Ah! The convenience of eating out for the night! No cooking, no cleaning, and no dishes makes for a happy mama. But, do we want to ruin our healthy eating habits just for a relaxing evening? Thankfully, many restaurants have added some healthy options to their menus that are actually tasty too! But beware, large portions and certain salads are a trap so be sure to choose wisely.
Olive Garden
Consider switching to wheat linguine if ordering pasta, it has three times more fiber and fewer carbohydrates. Also, switching to wheat will increase your fiber, helping you feel fuller for longer, which means you’re less likely to snack later in the evening.
Pasta e Fagioli
Calories: 130
Total Fat: 2.5 g
Protein: 9 g
Herb-Grilled Salmon (dinner portion)
Starbucks
Baked goods and lattes can be a very tricky situation when it comes to counting calories and carbohydrates. Thankfully, not everything on the Starbucks menu is a cellulite trap. An added bonus, there is no high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavoring, or dyes in any of their menu items.
Multigrain bagel
Calories: 300
Total Fat: 3g
Protein: 15g
Skinny Flavored Latte (16 oz)
A regular vanilla latte does little damage to your diet at 250 calories. However, the skinny latte saves you from many extra carbohydrates and a few extra grams of fat. Not a fan of the sugar-free sweeteners? Feel free to customize the regular by asking for only half a shot of sweetener or switch out regular milk for soy.
California Pizza Kitchen
Be aware almost every pizza at California Pizza Kitchen is over 1,000 calories. So, if you are intending to stay on track; split the pizza or take at least half home.
Dakota smashed pea and barley (Bowl)
Calories: 350
Total Fat: 1g
Protein: 22g
Hawaiian Pizza
Remember, split the pizza in half, at least, to reduce these to reasonable numbers.
Calories: 1020
Total Fat: 35g
Protein: 44g
PF Chang’s
Every meal at PF Chang’s is actually 2-3 serving sizes so, once again, watch your portion control.
Buddha Feast Steamed- Rice Not Included
Calories: 260 (for 2 servings!)
Total Fat: 4g
Protein: 26g
Philip’s Better Lemon Chicken
There are a few other chicken dishes with comparable or slightly fewer calories than the Better Lemon Chicken. However, this is the only menu item with a reasonable amount of sodium. At 260 mg sodium PF Chang’s has proven that it doesn’t actually require a salt lick to make restaurant food.
Calories: 900 (for 3 servings)
Total Fat: 35g
Protein: 60g
Applebee’s
The most important tip when dining at Applebee’s is to stay away from the salads. All of the salads on the menu are around 1,000 calories. Yikes!
Roasted Garlic Sirloin
Calories: 460
Total Fat: 18g
Protein: 43g
Blackened Tilapia
Calories: 410
Total Fat: 15g
Protein: 34g
