Healthy Eating on a Budget @ Impressca

Going to the mall can be tiring even if you're just window shopping. So it becomes automatic to look for food once you feel the hunger pangs or you feel bored after looking at all the stuff you wish you could buy but can't at the the moment. At this point, one usually opts for fast food because, well, it's fast. But I'm glad to report that there are healthy alternatives making themselves available for the foodie who wants to eat healthy.

Since you've been doing some exercise walking around the mall anyway, why not walk your way to healthy food as well. I found one such place at The Block in SM North called Impressca at the 4th level.

One of the first things you'll see is their special offer of eat-all-you-can-salad for only P99.00. A friend and me tried this once (sadly, I couldn't get a picture) and the salad ingredients were mostly fruits and some veggies like cucumber. Just like in Wendy's salad bar, you have to apply some great techniques to pile up all the ingredients you want unto your salad plate (sadly, styrofoam).

My favorite meal to order here is their Veggie Melt (P75.00) and their Banana Shake (P35.00, not really sure but I'm sure it was cheap.). Looks healthy doesn't it? And it might look too little for lunch but it was a filling lunch to me.

Look at all the veggie goodness of this sandwich. The melt part is of course the cheese! I love my cheese and I can't seem to have enough of it. I think I can go vegetarian except it's hard to let go of cheese.

Anyway, they used wholewheat bread and the veggies were fresh and tasty. It looks like there's a hint of ham in there but it's actually just tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce with some mayo and of course, melted cheese. This makes me want to buy a panini grill more than ever.

If you're a little bit famished and you want to load up on your carbs, you have the option to double up the bread by adding up P15-20.00. Not sure if this depends on the sandwich variety. But the double decker veggie melt looks delicious too, don't you think?

And one of the best things I like about this little place are their fruit shakes or smoothies. My favorite is their Banana Shake which taste like real banana because it's made up of just real bananas. It's a refreshing addition to any meal.

You also have the option to have yogurt in your shake but every time I ordered it, they were always out of yogurt. Maybe I should come earlier next time.

Impressca also offers options for pasta lovers if you're not happy with just a sandwich. Their ingredients are all organic I was told, and all their prices are very affordable. This is a great way to stay on budget and stay healthy with food that doesn't taste cheap too. I wish there were more places like this inside malls or even outside, like on campus so we can be a nation of healthy eaters.

I'll try to explore healthier eat treats from now on so hopefully I find lots of them that I can share here. 😀