healthy eating in this new year
January 23, 2013
HEALTHY EATING IN THIS NEW YEAR By: Brittany Nicole La Hue There is a common misconception that eating out means tons of extra calories, fat and sodium. However, that’s not always the case! Many West Hollywood restaurants and cafes feature nutritious (and delicious) menus for those that are watching their weight or trying to live a healthy lifestyle. Read below for menu round-ups of the lighter side of WeHo dining. Who knows? Even the biggest burger-and-fries junkie may find a new healthy favorite!
Lemonade
9001 Beverly Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 310.247.2500 Not sure what you’re in the mood for? Try a little bit of everything at Lemonade. The cafe serves only “clean, healthy and inventive” cuisine, also known as “Southern Californian Comfort Food.” Choose between one and six portions of a combination of dozens of seasonal dishes. Favorites include orecchiette with cherry tomatoes, broccolini and feta cheese; soba noodles with kimchi vegetables and toasted peanuts; ahi tuna with watermelon radish, snap peas, ginger and black sesame; and cauliflower with golden raisins, almonds and curry sauce. Healthy Made Easy: If you have trouble making a decision with all the options in front of you, go for the “Land + Sea” menu: buttermilk chicken breast, avocado salmon Louie, orange-ginger ahi tuna and pineapple chicken all pair well with the vegetable- and fruit-based side dishes.
Fresh Corn Grill 8714 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 310.855.9592 Whether you’re a veggie lover or someone who tends to shy away from all things green, you’ll love Fresh Corn Grill. The cafe’s creative dishes mix fresh grilled vegetables into all their dishes, including sandwiches, pasta, soups, salads and even pizza! Choose from the tried-and-true traditional like southwestern or Greek salads, or branch out and explore the smoked salmon pizza, caprese sandwich or sundried tomato pasta. Healthy Made Easy: The Fresh Corn Vegetable Bowl features grilled vegetables served over basmati or brown rice, with your choice of ginger curry or Asian BBQ sauce. You can even add grilled chicken or salmon for healthy protein!
Poquito Mas 8430 Sunset Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 323.848.5100 Poquito Mas isn’t your normal Mexican food joint. Poquito Mas’ 4 styles of preparing food (Classic; Chef Mex , with seafood; Nature’s Grill, with grilled vegetables and peppers and Poquito’s Petitos, lighter portions of the same great food), you’ll never get bored – or put on unnecessary pounds. Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas, salads and nachos have all been made healthier!
Healthy Made Easy: The Dinner Plate. Choose from charbroiled chicken, steak or carnitas, served with pinto or black beans, rice, salsa, guacamole and homemade corn tortillas.
Flowering Tree 8253 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 323.654.4332 Vegetarians and vegans rejoice: Flowering Tree on Santa Monica Boulevard offers all your favorites – burgers, burritos, sandwiches, breakfast and stir fries – in vegetarian and vegan varieties. (Don’t worry meat-eaters – chicken, salmon, tuna and turkey are available too). Start off with breakfast, grab a snack from the “Lite Bites” menu (like the Five Spice Tofu Lettuce Cups), grab a sandwich or salad for lunch, or stop in for a flame grilled “burger” for dinner. Healthy Made Easy: Fuel up for an active and healthy day in the morning. Flowering Tree offers a “Build Your Own” Omelet or Scramble for just $8! Choose your protein, vegetables and cheese with toast and you’re ready to go!
Tender Greens
8759 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 310.358.1919 For those into the local foods movement, check out Tender Greens. The healthy sandwich, soup and salad place sources all their ingredients fresh from local farms. The produce is organic whenever possible and seasonal; their chicken is free-range, vegetarian-fed and free of hormones and antibiotics; and albacore is sustainably caught in the wild. Healthy Made Easy: Scour the “Hot Stuff” menu. Choose from grilled items like chipotle barbeque chicken, grilled and roasted vegetables and backyard marinated steak. Then decide whether you want that served on a sandwich, on a salad, as a hot plate with sides or as a side itself. The combinations are endless!
Food + Lab 7253 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 323.851.7120 If you consider yourself a connoisseur of good food, Food + Lab is a must. Breakfast and lunch options are often organic, feature fresh ingredients and many are vegetarian and vegan. Stop in for a breakfast sandwich during the week (smoked salmon, crème fraiche, Paris ham, gruyere and farm raised bacon are just a few of the offerings) or choose from an organic egg dish on weekends. Organic salads, humanely raised meat sandwiches, cheese platters and soup will tantalize you for lunch. Healthy Made Easy: Whether you are a vegetarian, concerned about the environment and animal rights, watching your weight or just like good egg salad, order the Organic Cage Free Egg Salad sandwich, which also comes with asparagus, on wheat or 5 grain bread.
Eat Well 8252 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 90069 323.656.1383 Too often “homestyle cooking” is synonymous with too much love (in the form of oil, butter, grease and fat). Luckily for you, you can have your cake and eat it too at Eat Well West Hollywood. Here, you can enjoy BBQ beef
short ribs, poached salmon and grilled chicken breast – all served with brown rice and vegetables. Or choose from garden, beef and turkey burgers, served with a side salad or fries, if you’re in the mood for a diet splurge. Healthy Made Easy: The Poached Salmon plate with dill butter, brown rice and sautéed vegetables. Although the grilled chicken breast is delicious, you can mix up your proteins with out-of-the-ordinary options like fresh fish while still maintaining your diet.
Pressed Juicery 8714 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 310.854.4407 Put DOWN the doughnut! We all need snacks to get us going throughout our day – but they don’t need to be sugar-laden nutritional fail pastries and carbs. Pressed Juicery offers raw, cold pressed juices to suit any health purpose you need. Whether you need a cleanse after the holiday, want to improve the appearance of your skin or want to boost your metabolism, you’ll find a juice that is right for you. Healthy Made Easy: Choose the “Citrus” series for great taste with added health benefits. Citrus 1 boasts cayenne pepper to get you going, while Citrus 4 features coconut water and aloe vera for a body detox.
Le Pain Quotidien
8607 Melrose Avenue West Hollywood, CA 310.854.3700 Sometimes the atmosphere of a cafe is just as important as the food it serves. At Le Pain Quotidien, you can dine on a wooden communal table or the airy outdoor patio, using traditional European chinaware to emphasize the homey, country feel. The pastries and breads are all organic and homemade daily by Le Pain bakers; even better, the apple-pear turnover will only set you back 290 calories! Breakfast offerings include organic yogurt and granola; organic steel-cut oatmeal; organic eggs and omelettes with exciting ingredients like Paris ham and Gruyere cheese and waffles. Come lunchtime, you’ll be craving a tartine, Le Pain’s signature Belgian open-faced sandwiches (organic black bean hummus, rustic tuna and grilled chicken with mozzarella are just a few of the many options). Healthy Made Easy: Go for a quiche. With all choices 620 calories or less, it’s a great opportunity to enjoy a traditional comfort food with a fraction of the usual calories. The six-vegetable quiche is served with artichoke and garden vegetables on a gluten-free buckwheat crust, while the Quiche Lorraine is made healthier with a whole wheat crust.
Chop Stop 8717 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069 424.274.3500 Chop Stop has a new and exciting take on the simple and boring salad – they believe that your salad should be finely chopped, filled with fresh and wholesome ingredients, bursting with flavors, filling yet low in carbs and served quickly to fit your busy lifestyle. Choose from a ready-designed salad like the Waldorf Chop of Wasabi Veggie Chop; create your own salad picking combinations of vegetables, fruits, pasta, cheese, protein, beans and crunchy toppings; make it a wrap or turn it into a “Chopurrito Bowl.” You’ll never complain about eating your vegetables again! Healthy Made Easy: For an exciting new take on the salad, order a Chopurrito Bowl. Cilantro lime rice, black or white beans and your choice of meats, vegetables and cheeses means you can enjoy a “burrito” with less carbs and unnecessary fat. Try the Parmesan Bowl (white beans, chicken, tomato, corn, green peppers, crispy wontons and
Parmesan cheese) or Southwestern Bowl (double chicken, black beans, cheddar cheese, jalapeño, tomato and tortilla strips) for extra kicks of flavor.
Urth Caffe 8565 Melrose Avenue West Hollywood, CA 310.659.0628 If you’re a SoCal native, chances are you’ve already heard the buzz about Urth Caffe. If not, Urth’s notoriety comes from the fact that the cafe serves their own brand of premium organic coffees and teas, locally grown produce, healthy cuts of meat and decadent desserts. With breakfast, brunch, pizza, panini, salad, sandwich, Italian entrees and Mexican favorites in cafe, to go and via delivery, you can enjoy a fresh and healthy meal wherever you go. Healthy Made Easy: Urth Caffe is first and foremost a coffee shop, so start with a sweet and creamy Barcelonan Spanish Latte, espresso macchiato or African Tea latte. Then branch out and explore signature dishes from various countries: the feta, grape leave, hummus, tabouli and pita Mediterranean Platter; cheese, mushroom, eggplant and zucchini lasagna and sweet yellow corn and green chilies tamales are good places to start.
HEALTHY EATING IN THIS NEW YEAR By: Brittany Nicole La Hue There is a common misconception that eating out means tons of extra calories, fat and sodium. However, that’s not always the case! Many West Hollywood restaurants and cafes feature nutritious (and delicious) menus for those that are watching their weight or trying to live a healthy lifestyle. Read below for menu round-ups of the lighter side of WeHo dining. Who knows? Even the biggest burger-and-fries junkie may find a new healthy favorite!
Lemonade
9001 Beverly Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 310.247.2500 Not sure what you’re in the mood for? Try a little bit of everything at Lemonade. The cafe serves only “clean, healthy and inventive” cuisine, also known as “Southern Californian Comfort Food.” Choose between one and six portions of a combination of dozens of seasonal dishes. Favorites include orecchiette with cherry tomatoes, broccolini and feta cheese; soba noodles with kimchi vegetables and toasted peanuts; ahi tuna with watermelon radish, snap peas, ginger and black sesame; and cauliflower with golden raisins, almonds and curry sauce. Healthy Made Easy: If you have trouble making a decision with all the options in front of you, go for the “Land + Sea” menu: buttermilk chicken breast, avocado salmon Louie, orange-ginger ahi tuna and pineapple chicken all pair well with the vegetable- and fruit-based side dishes.
Fresh Corn Grill 8714 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 310.855.9592 Whether you’re a veggie lover or someone who tends to shy away from all things green, you’ll love Fresh Corn Grill. The cafe’s creative dishes mix fresh grilled vegetables into all their dishes, including sandwiches, pasta, soups, salads and even pizza! Choose from the tried-and-true traditional like southwestern or Greek salads, or branch out and explore the smoked salmon pizza, caprese sandwich or sundried tomato pasta. Healthy Made Easy: The Fresh Corn Vegetable Bowl features grilled vegetables served over basmati or brown rice, with your choice of ginger curry or Asian BBQ sauce. You can even add grilled chicken or salmon for healthy protein!
Poquito Mas 8430 Sunset Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 323.848.5100 Poquito Mas isn’t your normal Mexican food joint. Poquito Mas’ 4 styles of preparing food (Classic; Chef Mex , with seafood; Nature’s Grill, with grilled vegetables and peppers and Poquito’s Petitos, lighter portions of the same great food), you’ll never get bored – or put on unnecessary pounds. Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas, salads and nachos have all been made healthier!
Healthy Made Easy: The Dinner Plate. Choose from charbroiled chicken, steak or carnitas, served with pinto or black beans, rice, salsa, guacamole and homemade corn tortillas.
Flowering Tree 8253 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 323.654.4332 Vegetarians and vegans rejoice: Flowering Tree on Santa Monica Boulevard offers all your favorites – burgers, burritos, sandwiches, breakfast and stir fries – in vegetarian and vegan varieties. (Don’t worry meat-eaters – chicken, salmon, tuna and turkey are available too). Start off with breakfast, grab a snack from the “Lite Bites” menu (like the Five Spice Tofu Lettuce Cups), grab a sandwich or salad for lunch, or stop in for a flame grilled “burger” for dinner. Healthy Made Easy: Fuel up for an active and healthy day in the morning. Flowering Tree offers a “Build Your Own” Omelet or Scramble for just $8! Choose your protein, vegetables and cheese with toast and you’re ready to go!
Tender Greens
8759 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 310.358.1919 For those into the local foods movement, check out Tender Greens. The healthy sandwich, soup and salad place sources all their ingredients fresh from local farms. The produce is organic whenever possible and seasonal; their chicken is free-range, vegetarian-fed and free of hormones and antibiotics; and albacore is sustainably caught in the wild. Healthy Made Easy: Scour the “Hot Stuff” menu. Choose from grilled items like chipotle barbeque chicken, grilled and roasted vegetables and backyard marinated steak. Then decide whether you want that served on a sandwich, on a salad, as a hot plate with sides or as a side itself. The combinations are endless!
Food + Lab 7253 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 323.851.7120 If you consider yourself a connoisseur of good food, Food + Lab is a must. Breakfast and lunch options are often organic, feature fresh ingredients and many are vegetarian and vegan. Stop in for a breakfast sandwich during the week (smoked salmon, crème fraiche, Paris ham, gruyere and farm raised bacon are just a few of the offerings) or choose from an organic egg dish on weekends. Organic salads, humanely raised meat sandwiches, cheese platters and soup will tantalize you for lunch. Healthy Made Easy: Whether you are a vegetarian, concerned about the environment and animal rights, watching your weight or just like good egg salad, order the Organic Cage Free Egg Salad sandwich, which also comes with asparagus, on wheat or 5 grain bread.
Eat Well 8252 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 90069 323.656.1383 Too often “homestyle cooking” is synonymous with too much love (in the form of oil, butter, grease and fat). Luckily for you, you can have your cake and eat it too at Eat Well West Hollywood. Here, you can enjoy BBQ beef
short ribs, poached salmon and grilled chicken breast – all served with brown rice and vegetables. Or choose from garden, beef and turkey burgers, served with a side salad or fries, if you’re in the mood for a diet splurge. Healthy Made Easy: The Poached Salmon plate with dill butter, brown rice and sautéed vegetables. Although the grilled chicken breast is delicious, you can mix up your proteins with out-of-the-ordinary options like fresh fish while still maintaining your diet.
Pressed Juicery 8714 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 310.854.4407 Put DOWN the doughnut! We all need snacks to get us going throughout our day – but they don’t need to be sugar-laden nutritional fail pastries and carbs. Pressed Juicery offers raw, cold pressed juices to suit any health purpose you need. Whether you need a cleanse after the holiday, want to improve the appearance of your skin or want to boost your metabolism, you’ll find a juice that is right for you. Healthy Made Easy: Choose the “Citrus” series for great taste with added health benefits. Citrus 1 boasts cayenne pepper to get you going, while Citrus 4 features coconut water and aloe vera for a body detox.
Le Pain Quotidien
8607 Melrose Avenue West Hollywood, CA 310.854.3700 Sometimes the atmosphere of a cafe is just as important as the food it serves. At Le Pain Quotidien, you can dine on a wooden communal table or the airy outdoor patio, using traditional European chinaware to emphasize the homey, country feel. The pastries and breads are all organic and homemade daily by Le Pain bakers; even better, the apple-pear turnover will only set you back 290 calories! Breakfast offerings include organic yogurt and granola; organic steel-cut oatmeal; organic eggs and omelettes with exciting ingredients like Paris ham and Gruyere cheese and waffles. Come lunchtime, you’ll be craving a tartine, Le Pain’s signature Belgian open-faced sandwiches (organic black bean hummus, rustic tuna and grilled chicken with mozzarella are just a few of the many options). Healthy Made Easy: Go for a quiche. With all choices 620 calories or less, it’s a great opportunity to enjoy a traditional comfort food with a fraction of the usual calories. The six-vegetable quiche is served with artichoke and garden vegetables on a gluten-free buckwheat crust, while the Quiche Lorraine is made healthier with a whole wheat crust.
Chop Stop 8717 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069 424.274.3500 Chop Stop has a new and exciting take on the simple and boring salad – they believe that your salad should be finely chopped, filled with fresh and wholesome ingredients, bursting with flavors, filling yet low in carbs and served quickly to fit your busy lifestyle. Choose from a ready-designed salad like the Waldorf Chop of Wasabi Veggie Chop; create your own salad picking combinations of vegetables, fruits, pasta, cheese, protein, beans and crunchy toppings; make it a wrap or turn it into a “Chopurrito Bowl.” You’ll never complain about eating your vegetables again! Healthy Made Easy: For an exciting new take on the salad, order a Chopurrito Bowl. Cilantro lime rice, black or white beans and your choice of meats, vegetables and cheeses means you can enjoy a “burrito” with less carbs and unnecessary fat. Try the Parmesan Bowl (white beans, chicken, tomato, corn, green peppers, crispy wontons and
Parmesan cheese) or Southwestern Bowl (double chicken, black beans, cheddar cheese, jalapeño, tomato and tortilla strips) for extra kicks of flavor.
Urth Caffe 8565 Melrose Avenue West Hollywood, CA 310.659.0628 If you’re a SoCal native, chances are you’ve already heard the buzz about Urth Caffe. If not, Urth’s notoriety comes from the fact that the cafe serves their own brand of premium organic coffees and teas, locally grown produce, healthy cuts of meat and decadent desserts. With breakfast, brunch, pizza, panini, salad, sandwich, Italian entrees and Mexican favorites in cafe, to go and via delivery, you can enjoy a fresh and healthy meal wherever you go. Healthy Made Easy: Urth Caffe is first and foremost a coffee shop, so start with a sweet and creamy Barcelonan Spanish Latte, espresso macchiato or African Tea latte. Then branch out and explore signature dishes from various countries: the feta, grape leave, hummus, tabouli and pita Mediterranean Platter; cheese, mushroom, eggplant and zucchini lasagna and sweet yellow corn and green chilies tamales are good places to start.
