I've been to Healthy on Lark a few times over the years for their healthy vegetarian and vegan food…read moreofferings, and have always enjoyed everything without exception. They definitely know what they're doing with their tofu and tempeh and I appreciate that these ingredients are featured in their natural state, instead of processed for meat-imitation purposes. Whole-food plant-based people rejoice! That being said, they do have rotating specials such as noodle and taco dishes that will fool an unsuspecting meat lover, if that's your objective.
Healthy of Lark also offers very strongly-brewed and locally-roasted coffee (not for the faint of heart), a great selection of teas, smoothies, and fresh, organic vegetable and fruit juices.
In an attempt to kick start some weight loss and get healthy for the summer (and all of those annoying, er... I mean charitable, 5Ks), I recently purchased a three-day juice cleanse package from Healthy on Lark as well. A juice cleanse or fast is when you drink somewhere between 60-100 ozs of fresh juice, as well as hearty amounts of tea and water all throughout the day instead of solid food in order to flush out toxins from all of your body's excretory organs. Do your own research to see if it's for you and if you're up for the challenge (calorie-restriction is hard) and don't happen to have an industrial juicer in your home - Head over to Healthy on Lark!
Before I began, I met with Healthy on Lark's proprietor (a certified health counselor) to discuss my objectives and juice preferences. I opted for a package of 64 ozs of fresh juice and one 16 oz nut milk smoothie with a protein supplement per day for $134 (total, plus tax and tip). (You can also purchase whole food snacks and/or a meal as a part of your cleanse, but I elected to wait and gauge my hunger and make my own real food as I needed it - which I did). Every morning for 3 days, my fresh juice was delivered right to my doorstep in eco-friendly mason jars. I really appreciated the convenience and enjoyed most of the juice concoctions, especially the ones that were vibrantly vegetal in flavor and green in color.
Unfortunately, there were a few things that I wish had gone differently and that now I know for next time. First of all, tell the proprietor what you want and if you want a complete break down of the juice ingredients. I guess I just assumed I would receive variations of the basic flavor combinations on the regular juice menu (which all sounded delicious), but that's not the case with the cleanse package, unless your specifically ask for it.
Also, if you want 3-4 (or more) different varieties of juices per day (to keep it interesting), you also have to make that clear. Some days I received 32 ozs each of only two different juice combinations so I got bored pretty quickly. (Actually on this issue, I was told that was the only option because otherwise they would need to give me 5 (!) small mason jars per day, but I consented to this approach because I thought I would be receiving 2 days worth of juice at a time and so I could switch it up myself. This didn't end up being the case.) I also would have preferred smaller jars with individual servings so that the second serving of juice wouldn't oxidize in the half empty jars for a few hours, which definitely changed the flavor.
Lastly, keep in mind that Healthy on Lark is not offering some groupon mail-order juice products with fancy labels and instructions. Make sure you do your own independent and thorough research about juice cleansing and if you're not feeling great, communicate with the proprietor as soon and as much as possible.
