Help me pick one of these items for lunch Mother's day

cafisher0404
cafisher0404 Posts: 77 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am going to the restaurant below for Mother's day with my mom. They don't have any nutritional information available and everything seems like its going to really blow my calories for the day. My sister is also watching what she is eating, so we could always split one of these items to try to help keep things in check. Which item would you recommend and what do you think I should estimate the calories as for that?

http://dillonsrestaurant.com/menu/

I was thinking of either the grilled chicken salad or the grilled chicken club. Any idea as to how many calories I should estimate (based on splitting it)? They are a bbq joint, so I imagine their food is going to be on the larger side. And if I opt for the salad, any suggestions on which dressing would be the best choice? If I get the sandwich, I'll opt for the veggie of the day.

Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    It's one day and it's with your mom. Pick something you like, log it and forget it.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited May 2016
    Oh damn... i just had a look at their menu and kid you not I would probably order 10 things off that menu at once.

    Fried mushrooms, jalepeno poppers, onion rings, spinach dip, portabello burger, ceaser salad, soup, desserts.... dang girl!


    Anyways, it's one day. let it go and eat what you want. If you're that concerned just fast throughout the day (maybe a small snack or two) so that you can eat whatever you want calorie wise at dinner. I don't recommend going to a place with delicious food and trying to deprive yourself there. At that point... why even go out?
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    One day will have no appreciable effect on long term goals. Eat what you enjoy, practice some moderation.

    Anyway, from the full menu http://dillonsrestaurant.com/menu I'll have...

    Beef Quesadilla.

    BBQ platter - Pulled pork, beef brisket and burnt ends with steak fries, bbq baked beans and mac & cheese and mild bbq sauce.

    Or maybe a burnt ends platter

    Cheesecake.

    I'll also take home a gallon of mac & cheese and a full rack of brontosaurus beef ribs.
  • cafisher0404
    cafisher0404 Posts: 77 Member
    Yeah, I'm not really a fan of the choice of restaurant, but was not going to argue with my mom on her choice on Mother's day and obviously don't want to stay home and miss out on the time together. I guess I can try the fast throughout the day so I don't stress as much about my choice, thanks for the idea!

    I don't want to take the approach of just picking what I want, logging it and moving on. I'm still early on in my lifestyle change here (2-3 weeks in), and if I start indulging in big "cheat meals", I think it'll spiral quickly to days etc. (knowing me). I am still adding in things I like to my daily budget (just smaller amounts), but want to stay as close as possible to my calories per day so I get used to changing my concepts of "portion size," as well as changing (hopefully) my tastes for certain foods. I have found that by avoiding super greasy/fatty foods the last few weeks, I haven't been having as many cravings for them, which is nice! Thank you!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    They offer a half sandwich and cup of soup. You could do a turkey sandwich.
  • karenr1126
    karenr1126 Posts: 4 Member
    Cup of Chili & salad, any salad with dressing on the side, turkey or pulled pork platter with baked potato & vegetable or no potato & double order of veggies. I think this menu has lots of choices. A grilled chicken salad is always my fallback item when I can't find anything else.
  • NewMEEE2016
    NewMEEE2016 Posts: 192 Member
    Easy! My choice would be the GRILLED TILAPIA fillets. For the sides, I would get the vegetable of the day if they can do it with NO BUTTER or SAUCE. If not, I would ask for FRESH STEAMED Vegetables or a side salad, no dressing- I'd ask for fresh lemon wedges instead. To drink, unsweetened iced tea, or WATER w/lemon wedge. I would CALL the restaurant ahead of time and ask how many ounces of Tilapia are in a portion. And then I would log it. Important: I would NOT share w/your sister- important to feel full and not deprived. I personally LOVE tilapia- and in my opinion, it's got the best calorie: protein ratio on this menu. If you don't like fish, there are some chicken options.
  • NewMEEE2016
    NewMEEE2016 Posts: 192 Member
    [quote="cafisher0404;10386312"

    I was thinking of either the grilled chicken salad or the grilled chicken club. Any idea as to how many calories I should estimate (based on splitting it)? They are a bbq joint, so I imagine their food is going to be on the larger side. And if I opt for the salad, any suggestions on which dressing would be the best choice? If I get the sandwich, I'll opt for the veggie of the day. [/quote]

    If these are your preferences, definitely go with the GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD. I personally would NOT split, in fact, I would ask for DOUBLE the chicken. Call the restaurant in advance and ask them how many ounces of chicken they put on the salad (restaurants keep close tabs on this). I would also ask them what KIND of chicken they use- ie, REAL chicken that is cooked there, or PROCESSED chicken (if processed, I would order FISH). For dressing, I personally would ask for LEMON WEDGES on the side or BALSAMIC VINEGAR if they have it (but be careful- calories can add up).
  • cafisher0404
    cafisher0404 Posts: 77 Member
    Thank you guys! I think I'm going with the grilled chicken salad, and I like the suggestion of lemon wedges to add flavor to it, I may do that and a combo of light dressing. I appreciate the help :)
  • Kamikazeflutterby
    Kamikazeflutterby Posts: 770 Member
    I'd order the pulled pork sandwich w/ bbq sauce on the side, but I eat a lot of pulled pork sandwiches at home and they usually run 300-400 cal with my portions/ingredients. The portabello mushroom salad looks delicious, or half of that salmon sandwich. Ooh, and the smoked chicken w/ bbq sauce on the side. Actually, there's tons of stuff that is easy to fit into a day here.

    When something is huge at a restaurant (especially burgers) I'll cut it in half, and instead of sharing take it home and weigh the ingredients in my leftovers. That way I have a more accurate log for my restaurant meal, and another yummy meal for the next day.
  • mpat81
    mpat81 Posts: 353 Member
    There are quite a few decent options IMO. Portobella mushroom sandwich, salmon salad, fish tacos, and tilapia platter all sound reasonable if you ask for sauces on the side. I would even say the smoked turkey with a baked potato and vegetable of the day would be good if this is going to be your large meal for the day! :)
  • MelissaLimeKiwi
    MelissaLimeKiwi Posts: 121 Member
    Since it's not your first choice restaurant anyways, definitely save a cheat meal for a few weeks down the road and make sure it's something you really want. Good on you for wanting to make the best choice and stick to your goals. I would do maybe a grilled chicken salad with low fat dressing or a turkey sandwich no mayo.
  • mathandcats
    mathandcats Posts: 786 Member
    I'd go for a BBQ sandwich, either pork or chicken. If you like, you can get the sauce on the side too. These sandwiches are usually not that many calories (I'd guess 500-700 for a restaurant one with a basic bun, but can be more if a brioche bun or something). Get a side of low cal veggies and you'll be fine.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Smoked salmon fillet with baked potato and veggies. Sounds tasty! Or yeah, grilled tilapia.

  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    Oh damn... i just had a look at their menu and kid you not I would probably order 10 things off that menu at once.

    Fried mushrooms, jalepeno poppers, onion rings, spinach dip, portabello burger, ceaser salad, soup, desserts.... dang girl!


    Anyways, it's one day. let it go and eat what you want. If you're that concerned just fast throughout the day (maybe a small snack or two) so that you can eat whatever you want calorie wise at dinner. I don't recommend going to a place with delicious food and trying to deprive yourself there. At that point... why even go out?

    The point is the OP is spending time with her mom and sister. The food is secondary, if even that high on the list.
  • cafisher0404
    cafisher0404 Posts: 77 Member
    Thanks guys, I got the grilled chicken salad and ate it with buffalo sauce (yummy) and lower calories than regular dressing!

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