Best food choices at diners?

ECfromSJ
ECfromSJ Posts: 31 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Here's my dilemma. At least once a week (sometimes two or three times), I take an elderly relative to a particular diner, usually for lunch. It's very close to where she lives, she's used to the menu, and there are no steps, so it's the logical place for us to go most of the time.

I've figured out a few meals I can get there without throwing my calorie count off for the day, but I need more variety. I'd love some new ideas. Here's what I've come up with so far:
  • A lunch special that consists of a cup of soup and a side salad. I can ask for the oil and vinegar cruets to keep the dressing calories down.
  • A BLT, with a green vegetable instead of the french fries that would come with it normally.
  • A platter of grilled vegetables, which is listed under appetizers but is huge. I'm not worried about the calories in the veggies, but there is a fair amount of oil in them, I think, and I'm not sure how much to log. I entered it as 2 tablespoons last time.

These are all filling enough that I feel satisfied. I love some of their other items like Greek gyros, corned beef wraps, club sandwiches, etc. but I'm afraid just eating half won't fill me up enough--if I could even stop at half.

If we're there at a time that's between meals for me, I've discovered I can get a bowl of strawberries for a snack, even though they aren't on the menu. I've also tried getting an English muffin or soup as a snack. My companion normally gets a full meal at these times, and I'd feel silly just sitting there with a cup of coffee.

Any ideas or tips? Thanks!

Replies

  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Try to plan your day around this trip if you want to eat something else; food should be fun, and you shouldn't feel the need to eat vegetables all the time there.

    I had great diner food in DC recently; it was a grilled cheese with fries, and I started my meal off with a side salad. The salad partially filled me up, and I could only finish the sandwich and maybe 1/2 of my portion of fries.

    Don't be afraid of eating a whole meal if you want it; just fit in an extra workout, and pre-plan your calories for the rest of the day. :)
  • weightliftingdiva
    weightliftingdiva Posts: 522 Member
    Eggs over easy with toast. Ask the toast to come without butter or butter on the side. I like getting the whole eggs and not the scrambled because the scrambled/omelettes usually use liquid eggs from a carton. Nothing wrong with that, it's just harder to estimate the portion size compared to when you have two whole eggs in front of you.
    The diners around here (NJ, USA - diner capital of the world) usually have a variety of broiled fish plates that come with your choice of potato or vegetable, and a starter cup of soup/salad. If you have something comparable that also might be a good option.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    I agree about ordering fried eggs and toast. You can probably fit bacon into your daily plan as well.
  • Boccellin
    Boccellin Posts: 137 Member
    You can request a meal be prepared a certain way. For example, once I went to an italian place and asked them to make me a grilled chicken breast instead of breaded and fried for my chicken parm. You can ask for a burger with a lettuce bun instead of a traditional bun, with veggies on the side instead of fries. Does the diner have a salad bar? Most diners Ive been to have them. If you want a club sandwich, tell them specifically what you want in the sandwich. They have to assemble it for you anyway, it's no extra work to do it to your specifications.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited October 2014
    First of all, good on you for spending with your relative! o:) Personally I find soups the safest, although they can be sodium bombs. Fried egg and toast is also a good one, although I'd be more inclined to dump the toast and make it an omelette. But that's a personal preference thing. If they can do poached eggs, you can get frying oil uncertainty completely out of the equation.
  • ECfromSJ
    ECfromSJ Posts: 31 Member
    Weightliftingdiva, I'm in NJ, too. The SJ in my name is for South Jersey. Diner capital is about right! Some have easier menus to deal with than others.

    Thanks for all the ideas. I'll definitely keep eggs and broiled fish in mind. I never thought about the fried/poached vs scrambled/omelette issue, but it's a good point. Sadly, there is no salad bar, but the do have some nice (but huge) salads. The problem is portion control!

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