For those of you who don’t know, I’m into eating healthy now. Recently, I did a story about the Mediterranean diet, tried it for a week, and haven’t looked back since. And it’s been great! I feel lighter, happier, and healthier and have saved a LOT of money from meal planning. But there is one tiny hiccup in my new lifestyle: I’m a foodie. I love trying new restaurants. Every weekend, I drive into Houston and eat at the newest brunch spot. But generally, we associate eating out with indulgent foods: the fried chicken, the pancakes, the gourmet sandwiches. That doesn’t really work for me anymore. SO last weekend I went on a quest to find the trendiest, cutest, HEALTHIEST restaurant in Houston, and ended up at Flower Child at 1 p.m.on Saturday. 

What drew me here? Well, the name itself just exudes bohemian hippy joy, and their impressive menu boasts of unique bowls, filling wraps, and plenty of lean protein options. For me, a good restaurant needs to have equal parts of atmosphere and quality food. Flower Child accomplishes both of these, with its precious wicker seating and boho-chic artwork as well as food so good you wouldn’t even think it’s healthy. 

A little bit about my experience. Upon arrival, it was pretty crowded and they have a “seat-yourself” type format. I ordered at the counter and the cashier told me it would be 20 minutes for an inside table and kind of voluntold me to sit outside… which slightly irritated me. THEN, as soon as I got my drink, four inside tables opened up. So I decided to stand by one of them while it was cleaned. THEN, this lady has the audacity to come and sit there and I was like, “I’m sorry, I was waiting for this table.” THEN, the lady is like, “Oh well the cashier told us to come sit here.” And THEN I got super embarrassed but also irritated because they basically forced me to sit outside even though several tables were open. SO I went back up to the counter and told her I would like an inside table, and everything was all good. That was the only negative thing I could really say: mostly I’m just mad about the inaccuracy of the wait time and then the confusion about it not actually being self seating. Moving on.

I ordered the Glow Bowl, which had spicy sweet potato noodles, bok choy, zucchini, onion, mushroom, and sunflower butter. Number 1, what is sunflower butter? I have no clue. Number 2, I nixed the mushrooms because ew. Oh, and I added chicken which was a good call because it definitely wouldn’t have been very filling without it. When it arrived, I was kind of surprised because the sweet potato noodles weren’t pasta; they were literally just sweet potato cut into a noodle shape. I’m not mad about it though, it was actually very light and delicious. My meal was tart and playful and I literally felt like I added 10 years to my life after eating it. Side note: My boyfriend ordered the Rebel Wrap, which had grilled steak, onion, port salut cheese (what is that?), arugula, and horseradish yogurt. I definitely liked the wrap best- the flavor was AMAZING and the horseradish yogurt added this amazing tang. I also liked that the wrap had a thicker, pita-type bread instead of a thin wheat tortilla. Overall, it rocked my socks off and I recommend ordering that for an easy introduction into healthy eating.

Honestly, my little adventure into frilly hippie eating made my weekend. During class today, I’ve found myself drifting back to the memory of a restaurant with so much aesthetic and an experience that transcends the eating itself. I will definitely go back, and even for my picky eaters who prefer Goldfish to veggies, I suggest giving it a try because the flavors and quality are not sacrificed for nutritional value here. Flower Child is both cute and unique, healthy and delicious.