Thanksgiving to New Year’s is a period of pies and cookies, parties and cookies, eggnog and cookies and other indulgences and treats. It’s all fun and games, it has been said, until the jeans don’t fit.
Ready to get back to more mindful and healthful eating? Here are some eat local-buy local suggestions.
Michael Davis photo | Syracuse New Times
LoFo. Want to feel good about what you’re eating? Check out this eclectic, local-focused, farm-to-table Armory Square restaurant at 214 Walton St. The menu features fresh juices, soups, smoothies, sandwiches, burgers (local grassfed, organic beef and beet), grain bowls and more. During dinners on Wednesdays through Saturdays, chef Luke Szabo offers imaginative entrees for carnivores and vegetarians-vegans alike, including “dayboat” seafood specials. Call 422-6200 or visit lofosyracuse.com.
Core Greens, Grains and Bone Broth.Ready, set, refocus your eating on smart choices at this healthy lifestyle restaurant in North Syracuse. Ingredients are locally sourced, everything from beverages to salad dressings is made in-house and menu items like bowls, broths and salads can be customized to suit your tastes. Core is committed to nutrient-packed food as well as complimentary activities; a daylong “Yoga Feast” in November drew a full house. Core is at 7265 Buckley Road, near the corner of Taft Road, next to Chuck Hafner’s. Call 299-4451 or visit eatatcore.com.
Cafe at Cicero’s Green Planet Grocery. How about a spiced citrus “detox” smoothie, with orange, lemon, grapefruit, celery, spinach, ginger, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, cayenne and coconut water? Or a vegetarian-vegan breakfast sandwich served on a spelt bun? Or a dish of red lentil hummus, with pita bread for dipping/scooping? All of these healthy options, plus fresh soups, salads and more are on the cafe menu at Green Planet’s 6195 Route 31 location at Cicero’s Lakeshore Heights Plaza. The Green Planet Grocery at 3514 W. Genesee St. in Fairmount also has a small cafe with an always-changing menu of soups, salads, sandwiches, smoothies and desserts, including raw food options. For details on the Cicero location, call 699-4741 or visit greenplanetgrocerycicero.com. For Fairmount information, call 488-7777 or visit gpgrocery.com/fairmount.
Strong Hearts Café. The milkshakes, cupcakes and vegan versions of favorite sandwiches, like grilled cheese, Reuben and BLT, are notoriously good. Strong Hearts is a 100 percent vegan restaurant, a place where people go to pig out on plants. Lighter fare this time of year includes the winter kale salad (chopped kale “massaged” in agave-mustard dressing, with roasted beets and sweet potatoes and topped with walnuts and apple wedges). If kale’s not your thing, there’s a “chicken” (seitan) Caesar salad, Mediterranean salad, soba noodle salad and grilled portobello mushroom salad, among much more healthy fare. Strong Hearts’ mothership location is at 719 E. Genesee St. (478-0000), while Strong Hearts on the Hill is at 720 University Ave. in the Marshall Square Mall (478-5500). For more details, visit strongheartscafe.com.
Tyme-Out Cafe at Natur-Tyme. Don’t give in to the fast-food temptations that line Erie Boulevard. Natur-Tyme, a health and wellness superstore at 3160 Erie Blvd. E., has a cafe with oodles of healthy offerings, including juices and juice shots, smoothies and shakes, soups, chilis, sandwiches, wraps and salads. Eat there or get something to “grab and go.” Still craving sweets after the holidays? Try the Health by Chocolate smoothie: chocolate milk, avocado, greens, flax seeds and other good things. Call 488-6300 or visit natur-tyme.com.
The Local Food Market and Whole Heart Café. Downtown Cortland has a grocery store that spotlights local, organic produce, as well as and a café offering wholesome foods, all under one roof. The mission of the market, 37 N. Main St., is to supply the community with healthy, locally sourced foods. The Whole Heart menu includes juices, smoothies, soups, salads, sandwiches and seasonal breakfast and lunch specials, to eat-in or take out. A variety of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes are available. Call (607) 662-4720 or visit thelocalfoodmarket.com.
Central New York Regional Market. The granddaddy of local farmers markets is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays year-round at 2100 Park St., with a bounty of healthy choices each week, including local produce, meats, cheeses and more. Visit cnyrma.com.
Outside of Syracuse, meanwhile, a host of winter markets have sprouted:
Winter Farmers Market at Baltimore Woods. Second Saturday of the month, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Baltimore Woods Nature Center, 4007 Bishop Hill Road, Marcellus. Visit its Facebook page.
Fayetteville Farmers Market. Second Thursday of each month, noon to 3 p.m., inside the Fayetteville Towne Center, off Burdick Street. Visit fayettevillefarmersmarketcny.com.
Cazenovia Farmers Market. Third Saturday of the month, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., American Legion Hall, 26 Chenango St., Cazenovia. Visit its Facebook.com/CazenoviaFarmersMarket.
Winter Market. At 20 East. First Saturday of the month, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 4157 Midstate Lane, Cazenovia. Call 655-3985, or visit its Facebook page.
Margaret McCormick is a freelance writer and editor in Syracuse. She blogs about food at eatfirst.typepad.com. Follow her on Twitter, connect on Facebook or email her at [email protected].