Alright ladies lets talk about healthy options when dining out! In California most of the fast food chains have their nutrition content posted, so you know exactly what you're eating. Unfortunately nutrition info is not available in most sit down restaurants. Here are a couple shots of what my typical meals look like when we're out to lunch/dinner.
We finally checked out The Counter (a burger spot in Orange County) and I was immediately impressed when I checked out their create your own burger menu! I love that their meat is hormone and antibiotic free and that they offer turkey,vegan veggie and organic bison.
The hubby of course ordered the manliest burger on the menu with bacon, cheese, and a side of fries. I opted for the turkey burger and took advantage of their "serve it on a salad" option! It came with a side of tazaki and it was delish!
At The Cheesecake Factory I love of their Skinnylicious menu. I've posted on it before and love so many items on there! A couple of my favorites are the asian tacos and the shrimp spring rolls. I ate all the tacos and shared the spring rolls with the hubs.
I get my weekly sushi fix from Whole Foods. I love that their California roll isn't loaded with mayo or artificial crab. I always get the brown rice rolls and saw they introduced a brown rice/quinoa roll as well! While I appreciate the effort, I wasn't really crazy about the quinoa on the roll. Now I tend to just stick to the brown rice rolls.
I also love this roll! Its made with rice paper and is loaded with all kinds of yumminess and healthy fats!
In LA last week we went to one of my favorite Italian lunch spots in Beverly Hills, Il Pastio. I LOVE grilled calamari and this salad was so yummy and filling! I skipped the bread and opted for a glass of Rose instead.
At Bear Flag in Newport Coast I go with then ahi poke bowl. It comes with brown rice and lots of colorful veggies. I love that they serve coconut water straight from the source!
Out to mexican I usually start with a big order of seafood ceviche (and a SKINNY margarita of course). If I'm still hungry I will order a taco a la carte or steal some of the hubbies left overs ;)
Out to dinner with the girls I ordered the Halibut burger but had it grilled and no tartar sauce. Luckily at this restaurant they served green beans in place of fries!
Basically when ordering out try to steer clear of fried and creamy items. Try to pick items that have lots of veggies and balance as best you can! If you're really craving something then go for it and don't beat yourself up. If you're having a glass of wine skip the bread. If you have the bread skip the dessert. I read Bethanny Frankel's book years ago and while I think some of if was a little extreme some of her "rules" have stuck in my head. She said "you can have everything just not all at once". So have a burger but don't have the fries and the shake too. Hope this was helpful for you ladies! xo
