Fast Food Options - No chicken

I am packing and moving so will be eating out a lot over the next few weeks. Any recommendations on healthy "fast food" options that don't include chicken? I like chicken but just realized I've eaten it for dinner 7 days in a row because I usually go to Panera, Chick fil a, Wendy's etc. and I always get a chicken salad, sandwich, wrap, etc.. I can pick something up at other places or the grocery store, just can't cook because my kitchen is packed!

Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    whatever fits into your calorie and micro and macro goals for the day....subway is a good one...
  • Trish1c
    Trish1c Posts: 549 Member
    Skip the fast food & go to the hot buffet section of your local grocery store. Mine has grilled salmon & tons of veggies. Also any place that has a big salad bar. It's not perfect but how do you feel about white pizza with broccoli & spinach?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Trish1c wrote: »
    Skip the fast food & go to the hot buffet section of your local grocery store. Mine has grilled salmon & tons of veggies. Also any place that has a big salad bar. It's not perfect but how do you feel about white pizza with broccoli & spinach?

    why would fast food be any worse than a grocery store buffet..??
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    Chipotle/Qdoba? Pretty easy to make non-chicken relatively healthy choices there.
  • Trish1c
    Trish1c Posts: 549 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    why would fast food be any worse than a grocery store buffet..??

    She wanted variety. I don't know too many things you can get at a fast food place besides burger or chicken. My grocery store buffet had more choices. Of course there will be bad choices but there are other options. Mine offered lean roast beef, a couple of kinds of chicken, a few pasta dishes, salmon, talpia, and roast pork as the proteins. I don't know any place else you can get that variety quickly for not a lot of money.

  • BigTandthesquatters
    BigTandthesquatters Posts: 151 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Trish1c wrote: »
    Skip the fast food & go to the hot buffet section of your local grocery store. Mine has grilled salmon & tons of veggies. Also any place that has a big salad bar. It's not perfect but how do you feel about white pizza with broccoli & spinach?

    why would fast food be any worse than a grocery store buffet..??

    Whole foods hot food line is all Organic(so they say). And has actual cooks.
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    I dislike chicken, so usually get chili at Wendy's, rodeo burger or veggie burger at Burger King, 6" ham at Subway. I don't like anything at Chik-fil-a.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Trish1c wrote: »
    Skip the fast food & go to the hot buffet section of your local grocery store. Mine has grilled salmon & tons of veggies. Also any place that has a big salad bar. It's not perfect but how do you feel about white pizza with broccoli & spinach?

    why would fast food be any worse than a grocery store buffet..??

    Whole foods hot food line is all Organic(so they say). And has actual cooks.

    And other grocery stores don't have actual cooks? :huh:
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    I get unwiches from jimmy johns, not to be healthy or anything, bread just poofs me up
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    When we remodeled the kitchen last summer, we ate grocery store prepared food or fast food for 3 weeks. We got really tired of it.
  • Caitlinbc
    Caitlinbc Posts: 1,914 Member
    If you do fast food,go on the website and look at the nutritional facts. That can help you plan out your meal and you won't have to worry about making the wrong choice.

    If you go to regular restaurants, stick to grilled and baked options. Stay away from the creamy/cheesy type things. Some places have healthy option sections and can show the calorie amount. Not all of them do but more are doing this as time goes on.

  • annaskiski
    annaskiski Posts: 1,212 Member
    Wendy's has baked potatoes. You can have one plain, order a small side of chili, and dump on top of the potato...
    Very tasty and not too many calories.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Trish1c wrote: »
    Skip the fast food & go to the hot buffet section of your local grocery store. Mine has grilled salmon & tons of veggies. Also any place that has a big salad bar. It's not perfect but how do you feel about white pizza with broccoli & spinach?

    why would fast food be any worse than a grocery store buffet..??

    Whole foods hot food line is all Organic(so they say). And has actual cooks.

    And other grocery stores don't have actual cooks? :huh:

    I could be wrong, but I read it as he was saying fast food places don't have actual cooks / chefs.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Trish1c wrote: »
    Skip the fast food & go to the hot buffet section of your local grocery store. Mine has grilled salmon & tons of veggies. Also any place that has a big salad bar. It's not perfect but how do you feel about white pizza with broccoli & spinach?

    why would fast food be any worse than a grocery store buffet..??

    Whole foods hot food line is all Organic(so they say). And has actual cooks.

    so what? You don't need a cook to get the right balance of calories, fats, protein, and carbs....
  • fastfoodietofitcutie
    fastfoodietofitcutie Posts: 523 Member
    Thanks for the ideas. I have a pretty good bbq place by me where I can get bbq pork, turkey, beef etc.. so maybe I'll try that tonight with a side salad. The good news is this is forcing me to go out every day instead of staying at home so I'm getting a little more activity in.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Thanks for the ideas. I have a pretty good bbq place by me where I can get bbq pork, turkey, beef etc.. so maybe I'll try that tonight with a side salad. The good news is this is forcing me to go out every day instead of staying at home so I'm getting a little more activity in.

    you can always get the BBQ sauce on the side, or go for the brisket...
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    Do you have Publix? The subs, mmm.
    Little taco places can be good. Fish tacos!
    Ramen house?

    Good luck to you.
  • fastfoodietofitcutie
    fastfoodietofitcutie Posts: 523 Member
    No Publix and don't eat noodles but fish tacos sound good!
  • bemyyfriend0918
    bemyyfriend0918 Posts: 241 Member
    I definitely love wendys. They have a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger with 380 calories. Match that with a garden side salad including crutons and ranch dressing, and your meal total will be 590cals. Not too bad for a fast food meal. I also love subway, and taco bell! believe it or not, a crunch taco only has 170cals, and a soft one has 190.
  • BigTandthesquatters
    BigTandthesquatters Posts: 151 Member
    OK apparently I pissed people off. I was just suggesting the whole foods hot line. Sorry. yes other stores have hot food yes other places have cooks. Relax glean the info you want and let the rest go. I was just trying to add to the conversation is all. Again I am sorry i offended anyone.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    If you have enough time to sit down at a restaurant you can't go wrong with some lean meat or fish and some grilled veggies. You have to leave out the bread and potatoes to make it work though.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    rsclause wrote: »
    If you have enough time to sit down at a restaurant you can't go wrong with some lean meat or fish and some grilled veggies. You have to leave out the bread and potatoes to make it work though.

    ? why do you have to leave out the bread and potatoes???
  • emjam99
    emjam99 Posts: 92 Member
    Love those places!!! But without chicken it's hard to think of healthy options. Panera bread will be fine if you order a soup or sandwich, chick fil a would be a tough one but you can order the salads without chicken in them too. Wendy's has chili, baked potato, and you could always eat value burger or fries as well. Just watch the calories mainly. Once you get set up it will be easier to eat right. Also, hit sub shops and order healthier things. Walmart or a grocery store should have a deli with salads, subs, and other easy options. Good luck!
  • Kamikazeflutterby
    Kamikazeflutterby Posts: 770 Member
    edited July 2016
    OK apparently I pissed people off. I was just suggesting the whole foods hot line. Sorry. yes other stores have hot food yes other places have cooks. Relax glean the info you want and let the rest go. I was just trying to add to the conversation is all. Again I am sorry i offended anyone.

    Don't be. It scares me that you'd A. consider what you typed capable of offending B. Would feel sorrow that something so small was offensive to someone, somewhere on the internet and C. would apologize for hurting someone with skin that thin.

    I doubt you pissed anyone off, but I also notice that you never answered the question of why "fast food" is worse than "organic"--you took the easier route of assuming someone could be angry and backed down.

    In the weird *kitten* world of MFP that is a valid question. How is organic grocery store food better than, say, something at Subway that fits your calorie goal? There has to be a reason, not just a series of buzz words.




    Edited: changed my fast food example--my first one included chicken. Anything is better than chicken, because the OP specified "no chicken."
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I am packing and moving so will be eating out a lot over the next few weeks. Any recommendations on healthy "fast food" options that don't include chicken? I like chicken but just realized I've eaten it for dinner 7 days in a row because I usually go to Panera, Chick fil a, Wendy's etc. and I always get a chicken salad, sandwich, wrap, etc.. I can pick something up at other places or the grocery store, just can't cook because my kitchen is packed!

    Order things that are not chicken? Look online at menu and nutrition info for places near you.

    At burger places I tend to get a regular hamburger and a side salad with vinaigrette dressing.
    Get a smaller thin crust pizza and a salad.
    Soups. Get some vegetable or bean based soup.
    Get a baked potato topped with broccoli and cheese.
    Grocery store- yogurt, fresh fruit, canned fruit, flavored tuna pouches, fresh vegetables, salads, canned beans, tortillas, pita bread, lunchmeats, hummus, sausage, peanut butter, nuts, dried fruit, cottage cheese, deli food
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    OK apparently I pissed people off. I was just suggesting the whole foods hot line. Sorry. yes other stores have hot food yes other places have cooks. Relax glean the info you want and let the rest go. I was just trying to add to the conversation is all. Again I am sorry i offended anyone.

    I can do some serious damage with whole foods hot food. Everything is doused in oil and creamy sauces.

  • BigTandthesquatters
    BigTandthesquatters Posts: 151 Member
    OK apparently I pissed people off. I was just suggesting the whole foods hot line. Sorry. yes other stores have hot food yes other places have cooks. Relax glean the info you want and let the rest go. I was just trying to add to the conversation is all. Again I am sorry i offended anyone.

    Don't be. It scares me that you'd A. consider what you typed capable of offending B. Would feel sorrow that something so small was offensive to someone, somewhere on the internet and C. would apologize for hurting someone with skin that thin.

    I doubt you pissed anyone off, but I also notice that you never answered the question of why "fast food" is worse than "organic"--you took the easier route of assuming someone could be angry and backed down.

    In the weird *kitten* world of MFP that is a valid question. How is organic grocery store food better than, say, something at Subway that fits your calorie goal? There has to be a reason, not just a series of buzz words.




    Edited: changed my fast food example--my first one included chicken. Anything is better than chicken, because the OP specified "no chicken."

    I say Organic is better because its usually what's in season and local. It hasn't been shipped cross country. When i can afford it I always will buy organic. Especially meats. They taste way better. You are right in the grand scheme of calorie counts it probably means nothing. But i try to be conscientious of where my food comes.That IMHO is why I think organic is better than fast food.

    And thanks for the pep talk.