There’s good reason why losing weight and eating healthy are the most popular resolutions people make year after year after year. Gaining extra pounds is almost a sure thing after weeks of feasting with family and friends over the Christmas holidays. Throw in the abundance and accessibility of instant meals and fast-food joints, and you shatter even the steeliest of resolves.
Embarking on a “Healthy New You” campaign this January, Rustan’s Supermarket offers affordable, convenient and delicious ways to get you on the road to healthy eating—and keep you there for good.
At the recently renovated San Antonio Plaza Arcade on McKinley Road in Forbes Park, Makati, foodies have been flocking to Chop’d, a grab-and-go salad station inspired, says chef and Rustan’s VP for Food Services Beth Romualdez, by the bustling salad bars of London and New York. A veggie lover’s dream, Chop’d is also ideal for anyone who doesn’t want to be weighed down by a heavy carb-and-protein meal, especially when at work.
Lighter, tastier
Using ingredients to give a twist to traditional salads (her Mexican Caesar, for instance, includes jalapeño and tortilla chips), Romualdez also treats taste buds to dressings unlike any other. Try the chipotle-lime vinaigrette of the Santa Fe Salad, or order the Mediterranean Deli Salad or Greek Salad to taste the tangy flavor of lemon-tahini dressing.
As to what to order, stick to all-vegetable choices like the Greek Salad, Santa Fe, Gourmet-to-Go, or Vegetarian—or replace rice with veggies when you order meat-filled variants like the Buffalo Chicken, Texas Steak Salad, American Cobb, Asian Crunch Salad, California Salad, Mexican Caesar, Mediterranean Deli, or French Niçoise. Either way, you’ll definitely appreciate the generous helpings of crisp greens and other fresh ingredients finely chopped with the half-moon-shaped knife called mezzaluna.
Share it with a fellow dieter, or save the rest for your next meal. Priced at P225 and P245, Chop’d salads are as light on the tummy as they are on the budget.
The spice of life
If variety helps you stick to a healthy eating plan, alternate Chop’d salads with five new low-calorie meals available at Gourmet-to-Go branches in Rustan’s Supermarket Rockwell and Makati. Ranging from 250 to 300 calories each, the dishes present guilt-free servings of Orange-Ginger Beef Strips, Broccoli Feta Pork Steak, Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry, Thai Coconut Curry Fish Fillet, and Mushroom Ragout. Minted couscous or brown or coconut rice with veggies on the side complete the meals that come out cheaper than most fast-food fare. Expect to spend anywhere from P199 to P219 a dish.