Is healthier eating on your list of resolutions for 2024? CT Food Girly wants to help you stay on track without sacrificing the fun and convenience of dining out! Each Tuesday, Kevin and Jenna talk about all things food in Connecticut with Alex from CT Food Girly. Today she’s sharing the best local spots that offer healthy meal options, and the restaurants we should check out if we want to expand our culinary pallets this year. Check out Alex’s picks below:

Fresh Greens & Proteins, located in Hamden, offers healthy options, like make-your-own wraps, salads, bowls, and smoothies. It’s a great spot to fuel up, it’s fast, casual, and definitely a healthy alternative to the Hamden area and the surrounding towns. I ordered the Burrito Bowl, which comes with brown rice, black beans, shredded cheddar, tortilla strips, lettuce, pico de gallo, corn salsa, avocado, and chipotle mayo. I am full for hours after and it tastes so good. If you’re headed for a hike on Sleeping Giant, this is a great spot for lunch too, it’s right by Quinnipiac, so I know it’s a student favorite.

In Wallingford (and also in Middlebury), there is BMuse Cafe, which offers delicious salads, sandwiches, soups and more. They have a bunch of vegetarian and vegan friendly options as well. This is another spot where you can make-your-own, and the options are always fresh and delicious. Since I work in Wallingford, I’m here a lot and I always order the Tuscan Style Grille Chicken, which is a wrap with herb marinated chicken breast, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, baby field greens and pesto mayo. It is to die for.

Also in Wallingford is the Eatery. I was just introduced to this new spot in town and I can’t get enough. The Eatery offers classic sandwiches and signature specials, they have boxed salads and bowls too. This is a great spot if you need a quick and filling breakfast in the morning, it is served all day. I have been ordering their “BCB” sandwich, which is grilled chicken, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, chipotle aioli and buffalo sauce. Their fresh ciabatta is out of this world.

In New Haven, there is Claire’s Corner Copia, which has been there longer than I can remember. It is a fully vegetarian restaurant that has been serving New Haven since 1975. This is the place you go if you want organic, sustainable, vegan and gluten-free dishes. Claire’s offers a huge breakfast menu, but also has a delicious lunch menu as well. There are tasty soups, sandwiches, wraps, grinders, and fresh salads too. There is a whole mexican entree portion of the menu as well, Claire’s makes their own refried organic pinto beans, guac and salsa.

Eating More Diverse Foods:

Trying something new There is Laskara’s Restaurant in Wallingford, which is a Greek and Mediterranean restaurant. I really want to try their lamb gyro and spanakopita (span-a-ko-pit-a), which is a savory spinach pie. Theirs has dill, spinach, scallions, feta cheese and it’s wrapped in a flakey phyllo dough.

In Southington, there is a Polish restaurant, called PolishPlate, that I really need to check out. They are serving fresh pierogies, filled with potato and cheese, mushroom and sauerkraut, blueberry and strawberry. I even saw that they created a pierogi taco a couple years ago at this restaurant and it’s made up of cheese and potato perigo taco shell with sauerkraut, kielbasa, bacon, sauteed onions and green onion.

In West Hartford, there is Zaytoon’s Bistro, which is a Lebanese and Moroccan restaurant. I saw photos of their amazing spicy hummus, lamb shank, chicken kabob and more. I think this would be a great spot to try out some new flavors and try something new in 2024.

Lastly, there is Ola, which has two locations, one in Orange and one in Wallingford. They pride themselves on their delicious latin cuisine. Serving a wide range of tapas appetizers, that all look delicious on their website may I add, and bright and colorful entrees that looked packed with flavor. This would be a nice spot for a date night if you both wanted to try some smaller portions of a new cuisine in the new year. 

Image Credit: Getty Images

Every Wednesday, Kevin and Jenna talk to a local expert about the things that make our lives easier, from home improvement to DIY to parenting. This week we chat with Home Expert Susie Calabrese of @susiecal_CT. Today we’re diving into the excitement of ringing in the New Year with style and fun from the comfort of your own home!

image credit: Getty Images

Each Tuesday, Kevin and Jenna talk about all things food in Connecticut with Alex from CT Food Girly. Check her out @ctfoodgirly on Instagram! Looking for a stress-free way to celebrate after the ball drop? Welcome 2024 with a midday brunch at one of CT Food Girly’s favorite spots:

In Fairfield and in New Haven, Geronimo Tequila Bar is offering brunch menu options from 12 to 3. Geronimo’s cuisine is 100% Southwestern with an awesome everyday menu of tacos, award-winning chile, quesadillas, and more, so for New Year’s Day brunch they are switching it up and offering a special menu of lobster rolls, steak and eggs, tacos, and more. They have amazing cocktails as well. I read once that they have over 40 varieties of Mezcal.

Also in New Haven, Fair Haven Oyster Company, which is an oyster bar located on the Quinnipiac river, so the views will be amazing, is having a New Year’s Day brunch from 11:00 to 3:30. There’s little neck clams, oyster shooters, grilled lobster, shrimp toast, and eggs benny too.

I don’t know about you, but shrimp toast sounds amazing. A great choice to refuel after the NYE activities. Fair Haven Oyster Company is also serving special New Year’s Day brunch cocktails. I saw some yummy ones on that menu, you can check it out on their Instagram.

Lastly, Barcelona Wine Bar, which has locations in Fairfield, Norwalk, Stamford and West Hartford, and New Haven is having a New Year’s Day brunch at most of its Connecticut locations and a lunch menu in New Haven. Their brunch menu is packed with a selection of great charcuterie and cheese, with tons of tapas options for the table to share and salads, large plates, and desserts as well. They have a delicious red and white sangria that you can get by the glass or pitcher, and that is something I will be looking for during my New Year’s Day brunch.

On the shoreline, Saybrook Point Resort & Marina in Old Saybrook is hosting a bunch of New Years activities, not only do they have a New Year’s Eve Gala on Sunday for a five-course dinner, but they also have their New Year’s Eve Breakfast Buffet on Sunday as well. On that menu is fruit, pastries, bagel, salads, salmon, ham, sausage, bacon and so much more. Then on New Year’s Day, they are offering another brunch with a different menu which consists of a waffle station, pasta station, carving station and even a street taco station. They also have an entree selection of short rib ravioli, strip steak, jambalaya, stuffed clams and the list goes on and on!

If you need me, I’ll be at the street taco station.

Also, on our shoreline, we have Water’s Edge Resort & Spa in Westbrook, which is hosting a brunch with a carving station, build your own omelet, fresh baked pastries and more.

And lastly, if you’re headed up towards Hartford, Fire by Forge is open for New Year’s Day brunch with their regular brunch menu offerings like chicken and waffles, omelets, eggs, french toast and all those classic breakfast favorites we love.

image credit: Getty Images