Eating Out

Throughout the course of my journey, I will come across places and foods that I'll run to whenever I'm out and need a good alternative to eat. I tend to float toward places that have the calorie count printed on their menu, and especially if they have a healthy option menu.

Disclaimer: I pull all nutritional info from the company websites. If for some reason the info is wrong, don't blame me...blame them. Thanks ^_^

Applebee's

- Offers low calorie selections for entrees
- Offers low calorie selections for drinks
- Is Jenny Approved
- Doesn't hassle over substitutions

Applebee's was one of the first places I ventured outside of Jenny food. Although their low cal menu boasts Under 550 options (which to me is still a lot, my dinners are usually half that), Applebee's is still a good option for one of your splurge days. I usually order either the:


Asiago Peppercorn Steak (380 cal)
or
Grilled Dijon Chicken & Portobellos (470 cal)

If I'm feeling frisky, I'll order a drink off the Skinny Bee menu, which are drinks around 110 cal and under:

SkinnyBee™ Long Island Iced Tea (100 cal)
SkinnyBee™ Margarita (110 cal)
SkinnyBee™ Mojito (90 cal)

________________________________________

Dunkin Donuts

- Offers low calorie options
- Great for breakfast on the go

I love Dunkin Donuts. In the past I've loved them for their donuts...even though the donuts haven't loved me. I also loved them for their coffee (I'm addicted to the stuff). My coffee was usually light and sweet, full of sugar and heavy creamers. When I started Jenny, I mourned for the loss of my beloved caffeine...or so I thought. I can still have my coffee, but I have to get "DD Smart" with it and make the proper subs.

I used to have the Latte Lite (Large is 160 cal) because I still got my milk fix. But my consultant introduced me to the Iced Coffee (Large is 60 cal), and I wonder why the hell I was wasting 100 calories over some damn milk.

I also love the Egg White Breakfast Sandwiches/Wraps. When I'm feeling frisky, I have a Egg White Flatbread sandwich, either Turkey Sausage or the new Western (ham and peppers). Veggie is available, but it's not my thing. They're between 280 and 290 cal and very filling, at least for me they are. Some people think they're gross....I'm clearly not one of those people.

When I am trying to be a little strict, I'll have the Egg White Wake Up Wrap, again either Turkey Sausage or Western, and they are 150 cal.

________________________________________

Ruby Tuesday's

- Offers low calorie selections for entrees
- Has a salad bar
- Will accommodate if you mention any diet requirements/requests

Ruby Tuesdays makes me breathe easy when I do a location search and see it on my google map. Their salad bar is the bomb, and is a good way to avoid the complementary-but-not-so-complementary-to-my-thighs biscuits. Their Fit & Trim menu is really good. I'm a salmon gal, so I definitely order the:

Grilled Salmon (386 cal)
Steamed Broccoli (53 cal)
Mashed Cauliflower (136 cal) -great sub for mashed potatoes!!!

Now you look at this and say HOLD UP, that's 575 calories, you're kind of pushing it!

I usually cut the salmon in half, knocking off almost 200 calories.

________________________________________

Starbucks

- Offers low calorie selections for drinks
- Offers sugar free choices

Aaaaahhhh Starbucks, how I used to LOVE thee, let me count the ways....

...until I started counting the calories!

Egg Nog Lattes, Caramell Frappaccinos, Blueberry Muffins, I loved them all. What I didn't love were the calorie counts of 470, 410 and 360 respectively. So naturally I thought I had to give up my favorites, and I was wrong.

Starbucks has decided to get with the program and provide some Lite options for some of my favorite Frapps like the Mocha Frappaccino Lite, the Caramel Frappaccino Lite, both are around 130 calories for a Grande/16 oz..

Or you could get a regular Coffee Frappaccino Lite (110 cal) and add some Sugar Free Syrup (French Vanilla or Hazelnut are my faves) which are 0 calories.

________________________________________

Taco Bell

- Offers low calorie menu, the Fresco menu

- Will accommodate substitutions

We all know how much I love Tex Mex. I used to LIVE off of Taco Bell. But when I look back at what I used to eat, it scares me. I used to order 3 Meximelts and a Nacho Supreme with a Strawberry Frutista and an Caramel Apple Empanada for dessert.

Let's add those calories!

3 Meximelts (270 cal x 3) = 810 calories

1 Nacho Supreme =...............440 calories

1 Strawberry Frutista =.......280 calories

1 Apple Empanada =.............310 calories

Total Meal =.........................1840 calories

That's more than I eat in a day. I'd eat that all the time, as one meal. Scary.

So thank GOD that our good friends at Taco Bell started thinking healthy and came up with the Fresco menu. The key was to remove the cheese and fatty sauce from the recipes. My usual from here is either:

Fresco Chicken Soft Taco (2) - 300 calories

or

Fresco Chicken Burrito Supreme - 350 calories

I love the Fresco Chicken Burrito Supreme the best because it's so big and filling, all I need with it is a diet soda and I'm all set. The Fresco Chicken Soft Tacos are filling enough if you have two an want to stretch out your eating experience. 

Tip: Always ask for extra veggies on your taco/burrito! It makes it even more filling and it's good for you! You can never have enough veggies!