A Good Find at Chili’s November 9, 2009

I grew up eating at Chili’s. I love that place. Unfortunately there are not a lot of calorie appropriate options there. Most of the options on their Guitless Grill menu are tasty (Tilapia and Salmon are excellent) but you may not always want to limit yourself to this part of the menu. My favorite non-guitless entree is the Chicken Fajita Pita which has 450 calories, 17 g of fat, 43 g of protein, and 3 g fiber. Ask for the dressing on the side and you can reduce the calories even more.  Instead of fries I order their delicious kettle black beans for only an additional 110 calories, 1 g fat, 8 g protein, and 6 g fiber. Choosing beans as a side dish is a great low-cal alternative to fries and adds plant-based protein and lots of fiber.

Check out all the nutrition facts for Chili’s at: http://www.chilis.com/menu/

Eating Out October 27, 2009

This past week in my weekly nutrition class we discussed eating out. This is a major obstacle for all healthy eaters because it’s so easy to go overboard in the calorie department. My thinking on the subject is that you can eat out often and be healthy but it takes discipline and knowledge. I will start posting some of my favorite options from restaurants on here to help give you some ideas of what’s available. Sometimes I may identify an item just because it’s a calorie appropriate option. I will also highlight items that are very high in nutritional value. The goal is to find entrees that are both!

I will start out with the Cheesecake Factory…dun dun dun dun. This restaurant is known for its huge portions and super high calorie entrees. My hubby and I were taken to this restaurant a couple of weeks ago by friends. I was hesitant to go at first because of the above, but I was delightfully surprised to find a new portion of their menu called “Small Plates and Snacks.” All these items were tapas style portions and many of them look very reasonable. They still do not list the nutrition facts on their website, which I have a problem with, so I guessed at the best option that I would enjoy. I ended up with the Ahi Tartare and Arugula Salad. They were both delicious and just the right amount. I really enjoyed my experience here and was glad I didn’t have to deal with my inner battle of to eat or not to eat.

So check out this great little menu next time you are at the CF.

Please add your thoughts or great restaurant finds for other to benefit from. We need to help each other out to find healthy, delicious food.