Hello and Happy Friday! I love this weather and I already made it to the gym today so I am in a good mood. I made sure to go before work since I am getting a massage after work! A massage is always that much better when you are sore from a hard workout. This morning I did 40 minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes on the treadmill, and some arm exercises using free weights. I usually hate doing weights without an instructor telling me what to do but I really enjoyed it today. I felt more productive than when I just do cardio and leave. I also want to make sure I continue weight training as much as possible since I can’t take Core Fusion anymore. I do plan to request some Core Fusion classes for my birthday (hi Mom..hint hint).
I was starving after my workout so I decided to try a new restaurant for breakfast. This restaurant used to be Pita Grill but it closed out of nowhere! I was very sad but was also pretty curious when I saw the new sign over the store: Muscle Maker Grill. The name sounded like it had to be a new healthy restaurant right? I checked out the website and thought the story of how Muscle Maker Grill started was pretty interesting:
At the age of 18, Rod Silva began working-out and bodybuilding. He learned that 80% of the result of exercise is eating the right food and he could not find any restaurant that had the correct nutrition he required. Having come from a family of great cooks, he began creating recipes that taste great and are nutritious as well.
On December 8th of 1995, Rod opened the doors to a protein smoothie store in Colonia, New Jersey. The store also carried a line of Sports Supplement products. Rod was 23 years old, still exercising and working out more than ever. While running the smoothie store, Rod would bring his food for lunch and dinner. Customers would smell the delicious aroma and would ask if they could buy the food. Rod started cooking extra and began selling tasty meals to his customers.
From the beginning menu of Home Cooked Chicken Wraps, Grilled Chicken Breasts, and Awesome Turkey Breast Meatloaf along with a $15,000 loan on his Nissan Maxima, Muscle Maker Grill was born. As they say, the rest is history.
I checked out the menu and loved all of the healthy options. They have everything from Fit Salads, to Muscle Maker Wraps, to Power Pastas. You can substitute shrimp or steak with any of the chicken entrees. They also have a vegetarian section with edamame, brown rice and beans, a wrap, and more. The menu lists all of the calorie counts and is recommended by HealthyDiningFinder.com.
I walked in this morning and was greeted with a friendly welcome. There was one other customer in the restaurant. The employee told us that they specialize in lunch and dinner but their breakfasts are great as well. He said nothing in the restaurant is processed or cooked with butter. There were a bunch of great looking breakfast options such as sandwiches, wraps, breakfast bowls, protein oatmeal, and protein smoothies.
I decided on the Nitro: scrambled egg whites, reduced fat cheddar cheese and turkey bacon with MMG signature sauce. (227 calories)
I had the choice of getting the sandwich on a whole wheat English muffin, whole wheat bagel, or heart-healthy waffles. I decided on the whole wheat English muffin. The other woman in the store got the bagel and asked if she could get it scooped out. They said it was not necessary since the bagel is thin and only 100 calories. Good to know. I got my sandwich to-go and brought it back to work with me.
It was a bit messy but hey…messy food always seems to taste better! I liked that they provided a nice amount of egg whites. I also enjoyed the melted cheese that was oozing out of my sandwich!
The sandwich was delicious. I would love to know what their MMG signature sauce is! It gave the sandwich so much flavor. I could probably make this at home for a lot less than $4.99 but it is a great option in terms of convenience. It would be pretty tough to make this myself on days that I go to the gym in the morning. The breakfast wraps are $7.29 so I think I would have to stick with the sandwiches. I can get a perfect breakfast wrap from Energy Kitchen for just $2.99!
I was a little disappointed about this….
Apples in a bag just freak me out. I love a little fruit after breakfast but I would rather not eat a bag of preservatives. Nothing is processed?? Hmm..I don’t know about that. I would rather them give me no fruit at all than crappy Fruit in a Flash. This makes me compare the place to McDonald’s. Just give me a fresh apple and I would be one happy customer. To top it off, the apples were expired!!
I wish I would have noticed this before leaving the restaurant! The apples went right in the trash. Besides the little fruit incident, I was very happy with my breakfast. I plan to return for lunch and dinner. I will report back here with a review!
1) How do you feel about fruit in a bag?
2) What is your favorite kind of breakfast sandwich?
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Pita Grill closed? Noooo, I loved that place!! Fruit in a bag kind of freaks me out too, though I’d definitely eat it in a pinch!!
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Congrats on getting to the gym early! Thanks for sharing that Healthy Dining website.. love it!
That’s gross that the apples were spoiled. I have never tried fruit in a bag.. I generally just get baked lays as a side
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The name “Muscle Maker Grill” is a little gross…like, I don’t want to think of sweaty body building men when I eat, you know? However, this did make me decided to make an egg sandwich for lunch!
Fruit in a bag should only be used in a pinch (uh, McDonalds) and to me, in a restaurant like this, you can have real fruit. Hello!?! Like freaking order a box through Fresh Direct and have it delivered to the restaurant, people…
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I feel pretty opposed to things like fruit in a bag but what’s really been getting on my nerves lately is that new concoction of fruit chunks in juice that they are trying to market as a healthy and convenient way to eat fruid. I can’t remember what it’s called but it really bothers me that companies want to take something good and actually healthy and turn it into a sugarfest minus many of the nutrients.
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mmm this place sounds REALLY cool! i wish they had one on long island haha. i do love the energy kitchen so much though and we have those coups now from the self wkout in the park!
i think you should have brought back the apple bag the next day to show them! NOT cool on their part.
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That restaurant sounds awesome! I’ll have to remember it when I’m in the city. I wish that had places like that along the freeways instead of McDonald’s.
I have never bought fruit in a bag and I don’t think I’ll plan to.
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ahh your not the only one who is scared by apples in a bag! there is def not JUST apples in there..some chemicals to make them not mold due to the moisture and they always taste funky to me!
on another note LOVE the idea of that restaurant! there is something similar here called “Ufood” allhealthy stuff, but that looks FAR better!!
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Hi! I just came across your blog (thanks to the lovely Naomi’s most recent post!) and I love it! I REALLY wish I could live where you do because it sounds like you have so many more healthy food options than we do here in southern Ontario! I checked out the Energy Kitchen website and it looks awesome!
I also think there’s something very strange about apples in a bag and I try to stay away from them as well! I like to think that in 10 years or so (or preferably sooner!) we won’t have to pay stupid high prices for healthy options.
I’ve gotta admit I don’t eat that many breakfast sandwiches, but my ideal one would probably be made of a whole wheat English muffin, some scrambled egg whites, thinly sliced turkey breast, maybe a bit of spinach, and some hot salsa! Actually…. I’m quite liking the sounds of that for dinner tonight!
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sorry … that was probably the longest comment ever!
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1. it’s okay as long as the taste and the nutrients are still there.
2. peanut butter sandwich (whole wheat loaf=)
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I might have to try them this summer! Fruit in a bag SCARES me too. I don’t think I have ever had it. It reminds me of school lunches and McDonalds…both gross!
Hope you’re having an awesome weekend!
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For some reason, I don’t mind apples in a bag. Sometimes, I actually prefer them. And most expiration dates are only “sell by” dates, not “consume by”. Maybe this is TMI… but I’ve eaten yogurt that was a month past the date on it, it tasted just fine, and I never got sick. Trust your nose, if it smells bad- it is.
Your sandwich looks delish! Starbucks makes one that is similar, no sauce though. I think right around the same calorie count too!
Have a good week!
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i worked for the very first muscle maker in colonia when i was 16 – 17. very nice people. but the food aint anything different than what you can make on your own. chicken is chicken, i know. i worked there. & i could honestly care less if my old boss ( who was cool before all this fame got to his head ) reads this. they were very cool people, now they could care less about you. money has gotten to their heads. when i started working there in 2006 the salads were 7 50 & the wraps 750, now its 10 dollars or more for everything. every month expect a price change my friends.
thanks. 1 PO’d ex employee =] PS i have my reasons for hating you MMG !!!! & you know what they are, 2 faced company.
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chris Reply:
August 13th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Do you know how to make their secret sauce? If so i would pay you for the recipe, im dieing to know how to make it at home.
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Missy-
Thank you for your great review about our Muscle Maker Grill at 92 8th Avenue in Chelsea, NYC. Your blog has lots of great healthy lifestyle info and the healthy lifestyle is what Muscle Maker Grill provides. We always aim to please our customers and we are incredibly sorry about the expired fruit. If you would like, come in and try a fruit protein smoothie on us.
We also have a location at 10 Murray Street in Tribeca, NYC and 20 in New Jersey.
Thank You-
Muscle Maker Grill
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robyn Reply:
September 22nd, 2010 at 1:18 pm
any chance you would share the MMG sause recepie?
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[...] started on a product review, I need to talk about the smoothie I am drinking right now! Remember my post about the expired apples at Muscle Maker Grill? Well the company found my blog and left me a very [...]
Thank You for the the wonderful and instructive write-up. I’ll be examining back again in a few days to weeks for some much more updates.
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I love the MMG signature sauce. has anyone found the recepie?
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