Category Archives: Healthy Food

BELLAGREEN RESTAURANT REVIEW

Bellagreen may have multiple locations, but its inspired menu makes it feel like anything but a “chain”. The menu encompasses hand-crafted, American bistro favorites in a fast-casual environment. It offers traditional dishes with a twist, but they certainly take pride in modifying all menu items to align with a wide range of dietary needs like gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, keto, paleo, or Whole 30!

Their mission to source certain organic products, certified “Best Agricultural Practices” seafood, leveraging water-saving devices, alternative power sources and giving back to the community are just a few non-food related reasons I’m crushing on BellaGreen.

Now let’s get to the food, shall we?! For an appetizer we had the high-protein hempenadas, which were flavor bombs with raisins stealing the show … trust me on this. For the main course we had the blackened shrimp salad and paleo spaghetti squash bolognese. The mound of salad was perfectly dressed, seeing as I normally ask for my dressing on the side, super colorful and had tons of texture with perfectly cooked protein. The flavor of the bolognese was so rich and deep that it tasted like they had been cooking it for hours.

For dessert we indulged in the carrot cake, and they nearly found the perfect frosting to cake ratio.

The drink menu was very diverse with a good emphasis on local. I had a rose since that pairs nicely with shrimp and the Texas heat, and my husband had a Revolver Blood & Honey.

The esthetic of the restaurant feels light, airy, and fun. There is plenty of outdoor and indoor space to kick back and enjoy. All times would be a great time to enjoy this restaurant but my favorites might be: girls’ night, girls’ night with the kiddos, fast-casual lunch with friends/coworkers, fast-casual dinner on my way home if I don’t feel the desire to cook. They also serve brunch … so the next time I go you can guarantee it’ll be for that!

PRO TIPS

  • If you have kids, sit outside and let them play cornhole or play in the small, grassy area while you continue to sip on an adult beverage and enjoy the evening.
  • They cater! So, if you want to impress at the next office lunch, or dinner party they can customize to your heart’s desire.

BELLAGREEN
bellagreen.com
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2408 Preston Road (Plano)
972-975-9033

Luna Grill’s Newest Location

Eat Real, Fuel Good.
Luna Grill’s motto isn’t just a motto, it’s a way of life. When you eat real, good food, you feel good in return. Luna Grill aims to serve only the best real, good Mediterranean food and with their new Dallas location on Walnut Hill, they’re doing just that.

Here are some of my favorite dishes from the preservative-free and antibiotic-free restaurant:
For starters, you’ve got to try the Dip Trio with Garlic Sauce—Spicy Feta, and your choice of either Classic or Spicy Hummus (get the spicy). Then, take your pick of entrees. I tried the Norwegian Salmon and the Never, Ever Gyro (a blend of beef and lamb that has never been administered hormones or antibiotics). Each entree comes with rice, salad, pita, and your choice of roasted tomatoes or carrots.

 

 

 

If you’ve still got room after their massive plates, you can finish the meal with a baklava, or their special choclava (a chocolate baklava, duh).

LUNA GRILL
LunaGrill.com 
8165 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 1300 (North Dallas)
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Feel Good About Lunch in Las Colinas

Eating healthy is haaaaard. I realized I could immediately end the sentence there and hit publish, but allow me to continue. As someone who has worked in the Las Colinas area off and on since 2005, finding a quick, cost-effective healthy lunch has basically been like searching for a unicorn. I can rattle off the calorie content of various chain sandwiches or bland salads and have double protein/replace rice with lettuce’d myself into more lunches than I can count. It has often seemed like everyone else can easily grab healthy bowls, juices, salads, and shakes quickly and not figure out to adjust their breakfast and dinner to keep from going overboard (or spend hours each weekend meal-prepping or whatever people more disciplined than me always do.)

That’s why when I saw the news that Original ChopShop was coming to Las Colinas/Irving (and is soon to open two more locations in the Dallas area), I felt a ray of hope. While there are some really good food options in the area, they’re either hard to get to, a bit on the slow side, or not cheap … and and all of which can make the work lunch run more difficult. ChopShop is right on Macarthur at George Bush, so it’s accessible with a quick-service counter and plenty of room.

Their menu covers a range of options, including protein bowls, sandwiches, salads (that can also be made into wraps), superfruit bowls, yogurt parfaits, fresh juices, breakfast items (millennial-approved avocado toast, bowls, sprouted grain bagels, and wraps along with coffee) and a variety of protein shakes. My coworker and I were able to hit the start of the lunch rush at 11:30am, order our items, eat, chat with a few staff members, and be out of the building in 45 minutes. That’s pretty great for a restaurant of any type operating in its first week.

The food itself was refreshing. We ordered two protein bowls (Thai Coconut Chicken and Teriyaki Chicken), two juices (Cool Down and Face Lift) and tried the Açai and Pitaya bowls for desert. It was a ton of food … but every item was good—the meat was quality, the veggies were fresh and the sauces were balanced with the meal, which is usually not the case at similar establishments.

 

The massive juice list was hard to whittle down, but Facelift was incredibly refreshing without being  too sweet. The superfruit bowls were also balanced, especially the Pitaya Bowl. I know açai is the cliché choice, but the Pitaya one was on par with some of the better bowls I’ve had anywhere.

My co-worker who joined me was new to the review game, but came back to the office informing the rest of our team we needed to all go back next week. We walked in to Original ChopShop expecting a pretty run-of-the-mill review, but instead, it looks like we have a chance to get a lot of people out of the same lunch rut we’ve been cursing at least a few times a week.

Las Colinas: rejoice.

Original ChopShop
OriginalChopShop.com
7300 N MacArthur Blvd #140, Irving, TX 75063

Pictures courtesy of Original ChopShop