Any healthy takeout places out there?

[alpa chino]

I'm back in the gym. Lifting and cardio and all that good stuff. But I'm not seeing too many options out there for health food to go.

Sometimes, I'm too lazy to cook the grilled chicken and vegetables myself. But nobody out there makes anything remotely close to it. I've been to Seward Coop--not much, just protein shakes. Jamba juice is the same--no food, just drinks. I'm looking for egg white omelets,
brown rice---things like that.

Does anyone know of a good place out there catered to high protein and complex carb hogs?

[alpa chino]

I don't have the privilege of being a Lifetime fitness member. But evidently, lifetime is a fitness campus and it even has its own food cafe. I guess you can purchase custom-made meals and such, specifically designed for your particular fitness diet. who knew.

[foreverhungry]

Speaking of, Faces Mears Park has pretty healthy food, and a take out area around lunch time on weekdays (not sure about weekends). Though some folks run cold on Faces, I really enjoy it. There are relatively few places that turn out good quality meals that are also relatively healthy. Faces does an excellent job balancing the two, and at reasonable prices.

[mausey]

If you want try something different, try the Ecopolitan at 2409 Lyndale Ave S in Minneapolis. Nothing is cooked. All very veggan with fresh veggies, hummus, salads, pizzas, smoothies, and desserts.
I had had hummus and veggies wrapped in kale leaves and also their sampler platter. It was delicious. Their cheesecake was excellent.

-----
Ecopolitan
2409 Lyndale Ave S Ste 4, Minneapolis, MN 55405

[alpa chino]

Sounds like a raw food joint. Cool, this is the first one I've heard of in the TC. Thanks.

[faith]

alpa, yes, Ecopolitan is the only raw food restaurant in the TC, it's been around for some time, not the cheapest prices, but they are using all organic ingredients which is unusual! It's all vegan so no lean meat there. Their food is surprisingly filling and doesn't leave you sleepy..I like the pasta alfredo dish there, the noodles are made from raw zucchini....and they make a great borscht, lots of salads, even pizza, burgers and dips & chips that are guilt free and amazingly good. There is also an outfit in Chaska that does raw grab&go called Pure Market Express- last I heard Local D'Lish downtown Mpls sold some of their items and the coops in Minnetonka carry their stuff, it's quite yummy.

-----
Ecopolitan
2409 Lyndale Ave S Ste 4, Minneapolis, MN 55405

[The Chowhound Team]

Pardon the interruption folks. We've removed a number of posts about what "healthy" means as that discussion is considered off topic for our regional boards, including the Minneapolis-St. Paul board. Again, we ask that you please limit your discussion in this thread to what's available in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and leave it to others to determine what's healthy for themselves.

Thank you.

[goproduce]

For fast food take-out, Noodles & Company has whole wheat linguini and you can build your own pasta.... extra protein and/or extra veg. I often get the small size of pasta but then double the protein and add extra veg.

[alpa chino]

Cool. I've never stepped foot in one of those places. But whole wheat's the way to go. Thanks.

[The Dairy Queen]

Interesting! Do you know if it's 100% whole wheat? The website just says "whole grain linguine," which doesn't necessarily mean 100% or wheat. I was in one of those places a couple of years ago and left without trying anything because, at the time, there was nothing that fit my diet. I don't know if whole grain linguine is a new option or what.

~TDQ

[GutGrease]

The best that I can find is on a N&C press release stating that their pasta is a whole wheat linguine.

[foreverhungry]

I posted a reply yesterday that the CH mods must have thought was off topic. Let's try this again, this time being more specific. FDA regs state that for something to be labeled "whole grain", all parts of the grain must be used in approximately the same proportion as found in the whole intact grain. They also say that they "suggest" that a product such as pasta or pizza dough labeled as "whole wheat" or "whole grain" should be 100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain. Meaning, something labeled whole grain can't just contain 5% whole wheat flour and the other 95% is white flour. So while N&C is not under obligation to state whether their pasta is 100% whole grain, FDA "suggestion" implies that it is, indeed, 100% whole grain.

This would apply to any local health product, such as a whole grain pasta salad at Lunds or whole grain breads.

[chocolatemint]

I'd second Noodles & Company, they have one dish that's noodles, veggies and shitaki mushrooms (where are EXTREMELY healthy) Not something most folks would whip up at home, so I think it's a good deal. Only thing is it may not be that filling, but definitely healthy- I'm sure they have other stuff there that is more filling, as a previous poster mentions. Also Chipotle uses only organic ingredients from what I know. I love the chicken burritos from Quodoba but I am not sure how healthy they are, but they are delicious and flavorful (chicken, black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.) I feel better about eating that than burgers and fries anyway.

[bob s]

Chipotle's website states that they use meat from "naturally-raised" livestock and source their produce from organic and local sources "when practical." But I would not consider their food to be organic.

[The Dairy Queen]

Yes, there are a lot of qualifiers in those claims aren't there?

~TDQ

[GutGrease]

Healthy Express has two locations at MOA but they claim to make healthy food to go. As for a place more accessible wherever you may be, try the salads in the to-go cases at most Holiday gas stations. IMO - the lettuce and other components are fresh and for $2.50, it's a great, healthy meal to go. It may not fit into your high protein/carb desire, but it is another option.

-----
Healthy Express
126 S Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55425

[karykat]

Check out the deli sections of some of the other coops. I go to Mississippi Market and the selection is extensive. Lots of different salads and vegie dishes, quality deli meats, entrees, soups, ssndwiches.

You know that good ingredients are being used.;

[alpa chino]

Oh, and pizza and burgers are good too. But I have to limit that to once in a while because it doesn't maximize fuel food. Unless it's like lean ground turkey burgers on ezekiel bread buns-----make it all
"yucky" in taste. You guys know what I mean.

[Brad Ballinger]

I do a fair amount of distance running, and Chipotle gives me a good dose of protein and complex carbs.

[foreverhungry]

Agreed. Frankly, I think first folks have to agree on what "healthy" means. I run, road bike, and mountain a lot. My first go-to for healthy take-out is Buster's on 28th (though it's usually more eat-in). Cheeseburger with side-salad. My other go-to for healthy take-out on weekends that I've either run or biked a lot is Pizza Biga, which is similar to Punch, Nea, Lola, Black Sheep et al (without getting a pizza discussion started...you get the point), along with whatever their "greens" salad is. For me, that healthy meal is a good mix of some fat, protein, and carbs, with some greens. Healthy take-out for me - but, like Brad, I'm pretty active.

If I'm not in either a burger or pizza mood for some healthy post-exercise food, then I'll gobble up some fish/octopus tacos at La Sirena Gorda at Midtown Global Market - protein, a wee fat, and some complex carbs. A little pricier than Chipotle, but I'm a sucker for octopus (get it - sucker? octopus?).

In reality, it really depends on what you're looking for in healthy food. For some, like me (and perhaps like Brad), after expending a good deal of energy in a workout, a meal with lots of protein, a little fat, and a decent amount of carbs (that brings along a good dose of vitamins, minerals, and the "intangibles" like antioxidants) does the trick.

-----
Midtown Global Market
920 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55407

La Sirena Gorda
920 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55407

Buster's on 28th
4204 28th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55406

Pizza Biga
4762 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407

[The Dairy Queen]

We don't actually have to agree what healthy means in order to provide recommendations to alpa chino in this thread as he was kind enough to define in his OP what "healthy" means to him and, therefore, what kind of recommendations he seeks:

"I'm looking for egg white omelets, brown rice---things like that. Does anyone know of a good place out there catered to high protein and complex carb hogs?"

While burgers and pizza might suit your lifestyle and definition of healthy (and I am not disagreeing with you, only you know your exact circumstances), the OP will have to decide if they meet his requirement for "complex carbs."

I sure wish I could be riding my bike a lot this time of year! I'm not quite dedicated or sturdy enough, alas.

~TDQ

[alpa chino]

Yes, thanks DQ. I can elaborate on those healthy plates. How about ground turkey over brown rice with a thin sauce. Or sliced chicken breast and quinoa. Lentils and massive amounts of tuna steaks.---things like this.

I know, I know. I can make all of this stuff at home. But just wondering if these things are out there. That's all.

And thanks folks---you've been helpful. I tried that xin won chinese. The steamed shrimp & veggies with the sauce on the side. Not bad, I've never had chinese like that before.

[katebauer]

Whenever we get Chinese takeout I order steamed chicken and vegetables. It's not the most exciting dish, but it's quick and tasty. I've never had a Chinese restaurant refuse to make it, even if there's not a "Healthy Dishes" section to their menu. For Chinese in S. Minneapolis I prefer Star Moon to Xin Won solely because of the taste of both of their steamed pork dumplings. In neither case are the dumplings fantastic, but Xin Won's sauce tastes funny to me.

We also frequently get takeout from the Vietnamese restaurants on Eat Street. While it's hard to find whole grain products, an order of fresh spring rolls and pho with seafood is quite healthy according to my definitions.

In general, takeout places have been able to cater to my specific requests such as leaving the sauce or dressing on the side, no mayo or cheese on sandwiches, etc.

[foreverhungry]

Alpa - I've had good luck with the sorts of dishes you seek at both Lunds and Whold Foods takeout. Lunds for sure has a quinoa salad that's very good, and they usually have at least one selection of a ready made lean meat (and some not-so-lean). I've seen a few other whole grain-ish type salads and sides there. Mississippi market (the one on W. 7th) has a smaller selection, but some good options too. And while I haven't shopped the Whole Foods take out section in a while, I do remember them having some excellent choices available.

[debbie421]

Definitely the deli/take out area of Whole Foods. You can make a fantastic salad and there are tons of hot healthy items too. And The Egg & I on Lyndale has the best egg white veggie omelet with provolone and dry wheat toast. They also have kamikaze yogurt, plain yogurt topped with walnuts, bananas, and blueberries. This is my go to breakfast. I also find Vietnamese food to be fairly healthy, as well as sushi if you stick to nigiri and sashimi. All in Minneapolis!

-----
Egg & I
2828 Lyndale Ave S Ste 100, Minneapolis, MN 55408

[alpa chino]

Sweet. I didn't even know that whole foods was in Mpls. It's on exelsior bld. Never been to the Egg & I--but I'll definitely try it. I can't stand sushi.
Thanks alot.

[diesel]

Birchwood Cafe - lots of healthy salads, soups, entrees, etc.

-----
Birchwood Cafe
3311 E 25th St, Minneapolis, MN 55406

[alpa chino]

Sweet. I go to Seward 4 times a week and I've never even heard of Birchwood. It's right around the corner. I'll definitely check it out--thanks.

-----
Birchwood Cafe
3311 E 25th St, Minneapolis, MN 55406

[goproduce]

You might be in for a treat at Birchwood. Let us know what you think.

-----
Birchwood Cafe
3311 E 25th St, Minneapolis, MN 55406

[alpa chino]

I tried it. And.................it was alright. I went there around 1030 and ordered something. It was a little on the $$ side. But it was alright. To be honest, I doubt I'll go back. I feel a little "Brasa'd" on that birchwood. Sometimes, a popularly recommended place on chowhound just doesn't do it for me. At least I can't find something I like. Maybe it's my problem, but I get the "cafeteria/dorm food" experience at certain places.....sorry.

[The Dairy Queen]

Ah, too bad about Birchwood. I'm also put off by the layout and bad acoustics of the place (I think they strive to be a neighborhood cafe, not necessarily a destination restaurant), but I've always thought the food was good. Even so, when I've been following a strict diet (for health or for weight loss) I haven't always found it the easiest menu to navigate. But, I do believe they rely on organic, real food and from that perspective, it is healthful.

~TDQ

-----
Birchwood Cafe
3311 E 25th St, Minneapolis, MN 55406

[sandylc]

We have only eaten at Birchwood once a few years ago. While we appreciate whole, real, scratch food, we were underwhelmed by our meal there. The only specific that I can recall is that the frosting on the carrot cake was oddly gummy.

-----
Birchwood Cafe
3311 E 25th St, Minneapolis, MN 55406

[foreverhungry]

Check out some of the salads and other prepared dishes at Lund's. They have at least a few salads that would be up your alley - a quinoa one that I've gotten several times, and I think they had a buckwheat noodle one that was quite good too. They also often have prepared meats on sale, and those tend to be fairly lean cuts, simply prepared - pork loin, chicken breasts, etc. It's not the cheapest option, but if you want a lean meat along with a high fiber, complex carb side that doesn't have a ton of fat or sodium in it, most Lund's will almost always have at least one option for you.

Another option might be La Sirena Gorda, if you're in the Midtown Global Market area. They have a few dishes that I might consider on the healthy side - you could do a lot worse than their fish, squid, and octopus tacos, and their ceviche is excellent, as well as high protein, low fat. You could probably substitute something out for the beans, though even those can't be terrible for you.

-----
Midtown Global Market
920 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55407

La Sirena Gorda
920 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55407

[The Dairy Queen]

Lunds/Byerly's also has brown rice sushi.

~TDQ

[ashii]

Im going to throw in a curve ball....
I get crazy cravings for Chinese food but with the high sodium, sugar, MSG, etc it easily becomes a diet nightmare.

However, delivering to my house a couple times a month in Xin Won chinese on 47th and Nicollet. As far as chinese goes, they dont use MSG and the have a healthier menu items that are steamed.

But the reason I love it is because nothing is from a can. We are talking huge portions of all sorts of fresh veggies. I get the Chicken and veggies (with more chicken then you can imagine-steamed with tons of huge chunks of veggies and I get the sauce on the side. Portions are HUGE and prices are so low i cant justify mkaing steamed veggies and chicken at home. Delish!

Brasa rotisserie. French meadow is fantastic for what it is- I always get the zone omelet made with egg white goat cheese and spinach. And did you know perkins will substitute egg whites in omelets for no additional charge?- not saying it makes the omelet good, just another option.

And Brasa is good fr the low carb area.

[alpa chino]

Yeah, thanks. Chinese is definitely an option and I'll have to modify the way I order the dishes. I've been going to middle eastern joints and getting the chicken kabob and rice combo. But chinese is also a way to go.

And that omelet does sound good. I'll have to try it.

[JimGrinsfelder]

Brasa is terrific for healthy takeout food.

When I want to eat Chinese and eat healthier, I don't put the gloppy-sauced chicken (or beef or pork or fish) on top of a pile of white rice then clean my plate. I put the rice in a bowl, eat it plain and eat the gloppy-sauced chicken with chopsticks leaving the better part of the gloppy-sauce on the plate.

Sure, I waste most of the gloppy sauce, but I also avoid a large part of the calories and sodium.

I like Chipotle for healthy carry-out. I order a burrito with no rice, no cheese, no guac and no sour cream. I get beans, meat, sauce, corn and lettuce or cilantro. If I'm going to add in one of the things to avoid, it's usually cheese.

I'll also avoid any food I can order without leaving my car.

[The Dairy Queen]

Yes, the burrito bowls at Chipotle are a good choice. I consider guac healthful, even though it's high in fat, so, I always get it.

~TDQ

[The Chowhound Team]

Folks, we removed some replies from this thread that were getting into the debate of 'what constitutes healthiness' and detailed analysis of various numbers. That's a huge area, that's really off-topic for our regional boards. If you've got suggestions on where alpa chino can get healthy food, that's great, but a debate about whether one person's perception of healthy matches anothers is a little far afield. Thanks.

[alpa chino]

Thanks alot. It seems as if it is slim pickins. And everything's in St. paul. Evidently no one likes to eat healthy here in Mpls. That good earth does look good, and the wedge.

And yes, the whole egg is good. But the with the amount of eggs I need to eat, I need to dump most of the fat in the yolks.

[The Dairy Queen]

Huh. Apparently Supatra's Thai also offers brown rice. I'm not suggesting it's the best Thai food ever, but with lettuce wraps, satay, steak salad and brown rice you could probably make it work.

http://www.supatra.com/pages/supatrasthaicuisine_menu.html

Same with Kindee Thai http://www.kindeethairestaurant.com/m...

I seem to recall Sen Yai Sen Lek offers brown rice, too, but I'd call to confirm first.

~TDQ

-----
Kindee Thai Restaurant
719 S 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55401

[sandylc]

Oh, and congrats on your discipline - good job on the working out thing!

[sandylc]

Hi! You could try the Wedge Co-op. They have quite a lot of hot and cold RTG foods, as well as a juice bar. I'm curious about the egg-white omelet, though - I thought those had finally gone away? An egg is a wonderful, healthy, WHOLE food - !!??!!

[The Dairy Queen]

Well, the pickin's are somewhat slim, but French Meadow (although the menu seems smaller than I remember), Brasa, Tanpopo (you can get it to go--and I'm thinking buckwheat noodles here as far as carbs are concerned--even though it's not really a "take out" place.)

EDIT: Oh, Bravo Bakery on Grand Ave, if you don't mind vegetarian, offfers brown rice. And it's definitely "to go" friendly.

Sorry to mention chains but Whole Foods and Good Earth (though, to be honest, I've never been to the Good Earth in MN, so I can't really vouch for how good the food is or isn't here in MN).

Hmmm...I don't know if they do take out, but Day by Day Cafe in St. Paul.

Here's an old thread "dieting deliciously" that might be helpful, even though it's not perfectly spot on or especially current. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/3865...

~TDQ

-----
Good Earth Restaurant
1901 Highway 36 W, Saint Paul, MN 55113

[Rowdy]

We regularly get takeout food from Tanpopo. If you order something with buckwheat noodles, you can hardly go wrong.