Eating out tips?

[Barbee]

I'm not missing bread, not missing sugar, but I am missing french fries and fried chicken and pasta.

My husband and I eat out a lot. We both work, are over 60, and enjoy eating out. What can I eat out besides salad? How do I know the dressing is sugar free?

On Sat. night we drive over to Canada where a place we know has prime rib for $9.99. I enjoy that and it's delicious but have to pass on the potato and roll. Lucky for me the veggies are cauliflower and broccoli.

Sometimes we go to a buffet and I can pick things allowable... but we really feel limited by my diet. I wondered if anyone had any good ideas?

[FLdoodette]

Hi, Barbee! Since starting Atkins, my husband and I eat mostly at home 'cos everything seems to be crawling with illicit carbs out there in the cold, cruel world! But we have hit the buffet a couple of times, which I find to offer the most variety ... plenty of protein choices, salad fixin's, cooked greens, even sugar-free jell-o. The idea of any other kind of restaurant strikes terror in my heart ... Italian?! Pasta! Oy! Pizza?! Eeeeeee! A steak house seems the most Atkins friendly, to me. All of which you already know ... sorry I wasn't of more help

[Barbee]

So far I have discovered in the Italian restaurant that hubby can have his pasta and I order Buffalo wings and a salad. Here in Buffalo the wings don't have all that sauce on them... they are almost dry especially if you order them mild.

I saw on this board that Cracker Barrel has a low carb menu so tonight we went there and I have a nice steak, with collard greens, green beans and it was very good. I noticed they have a low carb breakfast too. We always go out for breakfast on Sunday so I'll try it.

In the Greek restaurants I have Slovaki which is pretty low in carbs. I usually take 1/2 of it home for the next day.

My favorite cook at home meal is a stir-fry. We buy the beef strips and cook them in the crock pot. When I get home from work I throw them into a big frying pan and add a bit of the juice they cooked in and green, red, and yellow peppers, onions, water chestnuts and bean sprouts. It's very good.

I think if you enjoy the food you will be able to toler ate the diet longer.

[food_fun]

A good eating out tip for Atkins followers according to me is to know about restaurants offering Low fat menu. I usually refer a fine dining guide in that case.

[Barbee]

I really enjoyed my dinner at Cracker Barrel, does anyone else know of a place that offers low carb menus?

I'm going to try their breakfast tomorrow.

[darin2]

The Cracker Barrel low carb breakfast is nice. It comes with sliced tomatoes as a side. Breakfast is pretty easy eating out because you can get eggs, sausage, bacon in just about any restaurant.

Lunch for me can be a salad with grilled chicken. I usually check out the restaurants dressings ahead of time, but most ranch dressings are ok in moderation. I will also eat hot wings from Zaxbys (original), and a few other places. A quick lunch for me can be a drive through getting a few double cheeseburgers without ketchup and just taking off the bread. Chickfila also has a nice grilled chicken salad and a grilled chicken sandwhich on wheat bun. We took our kids to Stevie B's (pizza buffet place) last weekend and I ate salad and skimmed the toppings off a few pieces of pizza.

For dinner I usually stick to a steak house and order steamed vegetables in stead of potatoe. Again if I get a salad I get ranch dressing. Most places will have grilled chicken or pork chops as well. I think O'Charleys also has a low carb menu. If you like seafood, ofcourse that is easy eating out, just get broiled shrimp, fish, crab legs, etc.

Good luck.

[Barbee]

I enjoyed the breakfast at Cracker Barrel and had plenty to eat... gave tomatoes to hubby as I can't eat them, too acidic.

Eating breakfast out is a big problem for me. I can't stand to pay for stuff I'm not getting. I have a few restaurants who know us and will make substitutions but I"ll be darned if I'll pay $7.00 and get two slices of bacon and two eggs because I have to tell them no hash browns or toast.

We usually go to Homestyle Buffet--- but I was gettting sick of it so CB was a nice change.

Even when I order an omelet I have to pass on some of the sides that go with it and end up paying way too much for just an omelet and leave hungry. When I eat a good (big) breakfast I don't eat lunch at all. It holds me all day.

[jfarmer`]

any ideas for chinese? or is it out all together.. my daughter LOVES our local chinese buffet... I have no idea what to get... I know i cant have my usual.. noodles with orange chicken

any ideas?

[Barbee]

If I'm in a group and they all want Chinese I will go along... almost all of them have salad. They all have won ton soup... just don't eat the won ton. The broth is good. Then I proceed to the beef and broccoli, chicken on a stick, and the chicken wings don't have any sauce on them at our place so I can have those too. Nothing with sauce because they use sugar in their sauces. Most have sugarless jello... a perk.

[the man in blue]

[quote=Barbee;961089]I'm not missing bread, not missing sugar, but I am missing french fries and fried chicken and pasta. quote]


Eat that fried chicken, just remove the breading.... I know not the full experience...but the chicken is still good!