Healthy delivery is a great option

A few weeks ago during endless days of rain, my co-workers and I decided to have lunch brought in to the office through On the Go Delivery (onthegodelivery.com). For a small fee of $4.99 per delivery, it was the perfect answer. We couldn’t have a hot, fresh lunch from one of our favorite restaurants without getting drenched and ruining our favorite shoes wading through ankle-deep puddles.

Visions of spaghetti danced in my head as we flipped through tabs of Italian, Greek, Chinese and deli restaurant menus trying to please even the pickiest eaters. Sunshine Health Food Café seemed like a surprising choice, but goodness knows I am always seeking new experiences. Soon we were all hovering over the computer trying to decide among their generous selection of sandwiches, soups, panini, pasta, organic salads or combos of each.

Avocado sandwiches are a staple in our office, so several combos with half sandwich and soup or organic salad were quickly added to the order. In addition to the avocado or veggie reuben, they offer turkey, ham, tuna and chicken salad with an interesting selection of breads (cracked wheat, Ezekiel sesame, wheat-free or country white), cheese (Monterey Jack or soy), veggies (sunflower sprouts, lettuce, tomato or red onions) and condiments like stoned-ground mustard or canola mayo. Prices range from $3.99-$6.99 for whole sandwiches with combos of half sandwiches and soup or salad available for $7.99. When our lunch arrived, the golden toasted bread with cool creamy avocado and fresh vegetables turned out to be a notch above everyone’s expectations.

Having a serious pasta craving, I was pleased to find a spinach lasagna and organic salad combo ($7.99) on the menu. The lasagna was a generous portion of noodles layered with creamy white cheeses and fresh spinach topped with just a touch of herbed red sauce. It was simply delicious.

While both the sandwiches and lasagna were a hit, the salads were the highlight of the meal. The drop down box that appears when you select salad under Sunshine Health Foods Café from the On the Go Delivery ordering form offers a multitude of vegetable, fruit and nut toppings. In a frenzy of indecision, I ordered spinach, mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, blueberries, strawberries, blue cheese, almond slivers, topping it all with green peas just because they were available.

Popping open the rectangular to-go boxes, we found them packed to the hilt with some of the freshest ingredients we have ever seen on a restaurant salad. The vegetables, including the tomatoes, were fresh, crisp and flavorful, while the fruits were ripe and naturally sweet. Normally, when I include fruit, I don’t find a need for dressing. Still, I could not resist dipping the cucumbers in the tasty Caesar that accompanied my order. Next time, I may order a whole organic salad ($7.99) and have them fill it with all of the choices I missed, like eggs, sunflower seeds and artichoke hearts.

Sunshine Health Foods delivery made such a good a good impression that I promptly arranged to take my best friend to lunch on the first sunny day so we could try the café. We found it conveniently located in a shopping center at Southfield and Youree Drive near Home Again. As you enter, the health food store is filled with interesting items reaching out for your attention as you wind your way to the cozy café space in the back.

With an organic salad bar to the left, a gentleman waiting to blend fresh fruit smoothies on the right, and a beautifully hand-drawn chalkboard of options in front of us, we hardly knew what to do first. The staff was wonderfully helpful, so it wasn’t very long before we had plates of spinach lasagna and turkey avocado melts in hand and were building our salads at the bar.

However, the highlight of this trip turned out to be a suggestion from John Carrier. He happened to be having lunch there and highly recommended the African groundnut soup (bowl $3.25). This thick aromatic soup was rich with the tastes of peanut butter and spices. The unusual flavor was so enjoyable that I just wanted to savor it on my tongue and found myself wishing I had ordered a quart ($7.99) to take home.

Regardless of the weather, dine in or delivery, Sunshine Health Foods Cafe has definitely found a place in my heart-healthy world. As much as I love cooking at home, this working woman on the go has committed to not let fresh groceries perish in an ignominious wilt in her refrigerator when I can order a fresh organic salad with all of my favorite ingredients at the click of a keystroke.