Perfect Sunny eggs atop sweet potato hash, a Cobb salad and an Immune Enhancer smoothie for a healthy breakfast and lunch are options at Mother’s Cafe..

As restaurants open up and we start to get out more, some of us might be considering losing some of those pandemic pounds and starting to eat healthily. While there are healthy offerings at many restaurants in Central Oregon, there are relatively few places dedicated to “health food.” Among the healthy restaurants, some have stayed open for takeout and delivery; some are still closed to ensure they can remain open in the long run. One brave entrepreneur actually opened during the shutdown.

Salud, The Garden Cafe and Plantd are smaller eateries that are still closed during Phase 1 of reopening. Salud attempted takeout at the beginning of the coronavirus shutdown but thought it was a better decision to close and wait it out. The Garden Cafe/Ora Juice Company and Plantd likewise chose to close down until they could keep their customers and employees safe.

Health food restaurants are defined by their focus on natural, holistic foods. The menus may be organic, plant-based, vegan or vegetarian and are often locally sourced. Fresh vegetables and fruits often replace typical meat dishes.

Deeply Rooted

At the beginning of the year, Devin Sims put plans in motion to open a vegan restaurant. Deeply Rooted took over space previously occupied by Bad Wolf. Unique for a place that serves healthy food, it also has a vegan full bar. The opening day was originally set for March 28. The governor’s order to close dine-in restaurants came before they could officially open. Still, Sims bravely opened for takeout on March 23.

Though everything is plant-based, you can still get “hamburgers,” “hot dogs,” “chicken” and “fish.” The burger and hot dog are from Beyond Meat but seasoned in -house. The Coco Panko Crusted chicken and the fish are housemade plant-based recipes.

Each menu item refers to a movie title or line of dialogue. We started with In Bruge: fried Brussels sprouts are tossed in a citrus vinaigrette. Housemade hot sauce adds dimension without too much spice. Crispy garlic added a roasted flavor that I liked even more than bacon bits.

I chose the seasoned walnut meat to go on my Jack Talk Thai bowl. (Jack Talk is from “Meet the Parents.”) It starts with deep nutty-flavored black forbidden rice and sweet potatoes. Fresh ingredients — edamame, red cabbage, raw beets, snap peas, watermelon radishes, onion and radish sprouts — lighten the rice. Roasted spiced peanuts and peanut sauce pull it together for the Thai flavor. I definitely will be going back again for this dish.

Though initially skeptical, my son thoroughly enjoyed the Inglorius Bastard. It’s a Beyond Bratwurst with caramelized onions for just the right amount of sweetness played off the sauerkraut and stone-ground mustard.

Active Culture

The Bend Active Culture is one of three locations. The other two are in Southern California. The cafe here has a wall of refrigerators where they sell groceries along with beverages. To save yourself a trip to the grocery store, you can order fresh essentials like lemons, tomatoes, onions, apples, kale, eggs, yogurt, dairy, Portland Ketchup and more. Orders can be placed online or on the Active Culture iOS or Android app. I picked up a fresh onion and tomato along with my dinner order.

We chose the Grassroots Burger. The homemade lentil burger was piled with thick fresh onions, cucumber, tomato and sprouts on a vegan wheat bun. Creamy, tangy falafel sauce complemented the lentils perfectly. My son chose the Not Your Mama’s Nachos. This healthy version of the popular snack dish was a complete meal. Gluten-free nachos are piled with organic beans, melted cheese, tomatoes, onions and salsa were topped with Active Culture’s Organic Goodness (OG sauce with an almond and lemon base) sauce, sour cream, guacamole and cilantro. There’s no meat in these nachos, but there’s all the decadent flavor.

A Berry Tasty acai, blueberry, strawberry, banana and apple juice smoothie made a refreshing, healthy dessert.

Mother’s Eastside Kitchen

While the downtown Mother’s cafe has closed permanently (not related to the coronavirus shutdown), the west-side and east-side locations have reopened for dine-in.

The east-side location has a full kitchen for healthy breakfasts and lunches. One rainy morning, I chose the Perfectly Sunny vegetable hash and eggs for takeout. Sunnyside eggs sit on top of a healthy sweet potato and kale hash mixed with pesto, caramelized onions and tomatoes. The pesto nicely balances the sweet potato and onion flavors.

Given the times, it seemed a good idea to get a boost with the Immune Enhancer smoothie. The sweetness of apples and bananas balance the bitterness of the greens — kale, parsley and celery — as does the healthy addition of lemon, ginger, honey, bee pollen, and coconut water.

For lunch, my body craved fresh greens. The Cobb Salad fits the bill — house greens, bacon, chicken, goat cheese, seasonal veggies, hard-boiled egg, avocado with a grilled lemon vinaigrette. I added an extra avocado. I prefer fresh red onions over pickled onions in a salad, but overall it was satisfying.

A Broken Angel

Although I haven’t included food carts in my takeout roundups because there are so many restaurants to cover, the pandemic closure has limited the number of health food eateries. I decided to get a delivery from A Broken Angel vegan, and vegetarian food cart. It has been located behind the Palate coffee shop but will be moving near Spoken Moto on Wednesday. Chef Richard Hull has a unique take on making vegetarian versions of traditional dishes.

Marinated portobello mushroom strips have a meaty flavor that create a mock Philly steak in the Pacific NW Philly Sandwich. Caramelized chilis, onion and roasted garlic poblano creme round out the full flavor on a toasted focaccia hoagie. It’s a tasty and healthy alternative to the original sandwich.

The Big Country is the vegetarian version of scrambled eggs with biscuits and gravy. Biscuits are smothered in wild mushroom gravy with sage and other spices that are reminiscent of Thanksgiving stuffing. It’s accompanied by the house scramble that is made with organic tofu instead of eggs. The scramble includes cremini mushrooms, roasted chilis, squash and braised greens. This is a rich vegan dish. I could only eat one of the tasty biscuits with a big spoon of the scramble. It would be a great brunch dish to share.

Most of the entrees we ordered offered generous portions. While all of these restaurants provide a variety of fresh, healthy foods, they aren’t always low in calories. If you are looking to lose some pounds, you’ll want to pay attention to portions and calories and get up from the couch and out on the trails.