The Grassy Hopper | Sticking to New Year's Resolutions

A simple (and even delicious) way to keep this up is a regular visit to The Grassy Hopper. Set up by Yasmin de Giorgio, Emmeline Schembri and Mark Clinch, The Grassy Hopper aims at making healthy food, fast, fun and most of all accessible.

This seems to be a product that has been lacking on our island as in just two short months after they opened their quirky trailer on the Ta' Xbiex seafront, there has been a string of people waiting outside the Hopper for their daily dose of goodness.

The menu is simple, like their philosophy - only use the best quality, organic ingredients and simple cooking methods and flavour and goodness will take care of themselves.

And the flavour really does look after itself! Their simple dishes are packed so full of flavour you hardly even realise that this is a healthy meal. There are a few items on a menu that changes daily, making use of high quality carbs and low GI foods without refined sugars and starches. The addition of superfoods and superherbs ensures the maximum amount of nutrients in every bite.

All of their packaging is eco-friendly that is sourced sustainably and is 100% compostable, from their napkins to their containers and disposable cutlery, showing that their philosophy to creating harmony extends towards the planet and not just on feeding the body.  

The ingredients they use are locally-sourced and seasonal, and where possible sourced from organic, pesticide-free farms. Try their warm meals including soups, veggie wraps, stews, warm salads and even burgers.

Whoever said burgers were unhealthy. Try the Grassy Hopper's take on a veggie burger made with beets, kidney beans and spices. All the deliciousness of a burger, with all the goodness of veggies and beans served hot on a seeded bun with melted cheese.

If you're just looking for a healthy snack try their vegan banana bread or energy balls made with dates and walnuts, or a supercharged smoothie.

For an instant injection of goodness try their shots of wheat or ryegrass. Grown organically at Peppi Gauci's Bahrija Oasis, they are selling a shot of green goodness, freshly juiced while you wait. The crude chlorophyll from the juice of grasses is a blood purifier and as a result has a number of health benefits including clearing up skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, improving blood sugar conditions, detoxing and purifying the liver. If one shot is not enough you can buy a whole tray of the grasses and take them home with you.

Emmeline talks about migrating to a healthier diet. "Eating healthy food does not automatically exclude other foods. If you enjoy a pizza in the evening or know you are going for a few drinks after work, have something healthy for lunch or a smoothie for breakfast to give your body the nutrients it needs to function. If you switch to an extreme health diet and forsake all the things you love to eat, the chances are that you are going to get fed up at some point and then slip back into old habits. If you make it a point to make small substitutions of healthy food, then the chances of staying on it are much better. Good food makes you feel better so once you start to feel the benefits of eating well, you're much more likely to keep up your new habits."

Just a few months after opening, The Grassy Hopper has done better than her founders could have hoped for with a steady stream of customers coming for their daily fix. So much so that they are ready to open their second establishment in Old Theatre Street in Valletta. At the time of going to print their opening date was scheduled for the first week of January - just in time to get you started on your New Year's resolution to better health.

The Grassy Hopper is open from Monday to Friday between 8:00am for your shot of healthy breakfast till 4:00pm to keep you sustained throughout the day.

The Grassy Hopper

Ta' Xbiex Seafront,

Ta' Xbiex

Tel: 79490505

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theGrassyHopper