anyone wirh healthier take out Chinese food ideas

mom23nuts
mom23nuts Posts: 636 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok, my husband said, "Let's do Chinese food tonight"

Low carving the junk leaves out rice and noodles, but what is healthy enough to enjoy that I can't make at home?

I can steam chicken and broccoli here and add a minimal amount of hot sauce or soy sauce...so what could I order that gives me Chinese food without cooking it myself?

Replies

  • echmain
    echmain Posts: 103 Member
    Define healthy.
  • trisH_7183
    trisH_7183 Posts: 1,486 Member
    I love lo mein......noodles with veggies...or add protein. For take out,I add salad at home. In the restaurant,a side order of veggies with no sauce works .Enjoy & log it.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    edited February 2016
    We are having Chinese take out tonight too.
    Hubs & DD are having fried rice. I always get shrimp with steamed pea pods and broccoli, no rice. The shrimp is steamed too, no sauce, it is off their healthy menu.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    mom23nuts wrote: »
    Ok, my husband said, "Let's do Chinese food tonight"

    Low carving the junk leaves out rice and noodles, but what is healthy enough to enjoy that I can't make at home?

    I can steam chicken and broccoli here and add a minimal amount of hot sauce or soy sauce...so what could I order that gives me Chinese food without cooking it myself?

    You pretty much summed up why I don't go out to eat much anymore in your last sentence.

    But the answer will depend on how many calories you have left. I honestly don't do Chinese anymore though, I don't like it enough to justify the calories... so if anyone wants Chinese I go to an Asian place so I can get some sashimi or something.
  • mattyc772014
    mattyc772014 Posts: 3,543 Member
    Try Sharwoods brand sauces. They make a great sweet and sour sauce if you like it. Make the chicken pieces and just add the sauce after the chicken is cooked. I love sweet and sour chicken but the restaurants always make it fried. The sweet and sour sauce is just like take out. Chunks of peppers and pineapples.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    My go-to Chinese food when I'm trying to be healthy is steamed shrimp and broccoli with white rice and sauce on the side. Most of the time, I don't even use the sauce, but I like to have it there just in case. I'll usually use coconut aminos instead.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    Healthy is relative to your goals. But, for me, even though I don't eat low carb, I always get steamed mixed veggies instead of rice, and something simple like unbreaded chicken, beef, or shrimp in brown or teriyaki sauce. It's still going to be a sodium bomb, but I just eat a portion that fits my calories, and ride out the sodium bloat for a few days.
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    Myeh. I always get Shrimp Fried Rice- I <personally> dont see the point in ordering something I really dont want to eat. So I just order what I want, eat less of it, and log it. Other than the sodium I make sure I save "room" in my diary. If I go over a bit, oh well, I just make sure to move a lot more than usual the next day and might eat a little less as well to help make up for it....so it all washes out in the end. *theoretically*
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    I just received this email re: healthier choices for Chinese food. Here is the link if you are interested:

    http://weightloss.about.com/od/diningout/qt/chinese.htm?utm_content=6176138&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_campaign=livinghealthy&utm_term=bouncex3
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    I always start with hot and sour soup. That way I'm less hungry to eat the rice/fried stuff. I love steamed dumplings, so I usually get those and only eat 3 or so and some steamed veggies. Versus before I was eating the whole portion plus rice.
  • drachfit
    drachfit Posts: 217 Member
    hot sauce and soy sauce are virtually zero calorie and a great way to add tons of flavor. it's the sugary sauces you need to watch out for.

    stir fry is great.

    i find thinly sliced strips of cabbage cooked with a little oil and soy sauce is a good noodle replacement if you are low carb.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I'm going to take healthy as in, lower in fat, lower in calories. I like your idea of steaming your own vegetables to go with the take-out.

    Won Ton soup always works for me.

    If you stray from North American Chinese to the authentic there are some great dishes out there. But I don't have much experience with them.
  • niamibunni
    niamibunni Posts: 110 Member
    Just say no.

  • guinevere96
    guinevere96 Posts: 1,445 Member
    edited February 2016
    I love making my own chinese food! I make fried rice all the time which isnt that bad for you in small portions. Dont use flour, just using egg or egg substitute does all the frying you need, and soysauce is low calorie (but if you want healthier, you can opt for low sodium.) Add in lots of veggies for color and vitamins and all that good stuff.

    Egg Drop Soup is also fairly low calorie! And SUPER YUMMY.

    Apparently you can make fried cauliflower rice too as a low cal substitute, but I havent had a lot of luck with that yet :)

    **Edited because I am silly and called Egg Drop Soup "Egg noodle"
  • ames105
    ames105 Posts: 288 Member
    You could go and have a small serving (a true one portion size) of what you like (we can't deny ourselves everything!). You could order something steamed, avoid the rice. I preferred Mongolian Beef or Chicken. Still stir fried with a sauce but not breaded. You could ask for something stir fried without sauce. You could eat something at home and just have soup or steamed dumplings at the restaurant. Avoid the fried foods, breaded meats. You'll be fine!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    niamibunni wrote: »
    Just say no.

    Lifestyle changes for me. Chinese is one of my favorite fast foods, not giving it up forever. I order steamed rice, eat a reasonable portion. I select an entre with lots of veggies & meat that isn't deep fried. Portions are always huge, so take out gets split up.

    If I have a craving for sweet & sour, I will make it at home (Splenda) extra veggies and no deep fried anything.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    edited February 2016
    Love it as a treat, order anything I want now & again. Spicy eggplant or those fat chow fun noodles... rawrrrr! But those dark soy based sauces just kill me with water bloat.
    :-/
    At home I like a simple stir fry over cauliflower rice.
  • mom23nuts
    mom23nuts Posts: 636 Member
    echmain wrote: »
    Define healthy.
    Low carb, low sodium
  • mom23nuts
    mom23nuts Posts: 636 Member
    niamibunni wrote: »
    Just say no.

    Can't just say no. Sadly, last time I did mfp in 2011 I was super strict and didn't know how to adapt things to real life and when I did fall, I fell SUPER hard and didn't come back for 5 years
  • Pinkylee77
    Pinkylee77 Posts: 432 Member
    I like do the appetizers teriyaki chicken skewers, steamed dumplings, soups, I can make a meal on that.

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