With my work schedule I usually eat out every Monday night. It is too hard to try to leave work, go home, make dinner and get to work on time. Over the two past two years I have tried pretty hard to not let those Monday night dinners on the go get me too far off track on my eating. Especially because (let's be real) all diets start on Mondays.
I am no expert and I know that even though a restaurant posts calorie information that it is not always accurate. But, I do what I can and these are some of my favorite "good and good for you" fast food options!
Panera
Panera has an AWESOME nutrition calculator that allows you to add and subtract items that you will be eating (down to the tomatoes, yuck). I know that their nutrition is more accurate than most because I see them behind the counter measuring out the ingredients.
I usually get a pick two meal and eat half for dinner with the side (sometimes apple, sometimes bread) and eat the other for lunch the next day.
Pick Two Greek Salad
160 cal.
Pick Two Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
220 cal.
Pick Two Chicken Cobb with Avocado
320 cal.
Mr. Goodcents
I found at Mr. Goodcents (or most sandwich shops) that sacrificing the items I wanted (mayo and cheese) made the sandwich not as satisfying. But, If I kept those things, and loaded up on veggies, I was satisfied and full.
Mr. Goodcents also has a
nutrition calculator where you can build a sandwich to your exact specifications. I find these especially helpful while building sandwiches because you can see exactly how many calories or carbs you are adding or loosing. Is swapping out white and wheat worth it to you, what about ham or turkey? By playing around with the nutrition facts, you can really see what small tweaks can make a big difference in the overall quality of your meal.
Noodles and Company
While at first glance you may think Noodles and Company has no healthy options, but that is really not the case! They have done a really good job at making sure they have smaller portions and a lot of customizable options so you can mix and match what you are looking for. They even have an under
500 Calorie "cheat sheet" that is awesome, and all of their calorie information is listed on their menus in person and online.
I do not usually go to Noodles before work simply because there is not one on my way, but we do hit it up for lunch and dinner often.
Pad Thai (half order)
420 cal.
Spicy Chicken Cesar Flat Bread
520 cal.
Chipotle
Stay with me on this one. Chipotle can very quickly turn into an over 1,000 calorie meal. But, if you take the time (and make some sacrifices) you can get a meal for around 550 calories.
The nutrition calculator is your friend. Always start with a burrito bowl and go from there. I get chicken, brown rice, a lot of fajita veggies, green salsa, lettuce and guacamole. Grand Total? 540 calories.
Chic-Fil-A
This is a newer one on my radar, simply because it is so hard not to go there and get the spicy chicken sandwich and waffle fries (nom nom nom). They do an awesome job listing their
nutrition information online and on their menu, sometimes it is a slap in the face, and sometimes it is surprising.
I got the Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap for dinner last night and it was good, and really filling.
Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap
330 cal.
I also got the fruit cup for the side, and it was AWESOME. I usually stray away from fruit cups because I do not like a lot of melons that usually full fruit cups, but this one had strawberries, oranges, apples, and grapes!
Fruit Cup
60 cal.
Next time I might get the grilled chicken nuggets, 110 calories for six? Sign me up.
What are your favorite on the go meals?
