Hospital Stay at CHOP

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Blog

I recently stayed as a patient at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for a clinical trial to benefit the research and studies to help find a cure for the rare disease I have been faced with- Friedreich’s Ataxia. In a short version, Friedreich’s Ataxia or FA, is a debilitating, life-shortening, degenerative neuro-muscular disorder. About one in 50,000 people in the United States have Friedreich’s Ataxia. FARA is the research alliance group that conducts these clinical trials.

My doctor is a brilliant, individual based out of CHOP at UPenn. I am so fortunate to be local to the Philadelphia area because he is the “go to” person. With this disease being so rare (15,000 people worldwide), it is important to be connected and up to date with the news on any research because things are changing daily.

During my clinical trial, I was required to stay in the hospital for three days. Dr. Lynch is an easy-going person that loves to connect with his patients. Since he knows that I write for a food blog, he asked if I could write a food blog on the hospital stay! He even added to make suggestions if any! So here you go :)

I mostly had to be in my room throughout my stay because of testing and all, so my mom and I ordered “room service” for all our meals except for before I was omitted and the last night of our stay.

Before I checked-in to the hospital, I was allowed to have one last meal out. So my mom and I went to Gia Prontos, which is right across the hospital. Gia Prontos is a café that serves of variety of salads, pizza, paninis and café items. My mom and I each got a slice of artisan pizza and it was out of this world! Then afterwards we got a treat at Ben & Jerry’s :)

The “room service” selection of my stay was not so bad! The food always arrived in a timely manner and the quality and quantity of food was just right! I have to say my favorite meals were the breakfast portions! I loved the banana pancakes and omelet with the potato stars (hash browns)!

The presentation of the food and menu was adorable! Since, I was at a children’s hospital, everything was very cute and fun to entertain the kids! The menu was very feasible to order from and adorable with all the pictures and drawings of cartoons. The only issue I have is that almost every time my mom and I ordered food, an item was missing in our order.

Every day to get a change of scenery, we went downstairs to the café to get our afternoon pick-me-up. Or, we would go to the Library for some coffee, tea and afternoon snack.

All my mom and I feel like we’ve done this hospital stay is eat! We were overall satisfied with the hospital food, but by the fourth day we were running out options!

Banana Pancakes with Side of Fruit

 

Chicken Quesadillas with Side of Pears

 

Pasta with a Side Salad

 

Build Your Own Omelet with Potato Stars (Hash Browns) and Fruit!

 

Chicken Stir Fry

I thought I'd be healthy the last day and get Fruit & Yogurt with Granola!

 

Cute menu :)

Toast Philly

Toast

Toast has always been one off my favorite places to go to for either breakfast or brunch. Toast is a cozy cafe that offers local roasters, breakfast and lunch in Midtown Village. I love it here and will always return.

When I come here, I usually have one of their Egg Toasts, which is what they are mostly known for. All egg toasts include a homemade English muffin,  hollandaise sauce and poached eggs served with a side salad that typically has fresh fruit in it. 

I wanted to change it up though this time and I got the french toast topped with mixed berries because I love french toast. This meal was very comforting and the fruit  was very fresh! I definitely will be back to try more variations because you can get french toast with caramelized bananas or apple cinnamon! 

  Toast has great coffee and lattes too,  so if you are a big coffee drinker, you won't be disappointed!

Santa Fe Meets Ireland

Moriarty's Pub

Moriarty's Pub on 11th and Walnut is a Logan staple and one our favorite places to go. With it's great atmosphere, food and drinks and service, you can never go wrong with this Irish bar! My family always returns here because of those reasons and it is always one of our "go-to" places to eat..

This time, I thought I'd try something different and get the Santa Fe Burger. This burger  has monterey jack cheese, guacamole, lettuce and tomato served with french fries. I haven't had a burger in a while and was craving one. This one definitely hit the spot!  The meat was so juicy and what made this meal was the fresh guacamole. It gave the burger a refreshing, lively taste.

If you haven't gone to Moriarty's yet, I highly suggest  that you make a point to! They are voted best wings of the city and have a great list of craft beers!

Zavino Has It All!

Zavino Wine Bar Pizzeria

Located on "restaurant row" of 13th Street in Midtown Village, Zavino Wine Bar Pizzeria is the place to be! This restaurant offers daily specials of authentic Neapolitan pizza, homemade pasta, and meats and cheeses all incorporating seasonal items. These seasonal items are fresh and local ingredients that make the restaurant so unique.

I recently went to dine at Zavino Wine Bar Pizzeria with my mom and sister for lunch one day. We've always been wanting to try it there. They're aren't that many pizza places in downtown Philadelphia, so we were excited to see what Zavino had to offer!

My mom,  sister and I each got our own pizza because we  weren't sure of the size of the personalized size pizza. We thought it would be the right amount for one person. But two people can definitely share one of these pizzas! 

My mom and I each got "The Stache" pizza which includes: whole wheat crust, pistachio pesto, mozzarella, parmesan, lemon vinaigrette and baby arugula. My sister got the "Garden Pizza" which is the chef's seasonal selection. My mom and I loved the pistachio pizza and my sister loved the freshness of the seasoned vegetables.

We will definitely be back to try more of Zavino's creations! Now is the perfect time to go as well because with the warm weather. You can dine outside enjoying the beautiful sights of Philly and people watching!