Dining Out: The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory is one of the worst offenders as far as high calorie restaurant entrees - If you choose to eat here while watching your calorie intake you have to be very careful about what you order

I only order off of their new Skinnylicious Menu - I get the Mexican Chicken Lettuce Wrap Tacos, they are 260 calories, and they are gluten free and dairy free(without the crema) - they are basically like a mexican chicken salad in lettuce wrap form

For comparison, my boyfriend orders the Baja Chicken Tacos - these are 1,119 calories! And his entree does not look very different from mine except that his comes with actual tortillas and rice and beans. I would not have thought that his meal would be that high in calories - but leave it to Cheesecake Factory to make even the healthy-looking things high in calories..

Also if you eat here while restricting calories do not order cheesecake! Instead you should make your own low cal version at home - You can do this using 1 container of Chobani or Fage low fat greek yogurt and a tablespoon of Jell-O Sugar Free Cheesecake mix - just stir the two ingredients together well and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes - you could add PB2 powder or cocoa powder to make a peanut butter/chocolate cheesecake, or top with some fruit preserves for a classic fruit-topped cheesecake treat :)

Dining Out: Uncle Julio's Hacienda - Mexican Restaurant

Uncle Julio's is one of my family's favorite restaurants, we have probably been there over 100 times since it opened - and if you can use some self control with the chips mexican food can be pretty low-calorie/healthy.

Last night I ordered the Ceviche Royale, it had scallops, shrimp and tilapia -  I had never ordered it before, but it may be my new regular order!

Some other good Mexican options are:

- Mesquite grilled shrimp
- Grilled Salmon or Chicken
- Vegetable Fajitas (without the tortillas)
- Salsa instead of Queso dip

Dining Out: Panera Bread

One of my favorite places to go when I'm watching what I eat is Panera Bread (or St. Louis Bread Co. for anyone from St. Louis).
Disclaimer: I don't worry about gluten contamination so it works fine for me, but if you have Celiac's it probably should be avoided.

I usually get soup or a salad - today I ordered the You Pick Two with a Classic Salad(80 cal) and Black Bean Soup(170 cal)

Some other low-calorie choices are:

A Full Classic Salad - 170 calories
Classic Salad with Chicken - 290 calories
Chicken Noodle Soup(not GF) - 90 calories for a cup
Power Chicken Hummus Bowl (DF without cheese) - 330 calories
Caesar Salad(Gf without croutons, but not dairy free) - 310 calories
Fruit Cup - 70 calories
Apple (as a side) - 50-80 calories

Making informed choices is especially important when you are eating at restaurants, you would be surprised at how many calories some items contain.
My boyfriend ordered the Smokehouse Turkey Panini(710 cal), with chips(160 cal) and a Pumpkin Muffy(290 cal) - that's over 1,000 calories for one meal! Some people are able to eat more calories but for those of us with slower metabolisms restaurants can be tricky, which is why it is important to check calorie information before you order.

Make Good Choices!