Now that September’s here many of us are ratcheting things back up again.  Summer vacation is all but a memory; school and work are already demanding and time, once again, is tight.  For me, that usually means it’s time to eat out, often an interesting proposition when Coach Stacy’s along for the ride.  She has a peculiar sixth sense about restaurant food and she’s not at all shy about sharing it.  After a recent business meeting we stopped at Ted’s Montana Grill for a quick dinner and this is how that played out:

Waiter:  “Hi, my name is Steve and I’ll be taking care of you today.  Can I start you off with some drinks?”

Me:  “I’ll have a Big Sky Lemonade.”

Coach: “Ridge, you sure you want to drink that?”

Me: “Umm…..”

Coach: “There are two kinds of liquor in that drink.  You don’t want to drink all your calories today.  We’ll have two iced teas.  And we’re in a bit of a hurry, so we’ll go ahead and order our food now too, if that’s okay.”

Waiter: “Sure, whenever you’re…..”

Coach:  “I’ll have the Skinny Dip, medium rare, and no bun.  And could you also bring a side of ranch dressing?”

Waiter: “Absolutely, and for you miss?”

Me:  “I’ll have the Snowcrest Chicken Sandwich with a side of fries.”

Coach: “Ridge, you sure you want to eat that?”

Me: “Umm….”

Coach:  “She’ll have the Bison Tenderloin Filet, medium rare, and the Roasted Asparagus.”

Waiter:  “Absolutely, I’ll have that right up for you.”

Turns out Coach was right.  My Big Sky Lemonade would have cost me 260 calories as opposed to my iced tea, which had no calories.  My Snowcrest Chicken Sandwich and fries?  A whopping 1,518 calories vs. the Bison Filet and asparagus, which tallied 605 calories.  Uncanny, yes?

Whether you opt for fast food or fare that is slightly more upscale, here are some Best Bets as featured in Eat This, Not That: Restaurant Survival Guide – a few menu options to choose, others to avoid and several which, if consumed, you’d need to run a half marathon to work the calories off.

 

@ Arby’s

Choose:

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Croissant

378 calories, 25 g fat (12 g saturated), 850 mg sodium

Avoid:

Ham, Egg, & Cheese Wrap

575 calories, 31 g fat (10 g saturated, 1 g trans), 2,005 mg sodium

@ Burger King

Choose:

Chicken Tenders

400 calories, 21 g fat (4 g saturated), 920 mg sodium

Avoid:

Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich

800 calories, 46 g fat, (8 g saturated, .5 g trans), 1,640 mg sodium

@ McDonald’s

Choose:

McDouble

390 Calories, 19 g fat (8 saturated, 1 g trans), 920 mg sodium

Avoid:

Angus Deluxe

750 calories, 39 g fat (16 g saturated, 2 g trans), 1,700 mg sodium

@ Olive Garden

Choose:

Herb Grilled Salmon

510 calories, 26 g fat (6 saturated), 760 mg sodium

Avoid:

Chicken Scampi

53 g fat, (22 g saturated), 1, 880 mg sodium

@ P.F. Chang’s

Choose:

Pan –Fried Peking Dumplings

372 calories, 20 g fat (4 g saturated), 860 mg sodium

Avoid:

Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wrap

1,288 calories, 24 g fat (4 g saturated) 1,388 mg sodium

@ Chipotle

Choose:

Steak Salad (with black beans, cheese, and green tomatillo salsa)

435 calories, 16 g fat (7 g saturated), 985 mg sodium

Avoid:

Vegetarian Burrito (with black beans, cheese, guacamole, and red tomatillo salsa

830 calories, 35.5 g fat (10.5 g saturated), 1,950 mg sodium

@ Red Robin

Choose:

Asian Chicken Salad (with Asian Dressing)

600 calories, 15 g fat, 1,945 mg sodium

Avoid:

Mighty Salmon Caesar Salad (with Caesar Dressing)

1,010 calories, 64 g fat, 1,319 mg sodium

Get Ready for that Half Marathon (if you haven’t had a heart attack):

 

Applebee’s Quesadilla Burger

1,820 calories, 46 g saturated fat, 4,410 mg sodium

California Pizza Kitchen Thai Crunch Salad with Fresh Avocado

2, 238 calories

Outback Steakhouse Baby Back Ribs (full rack)

3, 021 calories, 242 g fat (90 g saturated fat), 4,648 mg sodium