Salad Challenge Followup w/ Alex Suazo & Contest!

Guest blogger Alexandra Suazo is back with another post of the Salad Challenge. As she recently started a weight loss endeavor (you can see her first post here), Alex is back to bring us up to speed on her latest salad addiction. You can follow Alex on Twitter at @la_suazo. We at Fresh & Co. added a little Twitter contest to the bottom of her post as well. Read on to learn more! 

Designer what you may ask? Designer SALADS! As if we all don’t love drooling over Madison Avenue’s most desired designers… here’s the chance to feel as exclusive when you EAT! Luckily, this won’t be as stressful on the checking account, either!

Hit up a Fresh & Co anywhere between noon and 2 p.m., and you’re looking at a hefty salad line… and why? These designer salads are perfection and solve the same old salad problems whether you are faint-hearted or someone who can’t deal with a limited number of toppings either available, allowed to mix in, or both. In a crazy twist of irony, the longer the salad line, the better! You have just a little more time to decide on the delicious already mixed designer salad options.

My black label, red-bottom designer salad of choice? The Aegean Salad. For the weight losers out there that know a salad isn’t JUST greens… you’ll probably be a little nitpicky about most of the salads available. Not to say they aren’t healthy but depending on your diet to maximize weight loss, you may skip out on some of the goodies.

This is how I order MY Aegean Salad:

… no cheese is the key takeaway, and order it with the suggested low-fat lemon vinaigrette dressing. Maybe throw some almonds in there for a little protein and TA-DA! Enjoy with a side of black iced coffee or unsweetened iced tea. Way better for you than designer “therapy shopping” AND it’s healthy! 

How will you order your own designer salad? Tell us your salad order via Twitter (@freshandconyc) with our Salad Challenge hashtag contest! Tweet it to us using the hashtag #fcsaladchallange 

We will randomly select 2 winners to win lunch on us! Deadline is August 9, 2011 at 10 a.m. 

Have fun! 

Farm Fresh Friday for July 28th - Pea Shoots

Hey all! We are at it again with Satur Farms for Farm Fresh Friday this week! We have yummy and delicious pea shoots. I know what your thinking, pea shoots? What are those? But trust us, they are terrific! Pea shoots have fresh and tender leaves, as well as seven times more Vitamin C than blueberries! Give them a try in one of our stores this week, we think you'll be glad you did :) 

Enjoy!

Farm Fresh Friday for July 22nd - Yellow Wax Beans

For Farm Fresh Friday this week, we went to our good pals, Satur Farms on Long Island, for some yellow wax beans! They are practically fat free and cholesterol free, and also full of Vitamin C and iron. Yellow wax beans are great in a side salad, or sauteed in a pan with some olive oil and garlic. 

Enjoy! 

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and what YOU can do about it!

For today's blog post, we wanted to feature a story we recently covered for our monthly newsletter. We really believe in bettering the environment, and hope you do too. Don't receive our monthly newsletter? Click here to sign up!

With the summer here, many of us will be walking around and spending time outdoors. In an effort to stay hydrated in these warmer temperatures, we will likely be drinking more water. Fresh & Co. asks you to think of the environment and the impact plastics have. 

This is The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and yes, it’s real. Estimated to be twice the size of Texas, it stretches from California to Japan. The Atlantic Ocean also has its own version in the Sargasso Sea. Due to the ocean currents, garbage from around the world that makes its way to the ocean ends up in these floating garbage dumps. Plastic material does not break down easily, causing it to be the biggest type of garbage in these patches. The severe impact these have had on our environment is mind blowing. All types of living beings from fish, birds, and other marine life have been impacted. The water quality in these areas have also gotten significantly worse. Click here to check out a recent piece Good Morning America did on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Here at Fresh & Co., we utilize our resources to help the environment. If you have eaten one of our salads, you may have noticed the container we used. Bottle Box™  is a terrific product that is the first of its kind. Using nothing but 100% recycled bottles, Bottle Box™ uses the plastic from five 16.9 fl oz bottles to make one of our salad containers. Pretty cool, huh? It’s our way of knowing that we are doing the right thing when it comes to bringing you an environmentally sound product.

Fresh and natural foods. Environmentally friendly packaging. Partners with local farms. Simply put, this is what we at Fresh & Co. believe in. What are you doing to help the environment? We would love to hear!