Happy Go Foodie by Avec Moi

   Okay, I'm going to tell you a quick story, because I'm pretty sure there are a few of you out there that can relate.  It's been a long day of ____________ (insert what your day consists of here).  You get home and all you want to do is hang out and maybe try to relax a bit (unless you have children, then I am assuming this hope has long ago faded into the mist).  Nevertheless, you made a stop by the grocery store on the way home to pick up the last couple of ingredients you needed for the semi-complicated dinner you have been planning to make for the past week or so, but have been procrastinating on because you have found something easier to cook each night.  You finally peel yourself away from any idea of relaxation and realize, oh crap!!, the main ingredient for your dish is shriveled, spoiled, rotten....unusable!

Shriveled and dried out ronde de nice squashes :(

  Yep, your dinner is NOT happening.  AND, to top it off...you have no backup, besides easy mac or pb & j.  Is that an acceptable dinner for a couple of 30 somethings, you ask yourself?  No, nope, certainly not.  What to do?  Ding!!!  The light in my head pops on, I have a little gift card I got as a promotion a couple of months back for a new business that I think will solve my problem (and very likely your same problem...stat!).

   Happy Go Foodie is all about fresh, home-cooked take out meals.  Perfect for families or those of us that just can't stomach fast food when not on a road trip.  The owner Kris, has opened a small storefront conveniently located right of College Ave. on 62nd Street in the BR.

The Food...and how it works


   As mentioned, almost everything here is made fresh daily for you to enjoy (there are some frozen options too).  You can go online and reserve what you want to pick up later, which is highly recommended if something looks good to you.  It would be sad to show up there and for her to be out of what you were craving...but that's the price you might pay for fresh food if you don't get on it!  Check out the website and see.
   So, last night we were very last minute because of our dinner predicament.  We did still manage to score some delicious dinner options, though sadly a couple things on the menu were out.  There were still two orders of chicken and pineapple skewers and we accompanied them with a serving of green beans with lemon zest.  Sounds pretty good, and healthy, huh?

So, the idea is, you pick your serving a la carte from the little refrigerated case.  There are instructions for reheating, as you can see in the photo, as well as a list of the ingredients contained.  These green beans were a nice little side to accompany our skewers.  Now, the one thing I will admit is that I make these a LOT at home.  Fresh green beans, toss 'em in a pan, throw in some olive oil and seasoning and Voila!  BUT, I didn't tonight, did I?  Nope, but Happy Go Foodie did.  So, we had fresh green beans, that yes, I could have made easily at home, but the fact is, I did not.

As our entree, we scored these delicious little chicken and pineapple skewers.  Three skewers for each serving at $5.50.  At first I thought maybe this wouldn't be enough.  My eyes are always bigger than my stomach, though.  I threw these in the oven for the time specified and when they came out, they smelled GOOD.  Hubs and I were totally satisfied by the amount of food seen here.  It was actually a perfect portion for not gorging oneself :)  In theory, these are not too complicated either, but again, I didn't have chicken or pineapple on hand.  And it would've been a little prep for me to get this together.  These were really good.  With the green beans, we were really happy with our quick and very painless fix to my flop of a dinner on a Tuesday night.

The wrap.

   If you are tight on time and budget or you just want something healthy and fresh for your family, check this place out.  I think it's a really great idea, whatever your reason.  Let someone else cook for you for a night.  Check out their website and see what Kris has cookin' today.  The menu changes daily and she also has desserts.  There were some wicked good lookin' sugar cookies there last night too.  I might have to stop by and get one of those sometime!  Oh yeah, she also usually has a gluten free option and kids meal options as well.  Have fun with a fresh new take on "fast food."