Going Local: The Health Nut Sandwich Company

Sooo...in all the hustle and bustle of post-Christmas/pre-New Year's office work, I forgot to order lunch until rather late today.  Last week, local company The Health Nut Sandwich Company left a menu at our front desk detailing some yummy-sounding breakfast and lunch options (and for delivery, no less!).  Not only do I love food, I also like to support local businesses, so I decided to give them a try.

I placed my order online right around 1:30, which is normally when they are finishing up deliveries for the day.  I didn't realize how late it was until after placing the order, so I called to make sure it wasn't too late for today's lunch.  Proprietor Sarah Claeys quickly called back to confirm my order.  I had originally ordered the All-American: oven roasted turkey, tomatoes, red onions, cheddar, and field greens served on whole grain bread with your choice of mayo, grainy mustard, or honey mustard on the side, with a cup of Tomato Basil Soup and an organic Gala apple.  Due to the lateness of my order, they were all out of soup, so I chose the Barley Salad: pearled barley with mushrooms, onions, walnuts, parsley and garlic, tossed in a savory balsamic dressing.  Sarah called back a few minutes later to offer me a choice of the whole-grain bread or a toasted whole-grain baguette for my sandwich.  Personal service and attention to detail are big pluses for me, so I was definitely impressed by her efforts to make sure I really enjoyed my lunch!

When Sarah arrived at the office, she even brought me a Smoothie to go along with my meal because of the time confusion with today's ordering.  Extra little things like that really make me appreciate a business.  I enjoyed having the opportunity to talk with Sarah about The Health Nut Sandwich Company.  They have been in business since September, and I regret not having tried them before today!  Their use of fresh, natural, local, and homemade ingredients fits my (attempted) healthy lifestyle focus.

And those fresh ingredients definitely suited my tastebuds!  My sandwich was sooo good.  The whole grain baguette had texture and flavor, and the stack of turkey and crisp lettuce with tomato, red onion and a wedge of cheddar cheese made for a hearty sandwich that was filling without leaving me feeling overstuffed.  The barley salad was as equally good.  The texture of the barley pearls was not too chewy, the nuts were still crunchy, and the onions and mushrooms were tender.   I finished the delicious fruit smoothie, so the Gala apple will have to go into the fridge for tomorrow afternoon's snack.

Health Nut Sandwich Company brings new life to the traditional "brown bag" lunch.  Not only was the food well-prepared and full of flavor, but the service was excellent, and the price point for lunch was very reasonable: $10 or under for a fabulous meal delivered directly to my desk means a lot in these leaner economic times!  I will definitely be ordering from The Health Nut Sandwich Company again!  Maybe next time I will try breakfast: the "Marina" wrap with eggs, tomatoes, pesto, mozzarella, and spinach grilled in a whole-wheat wrap sure does sound tasty...