If you're craving for a healthier alternative to the traditional fast food in the downtown core, then I highly recommend Crave Healthy Habits. They are a chain serving healthy fast food with three locations all located downtown. The company aims to offer healthy food choices that are both nutritious and tasty, yet at affordable prices. I recently had the opportunity to visit the location that's on the concourse level of the Richmond-Adelaide Centre to check out some of their offerings. This specific location was more of a take-out counter, and most of their customers work within the PATH. They recently opened up their third location at the TD Centre this past week. This new one has a few seats available if you wanted to dine in.

I liked that Crave Healthy Habits' meal boxes consist of organic, locally-sourced ingredients, and are made fresh to order. I believe that it's a solid option for vegetarians, vegans, and healthy eaters alike. One way that they have stood out from their competitors is that they have perfected the par-steaming technique to prepare their hot boxes. Par-steaming enables the vegetables to retain its nutrients, while still leaving them crunchy, and flavorful.

Their menu consists of two main options; steamed boxes (hot) or cool boxes (cold). Each box comes with your choice of either organic quinoa or brown rice, and two in-house dressings that are meant to complement all of the ingredients together. There is also the option to add a protein (chicken breast, salmon, tofu or tempeh) to the box for an extra charge.

I preferred hot foods, so the steamed boxes stood out to me. I opted for the Californication ($8.19) - napa cabbage, snow peas, corn, rainbow peppers, alfalfa sprouts, peanuts, sesame seeds + fresh coriander, quinoa or brown rice, which came with honey sesame + thai peanut. Customers have the choice to add a protein to their box; grilled chicken breast, salmon, tofu, or tempeh. I chose to add salmon to my steamed box, which was marinated and grilled in-house. I really enjoyed the salmon, as it was seasoned perfectly, and cooked to my liking. All boxes come with two signature dressings that are carefully crafted to enhance the flavor of the food. The Californication box was definitely enhanced by the two accompanied sauces, which added a very tangy flavor to it when mixed.

I also got to try the Il Padrino ($9.50) - zucchini pasta, massaged kale, brussels sprout, pico de gallo, sweet potatoes, pecans, cilantro, lime juice, which was accompanied by garlic free basil pesto + extra virgin olive oil. The zucchini pasta was a great alternative to carbs, as this caters to a lower-carb and gluten-free diet. The salad was also well-portioned with fresh quality ingredients, and a generous amount of tempeh (traditional soy product).

 

There are also a few breakfast options available at Crave Healthy Habits. I got the Yogurt Parfait ($3.54) - house-made yogurt, honey, pecans + seasonal fruits. This gluten-free dessert contained low-fat yogurt topped off with fresh fruits, and nuts. This would be an excellent item for a healthy breakfast on the go.

everyday snack/breakfas

Overall, Crave Healthy Habits was a clean and friendly spot to quickly grab a healthy meal, or snack. The 120 Adelaide Street West location is opened Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 4 pm, and closed on the weekends.

Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cravehh

Instagram: https://instagram.com/cravehealthyhabits/

Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/cravehh

Website: http://www.ucrave.ca/

Disclaimer: The food provided in this post was complimentary. However, all of the opinions expressed in this review are of my own.