PHILLY... IN A PINCH! 9 Aug 2010

Check out my latest blog post on Be Well Philly!  Everyone is always in a rush these days and unfortunately our bodies pay the price.  As much as you want to prepare and cook wonderful, healthy meals, sometimes you need a good meal "in a pinch."  Eating healthy is not always about carbs, fat and calories.

When you're on the run, the quality and the source of the ingredients are so important.  Philly's got some great options.  Try to think out of the box for the most nourishing meals when you're on the go.  Here are my top 10 healthy stops for when I'm on the run:

Fork: Etc. (308 Market St., Old City)  Fork has great quality healthy alternatives and they use fresh, organic local ingredients.  I often mix and match small servings of their prepared foods. For breakfast, I love the egg white omelet & fruit salad, for lunch pick up the roasted veggies and quinoa salad.

MiLah Vegetarian  (218 South 16th St., Center City)  I love this place.  They make it really easy to eat healthily...Their produce is like butter!  The ALT on Italian bread is so good, yet a splurge for me (I'll usually split it with a co-worker) and add on their Miso Kale.  If you're looking for a salad, try the Mango, Avocado mix green salad with the Spicy Caribbean dressing.

Ardmore Farmer's Market @ Suburban Square   I'm out in Ardmore on Fridays and I always run to Asian Box for their fantastic Tofu & Shrimp summer rolls.  They make em' in the morning and stock them on the counter.  Easy to grab and go.

Zento  (138 Chestnut St.)  I cannot say enough about this place-It rivals Sagami and you don't have to cross the bridge!  They make a wonderful (non-iceberg) salad with ginger dressing and avocado and they wrap many of their perfectly portioned rolls with yummy soy paper and cucumber so that I can go rice-less.  I love their Sashimi Roll, Love Roll and Center City roll.

Metropolitan Bakery  (5 locations in Philly)  High-quality and locally sourced ingredients.  You're safe with anything out of their refrigerator case. 

Picnic  (3131 Walnut, University City)  Their lovely menu changes daily and they are one of my top caterer choices for meetings and events.

Essene  (719 S. 4th St.) I love their Cafe/deli. The to-go sandwiches are top-notch and I often experiment with their macrobiotic and Japanese dishes.  

Soy Cafe  (602 North 2nd St., Northern Liberties)  I'll walk from Fishtown for the soy wraps, smoothies and honey latte's--they made me a soy convert!

Healthy Bites To-Go  (2521 Christian St., Gray's Ferry)  The best BELT's, panini's and fritatta's for breakfast.  I also love the Quinoa Breakfast cereal.

Sweet Freedom  (1424 South St.)  The best pizza alternative...I'm there weekly for the tomato pie and Oogave ginger ale.