We’re sandwiched between Diwali and Christmas and no doubt everyone’s given in to temptation and gorged on those ladoos, karanjis and chaklis. Let’s face it – Diwali is incomplete without them. However, it’s now time to get back on track. Eating right can be tough so Time Out went in search of stores and services that offer healthy and tasty food.

Fitness Bakery
A new entrant in the burgeoning list of home bakers, the monthold Fitness Bakery is not your run-of-the-mill cookie monster. A corporate executive by day and a baker by night, this young lady (who doesn’t want to be named) is a fitness enthusiast with a sweet tooth. If that sounds like an oxymoron, rest assured that all of Fitness Bakery’s products are either fat-free or low-fat, do not contain any processed sugars and are made using gluten-free flours and whey protein. The offering includes cookies, muffins, cupcakes and breads that make for a nutritious snack. “I only use natural sweeteners such as stevia, jaggery or molasses and unprocessed fats such as ghee, olive oil or coconut oil”, said the self-taught baker who developed these recipes after significant trial and error. The choice of cookies includes chocolate chip, peanut butter, banana bread (R260 for six) and even biscotti (R250 for six). The muffin menu (R330 for six) comprises of double chocolate chip, apple cinnamon, carrot and apple. And the cupcake range (R360 for six) has red velvet, Boston cream pie and yogurt cheesecake. “I usually like to speak to the customers to understand their goal and accordingly tailor-make products” she said. For an additional charge of R100, your treats can be made grain-free. All products come with calorie and nutrition information. Order through email or a phone call.

Verdict: Perfect for the health conscious who crave an occasional sweet treat. We tried the peanut butter and chocolate cookies (140 calories), which were deliciously crumbly and full of wholesome flavour. The apple and cinnamon muffin (141 calories) was soft and the cinnamon quotient was just spot on. The red velvet cupcake (134 calories) was a tad dry, but tasted distinctly healthful with the beetroot giving it a nice flavour. www.facebook.com/thefitnessbakery, fitnessbakery@ outlook.com, www.imly.in. . From R250. Two days’ advance notice required. Pick up from Bandra (W).

i2Cook
A former architect, Megha Deokule discovered that her true calling lay in food and she trained herself in food processing and working with organic produce. Her brand i2Cook took shape in 2011 starting with a few items and has now expanded into a fullfledged online store. “I make all my products using organic ingredients and they are all preservativefree”, said Deokule. The offering includes peanut butter (R160 for 200 gm), pink mustard and honey mustard (from R140 for 100 gm), whole grains such as millets, amaranth, polenta (from R110 for 500 gm) and many more. “We have also started supplying alternative sweeteners such as liquid jaggery (R120 for 500 gm) and coconut sugar (R250 for 250 gm), which can be used to replace white processed sugar”, said the entrepreneur. Organic sugar-free muesli will also be available soon. Order through the online store.

Verdict: The liquid jaggery had an intense, earthy flavour so a small quantity was sufficient to sweeten our tea and coffee. The coconut sugar was especially good to bake with. The piquant mustards were delicious as spreads or to cook with. www.i2cook.com, info@i2cook. com, . From R50. Delivery all across Mumbai at R150. Free delivery on orders above R1,500.

Potluck Me
Chhavi Sachdev and Rakhee Ghelani decided to start their unique online pop-up store that would sell preservative-free, healthy food over a potluck meal that they had cooked together. So Potluck Me was launched in June 2013. Both of them had moved to India some time ago – Sachdev from Boston and Ghelani from Australia – and have since found that certain foods are hard to source. “In the US, I used to buy a sodium-free brand of peanut butter, which isn’t available here,” said Sachdev who is a fitness fanatic and the co-founder of www.bigloserindia. com. “So I decided to make my own.” Her nut butters are vegan and free from hydrogenated fats, preservatives, sodium and sugar. The store also sells products such as fresh, handmade pasta (R250 for 200 gm), pestos (from R110), a variety of dips (from R180) and Thai green curry paste (R250 for 150 gm). “Our pasta is made of wholewheat flour, which has a lower glycaemic index compared to durum or semolina and there is no ingredient that will adversely affect your health or the taste”, said Ghelani. Since both of them juggle day-jobs, the pop-up store opens once a month for about a week. You can place your orders online through the week and the deliveries take place over the weekend. While the next pop-up shop opens for orders on December 15, as of now 200 gm containers of peanut butter (R250) and almond butter (R500) are available for special delivery. You can specify if you want the butter smooth or crunchy as well as choose a flavour such as plain, cinnamon, maple syrup or both. Order through the online store. Verdict: The peanut butter has a nice hit of cinnamon and makes for a great snack with toast or carrot sticks. The nutty flavour of the almond butter was also just right. www.potluckme.in, potluckme@ gmail.com. From R110. Four days’ advance notice required. Delivery charges R100, free delivery on orders above R1,000. Or pick up from Prabhadevi / Bandra (W).

Sweet Salty
American expat Lisa Johnson has been living in Mumbai for three years now but has only recently started selling her healthy treats. Sweet Salty premiered at the Bombay Local bazaar in Bandra in September 2013 with baked wholewheat tortilla chips in different flavours, roasted tomatoes and peppers, and an assortment of dips. “I started making tortilla chips when my husband and I moved to Brazil and now I can never go back to buying a processed product”, said Johnson who makes these chips in three flavours – plain salted, jalapeno and sea salt, and Mexican seasoning (R70 per 100 gm, each). To go with the crunchers, Johnson makes oven-roasted tomatoes and peppers in garlicinfused oil (R150 per 220 gm, each). “You can eat them as is, or as tapas with the tortilla chips, or even toss them into some pasta”, said Johnson. The “sweet” part comes into play with the eggless banana walnut muffins (R50 for 2). Order through the online forum, email or phone. Sweet Salty products will also be available at Global Foods in Versova soon.

Verdict: The jalapeno salted tortilla chips had that extra oomph as compared to the plain salted ones. The roasted tomatoes had some bold flavours and went very well with the tortillas and the eggless banana muffin was moist and flavourful. www.goo.gl/XNX9rs, , . From R50. Two days’ advance notice is required. Pick up from Bandra (W).

Yellow Butterfly
In October 2012, former interior designer Shivani Tolia took a sabbatical from work to pursue her passion for cooking. “I loved entertaining at home and experimenting with different cuisines, so I decided to take it up as a profession”, said Tolia. So Yellow Butterfly started on a small scale with orders mainly coming in from family and friends. Now though, news of Tolia’s healthful dips and different flavours of hummus has travelled far and wide. “All items are preservativefree, contain no artificial colouring and very little oil, thus making them healthier than an off-theshelf option”, said Tolia. The dips menu includes white bean with jalapenos and olives (R200 for 250 gm), spring onion and garlic (R175), and the best-selling roasted pepper and chilli (R200). Hummus flavours range from plain to cilantro and jalapeno (R150 for 250 gm), red pepper and sundried tomato (R200) to walnut and chilli (R350). Tolia also makes baked chips and corn tortillas on request. Order via email or phone.

Verdict: The spring onion and garlic dip was our favourite with the yogurt base beautifully balancing the sharp flavours of the onion. The robust zest of the red pepper and sundried tomato hummus went well with the lavash flat bread as well as with veggies. www.facebook.com/pages/Yellow- Butterfly/, , . From R150. Delivery charges R100 or pick up from Sion.