Favorite Restaurant Choices

kimpossible471

I travel - A LOT - for work, and struggle to make reasonable, good meal choices on the road. I often need to grab a quick meal at an airport between flights, am getting into town late at night when choices are limited,but haven't eaten in hours, or entertaining customers. Anybody else out there got insight on how to manage eating right when the kitchen isn't yours? Favorite restaurant chains to look for? Best menu choices that don't call attention to your diet when with a group? I try to carry some Kashi granola bars in my briefcase, but that only goes so far.

bubbles1212

i don't know if this will attract attention. but I love ChikFilA's kids meal with the grilled chicken and fruit. It's high in protein, low in calories

kimpossible471

So, the fried chicken sandwich w/ waffle fries = not so good, huh??? I haven't been to a chik-fil-a in FOREVER. :ohwell:

gatorginger

bump for later

izzy2224

You might want to check out the "Eat this Not That" twitter feed/book series that Men's Health Editor does. The website does best of lists, and the books will go by restaurant and recommend the best things to eat. http://eatthis.menshealth.com/home

wonderkitten711

Look into Eat This, Not That. They have suggestions for foods at most major national chains, and they have a smartphone app. Its $4.99 to download, but its a total lifesaver when you're eating on the go a lot. The website also has suggestions for various types of cuisine to make the smartest choices, so that you have guidelines for when eating at a generic non-chain restaurant.

kristers03

Chipotle is a pretty good choice, just easy on sour cream or cheese if it doesn't fit into your daily allowance. Same with Panera, and if you go on panera's website you can customize the various breads and toppings to see the calorie differences. It's pretty nice!

tweetybaby69

Eat this not that app, downloaed today

jenj1313

Chili's has a light menu that's pretty tasty, but I'm not sure if they offer it in the airport locations.

I often grab a bagel or regular turkey sandwich and only eat half the bread.

A chicken salad with dressing on the side is pretty standard, but can be pretty boring too.

For breakfast, I just get a side of scrambled eggs from a breakfast place, then add lean meat or fruit as a side. I skip the toast or muffin b/c I try not to eat breads with added sugars (which is why I dump half the bread on my sandwiches... b/c no bread on a sandwich is just weird to me).

Soup is another low cal option if you're not worried about sodium. Avoid anything cream based though.

At taco bell, I'll get an order of beans, no cheese and have them add tomatoes to it. Then I get one taco or something to go with it. They also have a light menu, but again, I'm not sure if they have those choices at the airport.

Another airport option is to fine a "market" and get greek yogurt, lunch meat, and other high protein snacks. I've carried a package of lunch meat through security before. Not sure it's really allowed, but I just left it in my carry-on and they didn't ask.

Good luck!
Hope you find some good choices!
Jen

hdsqrl

When I travel for work, I always keep a stash of regular oatmeal packets in my bag, for hotel breakfasts in my room (pack a spoon, too.) If you're willing to think outside the menu, you can order "legally" just about anywhere. Just read the menu as if it's a grocery list, and then figure out your own custom creation that you can ask the kitchen to make using ingredients they already have. I often ask them to turn a sandwich into a salad, for example, or swap out an unhealthy side for a healthy one. Most places are pretty accomodating - their biggest challenge is figuring how the heck to ring my request into the register.

Shock_Wave

I am a huge protein eater and I love beef ribs not pork but beef so if I had to eat out in any city I would look for Brothers BBQ with $40 bucks in my hand ready to chow down. :bigsmile:

dotti1121

I struggle with this too! Wanting restaurant ideas other than just salads...

cmeade20

Panera and Au Bon Pain both have a lot of soup and salad choices that are fairly low cal. Ruby Tuesday also has a good menu

AmyLiz3

A lot of restaurants have nutrition facts now on their websites. I have been going to my faves and checking out that info and am in the process of making myself a little black book of the best choices. It may be a little time consuming but it is so worth it so far.

dotti1121

A lot of restaurants have nutrition facts now on their websites. I have been going to my faves and checking out that info and am in the process of making myself a little black book of the best choices. It may be a little time consuming but it is so worth it so far.

GREAT idea!

chachita7

Zaxby's - their house salad w/o bread w vinaigrette is delish

KFC - grilled chicken with corn and green beans

Texas Road House - 16 oz steak with side salad and veggies *big smile*

mtaylor33557

I generally look through the menu for a lean protein that you can get grilled (chicken, fish, even lean beef) and pair it with Steamed or grilled veggies, and possibly a side salad or steamed potatoes.

I just ask for no oil or butter on my food. If anyone gives you a strange look, just tell them, you don't care for greasy food.

When it gets to the table, I squeeze a lemon over the meat and veggies.

kimpossible471

A lot of restaurants have nutrition facts now on their websites. I have been going to my faves and checking out that info and am in the process of making myself a little black book of the best choices. It may be a little time consuming but it is so worth it so far.

GREAT idea!

I really like this!!

kimpossible471

I generally look through the menu for a lean protein that you can get grilled (chicken, fish, even lean beef) and pair it with Steamed or grilled veggies, and possibly a side salad or steamed potatoes.

I just ask for no oil or butter on my food. If anyone gives you a strange look, just tell them, you don't care for greasy food.

When it gets to the table, I squeeze a lemon over the meat and veggies.

I hadn't thought of the lemon...this sounds fairly workable...even at a steak house. Thanks!

EvilPink

I went out to Applebee's the other night and had their Chicken Dijon and Portabellos off the under 550 menu. That was the first time I'd eaten out since starting MFP so I was trying to make the right choices but I wasn't real confident it would taste very good. I couldn't have been more wrong! It was far better than my usual selection from there (Quesadilla Burger or a pasta dish). It was only 470 calories.

LuckyLeprechaun

Cheesecake Factory has a "Skinnylicious" menu that is pretty good. Everything I have tried from t has been really really tasty.

bozzalozza

I found this article helpful

http://www.healthytippingpoint.com/2011/04/healthy-eating-in-the-airport.html

kimpossible471

I found this article helpful

http://www.healthytippingpoint.com/2011/04/healthy-eating-in-the-airport.html

GREAT Article!

MammaC66

I love Pita Pit, and Subway is another option. Applebee's has some good choices that are low cal.

Natalie410

that is a good book

becoming_a_new_me

I have found that no matter where you go, most restaurants offer the option of ordering "ala carte". I like doing this because it often ends up cheaper and I don't end up with crap. My go to choices are a grilled salmon or grilled chicken breast with no sauce or butter, steamed veggies with no sauce or butter, and a side salad with oil and vinegar on the side. If they have a healthy starch option such as baked sweet potato or a nice brown rice option, I will sometimes do that.

aspen_matthews

I do Chipotle bowls, no sour cream or cheese and light on the rice. I also like Panda Express where I choose two low cal entree items (they are all labelled with calories, I usually get green bean chicken and broccoli beef) with veggies instead of rice. It weighs about 3 tons and is less than 500 calories. Subway is also good, you can make any sub a salad if you're watching the bread. I also like Mongolian barbecues then build my bowl with no noodles in it.

Keeping a black book is a great idea since you really can't go based on how healthy something sounds based on menu description.

aspen_matthews

I have found that no matter where you go, most restaurants offer the option of ordering "ala carte". I like doing this because it often ends up cheaper and I don't end up with crap. My go to choices are a grilled salmon or grilled chicken breast with no sauce or butter, steamed veggies with no sauce or butter, and a side salad with oil and vinegar on the side. If they have a healthy starch option such as baked sweet potato or a nice brown rice option, I will sometimes do that.

This is a great idea, I'd only recommend ask the restaurant first if you can order them ala carte at a lower price. My friend and I went to Tahoe Joe's and only ordered salads with two veggie sides and split a baked potato and it was over $70.....they just charged us full for everything then removed what we didn't want.

leomom72

i have a folder in my computer with all the nutrition info for the restaurants i eat at regularly..you can do that, and then make a list of healthy stuff..i have a mini notebook with all the healthier stuff in the notebook that i took from the nutrition info (if that makes sense) good luck:flowerforyou:

shbretired

Pita Pit, Seafood Round Table Veggie Pizza ☺

dawlschic007

I eat out a lot, too, but I hardly ever order salads when I'm at restaurants because they tend to pack on more junk and can have more calories than a burger and french fries in some cases.

Chilis - Great lighter choice menu - I usually get the sirloin with a side of broccoli (260 calories) or the lime grilled shrimp (ask for grilled instead of fried) and substitute veggies for french fries.

Olive Garden - Mediterranean chicken or shrimp capriese or the stuffed chicken marsala. I usually will have a breadstick and some salad with the dressing on the side. Occasionally, I'll order the chicken alfredo cuz it's so good and just eat a portion of it and save the rest for later. I usually plan ahead to budget that into my calories for the day.

Boston Market - I love their food. You can get a half order of the chicken salad (360 calories) and just use the dressing sparingly. Or you can order an individual meal with turkey breast (or whatever meat option you want) with the steamed vegetables.

Chick-Fil-A - I like to order the 8 piece chicken nuggets and a side salad with the berry balsamic dressing. The chicken nuggets are 260 I think and the salad is 70, the dressing is also 70 for a tablespoon but I don't use that much.

Panda Express - There are tons of options here to pick from. I usually just order the individual items of either beef and broccoli or one of the chicken and veggie items. I try to skip the sides there but if I have enough calories, I'll go for the chow mien. Just watch the sodium levels though.

Wendys - I like to get the small chili and sometimes a baked potato.

McDonalds - I don't eat there very often but if I do, I get a kids meal.

Outback Steakhouse - If I'm eating out with someone, then I'll do an add on of king crab and then also a side of steamed veggies (no butter) and I love their house salads, so I get that too.

Mexican food - Rolled tacos (taquitos) are not all that bad calories wise. I think 5 rolled tacos with guacamole and cheese is around 460 calories. Or I get the shrimp fajitas and just eat it without the tortillas. I tend to skip the rice and beans.