Best options when eating out - that aren't salads!
You're planning on lunch with some friends and trying to eat healthier. Depending on the place, it can be hard to find healthy options. Let's face it, there just aren't a lot of choices at the local pizza joint or many fast food places. Did you notice that during Covid salads were removed from the menu at McDonald's? It was like a perfect storm with the several lettuce scares and then the Covid shutdowns. Anyway, we're looking at what options you can choose that aren't salads, so Mikey D's just may have to be saved for a meal that is a chosen delight, if that's your thing.
We have some great restaurants in our area, so I thought I would start with menus from a couple local places, then a restaurant that is available in most larger cities. It's just to get you thinking beyond a salad.
Pike & Pint Grill.
This is their lunch menu:
Now, the Ahi Tuna Melt sounds amazing. In this instance I would probably order 1/2 Tuna Melt and a salad. Oh, wait! I'm pretty sure that's what I had the last time I was there! Ha! If you're trying to stay away from breads and pasta, the Lunch Salmon is an amazing choice, I just typically wouldn't spend $20 for a meal at lunch.
DJ's Tap House & Grill.
They don't have a menu specific for lunch I can just screenshot, so if you want to see the menu as I walk through it, you can link to it here:
They have a seasonal menu section (it's summer right now, so it may not be available depending on when you're looking) that is just yummy looking! Between the apps, entrees and street tacos, I'm most likely choosing the BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN WRAP - Grilled chicken, mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, red onions, basil, parmesan cheese with a balsamic glaze. I kind of feel wraps are like a walking salad all perfectly enclosed in a tortilla. Sometimes, I may eat the whole tortilla, other times I may eat only 1/2 of it and just eat the filling. I find that breads and wraps fill me up too much, so I prefer to fill up on the yummy fixings inside!
On their regular menu, it reads like a tastebuds dream! It depends on what you are trying to avoid - sugar, saturated fat, fried foods, breads, pasta, or maybe all the above. If you're going keto, this is a great place for you - just skip the bun or bread. At this point, I'm trying to find something with a fair number of vegetables, which, in my opinion, makes a meal healthier. I do like to take advantage of Buffalo Sauce. If using Frank's Red Hot, it has no calories, which many hot sauces don't. All of that flavor for FREE!! So, there's the BUFFALO WRAP, but I don't want to get caught in a wrap rut.
They also have some craft pizzas that are lavosh, a thin, cracker-type crust, with a variety of different toppings. Or, they offer a cauliflower crust at a minimal cost for gluten-free or low carb. These pizzas all include some veggies in the toppings, but you have to be aware of the sauces, which can be caloric yumminess. Those include THAI CHICKEN, BBQ CHICKEN, and SHRIMP ALFREDO. If going with a burger instead, again, just 1/2 the bun for me, a MUSHROOM SWISS burger with fresh sautéed shiitake mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms - sweet!! Then, coleslaw for my side.
Garden Bar on Sixth
You may think that this restaurant is all garden foods, but they actually have a wall of plants - their little indoor garden. They do have a vegetable entree - (other than salads, that is) the MEDITERRANEAN ZUCCHINI - spiralized zucchini | kalamata olive | red onion | tomato | feta | pesto. If you want protein with it, you can add your choice for an additional cost. They, too, have an AHI TUNA sandwich with sesame seed | pickled cucumber | greens | orange ginger aioli | hoagie. Oh, yeah. Definitely doing only 1/2 the hoagie. The other sandwiches I would entertain are the KOREAN, WALLEYE, and CURRIED CHICKEN, each include veggies in their toppings. The sides you get to choose from are Thai quinoa, edamame, chips or soup. Which would you choose? I may opt for soup, but the Thai quinoa is piquing my interest.
Applebee's
I normally wouldn't order a steak at lunch because it seems like a lot of food, but you can get a to-go box right away and save half for lunch tomorrow. And, they show broccoli in the photo, but on their sides menu, it's not an option. Sides they do have include a house or Caesar salad, garlicky green beans, a signature coleslaw and tomato basil soup as good choices. Speaking of tomato basil soup, have you made homemade tomato soup? My friend Niki, at Family Thyme, has a tomato soup recipe that is simple and amazing!! Just thought I would throw that out there.
For steaks Applebee's has a 6 OZ STEAK, a BOURBON STREET STEAK on a bed of mushrooms and SHRIMP 'N PARMESAN SIRLOIN. They also have a BOURBON STREET CHICKEN & SHRIMP, once again on mushrooms, and a GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST. Or, if you're working on your omega-3's, BLACKENED CAJUN SALMON is a great choice. And, of course, the old standby, the CHICKEN FAJITA ROLL UP. I may even opt for a CLUBHOUSE GRILLE ¥ with a couple of nice sliced tomatoes on it.
The burgers and chicken sandwiches look to be okay, but nothing really struck me as super exciting. I should add that I like burgers, but it's not something I would choose on a regular basis. That's just me!
I hope this gets you thinking about other choices beyond a salad when you're eating out. Don't be afraid to ask for substitutions or omissions when ordering. Restaurants are used to people eating gluten-free or eliminating other things from their diets. Don't think of it as a bother, but as paying for what you really want to pay for. And, if you find a salad that sounds amazing, by all means, order it and enjoy!
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