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Buffalo Healthy Eats: Squeeze Juicery

It’s new! It’s exciting! It’s full of healthy goods for you! It’s Squeeze Juicery!

I am so, so excited that Squeeze Juicery has opened on Main Street in Williamsville. After my first visit to the bright, clean juice bar, I’ve already decided that my favorite thing about Squeeze has to be that they can make your juice right on the spot OR you can grab one from the cooler and be out the door in mere seconds. I tried both.  A freshly pressed juice yesterday, and one from the cooler today. Thumbs up for both!

Yesterday I tried the “Shooting Star” which is basil, lime, cucumber, and apple cold-pressed right in front of your eyes and then poured over ice. Let’s go with the bad news first: it took a verrrrrrrrry long time. Here’s the thing though, cold-pressing the juice maintains even more of the super-powered enzymes and nutrients in the juice, so its worth the wait. I liked my juice a lot. It was a little more lime-y and less sweet than I expected but I love basil in juice. So refreshing. While I was there I also grabbed a juice from the cooler to have the following day. The shelf life on those juices are short, just 3 days, so you can’t really stock up a big supply, but it is great to go in and grab a juice for breakfast the following day or if you don’t have time to wait for a fresh pressed juice. For my juice from the cooler, I had the “Alive” drink which includes spinach, kale, celery, apple, parsley, lemon, and ginger. Does that sound like health in a bottle, or what?  Again, the juice wasn’t as sweet as anticipated which must be because I use LOTS of sweet apple when I make my own juices. Nonetheless, the juice was refreshing and tasty and very drinkable.

Squeeze also sells house-made hummus in a variety of unique flavors which I got to sample (Bonus!!)  while in the juicery. They were delicious. Right now Squeeze sells their hummus and some juices in their coolers plus they make juices, tonics, and smoothies at the counter.  Soon they will be serving up healthy wraps, including gluten free lettuce wraps in the next few weeks! The prices are comparable to other juice and smoothie bars around town but I’d argue that the cups are bigger here!  And when it comes to green juice, bigger is definitely better.

If you’re looking for a healthy snack, an energizing way to start your day, or are feeling ready to try the juicing craze, you have to check out Squeeze!

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Buffalo’s Best Healthy Eats: Veggie Combo Platter at Pano’s

Greek restaurants can sometimes be a challenge for  vegan eaters.  Souvlakis aren’t quite the same without the chicken and the feta cheese, right?   Luckily for us Buffalo vegans, or even just Buffalonians looking for healthy meal alternatives, Pano’s provides a hearty and worthwhile option: the Veggie Combo Platter.

The Veggie Combo Platter from Pano’s makes a great lunch or dinner that is chock full of fiber, low in fat, and super delicious. The meal includes a large plate of hummus, grilled vegetables (mushrooms, zucchini, peppers), grilled northern beans–you have to get them grilled!–and a lemony spinach and rice mixture.  It is a hearty, substantial dish and, as you can tell, very carb-heavy.  The good news is if you sub raw veggies for the pita, which I always do, you can cut out most of the refined carbs and add an extra bit of nutrition to your meal. You’ll get vitamins and minerals from your veggies, and tons of fiber and protein from your beans and hummus; it is a perfect vegan dish!

I absolutely love the Veggie Combo Platter.  The grilled vegetables are always cooked perfectly, the hummus isn’t necessarily special but it is still very good, the rice is flavorful, and the grilled northern beans are one of my favorite things to eat in Buffalo!  With all of that healthy vegetarian protein, fiber, and flavor, you won’t miss the feta cheese or chicken souvlaki at all, I promise!  Plus, at just over $10, this meal is a bargain.  I always take home leftovers and unless I’m super hungry, I can make two meals out of the dish.

Next time you’re on Elmwood, stop at Pano’s and try the Veggie Combo Platter; you won’t be disappointed.

Be well.

 

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Buffalo’s Best Healthy Eats: Cafe 59

As an advocate for health, wellness, and the quest to be your most awesome self, I’d like to share with you my favorite destinations for healthy meals in Buffalo and the delicious options they offer that are both nutritious and yummy.  Today’s featured restaurant for great healthy eats in Western New York is Cafe 59, a casual and charming cafe on Allen Street in the city of Buffalo.  The staff is always wonderful, the soup is homemade, and the salads are bountiful; Cafe 59 is the perfect place to go for a healthy meal.

Anytime I go to Cafe 59, I get one of their vegetarian soups. From pumpkin ginger to white bean and kale, the soups always taste fresh and are never overly salted. They have vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and meat-eater-friendly varieties to choose from each day and I’m convinced they’re the reason the line goes out the door around lunchtime each day. That being said, my absolute favorite healthy lunch item at Cafe 59 is the Mediterranean Salad. This salad is unbelievable, and arguably the very best in Buffalo. Sitting atop a large bed of mixed field greens, you’ll find house-made hummus, tabbouleh, and grilled eggplant, plus your dressing of choice (go Greek!). The hummus is the best I’ve ever tasted, the eggplant is always cooked perfectly, and the tabbouleh is delightful.  I love the way all of the ingredients blend together to make a truly delicious and hearty meal filled with protein, fiber, and so.much.flavor.  I get my salad without feta to keep it vegan and skip the pita to keep it light, but enjoying those would not completely ruin the nutritional value of the salad.

Cafe 59 is definitely my favorite place in Buffalo for soup, and their Mediterranean Salad is literally my favorite salad in the entire Western New York region. Besides my favorite items, the cafe provides a very large menu full of great sandwiches, soups, salads, and other items.  I hear from a reliable source (my boyfriend) that the reuben sandwich is outstanding!

Check out Cafe 59 as soon as you can…You can thank me later. 🙂

Be well.

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