I’m bringing back the five things Friday because it was something I enjoyed but kind of got away from in the past. This Friday I’m talking about all the places I don’t mind eating out without completely blowing my healthy caloric intake. Sometimes I do indulge but for the most part I’m trying to stay with what makes me comfortable. When I’m on a road trip or just out and I need to eat on the go these are some places I really enjoy.
- Subway. This isn’t a secret. When I’m on the road and there’s nothing I comfortable with eating there is always a Subway around for me to get something. It’s also kind of become a pre-race meal for me. Pre-race I’ll get a foot long sweet onion chicken teriyaki (all that sodium, yo) but on normal days I just get a double chicken breast salad. This is an easy and cheap go to meal, especially on road trips. Subways are everywhere.
- Panera Bread. I do love Panera and I love bread but my biggest complaint is the food isn’t cheap…or I’m just cheap. The food is good and I know when I want great healthy food that is filling I can come here. The only hard part for me is not enjoying the bread. Those rolls they give you on the side are an extra 150-200 calories and they are soo good. Lately, instead of getting the bread I’ve opted for a cup of chicken noodle soup which has less calories and is a little more filling.
- Chipotle. Many people complain about this place or that you’ll get E. Coli or something from the food. I’m not informed enough to really talk about that subject. I do love the food because you can pick and choose what you want. No bowl has to be the same. I do stay away from the burrito because that tortilla packs a lot of calories I’m not comfortable consuming but I still get the greatness in a bowl. Sometimes I get the tortilla on the side and just have a little bit of it. I don’t avoid the rice or beans but some days I just don’t want the rice and I can choose not have it if I don’t want it. Plus, Chipotle is kind of cheap and is a filling meal. Watch out for that corn salsa though.
- When I’m feeling under the weather, I always want should and for some reason I always want pho. Granted, I know I’m not really eating PHO because I get a chicken broth instead of a beef broth. I know it’s loaded with sodium and it’s got a lot of carbs with the noodles, but I really feel like it’s a safe bet when eating out. Besides you can request less noodles or no noodles and double up on the meat. I usually have chicken and it’s so good. On a cold day, it really will warm me up! Sometimes I just crave the pho.
- Greek/Lebanese food. This is our favorite thing to eat. No matter where we are we know we can find a good healthy meal with this type of food. There are a few quick joints we like to hit up like Fadi’s Mediterranean Grill (which I know isn’t everywhere), Verts Kabob and Garbanzo’s. When going to Verts Kabob be careful about the sauces or get them on the side because that’s a quick way to add in some calories. Garbanzo’s is a place I discovered on a visit to Colorado and it was really great. It’s fast Greek food but it’s delicious. We recently discovered a Garbanzo’s opened in in Houston so we do go there a lot too. Greek food is just so good. I love lentil soup and a chicken schwarma plate.
Pei Wei is also an honorable mention but the service at our local place is horrible so we don’t go as much as we use to go. I guess that’s a part of the eating experience, right? Another honorable mention goes out to Which Wich. I liked that place but apparently people in our city didn’t because it went out business. We will have to enjoy it when we’re on the road I guess.
What are some of your favorite places that you like to eat but won’t break your caloric intake?
