Believe it or not, I’m not always shoving my face full of deliciously decadent food. (Even if my Instagram feed leads you to believe otherwise.) Sometimes a girl’s gotta get her “healthy” on. The awesome thing is that in recent years eating healthy is no longer synonymous with eating food that tastes like sawdust.
I’ve found two great Colorado-based fast-casual places that consistently serve up yummy, healthful food bowls that are awesome options for breakfast or lunch: Prosperoats and Rush Bowls.
Prosperoats in Highland is my pick for a healthy savory breakfast bowl. On a recent trip, I chose steel-cut oats as my base and selected the Sailor Man ($5.59 for the 12oz.) combo of toppings which comes with fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes, and cheese (I got cheddar). I also upgraded and got hard boiled egg added on for $1 for some extra protein.
But the magic ingredient is a super-delicious creamy lemon garlic sauce that you mix in. It takes the bowl from “OK” to “OMG”. Unbelievable flavor! Eating this bowl totally changed my idea of what an oatmeal-based breakfast could taste like. It was very filling and satisfying. The small size was definitely enough food for me.
If I lived closer I’d be getting this all the time for brunch on the weekends after yoga class. In fact, the clientele on a Saturday morning is almost exclusively young Lululemon-clad women (and the occasional boyfriend) who are just coming from or going to an exercise class. They’re only open until 4pm most days, so this is really perfect for early risers and the lunchtime crowd.
My sweet bowl pick is Rush Bowls, which has a location in Boulder as well as their newer store in Highland (coincidentally just a few blocks away from Propsperoats). Most of their bowl combos use fruits, acai, or yogurt, so they are perfect for those who like to walk on the sweeter side for breakfast.
I actually found Rush Bowls through a foodie influencer event, so I got to sample a bunch of their most popular bowls all in one go, tasting the Chai’s Mystique, their signature Beach Bowl, and the Peanut Butter & Jelly. Bowls start at $7.95 with additional toppings costing extra.
Out of those three, the Beach Bowl was my hands-down favorite. I loved the high-quality acai base that the bowl was built on with a fruit combo of strawberries (subbed in from the regular mango) and banana drizzled with pure guava juice and topped with organic granola & honey and a pile of coconut shavings (added on extra).
Rush Bowls opens at 7am but stays open late (Denver location open until 7pm), so I think a lot of the options they have on their menu could serve as a great after-dinner dessert as well. I could definitely see myself heading over there for a healthy alternative for when an ice cream craving hits.
Details
Prosperoats – 2550 15th St. Denver, CO 80211
Rush Bowls – 1665 Central St, Denver, CO 80211