Favorites: Sweetgreen Berkeley

I had the opportunity to check out the new Sweetgreen in Berkeley today. Taking over the old Oscar's on Shattuck Avenue, Sweetgreen brings healthy, vegetable and whole grain focused food to Berkeley using organic ingredients from local sources--honestly, I think it's about time something like this opened up here.

I had the Bay Bowl (organic wild rice + shredded kale, apples, sweet potatoes, toasted almonds, local goat cheese, roasted chicken, balsamic vinaigrette) and it was SO good! I really want to try the seasonal salads and the Omega Bowl next. I washed down my big bowl with the Hibiscus Lime Fresca. The building retained the overall feel of Oscar's with its signature arched windows and signage but now it has a more modern and fresh feel. The Sweetgreen team was working hard and churning out delicious bowls left and right. I'll definitely be coming back for more.

Check out the official opening of Sweetgreen on April 19th. All opening day proceeds will go to the Berkeley Technology Academy garden project and Sweetgreen in schools programming in the neighborhood.

How cute is Adella making my Bay Bowl?

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An Instagram GIVEAWAY with Veestro

While organizing the annual Earth Fair event at work a few months ago, I discovered a company called Veestro. They deliver 100% plant-based, chef prepared, non-GMO, ready-to-eat gourmet meals straight to your door anywhere in the U.S. I'm a big fan (the Red Curry with Tofu and Vegetables is my absolute fave, the kids loved the Chick'n Nuggets), so today I've partnered with Veestro to give away a $100 gift card to spend in their online shop. You could order juice cleanses, meal packs, or a la carte. To enter, simply follow the instructions at the end of this post.

This Red Curry with Tofu and Vegetables was SO good. It came with two scoops of brown rice and a good sized portion of curry with just the right amount of heat. Yum, yum, yum!

When Nick and I first met 12 years ago, he was a vegetarian and I was a big time carnivore. Growing up in a Chinese household, we ate some kind of meat or poultry every day (followed by a bowl of ice cream of course!). Nick has the soul of a vegetarian and he's rubbed off on me over the years. I don't know how to label what we are now, but we met somewhere in the middle -- eating mostly vegetables, fish, chicken, and turkey, with the occasional beef and ever so rare pepperoni pizza. Flexitarians? Occasional meat eaters? Either way, we try and buy mostly organic and consider the environmental impact of our purchases. We have been trying to eat even more plant-based foods because of the drought. It's not always easy, but Veestro makes healthy eating easy and delicious.

This was the Eggplant Casserole which was also saucy and delicious. I'm a little intimidated by eggplant so this was a nice treat.

The kids loved these Chick'n Nuggets without the Chipotle Sauce -- just plain. They devoured them in minutes and asked for more.

This Thai Chick'n Stew was comfort in a bowl. As much as I love tomatoes, I was hoping it had more of a coconut milk base rather than a slightly sweet tomato one. I'm usually not a huge fan of fake meat but was surprised at how much I liked this.

This Enchilada Casserole was a nice change from the Asian dishes I ordered. It had a lot of good flavor but could have been slightly less sweet. Still devoured it though!

My eating habits are a bit tricky. I'm not gluten free but love to experiment with gluten free cooking and baking. I'm not vegan nor vegetarian but try and go meatless when I can. I love salty and I love sweet, but love salty more than sweet even though I love baking more than cooking. Tricky, right?

Luckily, Veestro makes it super easy to eat healthy whether you are trying to lose weight, don't have time to cook, trying to make the switch to vegan, or just love (mostly) healthy eating like me. I'd love to try their juices next!

To enter the giveaway for a $100 Veestro gift card:

• Follow @good_on_paper and @VeestroFood on Instagram, leave a comment and tag a friend who would love this service.

• If you don't have Instagram you can leave your email in the comments below

• Please comment by Friday, June 26th, 12pm PST

• This giveaway is for U.S. residents only

• I will announce a winner selected by random number generator by Monday, June 29th

Best of luck!

Also, Veestro is offering a special 20% off discount site-wide for Good on Paper readers. Enter code GOODONPAPER20 at checkout through July 3, 2015.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Reichel Broussard (@copycatchic) for winning the gift card!

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