Healthy meals at national chains?

Options
h3h8m3
h3h8m3 Posts: 455 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am trying to come up with a pretty long list of healthy things to eat at restaurants I might go to spur of the moment, especially on business trips. It's hard to control meals on the road, and having a list of "safe" places and foods would really be a big help.

Here's my start, please contribute what you guys have. (I'm updating this post to include the entire list of dishes folks suggest!)

Tokyo Joe's - they have a lot of very healthy meals there. My favorite is the Mahi Mahi Bowl with brown rice.
Red Robin - Simply Grilled Chicken Sandwich, add pineapple, on wheat bread. Steamed broccoli or melon on the side.
Chipotle: Fajita steak burrito. No rice. Either kind of beans is fine. With steak, hot salsa, lettuce. No cheese or sour cream.
McDonalds - Grilled Chicken Snack Wrap. You can get two of them plus a side salad with light dressing and you're doing fine.
Chili's - Margarita Chicken, from liquidjem
Red Robin - Ensenada Chicken, from wildfiery
Jimmy John's - Beach Club #12 no cheese, no mayo, from rthompspn81
Wendy's - Apple Chicken Pecan salad, from rthompspn81
Wendy's - Small chili no cheese or crackers, with a side salad w/o croutons, and fat free vinagrette, from udallmom101
«1

Replies

  • liquidjem
    liquidjem Posts: 138 Member
    Options
    I used the "Eat This, Not That" books to help me find foods to eat when I had to be out and about, its really helpful and eye opening. I also tend to look up the nutrition info from the chain before heading out there. I looked up Chili's the other night before I went there and got the Margarita Chicken. Lots of the shrimp dishes were less in calories and fat, but I am allergic! :( I think that looking it up before I order will help a lot instead of just grabbing what I like.
  • happybrooke
    happybrooke Posts: 153
    Options
    Red Robin - Ensenada Chicken (tastes yummy and isn't killer on the calories) comes with a salad.
  • MicMar66
    MicMar66 Posts: 186 Member
    Options
    Great question! Thanks for asking this one. Bumping for later.
  • rthompson81
    rthompson81 Posts: 305 Member
    Options
    Jimmy John's: Beach Club #12 no cheese, no mayo
    Wendy's: Apple Chicken Pecan salad
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    Options
    Jimmy John's: Beach Club #12 no cheese, no mayo

    hah that's exactly what i get when they order in jimmy john's for a work meeting. actually, 1 difference: i get the extra turkey :)
  • Miss_Chievous_wechange
    Miss_Chievous_wechange Posts: 1,230 Member
    Options
    Bump
  • rthompson81
    rthompson81 Posts: 305 Member
    Options
    Jimmy John's: Beach Club #12 no cheese, no mayo

    hah that's exactly what i get when they order in jimmy john's for a work meeting. actually, 1 difference: i get the extra turkey :)

    Nice! You have good taste. ;) I heart Jimmy John's.
  • udallmom101
    udallmom101 Posts: 564 Member
    Options
    If you go to Wendy's, get a small chili no cheese or crackers, with a side salad w/o croutons, and fat free vinagrette.
  • h3h8m3
    h3h8m3 Posts: 455 Member
    Options
    Great ideas! Keep them coming. As you can see, I am adding them to the list at the top.
  • h3h8m3
    h3h8m3 Posts: 455 Member
    Options
    bump
  • h3h8m3
    h3h8m3 Posts: 455 Member
    Options
    Red Robin - Natural burger. Turkey instead of beef.
  • lisabel87
    lisabel87 Posts: 152
    Options
    My all-time favorite fast food breakfast meal is the egg and cheese biscuit and McDonalds (no bacon/ham/sausage) I read somewhere that its one of the better things to get at a fast food place!
  • h3h8m3
    h3h8m3 Posts: 455 Member
    Options
    Got a new one!... Jason's Deli.

    Savvy Chicken Salad Wrap, 354 cals, 14g fat, 536mg sodium, 45g carb, 16g protein

    And I can add on this soup:

    Chicken Noodle Soup - cup, 68 cals, 2g fat, 408mg sodium, 7g carb, 5g protein
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
    Options
    At Longhorn I get the smaller salmon (290cal), asparagus (80cal), and a plain sweet potato (240cal with no butter or cinnamon sugar) 610cal total.

    The seasonal veggies are good at 90 cal.

    Also the grilled rainbow trout is 280cal.

    If you subbed the veggies for the sweet potato the total meal would be 460cal with the salmon and 450cal with the trout. But I really like the sweet potato.
  • bethrs
    bethrs Posts: 664 Member
    Options
    At Denny's I get 2 servings of egg whites, 1 hashbrown and a serving of whole wheat pancakes and come out under 700 calories. You could sub the hashbrown for almost anything else (non-meat) and be doing even better.

    I used to get the veggie burger with medium sauce and a side salad At buffalo wild wings for right at 500 calories but they changed the burger and I don't know the nutritional content any more.
  • suzksell
    suzksell Posts: 48 Member
    Options
    Don't forget that at Jimmy John's you can make an Un-sub and eat it as a lettuce wrap. Their bread is REALLY high in calories.
  • OliveBruises
    OliveBruises Posts: 68 Member
    Options
    I forgot my lunch today and my co-worker was running to Arby's. I was actually pretty impressed with what I got:
    Arbys Melt - 320 cal
    Arby's Sauce packet - 15 cal
    Arby's chopped side salad - 70 cal
    Arby's Marzetti Light Italian dressing - 20 cal
    Total = 425 calories. Not too bad. Sodium, carbs and fat on the other hand... eeek!
  • qtpiesmom
    qtpiesmom Posts: 394 Member
    Options
    http://www.exercise4weightloss.com/weight-watchers-points.html
    Great website for information for eating out
  • myhrmiswrong
    myhrmiswrong Posts: 38 Member
    Options
    Chick-Fil-A: chargrilled and fruit salad with Light Italian dressing (1/2 packet) and granola packet. Lots of food and under 300 cals!
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    Options
    Carl's Jr.
    Teriyaki chicken sandwich, minus the mayo, low-carb style (I just get rid of the bottom bun) = 280 calories. It's HIGH in sodium though:ohwell:

Categories