Month: January 2023

Poke bowls are becoming incredibly popular around the nation, and for good reason. They are delicious! But are poke bowls healthy as well? Because if they are, then we have found something fantastic; we have found a restaurant that is delicious and healthy!

To answer this question, I visited our local Poke Bowlz in Rock Hill, SC, and not to give away the ending, but we now visit them so much that they know us and our orders.

“Build Your Own Meal” Restaurants are One of the Top Healthiest Options

The restaurants that make the very top of my “Healthy Restaurants” list are restaurants that let you “build your own” meal because you can choose to load your meal with your favorite nourishing ingredients. If you don’t like onions or pineapple but love edamame and cucumber, then no worries. Choose what YOU want. The options are laid out right in front of you for you to choose your favorites. You can pick the healthy meal that is perfect for your tastebuds. The bottom line is you are more likely to choose vegetables when an assortment of vegetables are available!

So, Are Poke Bowls Healthy?

Poke Bowlz (this is based off of the Poke Bowlz in Rock Hill, SC) is the perfect spot to a “build your own” nourishing meal.

Pick Your Base (I show you how picking a bases is key to a healthy diet in Big Mindful Meals)

You can choose the high fiber brown rice (white rice and sushi rice are other rice options), or you can choose to omit the rice and make a Poke Bowl Salad.

Pick Your Vegetables

Then you can pile on the antioxidant, fiber, vitamin, and mineral-rich vegetables. Many vegetables are not only packed with nutrient, but are also almost zero calories; so, you can add quantity to your meal without adding extra calories.

Some of the healthy vegetable (and fruit) options at Poke Bowlz in Rock Hill, SC are:

• A Leafy Green Blend
• Cucumber
• Red Onion
• Green Onion
• Avocado
• Jalepenios
• Pinapple
• Edammame
• Seaweed
• Ginger
• Carrots

Pick Your Protein

You can choose raw or cooked meats as your protein.

The Omega-3-rich raw options are:

• Tuna
• Salmon
• Spicy Tuna
• Spice Salmon

The cooked options are:

• Chicken
• Spicy Chicken
• Crab (imitation)
• Shrimp
• Tofu

You can also add some sauces and crunchy toppings.

Sauces include:

• Sriracha
• Sweet Soy
• Poke Sauce
• Wasabi Sauce

Toppings include:

• Sesame Seeds
• Crispy Onion
• Tempura Flake
• Crushed Cashew Nuts
• Wonton Chips
• Seaweed Flake

Poke Bowls is an Extremely Quick Healthy Option

The food at Poke Bowls is ready to serve so you just walk down the line, tell them what you want, and they build it right in front of you. Then, it’s done. Your meal is ready to go. When we are in a hurry, this is our #1 spot (well, this, Blend Riverwalk, and Jimmy Johns are all Freaky fast!)

The Verdict: Are Poke Bowls Healthy?

This dietitian says yes, you can most definitely get healthy meals at Poke bowls restaurants.

I’m trying to put into words the vibe you get when you enter The Country Carrot. The vision that comes to mind is a magical store full of treasures like a store you might see in the fabled town of Hogsmeade. But instead of discovering bottles of potions and magical candy, you will discover treasures from local farms, chefs, and creators. At The Country Carrot, you get the opportunity to buy local, buy fresh because everything in the store is made, you guessed it, locally!

Buy Local, Buy Fresh at The Country Carrot

The products change with the season so every trip is another exciting adventure full of discovery. In the warmer months, you will find loads of fruits and vegetables and in the winter months, you might find anything from canned pickled vegetables to teas and hot sauces.

On my latest trip, I explored shelves full of all things pickled (I bought some pickled okra), delicious jams, and spicy hot sauces, rubs, and seasonings.

After I finished exploring all of the jars and bottles, I wandered over to a wooden display, which was adorned with a variety of coffees and teas. I bought an Elderberry Tea Blend, which contained not only immune-supporting elderberry but also mood-boosting, Lemon Balm. I even spotted a local sangria mix on this beverage mixes shelf.

Coffees and Teas at the Country Carrot

Buy Local, Buy Fresh Meat

Next, I opened a freezer. I felt like I was opening a secret box because the freezer didn’t have a glass door. For some reason, I liked that I had to open it to see what was inside. What would be inside? Turns out, it was fresh meat from local farms!

Below, you can peek inside one of their glass-door fridges. I am super excited about those vegetable quiches and the goat cheese is AMAZING, btw!

Um, those vegetable quiches look amazing!

You can also find local probiotic-rich kombucha, eggs, milk, and energy drinks in one of their fridges. I am coming back for so many things, but one of them is the local gut-healthy kombucha!

The center shelves held everything from fun cups to unique cutting boards.

Buy a Fun Bag and Get 5% OFF When you Use it to Shop at Your Future Visits

Bags with “fun sayings” pulled me in like a magnet. I just had to purchase the one that said “Turnip the Beet” because dietitians cannot resist food puns. It’s scientifically proven (okay maybe not scientifically proven, but seriously, ask any dietitian. It’s a thing). I am anxious to get back to the store to get my hands on the “Let that Shiitake Go” bag.

If you use your bags at any of your future County Carrot Shopping Trips you get 5% off your purchase! So buy a fun bag and bring it back!

Books by Local Authors

Need some ideas on how to cook healthy meals with your Country Carrot purchases? They’ve got you covered! You can now buy 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life at the Country Carrot. And guess what? When you buy this particular book you are still buying local because it is written by a local author (ahem, me)! You can find out more about me and my book in the author bio below.

Author Bio:

Lacy Ngo is a nationally recognized dietitian and author who lives in Rock Hill, SC. She is the author of several books including 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. She has been featured and/or quoted in media outlets like Parade, The Healthy (the health branch of Reader’s Digest, Fitbit.com, FOX24, CN2, Byrdie, and More.

And there you have it! One of the best places in Rock Hill to buy local, buy fresh!

Everybody stop what you are doing and head over to one of the best restaurants in Rock Hill, SC- Blend Riverwalk!

Lacy’s Loaded Leafy Greens at Blend Riverwalk (Loaded with protein, fiber, nutrients, and flavor!

Okay, so if you are reading this in the middle of the night, maybe wait until they open before you head over, but seriously you need to visit Blend Riverwalk ASAP.

Blend Riverwalk sits at the top of my best list (comings soon) for several reasons.

Blend Riverwalk Atmosphere

As soon as you walk in the door, you get this happy, airy, CLEAN, and cheerful vibe. The little eating bar area overlooking the Riverwalk shops is a nice touch as well. The teal stools add the perfect fun pop of color.

The Owners and Employees at Blend Riverwalk

The minute you cross the Blend Riverwalk threshold, you are greeted by friendly, easy-going smiles. Seriously, the owners are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet.

The first time I met the owners, Peter and Caitlin, I felt like we were instant friends. However, I got the feeling that they make everyone feel that way.

The FOOD, FOOD, FOOD, and The TOPPINGS, TOPPINGS, TOPPINGS!!!

A restaurant becomes THE hot spot when the food is on point, am I right? Listen! Blend is set up like one of those “build-your-own” places (think Subway, Moe’s, MOD Pizza, Poke’ Bowl).

In these types of restaurants, you go down a line and tell the employees what you want on your sandwich (Subway), taco (Moe’s), pizza (MOD Pizza), rice bowl (Poke’ Bowl), etc. These “build-your-own” restaurants happen to be one of my favorite types of restaurants. You literally can build exactly what you want.

Blend Riverwalk, however, is “build-your-own” in overdrive! Blend Riverwalk is not a “build-your-own” sandwich place. It’s not a “build-your-own” salad place. It’s not a “build your own” rice bowl place. Blend Riverwalk is all of it!

You can build your own:

• Rice Bowl
• Wrap
• Sandwich
• Salad
• Smoothie
• Quinoa and Cous Cous Bowl

The variety doesn’t stop there. The topping selection is out of this world.

Here are a few toppings I can think of off the top of my head:

• Greek chicken (This is currently my go-to chicken. It is so tender and flavorful. Seriously, this chicken is TENDER and marinated to perfection!)
• Spicy Chicken
• Classic Chicken
• Turkey
• Falafel (oh how I love falafel!)
• Avocados
• An assortment of cheeses (My favorite is the goat cheese)
• Tons of vegetables
• Boiled eggs
• Edamamme
• Different types of leafy greens (One of the leafy green mixes comes from Growing JOY Farm. Growing Joy is a local farm that employs people with special needs. I have gotten the Growing Joy Farms greens every time).
• Banana Peppers
• Jalapenos
• A variety of Homemade dressings (If you like your food slightly spicy, try the Coconut Sriracha dressing- so good!)

From Superfood Salads to Baby Steps

I am only scratching the surface when it comes to the choices at Blend Riverwalk. You could make the ultimate nutrient-packed meal with all of these choices. But if you aren’t ready to go all-the-way superfood salad, you can definitely take baby steps here too. There is something for everyone. The last few times we went, Chad and I got a salad. Chad chose the Greek salad, and I chose the special of the week- Lacy’s Loaded Leafy Greens.

If that name sounds familiar, it might be because it is my name. Blend Riverwalk asked me to create my own special menu item to celebrate my new book, which is available at Blend Riverwalk!

Hilt made an Asian-style rice bowl, and Neeshie gulped down the Smore Smoothie.

My son and I may have sneaked in a sip of her smoothie, and trust me when I tell you, it was dessert heaven.

So why does Blend Riverwalk rank so high for me? The answer is simple. It’s a top contender for one of the best restaurants in Rock Hill because it checks all of the boxes. The atmosphere is clean and happy; the people are friendly; the food is fantastic AND NOURISHING, and raw meal combinations/toppings are endless!