Tips to Keep Eating Healthy

After 11 weeks of finding healthy recipes and checking out favorite restaurants for healthy choices, it is time for a close.  For anyone who is still trying to continue eating healthy while going out to eat, and even at home, here are a few tips to do so on your own.  Fortunately, many restaurants are becoming more health savvy by creating menus under a certain amount of calories.  But for those who haven't reached that point yet, it is still easy to stay on your diet.

Going to a restaurant hungry is probably the worst thing you can do when you're trying to eat healthy.  The food choices you usually cave in for will look even more appetizing, tempting you to ruin your diet and feeling awful afterwards.  If you are starving before going out, drink a glass of water and nibble on some fruit.  The high water in-take will make you feel full without consuming many calories.

Buffet's are never diet friendly because they offer a large selection of an unlimited amount of food!  The best solution when eating at this type of restaurant it to grab a smaller plate so that even though you have a smaller portion, your plate will still be full.  Eat slowly and enjoy your food.

If you want to order an appetizer or a side, always consider the soup.  Most soups have more water content resulting in fewer calories and causing you to feel full faster.  But make sure you stay away from creamier soups and aim towards broth-based soups made with beans or veggies.  If you are choosing a side and soup isn't an option, don't give in to the fries even though your entree is considered low calorie!  Ordering the greasy fries will defeat the purpose of ordering something healthy for your main course.  Instead, steal a few fries from your friend’s plate to ease your craving; I’m sure they’ll make sure you keep your limit.

When it comes to salads, choose a one with a light vinaigrette dressing.  Vinaigrette dressings can actually be a lot tastier than they sound.  If you can't seem to break the relationship with ranch, try asking your server for half vinaigrette and half ranch; less calories but you still have your creamy ranch fix. 

We all love those restaurants that bring out bread or chips and salsa, but they are guilty for adding a lot of extra calories because you’re hungry and the food is free!  Only grab a small portion and tell yourself you’re done.  Keep it out of your eye sight if you have to.  Out of sight out of mind right?  You don't want to ruin your appetite and become full before your meal arrives anyways.  And if you ordered something healthy, chowing down on the complementary appetizer will make up for the calories you subtracted by not choosing the greasier entree.

When it comes to ordering your drink with your meal, try to stay away from sodas and other sugary juices.  These drinks are very refreshing and tasty but they contain a big amount of sugar which comes with a lot of calories!  If you can't seem to stick with water, try ordering water along with a bowl of extra lemons.  Sprinkle a tiny bit of artificial sweetener and voile!  You have a low calorie lemonade!  Lemons also have very many health benefits that can lower blood pressure and cleanse out the toxins in your body.  

Altogether, make sure you choose options with baked lean meats, without the crusts or sauces.  Certain sauces may sound healthy but they can easily be cream based, which packs in major calories, making that grilled chicken or fish not so healthy.  I have always been told to stay away from white or light colored foods; they always tend to have the most calories.

Curious about how many calories your favorite dish at your favorite restaurant has?  It's easy to find out!  Just Google the menu of your ideal restaurant and they normally have the nutritional info.  If your favorite meal has too many calories for your liking, open yourself up to the healthier options.

Even when cooking at home, there are millions of recipes that are tasty but also healthy.  Always remember to keep an open mind when it comes to different food options.  Also eat slowly, savoring every bite.  It takes a few minutes for your brain to actually register you are full after you eat, so give your body time to digest before deciding you need more.

It is hard to break end your relationship with your favorite, to die for unhealthy food choices, but eventually you will learn to love eating light.  Trust me, I know.  But not only will it make you look better, it will also make you feel better physically and mentally.  Your body will thank you! 

Drive-Thru Diet at Taco Bell

Are your taste buds screaming "Yo Quiero Taco Bell"? Don't ignore them!  There are plenty of items on the Taco Bell menu under 350 calories.  If you are a Taco Bell fanatic, like myself, then you probably already know about the Fresco Menu.  But if you don't the menu also known as "Drive-Thru Diet Menu", is a list of items with 350 calories or less!  You can choose from a Chicken Burrito Supreme to a Grilled Steak Soft Taco.  Just know this menu automatically offers 7 choices of Taco Bell goodness, only with fewer calories...and a substitution of cheese with salsa.

My Favorite is the Steak Burrito Supreme

  

A soft tortilla wrapped around marinated and grilled steak, beans, tangy red sauce, shredded lettuce, diced onions, tomatoes, and salsa.

More great news is that the Fresco Menu isn't the only food items at taco bell that are under 350 calories! The chicken, steak, and beef Gordita Supreme's are all under 300.

This Chicken Gordita Supreme only has 290 calories.

Want some nacho's? Choose either the Cheesy Nacho's (280 calories) or the regular Nacho's (330 calories).  I personally was sad to learn that my favorite Nacho's BellGrande contained 780 calories.  It's sad news, but not fitting in skinny jeans is even worse news.  

Of course all of the sides contain less than 350, but that is only because they are smaller proportions.  When it comes to the sides, your best bet is to choose the Mexican Rice with only 120 calories, or the pinto beans that contain 160 calories.

More good news, The Double Decker Taco Supreme...

...is the only taco that contains a maximum of 350 calories, every other taco on the menu has less than that.  That's right, every taco at Taco Bell is a food item to pick if you're watching your caloric intake!  One item that you should stay away from are the Volcano Nacho's...

...it looks heavenly, but the cheese and sour cream pack this deceiving meal with 990 calories! To sum up Taco Bell's menu, stay away from the items loaded with cheese.  The taco's are a good choice if you can't seem to cut the cheese because they come with a small amount, such as the Double Decker Taco Supreme.

You can burn 350 calories off in no time, so get to taco bell as fast as you can and check out these low calorie items! 

Secret Ingredient to Subtract Calories in Your Favorite Treat

I visited my parent's house this past weekend, and one again, my mom had another health saavy recipe.  She discovered a clever substitute to make a tasty treat not so sinful.  If you plan on making a cake or cupcake, there is one ingredient that can substitute eggs, milk and oil that you normally mix with box cake mix.  That special trick is a can of pure pumpkin! 


 


My mom used a box of Yellow Butter Cake Mix and one can of pumpkin.  After mixing the two ingredients, adding a dash of cinnamon and following the cooking directions of the back of the cake mix box.  Not only are you subtracting calories by using canned pumpkin, but it also involves less ingredients!


  

I considered the result a muffin because my mom and I ate them with whipped cream cheese; but they could easily be made into a cupcake by simply adding your favorite cake icing.  If you want to make it a cupcake with less fat, try sprinkling powdered sugar on top.


The pumpkin/cupcake was delicious and after letting my friend have a taste she stated, "It's really moist! The cinnamon brings out the pumpkin flavor and the cream cheese is a perfect addition."  I love this recipe, but it made me want to try more recipes with a pumpkin substitute...something chocolaty.  I did some research and found Double Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies.


You will need...
1 box of chocolate cake mix
15 oz can of pumpkin
1 cup of chocolate chips


Then you...
Set your oven to 350
Mix the the cake mix and pumpkin together
Fold in the chocolate chips
Grease pan
Drop spoonfuls of batter on to pan
Bake for 10-15 minutes 


The cookies were yummy! The chocolate chips made it more added extra chocolaty goodness.    There was only a hint of pumpkin flavor which gave the double chocolate cookies a unique twist.  Each cookie has about 80 calories, so heres to another treat I could enjoy without all the extra calories!    


  

Less Than 500 Calories Aussie-style

Feeling like eating fresh Aussie-style? Well you definitely can when you visit Outback!  Going to dinner at Outback Steakhouse, I didn't expect to eat healthy and accepted the fact that I was going to splurge that night.  As I read the revised menu, I was delightfully impressed!

Outback has a menu with items under 500 calories.  You can eat items such as, chicken on the barbie, a 6oz sirloin, salmon, lobster tail, shrimp, tilapia, mahi and a grilled chicken sandwich without feeling guilty!

Another plus to eating at outback is that if you want to eat light, you can still choose other items from the normal menu.  The menu is creatively organized so that a special symbol is placed beside an item that is already under 500 calories, or can be prepared so that is contains less than 500!  I was so excited because I had yet to see a restaurant with this clever idea.

I took advantage of what I thought was such a witty amenity and ordered the Grilled Chicken and Swiss Sandwich, which had the cute leaf symbol by it that indicated it could be prepared under 500 calories.  When I asked for this suggestion, the waitress replied stating "you know that would mean it would be without bacon and cheese right?"  I wasn't very pleased with that fact, I might as well go to Chick-fil-A.  I ordered it anyways, without subtracting the sandwiches best ingredients, and along with a side of sweet potato fries.  Whether it was 500 calories or 5,000, I was too set on the bacon, cheese, and juicy chicken to settle for anything else.

  

After looking at the menu, I realized the only item that could be prepared in a way to subtract a few calories was the sandwich I ordered.  The idea seemed awesome at first, but the option to prepare a menu item under 500 calories wasn't as good as it was cracked out to be.

One item I did order that had less than 150 calories was the Naturally Skinny 'Rita

Tequilla mixed with natural citrus juices and is a new item in the menu.  It was very refreshing without the guilt of drinking a regular margarita.

Next time I go to Outback, I plan on trying the Lobster tail with tomato salad.  Two seasoned and steamed lobster tails with a tomato salad and fresh veggies with only 416 calories.  Lets see if it can beat I what I normally order at this restaurant...

The popular Alice Springs Chicken

    

Grilled chicken breast smothered with sauteed mushrooms, bacon, monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese and honey mustard, with a side of guilt from consuming 1168 calories! (including the aussie fries).  I'm sure I could have the mouth watering Outback favorite under 500 calories...minus the bacon, cheese, honey mustard and fries (everything except the chicken)!

Just remember it is always okay to splurge, just like I did...1115 calories worth.  Eating healthy can be very hard at times, but your body (and bikini) will thank you!    

Under 550 at Applebee's

When you're trying to eat healthy, going out to dinner is never easy.  Luckily many restaurants have created menus that provide you with lower calories options.  This weekend I went to Applebee's and tried their menu of entree's 550 calories and under. 


The menu had choices such as...
Roasted Garlic Sirloin


A garlic marinated sirloin steak with sauteed onions, herbed potatoes, and a grilled portobello mushroom cap filled with creamed spinach.


Sirloin with Garlic Herb Shrimp
 

Grilled sirloin topped with cream sauce and shrimp, served with fresh veggies, herb potatoes, and topped off with fresh bruschetta and sliced almonds.


Chili Lime Chicken
 

Grilled chicken with asian style veggies mixed in a spicy chili sauce served over rice with cilantro and lime juice.


Asian Shrimp Broccoli
 

Shrimp mixed veggies mixed with asian flavors and a sweet and spicy sauce topped on rice and fresh cilantro.


And the dinner I tried, Grilled Dijon Chicken and Portobellos 
 
Grilled chicken topped with red peppers, onions, portobello mushrooms, dijon sauce and aged white cheddar, served with herb potatoes and fresh veggies.


The dinner was really good and it was refreshing to be able to eat cheese and not feel bad about it afterwards!  The onions and dijon sauce added a lot of flavor and I left the restaurant completely full and satisfied.  Applebee's also had low calorie drink such as Long Island Iced Tea and Margarita.


If you are a member of weight watchers, Applebee's also has a a menu especially for you, 12 points and under.  You can choose from Carbarnet Mushroom Sirloin, Creamy Parmesan Chicken, and Grilled Jalapeno Lime Shrimp   




  

The Secret to a Low Carb Pizza

My craving for eating healthy and love for cooking stems from my mom who has always cooked tasty, diet friendly recipe's at our house. A plus for going home to visit my family is the fact that I know I will be eating healthy. I miss having those meals available every day.

While visiting home during my Spring Break, my mom showed me a recipe she recently made and wanted me to try called Portobello pizzas. My first thought was just a normal pizza with cheese and Portobello mushrooms so I wasn't sure what was so exciting about it. I realized the dough of the pizza is substituted with the caps of Portobello mushrooms.  Brilliant!  This simple switch cuts out many carbs and calories compared to regular pizza dough; one Portobello cap only contains 22 calories and 4 carbs, while a serving of pizza dough ranges around 130 calories and 24 carbs.

The recipe is simple. All you need are large Portobello mushrooms, a grill, olive oil, garlic salt, pizza sauce, basil seasoning, shredded mozzarella cheese, and your choice of favorite pizza toppings.

First, rinse and break off the stems of the mushrooms so you only have the caps. Brush olive oil on the front and back of the mushroom caps and sprinkle both sides with garlic salt. You can bake the mushrooms in the oven on 375 for 30 minutes, flipping the mushrooms after 15 minutes, but my mom and I cooked them on the grill which adds a lot more flavor than baking.


After the mushrooms are prepared, the rest is easy and you can create the pizza's to please your own palate. The toppings will be placed on the bottom of the caps of the Portobello mushrooms (the smooth side will be the bottom of the pizza). After spreading the pizza sauce, my mom and I chose mozzarella cheese to sprinkle of top because this type of cheese is a healthier choice compared to regular pizza mix shredded cheese. We added onions, tomatoes, turkey pepperoni, and topped the pizzas off with a shake of basil seasoning to add one last pop of flavor.

After the pizzas were ready to be devoured, I thought we should have made more because the mushrooms shrunk a little bit after they were cooked. My mom then said, "Don't let those little things fool you, they fill you up more than you think." and she was right! They were small and healthy so I knew I would be hungry after dinner, but those ‘shrooms proved me wrong. The fact many carbs and calories were cut out from subtracting the pizza dough made the meal even more satisfying.







   

Less Than 400 Calories at Micky D's

When people think of McDonald's most automatically think yummy but unhealthy, when in reality there are plenty of items on the menu under 400 calories. 


McDonald's for dinner...
Hamburger = 250 calories
Cheeseburger = 300 calories
McDouble = 390
Filet-O-Fish = 380
Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich = 350
Premium Grilled Chicken Ranch BLT Sandwich = 380
McChicken = 360
6-piece Chicken McNuggets = 280
Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich = 350
McChicken = 360
3-piece Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips = 380


McDonalds has a wide selection of snack wraps that also contain under 400 calories.
 
Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap = 330


A few items you should stay away from if you want to watch your calories...


Angus Chipotle BBQ Bacon Burger = 800
Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese = 740
Sharable Size Chicken McBites = 1050


You especially want try healthier options if you want an order of fries. The medium size contains 380 calories. But if you must satisfy your french fry craving, order the kids size which only has 100 calories.


There are also many salad options at McDonalds that have a fairly healthy calorie count.

Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken has 290 calories. Choosing grilled over crispy chicken will always save you a lot of calories no matter where you go. Eating crispy chicken on a salad defeats the point of eating a salad in the first place.


For a quick breakfast under 400 calories try...
Fruit and Yogurt Parfait = 160
Egg McMuffin = 300
Hotcakes = 350
Sausage Burrito = 300
Fruit and Maple Oatmeal = 290


And a few you should for sure stay away from...
Big Breakfast with Hotcakes = 1090
Sausage Egg and Cheese McGriddle = 560 (substituting bacon shaves it down to 420 calories)
The Hashbrowns only have 150 calories, but be sure to watch what you pair them with!


To go with breakfast, the iced coffee's are very hard to give up so if you have to give in always choose the smaller size.

A small Hazelnut Iced Coffee only contains 130 calories whereas the large contains 270.


Don't think dieting means giving up fast food. Feed your cravings but watch for portion size and you save a lot more calories than you think!