We are going to a restaurant - what do I eat?

I.LOVE.going.out.to.dinner. There - I said it! I'm gonna own it!

I hate to cook. I'm bad at it. I can NEVER think of anything good to make.

So, why not let someone else do the cooking for me??? BRILLIANT, I tell you, BRILLIANT!

But there's a load of trouble when going out to eat. The fried food smells so good! The appetizers are so, well, appetizing. The dessert is STARING at you from that dessert cart...I could go on and on.

Most of us have a really hard time sticking to our clean eating/healthy eating when we go out to eat. My hubby says "hey, you've earned it, treat yourself". So, I did once. And guess what? I paid for it later! My stomach is actually accustomed to this healthy/clean lifestyle I'm leading now. When I throw a monkey wrench, or Primanti's sammich, into the mix - it can get ugly. So, I've learned to just make good choices when dining out.

They might be hard to find - but the good choices are there!

The FIRST THING you should do is ask for a to go container right away! Restaurants have MASSIVE portion sizes. That meal they just brought you is actually 2 or 3 meals. Put at least 1/2 of your food into a to go container before you even touch it. That way, there is no chance of over indulging!

Always, always, always look for salads. If you can get grilled chicken or shrimp on that salad that's even better! If you can get simple vinegar and oil dressing, that's a massive plus. That way you can control the oil content, and in actuality, the fat content! Have the restaurant hold the cheese. They put a TON on and a small portion to them is 1 cup instead of 2.

If you can't or don't want to have a salad, then look for some type of broiled or baked fish. That's a safe choice. Add a baked potato, bonus points if it's a sweet potato, and you have a meal!

Another option would be some type of grilled chicken meal. A favorite restaurant of mine in these parts has a great grilled BBQ chicken platter. I get it with steamed veggies and a sweet potato! It's deliciousness that I don't have to cook!

Another great option - broth based soup. French onion soup, minus the tons of cheese and 937249072 white bread croutons, is a pretty healthy choice!

Here are some words you want to avoid when dining out:

• Fried
• Alfredo
• Sauteed (hello butter!)
• Breaded
• Crusted
• Cream(y)
• Cheese Filled

Here are some words you want to look for when dining out:

• Grilled
• Baked
• Broiled
• Lite
• Senior portions

Ok - so you get the idea. What if you are craving a sandwich? Those are pretty healthy - right? WRONG!!!

I never knew, until I was a waitress, that restaurants actually heavily butter their buns and bread, toast them and then put all the goodness on them. That's TONS of extra calories! How about the spicy mayo that comes with that burger? Can you say clogged arteries???

If you have to have a sandwich, ask for UNBUTTERED, preferably whole wheat, bread or bun. Skip the mayo. How about a side salad instead of those fries? Get a veggie burger instead of the full fat beef burger. I can promise you that restaurants do not use nice 93% beef - it's probably the 70% stuff. Don't get your burger smothered in sauteed mushrooms and onions - EXTRA BUTTER!

Are you starting to get the picture about how to eat healthier while still enjoying your favorite restaurant? 

So what are you waiting for? GO OUT TO DINNER! Enjoy yourself! Just make good choices!

<3,

Kell