It’s January and most of us have made New Year’s resolutions with the goal of eating healthier high on the list. We Houstonians are fortunate to have some of the best and most diverse culinary experiences from which to choose but they’re not always good on the waistline. Add in the indulgences of the holidays and we’re almost obligated to begin the new year with restrictions.
And that’s where most of us get it wrong. From Dry January to renewed gym memberships, we go at our resolutions with guns a-blazing only to fall short within a couple of months, if that long. The all or nothing approach just seems to set us up for failure. The old adage, “Moderation in all things” just doesn’t seem to apply when it comes to making New Year’s resolutions. Personally, we think it’s time to be a little more forgiving to ourselves while still enjoying delicious, nutritious food.
We checked out a couple of options this week for healthy meals that can add nutrients and satisfy cravings at the same time.
Flower Child
This healthy eatery from Fox Restaurants Concepts takes a modern approach to the farm to table movement. We reviewed the first Houston location at Uptown Park when it opened in 2018 and found much to like about its menu and its mission. When we received a media invitation last week to check out its newest Houston area location at Town and Country, we grabbed a companion and headed to the westside.
The T&C location, which opened January 14, is similar to its other stores. There are dispensers of citrus or cucumber-flavored waters outside for those waiting in line, but we were there at an off-peak time so we were welcomed in quickly. Flower Child is a counter service eatery so it’s best to check out the menu prior to arriving. There are decisions to be made, especially if one is searching for dishes to accommodate dietary needs. Flower Child has plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans as well as those following paleo, keto or gluten-free diets.
My friend and I have no dietary restrictions so we simply ordered what we found appealing. I chose an entree plate which offers a choice of protein and two sides. I like the grass-fed steak at Flower Child so that was my choice ($16.25) even though I should have probably opted for the healthier salmon instead. My companion ordered the Mother Earth Bowl ($12.25) without a protein.
Flower Child also serves wine and beer along with on-tap kombucha and seasonal lemonades. Neither of us were doing Dry January so we chose sangria ($8) for our beverage. My friend had the white and I had the red. Both were very refreshing and light in alcohol. The red had a hint of cinnamon like a mulled wine.
There is open seating at Flower Child and guests are given a number to take to the table. The food is delivered by servers and our Avocado Hummus ($8.25) arrived not long after we sat down. It’s a simple dip of avocado and pureed chickpeas with just a hint of the bean flavor coming through. It’s topped with sweet corn, pumpkin seed, clementine and radish. Ours only had one slice of radish so it was more of a garnish. I could have used a little more of the spicy radish myself. The pumpkin seeds gave it some texture while the pita triangles were more like soft flatbread. They worked well as a vehicle for the dip.
My companion had chosen the Mother Earth Bowl because she was craving something ‘non-meat’. Diners can add protein for an additional cost. The menu describes it as being served with leafy greens but on this visit, it was arugula and my friend wished that there had been more. Same for the ‘ancient grains’. There was also sweet potato, portobello mushroom, cucumber, avocado, hemp seed, charred onion and broccoli pesto. It’s topped with a red pepper miso vinaigrette. She liked it but didn’t seem super impressed. Still, she got her vitamins.
My plate, however, was exactly what I expected The steak is served medium, according to the menu. I was glad my thinly-sliced strips arrived a bit on the pinker side. It was very tender and well-seasoned. My side of sweet corn and quinoa was as I remembered, for the most part. It did seem a little thinner this go around. My other side choice was the red chile glazed sweet potato. It consisted of several hunks of tender sweet potato accompanied by crunchy bok choy. I liked the slight heat of the red chile glaze though I could have used a little more of it.
I saved some of my meal so that I could enjoy the chocolate pudding I was given. It came with sprouted almond, whatever that means, and toasted coconut. My friend and I agreed it had the flavor of the cooked puddings our moms used to make. It is vegan and gluten-free, too.
My friend really liked her lemon olive oil cake, which was actually a muffin. It was very moist but not my thing and I said so. My friend replied, “Well, I’m a muffin girl.” Okay, then.
The Town and Country location, like other Flower Child restaurants, was staffed with sunshine-y faces and an eagerness to make your experience a good one.
While the menu itself doesn’t list calories and nutrition, the information can be downloaded from its website. Healthy ingredients don’t necessarily mean low-calorie as I discovered with the sweet corn and quinoa. However, if all-natural and sustainably-sourced ingredients are important to you, Flower Child delivers both along with smiles and good vibes.
Flower Child
600 W. Sam Houston Parkway
281-800-0044
iamaflowerchild.com
Salad and Go
Americans have a reputation for working hard and loving fast food. Our on-the-go society also gets the rep of being overweight and unhealthy. With overscheduled lives, it doesn’t leave much time for cooking and our country has raised a couple of generations on chicken nuggets and drive-thru tacos. One company aims to change that. Salad and Go, founded in Arizona in 2013, has expanded rapidly across Texas with its first Houston-area store landing in Katy in 2023. There are nearly a dozen in the Greater Houston area with more planned for the near future.
The menu offers 8 to 10 salads depending on the season and location. All of the salads are available as wraps as well. The menu list the calories and the full nutrition menu is available as well. There is also a breakfast menu of bowls and wraps
The majority of the salads and wraps run $7.29 to $7.99. Guests can opt for a signature menu item or build your own. The 48-ounce bowls are filled with fresh vegetables plus a choice of chicken or tofu. Steak is available for an additional $1.20. Guests can add double protein for an extra cost.
While the prices are pretty good already for the amount of food, we discovered that Salad and Go currently has partnered with former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman for a promotion that offers a weekend deal from 2 p.m. Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. Drive-thru customers can order five or more wraps or salads for $5 each. The deal is available only in the drive-thru and the orders have to be for at least five.
Since it was a Sunday and we were craving some greens and a good deal, we headed out to our nearest location in Cypress. Unfortunately, it was on the other side of Cypress at Fry and Tuckerton. Still, we’d been cooped up in the house with the cold weather and it was a good excuse to get out.
The Salad and Go stores are small, stand-alone structures with a drive-thru and a pick-up. There is no dining area. The Cypress location seemed to have only one employee visible but she was friendly and very efficient. Unfortunately, the seasonal ‘The Beet Goes On’ salad was not on the menu that day. I ordered four different salads, a fajita wrap and a chicken pot pie soup to ward off the chill. The total was around $31 with the weekend deal. It would be about 10 dollars more during the week.
Though the drive home was nearly half an hour, the well-wrapped food was still fresh and the soup slightly warm. It was quite the variety for just three people. My husband opted for the Caesar, I went for the Greek. My daughter chose the Jalapeno Ranch. I had ordered an extra Cobb Salad for my husband to take to work the next day.
The salads are packed in bright orange, sturdy plastic bowls. Each salad comes with a packet of dressing inside. The Caesar Salad (300cal) was a basic version with romaine lettuce, croutons and slivers of parmesan cheese. However, the dressing (340cal) itself had a noticeable touch of lemon that differed from many Caesar dressings. The Greek Salad (300cal) was full of fresh romaine and spring mix with crumbled feta, red onion, cucumber and several anemic-looking grape tomatoes. It also had quite a few Kalamata olives, which I appreciated. At first, I thought I was given the wrong dressing because it was a vibrant green. However, Salad and Go’s creamy Greek dressing (210cal) is an herbal one with bits of feta that adds quite a tanginess to it. I really liked it even though I am partial to Greek vinaigrettes. I would try the Greek salad as a wrap next time.
As for the Jalapeno Ranch (360cal), it offers a variety of flavors with corn, tomatoes, pickled red onion, bacon, pepper jack cheese and a mix of greens. The pickled onions were sweet and crunchy and rather addictive. The smokiness of the bacon crumbles blended well with the dressing (210cal). All of the ingredients together made this salad seem like a hearty meal. I was tempted to crumble some tortilla chips on top and make it a a taco salad.
Still, it was not quite as hefty as the Cobb Salad (460cal). Though I saved the Cobb for my husband, I did eat the avocado half because I knew it wouldn’t look so good the next day. The Cobb has more calories, unsurprisingly, than most of the other salads. And the dressing options, Creamy Blue Cheese (320cal) or Ranch (200cal) will add a chunk to the total calorie count. However, the Cobb Salad at Salad and Go loads up on ingredients with a mix of romaine and spring greens, blue cheese crumbles, tomato, bacon and a sliced, hard-boiled egg. It’s definitely a meal, especially with the addition of a protein.
We chose roast chicken for all of the salads and it was fine. Personally, I really didn’t notice the chicken cubes with all of the other flavors. We opted to pay a little extra for steak in the Fajita Wrap. At first, I wasn’t so sure about the steak. Beef tends to get chewy when it gets cold and that was the case with the wrap. Still, the other ingredients made the steak chunks an afterthought. The tortilla wrap was solid and tight but it was no match for the avocado, poblano peppers, black beans, pico de gallo, romaine and pepper jack cheese. With the Jalapeno Ranch dressing, it got a little messy, in a good way. The wraps are filled out at Salad and Go so they make a great substitution for a fast food burger. With the steak, it topped out at 770 calories and 41 grams of fat. I split it with my husband, so that helped on the calorie front.
As for the chicken pot pie soup, it was the only disappointment, which is a shame because it’s the least caloric item on the menu at 150 calories and 3.5 grams of fat. And maybe that’s why. It was filled with chicken, potatoes, peas, onion and celery but the broth was thin with an overwhelming flavor of tarragon and a bitterness that I couldn’t place. Maybe it was just a one-off.
However, the salads and wraps offered a variety of options and I would definitely choose Salad and Go again for a fast family meal that differs from burgers and fries. As with most salads, the calories and fat come from the dressings and its Caesar tops out at 340 calories and 37 grams of fat per packet. The BBQ Ranch has the least at 160 calories and 13 grams of fat, but has the most sugar. There are also choices like salsa and balsamic vinegar for those watching calories.
And who isn’t these days?
Salad and Go
9604 Fry
281-519-7114
saladandgo.com
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
