Eating out?

Hi everyone, I am HORRIBLE about packing lunches to bring to work and even when I do, I often don't feel like eating whatever I brought by the time lunch comes around so I often go out. It's really not that hard to eat like I should even at a restaurant but fast food places can be a bit trickier and since I usually go with friends, I don't always get the final say in where we end up. Anyway, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite fast food meals and hope you all have some favorites too (because I'm getting bored with the same old, same old!) Mexican food places are pretty easy for me. My faves: El Pollo Loco -- As they grill their chicken, this is a cinch but what I usually order is a taco al carbon. The whole thing is 164 calories and 13 g of protein. I usually only eat the inside (chicken, onions and cilantro) and not the tortillas it comes wrapped in, which makes it 100 cal./11g protien. And best of all, it's only $1! Rubios-- I opt for the chicken street taco --it's 110 cal/11 protein. Baja Fresh -- I get either the Baja style shrimp taco , 126 calories/12 g protein or the chichen baja style taco which is 117/12 protien. Often I'll not eat the tortilla on these ... I also love Daphne's Greek Cafe. I like to get the spicy chicken salad but it's huge s o I dump out a lot of the lettuce (too much lettuce makes me queazy anyhow,) I usually split the whole thing up over 3 meals and it's 169.3 calories/19.34 g protein for each meal (total is 509.6/58.03 for the whole thing). (This is w/o eating the pita bread they serve on the side) OK, those are my favorites. What about you all?

I do lots of salads and eat the chicken first and only a little lettuce. It make me quesey, too. My favorite places are those that serve fish. Grilled, blackened, whatever. At mexican food places I usually do tortilla soup or fajita salad. I eat out a lot too and I feel like I waste so much money! I do bring home the leftovers, but sometimes they are more dry and I can't tolerate them. Thanks for the taco al carbon suggestion. That's a great idea and easy on the wallet. Have a great day. Sherry

I have just discovered the chicken, bacon, ranch wraps at Subway. I can only eat half of one, but with a little lettuce, tomatoes, and black olives, they go down nicely and are great for the protein. Judy

believe it or not.. wendy's chili and a baked potato.. i can only eat about 1/4 of the small chili and about 1/4 of the potato..but i put the chili on the potato a little light sour cream..and it's yummy!! a friend that had rny 10 years ago told me about it!

I like Wendy's chili too. Especially good as one of the first pureed foods you can have. YUM. Today I went to Red Lobster for lunch-I had the Talipia in a bag-YUMMY. Also like Smokey Bones-portabella mushroom stuffed with feta. I haven't even heard of the restaraunts in the first post.

oops. I guess they're California restaurants -- or west coast ones, anyhow, as I know I've seen at least one in Oregon.

We eat out often, so it was something I had to adapt to right away. I haven't been to a 'pizza only' place because that is still too much to process. I eat alot of seafood....fish and shrimp....appetizers. In a Mexican restaurant, I eat the inside of a chicken or bean burrito. In a Chinese place I can eat chicken, shrimp or soup. I just skip over the rice accompanying every meal. In finer restaurants, I am getting the "add six shrimp" to any entree type thing. My husband is such a good sport about that type of thing. I recently had a 5 oz lobster tail added to his meal at Outback and it was a perfect meal. Italian is good for the manicotti stuffing or chicken. I have gotten sandwhiches when we order in at work and I just work through the meat and cheese. I even managed to eat protein at a German restaurant the other night. I find a way to be with friends and family. It makes me feel accepted. Vicky