So, you've got a meal plan, your meals prepped for the week, snacks ready, but then your friends ask if you want to go out to eat. You've been doing so good with your weightloss journey and habits, and you're thinking, "what should I order??"
Now, I get it, not every city will have the same restaurants, but the basics are the same.
Breakfast foods:
- choose omelettes over waffles
- choose fruit, turkey bacon, wheat toast, or tomato slices for sides
- be cautious with "healthy" meals (example: try using no sugar in oatmeal)
Salads:
- make your own when you can
- don't be scared to add or subtract ingredients
- add proteins (like grilled meats, quinoa, boiled egg, beans)
- use healthy fats (like avocado)
- see more green on your plate
- use light (dairy-free) dressings
- hold the croutons/toppings
At Chipotle:
- use the salad options
- don't be scared to ask for light rice, or any other toppings
- think about portions (get those cute baby chips)
- pass on the cheese, sour cream, and tortilla shells
Burgers:
- go bunless or make it a salad
- choose a veggie (many places have broccoli as an option)
- use alternative toppings (mushrooms, avocado, egg, tomato, lettuce, onions...
drop the cheese, bacon, sauces)
Speaking of burgers...In-N-Out, go protein + animal style
Mexican Food:
- choose salads
- be cautious with chips, sauces, and cheeses
- great options that I get:
- a big salad with grilled chicken, guac, salsa, light beans, and tomatoes
- fajitas with tons of veggies and you can choose what you make
- corn tortilla tacos with meat, veggies, lettuce, tomato, and guac
- grilled chicken with black beans, veggies, and avocado/guac
At Panera:
Clearly, I get a lot of salads (thanks to my paleo life),
however, there are a lot of options at Panera:
- choose an apple instead of bread or chips on the side
- get your dressing on the side
(and don't get thick, dairy dressings -- they even have EVOO as pictured, but you'll have to ask for it)
- great proteins include grilled chicken, boiled egg, and avocado
- a you-pick-two will help with portions (those soups are a doozy with calories)
I've mastered my healthy hacks
at theme parks:
At Universal Orlando, I found:
- a healthy salad at Thunder Falls Terrace (at Islands of Adventure)
- I drank my Shakeology and pretended it was
Butterbeer on the way to the parks for maximum energy
- I brought my water and made sure I was getting my water in all day
There's a local place here in Charlotte that we love called
Viva Chicken:
there are a lot of great, fresh options like:
- salad with chicken and avocado
- grilled chicken with green beans
- quinoa stuff avocado + chicken
- great side options: quinoa, green beans, sweet potato fries
- Remember Fazoli's? There's still a few! I was pleasantly surprised to
find this salad with grilled chicken on it -- no breadsticks here.
- PeiWei's lettuce wraps are the best!
- At Dean and Deluca, I got a turkey sandwich loaded with veggies with wheat bread. Want less bread? Just eat one slice of the bread and make it open-face.
If you're out to some place like Outback, Red Lobster, Carabba's, etc., you should certainly always be able to find a grilled chicken or grilled fish option. Choose veggies and/or rice not the side. Easy peasy and super delish!
I love the teas and iced coffee beverages at Teavana and Starbucks.
<<side note: did you know that your can use your Starbucks star rewards at Teavana??>>
I always get my beverages unsweetened.
At Starbucks, half passion fruit tea and half green tea is a great summer option.
What I've found is when I'm at a girl's night, a simple coffee or tea is a great alternative to dessert.
