mountains and embedded in the soil, a method called “dry digging” or “placer mining” involved moving tons of soil through a series of screens, filtering out the precious metals hidden within.

Auburn’s history is celebrated in its Old Town, which features several restored and original nineteenth-century buildings. This includes the original courthouse, which we’ll pass by on our way into town.

Some of the other towns alongside the freeway include Loomis and Newcastle, both stopover spots along the old railway line. These small residential communities are surrounded by orchards and vineyards, which provide delicious fresh fruits and vegetables at farm stands and markets throughout the county.

Today, Placer County is known as an active place – The county is bordered in the east by Nevada at Lake Tahoe, a mecca for skiers and snowboarders in the winter and cyclists, runners, and water sports enthusiasts in the summer. Between the active lifestyle and the abundance of organic farms and ranches, this is a perfect place for healthy living in Northern California.

I’ll let you enjoy the spectacular views for the next portion of your drive. Pretty soon, we’re going to enter Auburn, with the Old Town District on your right side as you exit the highway.

As you turn left onto High Street, check out Nectar Cafe on the corner. This Vegetarian restaurant was founded by husband and wife duo Tomi Sue and Roy Cunningham, with the mission of “providing delicious, local, organic, healthy food, as well as events, education, and a welcoming place for friends and community to connect.”

Their creative menu was developed by chefs trained in nutrition, raw food, and vegan cooking, and is constantly evolving to better fit the season and the needs of the community. Like a lot of California restaurants, their menu prominently features southwestern flavors like their tacos and vegan nacho platter, as well as sandwiches and burgers featuring their homemade Nectar patties.

They make everything in-house, down to the vegetable stock that serves as a base for many of their bean and lentil dishes. And everything is certified GMO-free, and locally sourced whenever possible.

If you’re not in the mood or don’t have time for a full meal, Nectar also serves a full menu of smoothies and shakes, coffee and matcha beverages for a quick pick-me-up.

Turn right off High Street onto Lincoln Way to head past our next stop.

Self-styled as “Auburn’s Organic Eatery”, the Healthy Habit, ahead on your right, is another cafe-style restaurant dedicated to healthful choices.

Founded by a mother-and-daughter team, the Healthy Habit is dedicated to “keeping it simple”, using only seasonal, fresh ingredients: produce is all locally sourced, and meats are certified free of nitrates, hormones, and antibiotics.

The menu, like a lot of the healthy spots we’ve seen today, sports a menu full of salads and sandwiches, with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. They also have a full-service juice bar, with tons of smoothies and fresh-pressed flavors to choose from, plus blended bowls with a variety of protein options.

The Healthy Habit is also open for breakfast, with healthy takes on classic french toast, breakfast burritos, and scrambled eggs.

Further down the road, as you come around the bend, you’ll pass the Gold Rush Museum on your right. This county-operated educational facility is a hands-on experience for learners of all ages; it features a replica mining tunnel and an indoor, wheelchair-accessible stream where visitors can try their hand at panning for real gold. They also host an immersive Gold Rush experience for the county’s fourth-grade students, where they learn all about their local history through hands-on activities.

Past the museum, you take a left on Elm Avenue, where you’ll drive right by Kangen Holistic Health Market on your left. The store is located in a long building on the corner of High Street, and this small boutique sells everything heath-related, from supplements to organic produce to freshly baked sourdough bread from local partners.

Continuing along, we’re going to head up to North Auburn, where we’ll see the last couple of places on our list today.

Our last stop for the day is Sunrise Food Market; it’s in the shopping center on your left, and it’s Auburn’s home for organic produce and groceries. Serving Placer County since 1989, Sunrise Natural Foods is proud of their friendly service and knowledgeable staff, who receive training on their products and supplements to ensure they can help you find exactly what you need.

In addition to organic and locally sourced products, Sunrise has a robust supplement department, and that offers traditional and holistic remedies from around the world for a variety of illnesses and inconveniences. From nutrition and protein supplements to probiotics and herbal remedies, Sunrise keeps the active community of Auburn healthy and thriving.

Now, we can return to the freeway and you can either go east toward Lake Tahoe, or you can turn west back toward Sacramento. It’s been a pleasure to spend time with you today, and if you’ve seen anything of interest or if you’d like to find out more about relocating to Placer County, please send me a note at ninajohnsonrealestate@gmail.com or call me at (916) 698-1015: Nina Johnson Real Estate: Where Healthy Comes Home.