Monday, March 21, 2016

Fit Eats

Fit Eats opened in midtown a couple of years ago, offering prepared meals for pick up or delivery. The food is geared toward people who want an easy way to eat healthy meals. Each dish includes nutritional information and microwave heating times.


I visited Fit Eats right after they opened, and there were no vegan meals. Recently, I checked their website and found some vegan options, although when I called the midtown store, they were out of them. So I went online and ordered the three dishes marked as vegan for pickup later in the week.


The first dish I tried was the teriyaki tofu, a mix of tofu, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, green onions, sesame seeds, and teriyaki sauce, served with brown rice. This tasty meal contained just 290 calories, and was a perfect size for lunch.




The next day, I had the tempeh burrito, which consisted of tempeh, black beans, red bell pepper, corn, and onions in a whole wheat tortilla. Salsa and a side salad of spinach, tomatoes, and onions accompanied the burrito. The calorie count for this meal was 392. A word of warning: even though this meal was listed on the Fit Eats website as vegan, I noticed after the fact that there is honey in the avocado vinaigrette salad dressing.




My favorite of the three dishes I ordered was the ginger basil tofu and rice. This simple 235-calorie meal is made of tofu, bell peppers, broccoli, onions, ginger, basil, tamari, and orange juice, served with brown rice.




Fit Eats meals are prepared at a kitchen in Sacramento, then delivered to their stores in midtown and Roseville. They will also deliver to homes in the greater Sacramento area, but they don't deliver to businesses. The menu changes weekly at Fit Eats, so the items I ordered may not be available all the time.


Fit Eats in midtown is located at 1420 16th Street, and their phone number is 916-448-3287, ext. 102. The Roseville store is located at 1455 Eureka Road, and their phone number is 916-389-9899. Both stores are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. More information about Fit Eats is available on their website at http://www.fiteats.com/, or on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FitEatsCom/timeline?ref=page_internal
.

Monday, March 14, 2016

The Shack



I've been hearing about the nutty burger at the Shack in East Sacramento for years, but never got around to trying it until this past weekend. I shouldn't have waited so long. It was a tasty patty made of walnuts, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, carrots, and Portobello mushroom, served on a whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, and onion (ask them to hold the mayo). It had a nice crunch to it without the soggy inside that so many veggie burgers have. I would happily order this burger again!


The Shack is located at 5201 Folsom Boulevard, and their phone number is 916-457-5997. Their website address is http://eastsacshack.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/The-Sub-Shack-62525550886/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf. The restaurant is open Sunday and Monday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Monday, March 7, 2016

Vibe Health Bar

If you haven't driven up Broadway into Oak Park for awhile, you should set aside some time to make the trip. New retail establishments and restaurants are opening all the time, and most of the restaurants have something good for vegans. Broadway Coffee carries Sassy Oh baked goods, Old Soul has a few vegan or veganizable items, the Oak Park Brewing Company serves a couple of vegan sandwiches and a veggie platter, and just this past weekend, the Roaming Spoon's Chef Sylvanna Mislang brought a pop-up brunch to the trendy new pop-up shop, Display: California.


Last week, I visited an exciting new addition to Oak Park's culinary scene: Vibe Health Bar. This small café offers acai bowls, smoothies, wraps, and other healthy eats.


For my first visit, I ordered the OG acai bowl, a frosty acai and berry blend topped with granola, strawberries, bananas, and coconut. It usually comes with honey, but that can be omitted. The granola is made with maple instead of honey. I'd never had an acai bowl before, and couldn't believe how good it was! I think this will become a frequent breakfast stop for me.




I went back for lunch a couple of days later. There were two collard green or spinach leaf wraps that sounded good, and so did the ginger beet hummus and seasonal veggies. But I just couldn't resist the O.P.P. (Oak Park Panini), which consisted of whole grain bread spread with almond butter and filled with strawberries, bananas, coconut, and cinnamon. I asked them to leave out the honey that's usually part of this panini. A small salad of mixed greens was served with this delicious sandwich.




I also ordered the Mixed Vibes smoothie: a refreshing mixture of mango, pineapple, kale, chia seeds, cinnamon, and almond milk. Once again, I had them omit the honey. Maple can be substituted for the honey in any of these menu items.




I liked the staff, the space, and the food at Vibe, and I'd be surprised if it doesn't become a favorite with local vegans very soon. They serve Chocolate Fish Coffee, Brass Clover Cold Brew Coffee, Revive Kombucha, and Zeal Kombucha.


Vibe Health Bar is located at 3515 Broadway, and their phone number is 916-382-9723. Their website address is http://www.vibehealthbar.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Vibe-Health-Bar-745448462250364/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.