I swear I'll eventually move on from fast-cas to actual restaurants, I'm just trying to chill in terms of being that bitch who whips her phone out at a nice dinner. Didn't want to get to the point I was ordering food based on whether or not it would be ~*pretty*~, ya know? Poutine doesn't match my Instagram aesthetic and I will be damned if I eat something healthy over french fries covered in duck gravy just for the purpose of the 'gram.
In this case though, Mother Juice is my absolute favorite place to get healthy food that I actually want to eat. I am allergic to everything. In case you've never had to find a place that has gluten free options AND nut free options - it's borderline impossible. Its generally the case that places offering gluten and dairy substitutes use tree nuts as alternative ingredients, which sucks when your options are 1) eat gluten and get bloated and breakout for a week 2) death by tree nuts or 3) pretend I "just want a salad without dressing its fine haha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" What's awesome about Mother Juice is that aside from bowl bases and the juices, everything is made to order, totally customizable (unclear as to whether or not that's a word, yikes,) & gluten free (!!!). I can order smoothies with water and banana instead of nut milk or ask to substitute sunflower seeds for nuts in their salads. They have sunflower butter too which is CLUTCH & so good in smoothies/on their gluten-free toast!
I have yet to have anything from them that hasn't been worth the walk/money. You know how sometimes health food just sucks or honestly isn't even that healthy? I've never once experienced that here. The portion sizes are good and no matter how horrifying the juice sounds (I'm drinking The Kyrie right now which is kale, spinach, parsley, celery, broccoli, and apples) its always great. Liquefied broccoli is a scary concept but its so good? Who am I? Make me pretty, please. They sell their juices in cleanse packages as well & they're one of the best and least expensive packages by a long shot. I'm not one to support a full juice cleanse, but substituting a meal or two a day with these feels really good & you don't get the "I'm starving to death" headache.
I get their salads almost every Friday & definitely recommend the Keen Whaat?? (mood) and the Forbidden Rice Bowl. You can customize or build your own salad, but honestly I'm usually brain-dead by the time lunch rolls around and just make sure there's no nuts so I'm not real-dead, and I get the Tamari-Lime-Siracha dressing. I eat like an animal so the spice slows me down. I'd say no shame but there is, in fact, a little shame. I'm sure most of you have functioning immune systems and can drink nut milks BUT, if you can't, the Life on Mars smoothie with banana and water instead of a dairy substitute is my favorite!
As far as the juices go, you can't lose. The Cure and Oh.Em.Gee are my favorites, but I try to stick with the green juices because it gives me this false sense of being a health kween that carries me through the day/helps me avoid pounding a bag of Skinny Pop after lunch. I feel my boujee-est during the summer on Newbury street with my little green drink before I go buy like, a half dozen cupcakes that I fully intend to eat by myself. The one time I only got one cupcake for myself, I accidentally ate part of the wrapper. Again, no shame but for sure a little shame.
Mother Juice has 3 locations in Boston so if you're near Kendall Square, BPM, or Newbury street & trying to be healthy, 10/10 recommend it over any other juice bar in the city. Love me a Mother Juice but I'm happy to take any decently healthy lunch spot suggestions! I need to stop dragging Rob to Sweetgreen.