Burgers & Frittatas: Five Star Foodies

A couple of months ago, as you may remember, we spoke about vegan grilling options. To our delight, the quest for finding a darn-near-perfect veggie burger was achieved when we found Five Star Foodies in the Kroger frozen food section.

In the past decade or so, food companies have been stepping up their game when it comes to their veggie burgers. No longer is the only option a frozen gray disc made of soy protein, gluten, and questionable flavorings.

We’ve been to local restaurants with great veggie burger options and made recipes from scratch; however, if you just want to run into your grocery store and secure yourself a delicious, easy dinner, this might be for you.

Why you might like the Five Star Foodie products:

You’re vegan or plant-based and want a delicious burger

A great variety of artichoke burgers beyond the original recipe include French Herb, Indian Tandoori, Thai Coconut, and Italian Herb. We recommend doubling the deliciousness by topping with one or more of these options: guacamole, mustard, crunchy lettuce, fresh parsley or cilantro, and salsa.

You’d like to secure your 3 burgers for less than $6

Beyond burgers, they have vegan frittatas that are soy & nut free, gluten-free, 70% organic and non-GMO. Our personal favorite is the Potato Parsley one and we recommend adding some salsa or hot sauce on top.

You have friends or family members who are vegan or gluten-free

You like an ingredients list that is pronounceable and easily identifiable as food items

Why you may NOT like these products:

You still believe that the word ‘vegan’ means tasteless or ‘only for vegans’

You’re a vampire.

Your name is Gaston; you’ve eaten between 4 and 5 dozen eggs a day for years now and stubbornly refuse to switch things up and try a vegan frittata.

We’re stretching our creativity here :D. There’s only one thing to do, try a food item and see if you like it!

Want to learn more? Check out Five Star Foodies products and more.

*This post was not sponsored (but we’d certainly not mind if it were *nom nom nom*).

Momcast: Healthy Eating Made Easy

Ever wonder how to navigate peanut allergies, get your children to eat healthier, and what the terms “non-GMO” and “natural” really mean? Check out Dino and Stacy’s most recent Momcast podcast to learn all this and more! Common nutrition myths and who should really be on a gluten-free diet are also discussed.

 

Love: CoreLife Eatery

Remember the beautiful stranger with whom you once crossed paths, only to never see again? This relationship began like a story of star-crossed lovers; luckily the ending here is quite different.

Years ago, while walking around NYC after dinner, we discovered a bright, clean restaurant which had a choose-your-own-adventure style of eating, similar to other ‘fast casual’ restaurants. What stood out to us was that this was all surprisingly healthy food and it was gluten-free (back in the days when being gluten-free was less cool and more of a curse). Having just eaten, we lamented that “NYC has all the cool restaurants” and sadly departed home.

Then last year, Mr. Chef’s family gathering took place at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill and we noticed this CoreLife Eatery sign a few doors down, making a note to return. Alas, being at Polaris, this meant that it was both a trek and easily forgotten with all of the options closer to our doorstep. But then, on what we’re sure was a new moon where the stars aligned perfectly….this email arrived:

“My name is DeeDee Hamric from CoreLife Eatery Polaris. I wanted to reach out to introduce myself and CoreLife! Here at CoreLife Eatery, we strive to bring clean, healthy and great tasting foods to everyone every day. We feature hearty green, grains and broth bowls and all of our ingredients are free of GMO’s, trans fats, artificial colors, sweeteners and other artificial additives. These bowls are packed with powerful proteins, complex carbs and filling fiber as we strive to make the food you eat a true energy source! Are you free anytime next week to meet me for lunch at CoreLife Eatery?”

DeeDee, you had us at “hearty green”…

During our lunches with DeeDee, we’ve explored the menu and the kitchen areas (surprisingly they don’t have a freezer as everything is freshly-made daily) and some of CoreLife Eatery’s food values. DeeDee mentioned that CoreLife Eatery’s meat is pasture-raised, antibiotic- and hormone-free, non-GMO (with some organic, depending on season and availability),….and all menu choices are gluten-free (except for the bread right near the check-out; some items have a potential for cross-contamination so alert the staff in case of a gluten allergy)! While the menu has suggestions of various green, grain, and broth bowls, you can ‘go rogue’ and easily have a customized meal every time you go!

For a visit that was years in the making, let’s just say we are making up for lost time. Being here so often these days, it’s become like the set of the TV show Cheers, a place where “everyone knows your name.” The staff is very friendly and will suggest food pairings or substitutions.

Hungry belly and time-starved? Well, CoreLIfe Eatery just launched a mobile app for easy online ordering; save $5 off your first order!

 

Chipotle Goes Non-GMO!

photo source: babble.com

We at One Bite Wellness are not above eating at fast-food restaurants…as long as they are higher-quality, nutritious meals. Chipotle has always been a favorite and has stood out from other fast food restaurants with its “Food with Integrity” mission to serve local, organic food. Their recent decision to make the transition to non-genetically modified food shows that they are taking bigger steps to provide healthier food to the masses.

Currently, Chipotle is in the process of transitioning to all non-GMO food. They do not have a specified time of when this will be achieved due to the logistics involved with suppliers, product developers, and educating staff. In the meantime, Chipotle is still a great option for a quick meal- especially because it is currently serving organic foods such as their black beans and rice. This restaurant is setting the bar higher for fast food establishments; hopefully it will spur others to join the movement in making our fast-food society a little healthier.