Zedric's Heats Up the Power Lunch

Every now and then we are lucky enough to find a co-worker that we can share interests with beyond what happens between the walls of our cubicles. The ties that bond may be sports, hobbies, or in my and my work BFF’s case – food. Since arriving in my department over two years ago, I can say that my friend and I have shared many memories over a lunchtime meal. Often, our fellow teammates marvel at just how much we can consume between the two of us. However, despite our seemingly monstrous appetites, we both share the desire to eat healthfully and maintain an active lifestyle.

Our most recent lunch outing was to Zedric’s, a local gourmet to go spot conveniently near our work place. Zedric’s specializes in creating chef-prepared meals that can be heated up and eaten at their location or taken home to enjoy at your convenience. All of their gourmet selections are quick-chilled and never frozen. They are simply refrigerated and then microwaved for the ultimate convenience of their patrons.


Other than great tasting food, I can honestly say that of equal importance to me is the customer service at any restaurant I visit - and Zedric’s delivers. I was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the staff and their genuine willingness to assist me and every customer who walked into their doors, eagerly informing us on everything from the variety of meals, to available portion sizes.

Blackened Tilapia & Butternut Squash Puree

Upon walking into Zedric’s several large coolers line the walls near the entrance. These coolers offer a dazzling array of chef-prepared meals ranging from breakfast items to lunch and dinner meals, along with salads and sweet snacks. After perusing the cooler, I settled on the Blackened Tilapia and Butternut Squash Puree with a banana bar for a light dessert treat. After ringing me up, my helpful cashier Sasha heated up my food in one of the available microwaves. Honestly speaking, as I waited for my food I was unsure if the taste would measure up to my expectations. However, I trust my fellow food lover and friend who had promised that Zedric’s would not disappoint. I began with the fish and immediately enjoyed the zesty taste of the perfectly blackened tilapia. I was equally impressed that despite being microwaved, the texture stayed perfect, the fish moist and delicious. A small side cup of pineapple vinaigrette accompanied the fish and provided a perfect balance to the spice of the tilapia, adding a cool and refreshing finish. Not to be forgotten is the butternut squash puree, which was both light and buttery at the same time. The taste and texture was rich – minus the guilt. After gobbling up my main course, I set out to enjoy my banana bar. The portion size of this dessert is small enough to prevent a sugar overload, but the flavor delivers in a big way. Fresh banana bread envelopes your taste buds, with a light cream cheese frosting that melts in your mouth as quickly as it went in, and I am not ashamed to say I bought another one for the road.

Zedric's offers up healthy drinking options, too!

I can say firsthand that a busy lifestyle often does not lend itself well to eating healthy, but Zedric’s makes it easy with their extensive variety of low-carb, Paleo friendly and vegetarian options. Whether you are in need of a sit down meal or a time saving option for home – Zedric’s is a welcomed option for healthy convenience on the go.

Story & Photos by L. Carpenter

Dining Out: Know Before You Go

I love food. However, in light of a recent food poisoning episode that swept our home, I must revisit this post, You Are What you Eat. In this 2-part series, we looked into clothes and food so that consumers would be made aware of what we are really spending our money on. Food is vital to life but as of late, restaurants have been foregoing quality for the all mighty dollar and patrons suffer. As is the case with my children and father-in-law, who, no surprise are the two age groups most highly likely to be vulnerable to it. With weakened or still developing immune systems, the body cannot fight off Staph, deal with spoiled meats or unsanitary dining ware that are common in restaurants today. Now, every city should be conducting inspections and this information is open to the public. There is no excuse not to look up & read the reviews of the restaurants before dining to be on the safe side. Heed the warnings. It's not being picky. It is being safe so consider the local restaurant reviews and health inspections are your personal tour of the kitchen. From family friendly to 4 Star establishments are subject to inspection and how they keep their kitchens really varies across the board. I habitually check before we go but I broke with tradition this time and we suffered. There are a variety of offenses from the most insignificant to the highly objectionable. Let's just say our restaurant ran the gamut in the offense department & unknown to most people in the area, had been shut down for reasons unknown. Very shady but there are ways to avoid a dining disaster.

Here are simple tips to keep everyone healthy when dining out:

1. Check your local restaurant health inspections & reviews. A quick Google search & 10 min could save your tummies the crummies.


2. If it looks filthy in the dining area, then imagine the kitchen. Don't hesitate to walk out if the atmosphere & cleanliness is unfavorable.


3. Immediately, but politely send back any unsavory dishes. My motto for food quality is: "When in doubt, throw out." It is not worth getting sick so speak up if something tastes off.


4. Wash hands before eating or at least wipe down with Wet Ones or use some Purell. From the doorknob at the front door to that accidental handswipe under the table, germs are lurking. Avoid hand to mouth transfer by washing often.