First of all, Chimpo you can stop reading right now.
I love a good basket of deep fried nuggets or a bacon-topped sandwich as much as the next person. Indeed my favorite foods tend to be of the death-inducing variety. But sometimes overly fatty foods can be a little…overbearing for lunch. We all have moments when our conscience or our constitutions can only handle so much. Maybe the weather or your mood doesn’t lend itself to creamy sauces or overly rich foods. Maybe you want to stay awake through the rest of the workday. Whatever.
I for one try to eat healthily for many lunches. Though I’m no stranger to overindulgence in any area of life, I do like smaller portions for my mid-day meals. And I think salad, fresh vegetables and tofu taste good, just like cheeseburgers, pizza and BBQ ribs. My favorite dishes of all are those that are decent for you without even trying, like Vietnamese rice noodle bowls, bison burgers, and smoked turkey.
I know there are places that specialize in vegetarian/vegan cuisine like Eden Alley and Cafe Seed. But I’m looking for more under the radar stuff. I’m sure there are healthy-ish dishes at lunch spots all across the metro. So, dear reader, I ask you this:
What are your favorite healthy dishes to eat when you go out to lunch? And where do you order them?
The healthiest I get is salads man. And a lot of them are not THAT healthy by the time you add chili cheese and bacos.
Probably the best I do, and not really under the radar, is the salad bar at Jason’s Deli (3 locations I know of for sure). It’s full of fresh veggies and a variety of greens, and then top it with a little vinegar and oil instead of Ranch (despite me being a white Midwesterner).
Wish I could be more help.
I agree with Nuke. Salads are what I get if I am trying to be healthy, but even salads can turn into something really bad. I know it is sacrilege to mention a chain restaurant (shudder), But Brio has the most craveable salad- the Insalata Roma. So good. And somewhat healthful. They also have pretty healthy grilled seafood selections.
I take exception to being called out and offer Longboards as a suggestion. They serve “California” style wraps, bowls and salads. You can check them out at kclongboards.com, but I would highly recommend the drive north to try it. The owner is the balls. Get the Wow! Kung Pow.
Alright Chimpo, I’ll check it out, even though I never, ever go to the northland.
It also occurs to me that I should have taken the opportunity to link to your fabulous new blog.
looks like real Mexican food I’ve been eating lately is pretty healthy, it doesn’t have cheese, no fatty meats and plenty of veggies. I had some Honduran/Central American today.
kc pita is good, healthy and cheap. it’s in westport in that strip of businesses behind chili’s. they have a lot of pita wrap sandwiches. it’s about $6 a wrap. i’ve had the chicken and hummus one a few times.
oh LOVE this.. can’t wait to hear all the responses.
Sunset Grill (145th and Metcalf) has the best Chopped Salad in the city. Hands down, not even close.
Freddy T’s on Mur-Len serves a really good Steak Salad, not a lot of blue cheese crumblies.
The Blue Bird Bistro (used to be Blue Bird Cafe) on 17th and Summit at the top of the hill serves amazing food, and uses all local farms for their veggies.
Another place to get a healthy meal: Whole Foods. Although pricy, their deli section has good sandwiches, hot chicken and rice meals, good pizza, and other really well-made and good4u food.
Bison burger: Ted’s Montana Grill is really good for those.
I eat sushi when I want healthy. At work, I usually grab either a Tsunami sushi box from the cafeteria (tuna rolls, or their “seaside combo” that has 3 smoked salmon rolls, 3 shrimp rolls, 3 unagi rolls, and 3 tuna rolls has only 353 calories, and 4 grams of fat (1 gram saturated)), or the grocery store, sometimes having a small salad with it, depending on what kind of sushi I get.
I also like getting the bento boxes from Sushi House in Town Center. They run a bit more than the average lunch, but they have a bit of everything in them, and even my fat ass can’t polish them off in one sitting!
You know I didn’t even think of sushi. Unfortunately unlike Faith I don’t have an on site cafeteria, let alone one that serves bait.
Cheapest sushi I can think of in JOCO usually runs me at least $20, mostly because i find moderation difficult. Sakuras has a minimum in the evening (never been for lunch) but Sushi Gin on Nall may not have one (if they still have their dollar sushi menu).
They don’t have their dollar sushi anymore, Nuke. They took the sign down a couple of weeks ago. :(
Again, the bento box thing I get for lunch at Sushi House runs about $12. I get a few pieces of sushi, salad with ginger dressing, steamed white rice, miso soup, and a couple of pieces of tempura’d something or another with it. It’s a HUGE amount of food for the deal, which honestly is a splurge for me whenever I get it.
The Tsunami packages I pick up run about $5.50 – $6.50, depending on what kind I get.
healthy lunches…
happy gillis in columbus park. their veitnamese bahn mi is very healthy.
the veitnamese restaurant in the city market. pho is healthy. get the noodles on the side and you get double the broth. they you can choose how many noodles you want in your salad. good way to watch your carbs :)
they also make a good chicken salad on top of cabbage. it’s just grilled chicken chunks, but with the fish sauce on the side, it’s amazing.
also bumble fish makes the BEST pre-packaged sushi in the city, i think. they have a location at city center square, but some grocery stores carry their line, too.
also, superman. soup. healthy. yum.
I don’t think that Souperman is so healthy, they are good soups but they have plenty of cream and other fatty stuff.
you can choose healthy there. like the lemon chicken artichoke soup. :)
By coincidence this was on MSN today http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100217071>1=31036
Pretty much national chains, but a few places I have been. I think there is/was a Sweet Tomatoes on 70-something between State Line and Wornall.
Hikari on 91st and Metcalf has really good sushi, as does Haru’s Steak and Sushi on 119th and Blackbob.
I’ve never tried the packaged Sushi from Hen House deli area, anyone?
There’s a Sweet Tomatoes on College Blvd between Metcalf and Antioch.
Shawnf, I’ve heard frightening reports about Hikari’s health code violations in the past. Just to warn you.
Also, Hen House deli case sushi is the Tsunami sushi I referred to. They make it fresh in store, but they follow the Tsunami guidelines, and sell it under that name.
And I also wanted to say that the Sushi Gin place on Nall (right south of 95th St) put their $1 Sushi sign back up in their window, so it must be back! Yaaay!
http://www.opkansas.org/_Res/City_Services/Food_Court/Establishment.cfm?case=2003-00029&sort=DT2
Here is the Hikari records on health care inspection by the City of Overland Park.
Looks like they are doing better.
BTW, nice website if you have a question about an Overland Park restaurant.
Blue Koi has some nice veggie options. Great hot soup for chilly fall days!
The Napolitano sandwich at Bella Napoli (fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil and balsamic vinaigrette) is my summertime favorite.
Too bad we lost Noodle Shop. That was some delicious healthy eating.
Chef John McClure had some lovely salads on the menu last time I was over at Starkers for lunch. It’s not as pricey as you might think: soup with a spinach salad is only $10.
Thai Place? Jerusalem Cafe? Korma Sutra? Aladdin’s Cafe? Blue Nile? I’d look at some other ethnic foods if I were trying to mix it up at lunch in a healthy way (you’ve probably covered most of these already). Good luck and looking forward to hearing what you come up with!
[…] Healthy Eating in the metro » Kansas City Lunch Spots – Kansas City Lunch Spots. Home; About; Map of KC Lunch Spots; Suggestions? Food Truck Feed; Contact; Healthy … I’d look at some other ethnic foods if I were trying to mix it up at lunch in a healthy way (you’ve probably covered most of these already). Good luck and looking forward to … […]