Dinning out for olive garden or red lobster

j2rch4u
j2rch4u Posts: 4
edited October 7 in Food and Nutrition
So tomorrow we are celebrating my moms birthday. She has not decided if she wants olive garden or red lobster. So if we go to either, what food should i get? Im willing to save 500 or more for this dinner. Any suggestions??

Replies

  • dovesgate
    dovesgate Posts: 894 Member
    I'd pick Red Lobster but that is my favorite restaurant anyway. I suggest a garden salad or the Lobster Bisque soup (soooo delish) and lobster tail or snow crab with veggies for your entree.

    Last time I went, I didn't use the drawn butter for my seafood except for my very last bite of snow crab. I still can't believe how gross and flavorless it was after having only fresh lemon juice as a seasoning.

    I found this for advice for Olive garden:
    http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1478
  • sugarbeans
    sugarbeans Posts: 676 Member
    I would suggest going to the restaurants online nutrition menu and decide that way. I find both places are loaded with sodium, but you can make a decision on what you want from that. Keep in mind if it is in creamy sauce the higher the sodium and fat. Last time I went to Red lobster I ended up consuming over 4000mg of Sodium just for that dinner alone and after not having a lot of sodium I felt sick afterwards. Also by looking at the menu ahead of time it helps you enjoy the meal a lot more, and if you are one like me that likes to weigh herself every morning just be prepared that your weight might be higher the next morning due to the sodium intake.

    Have fun. =)
  • crisnis
    crisnis Posts: 83 Member
    olive garden has a parmesian crusted tilapia dinner that is only like 590 calories... inlcudes the fish, side of pasta and roased veggies. Pretty yummy!
  • BioQueen
    BioQueen Posts: 694 Member
    Minestrone soup and salad with olive oil and vinegar (on the side) is a really good choice for Olive Garden. It's the only thing I will ever get there.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Both are national chains which means their nutritional information is published. Go to their respective websites and start planning :)

    http://www.redlobster.com/health/nutrition/dinner.asp
    http://www.olivegarden.com/Menu/Nutrition/
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Personally i would get whatever sounded the tastiest or was my favorite dish vs worrying about calories, i'd enjoy the bday dinner, and get back on track the next day.
  • allenpearcy
    allenpearcy Posts: 227 Member
    Red Lobster is a bit harder to target 500 than Olive Garden. OG has a Herb-grilled Salmon w/broccoli for 510 cals.
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 894 Member
    Both are national chains which means their nutritional information is published. Go to their respective websites and start planning :)

    http://www.redlobster.com/health/nutrition/dinner.asp
    http://www.olivegarden.com/Menu/Nutrition/

    Agree with this.

    I've eaten both places since starting my journey and you can make it work :)

    A few general notes:

    RL: Watch out for the biscuits, terrible for you, but oooooooh so yummy! Ask for dressings on the side.

    OG: Again, watch out for the breadsticks, terrible for you, but oooooooh so yummy! :P Ask for dressings on the side. Stick to smaller pastas (e.g. angel hair) and red sauces over white.

    If you forget to plan ahead of time, both restaurants will give you nutritional info on the spot if you ask for it.
  • secrets_out
    secrets_out Posts: 684 Member
    Enjoy the birthday..pick back up the next day <3
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