Healthful Bites

As much as I try to not be partial to my New York City boroughs, Manhattan is the place to be for healthy eats. (Case in point: On my two block walk home from the subway to my apartment in Queens, I pass a donut shop, two fried chicken joints, a pizza parlor and a Chinese takeout stop.) So I often grab dinner in Manhattan before heading home after work if I’m not cooking for myself.

So I was more excited than is probably reasonable when I discovered Ripe Juice Bar & Grill in Forest Hills, Queens, just a few short stops away on the train. Why? This is no greasy fast food restaurant. Ripe claims to serve meals made “fresh to order” using “only the highest quality ingredients.”

The bright, modern-looking spot certainly brought across that fresh vibe, and one look at the menu made it clear that it was going to take a while to decide which of all of the delicious options I would order! Eventually, I opted for the Mexicali Bowl: Brown rice topped with grilled chicken, turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion and cilantro, then spiced up with hot sauce.

Despite the less-than-fancy table settings (see Styrofoam plate and unpictured plastic utensils), the meal tasted flavorful, delicious and packed plenty of heat—which I appreciate! The crunchy lettuce provided a nice contrast to the chewy brown rice, and the whole dish had a nice balance of protein, a bit of fat, whole grains and some veggies. As a salsa-lover, it would have been awesome to include some of that as a topping as well, but that’s my only complaint!

Don’t live near Ripe? You could easily recreate this meal at home with some quick-cooking rice, chopped veggies and grilled meats.

What draws you in when searching for new restaurants to try?

I’m a big fan of soup as a meal starter. It fills you up and can pack a nice veggie punch if you choose correctly. But some days, a salad is a must instead—due to hot weather or a great deal at a local restaurant (like this meal)! And if you create your salad right, it can be an excellent main course.

This August, a deli-like establishment near my office called Cafe Metro has offered $6 build-your-own salads when ordered online. Considering many similar salads in the city can cost upwards of $10 a pop, I’ve been happy to take advantage of this steal while it lasts!

This salad concept is all the rage for Manhattanites at lunch, I’ve noticed. You can build an awesome meal if you make the right choices, but you can also pile on some not-so-nutritious things to create a potential artery-clogging meal (bacon, full-fat Caesar dressing, breaded chicken, loads of cheese, etc.) When constructing a salad like this, I try to aim for a protein source, low-fat dressing (on the side for the fork dip/ salad stab move) and unlimited veggies of choice. Feast your eyes on the latest creation:

And from above…

Fresh, light and delicious! This mega salad included romaine, carrots, grilled chicken, chickpeas, red grapes and red onion. A bit of a goofy combination, but it tasted great!

Plus, I love frequenting a business with such a great and fun Twitter presence. I even won a free lunch one day by answering a tweeted trivia question! If you live in the NYC-area and are on Twitter, be sure to follow Cafe Metro—especially on Tuesday and Thursday mornings!

And while we’re on the subject, check out these “best and worst” fast food salad picks from WebMD and consider yourself warned about the 50 plus grams of fat in some of the “healthy” meals listed!

If you could create a salad with unlimited toppings and endless possibilities, what would it contain?