While heading down the Main Street of Lansdale, you will see it is lined with a variety of popular restaurants and shops jumping out in front of you. However, if you venture off not far beyond what meets the eye, you will find that there are some tasty hidden gems.

Lansdale’s locally owned, “The Healthy Shack,” is located on Madison Street directly behind Main Street. While the owners, Julie Palermo and Buddy Harris, also own “The Lansdale Tavern”, this past September they opened up “The Healthy Shack” offering a menu filled with healthy meals including a variety of toasts, smoothie bowls, and coffees.

Toasts 

Choice of Multigrain or Sourdough Bread

Tahiti toast (ingredients: Nutella, banana, strawberries, chia seeds, honey drizzle; $7 for 1 piece, $13 for 2 pieces)- Although this toast is supposed to be a breakfast food, it was definitely sweet enough to be considered a dessert. Nutella is a sugary chocolate hazelnut spread and when topped with strawberries, bananas, and honey drizzle, is very very sweet. Personally, I have a sweet tooth so this toast was very enjoyable, but if you don’t have a sweet tooth, it might be too overpowering. The strawberries and bananas were perfectly ripened which added a very refreshing component to the toast. While chia seeds didn’t add much flavor, they added a nice texture apart from the smooth textures of the other toppings. There was a perfect amount of honey to top it off. Overall this toast was a very good combination of different sweet and refreshing ingredients but again, for some people, it might be overly sweet.

Capri (ingredients: Ricotta cheese, avocado, strawberries, basil, microgreens, garlic, pink salt, balsamic drizzle; $8.50 for 1 piece, $15 for 2 pieces)- If there was a perfect sweet and tangy combination, it would be the toppings on this piece of toast. The flavors that most popped out were the sweetness of the strawberries and the tanginess of the balsamic drizzle that mixed flawlessly together. While the base of spread ricotta cheese layered with smashed avocado on top was more of a texture than a flavor, it still added a nice subtle savory taste. The basil and micro greens added good volume on top along with the garlic and salt to season it off perfectly.

Smoothie Bowls

Laguna (ingredients: Pitaya Base topped with mango, strawberries, and granola; $12.25)-

On the first bite of this vibrant bowl, I was met with a smooth base that was cool in my mouth. The bright pink color of the pitaya was almost misleading, but in a good way since the overall taste was not too sweet, contrary to what I expected. One thing that I noticed about the pitaya was the coconut flavor. The good thing was that it is not too prevalent, which is good for someone who doesn’t enjoy coconut like me. As for the toppings, the sweetness of the perfectly-ripe strawberries paired very well with the coolness of the base, and the contrasting flavors created a sweet, but not overpowering combination. The granola was exceptionally crunchy with a sugary flavor that again paired well with the sweetness of the fruit and base. For my drizzle of choice (Nutella, almost butter, peanut butter, honey) I chose honey, which added a good look, but honestly didn’t add anything since I couldn’t taste it with everything else going on. The one flaw of this bowl for me personally was the ripeness of the mangos. They were tart with a chewy consistency, which was not enjoyable. If it were a good season for mangos, that would be my favorite part of the bowl. Overall the combination of flavors and the aesthetic of the bowl was a perfect match for my liking.

La Jolla (Acai Base topped with coconut, pineapple, and mango; $12.25)-

When digging into this colorful bowl, the fresh acai base instantly refreshed me. The acai base was sweet, and is definitely something for fruit-lovers. One downside is the texture didn’t stay frozen for long. It was good and soft once I got it, but pretty quickly, it melted and became liquidy, which thankfully didn’t stop the good taste. The bowl was topped with juicy ripe pineapple that paired perfectly with the base. It was extremely fresh and thirst quenching. It complemented the mangos well. As for the mangos, they were diced nicely, but the flavor doesn’t match the look. One thing that I wish was added to this bowl is granola, just for a change in texture and some contrast in flavor. Overall, this bowl was pleasing to the eye, as well as the taste buds. Next time, I might do some add ons, but will definitely be ordering this again.

Overall our experience at The Healthy Shack was nothing less than pleasant. It was an aesthetic, summery place to enjoy some food that tastes good, and is also good for the body. I felt fresh just being in there, but what really made the experience was the helpfulness of the employees, as we were immediately greeted as we walked in. I will definitely be telling my friends about this place, and will stop by whenever I need a healthy treat!