Dining Out Low Carb
Dining out low carb can be daunting. I choose to not eat out very often because meals are typically overpriced, underflavored and proportions are way over-served. Life happens though and sometimes it’s a necessity. I try to plan for most situations with a cooler or snack sack nearby, but sometimes my brain needs a break, so here’s how we do dining out low carb style.
Mexican equals Fajitas, just hold the shells. There’s nothing better than a hot skillet of meat and veggies to warm the soul. Sorry to say, but a margarita has anywhere between 50 to 120 grams of carbs. On a positive note, Corona has come out with a low carb option, so its Fajitas and Corona Premier for me! Don’t forget Burrito bowls or taco salads (hold the chip bowl) are great options too and I get to load up sour cream and guac!
BBQ sauce-less meats are delicious, the sides are often high carb though. I look for a place that offers a side salad and top that with an oil and vinegar dressing. BBQ is a favorite, but 1 cup of coleslaw has up to 28 grams of carbs and a cup of BBQ beans up to 55 grams of carbs. I hate to break your heart, but there 44 grams of carbs in 1 cup of mac n cheese. Those darn pesky sides can sabotage any diet, low carb or not. In a pinch, I’ve have been known to order just meat to eat, not ideal but still satisfying and delicious.
Places serving grilled chicken or wings are green light go. Skip the sauce though, because there can be 7g of carbs in 1 tbsp of sauce. If the only option available is breaded, just pick it off as best you can. I’ve been there done that. Caution on the gravy. That delicious country style gravy might be high in fat, but it can have up to 8 grams of carbs in half a cup.
Unwhich/lettuce wraps are great sandwich alternatives. Jimmy Johns and many other places will wrap a sandwich in lettuce, but if your not a fan of lettuce wraps, then just skip the bun. Hold the chips and fries and try pickle instead.
Hit up a Steakhouse, just skip the bread and potatoes and load up on meat and veggies. Leafy salads are great! I choose a high-fat, not sweet dressing. Typically if it’s sweet tasting it has added sugar. Dressings can have up to 2 grams of carbs per tablespoon. Not sure what dressing to get, just ask for oil and vinegar, so so yummy!
If you want the sauce, gravy or dressing, just get it on the side so you can monitor the amount. Restaurants often load up on the toppings and you end up with 3 times the serving size. Double the grave and you can add 16 grams of carbs to your meal.
Breakfast is fantastic 24/7. Load up on eggs, bacon, and sausage. I love a yummy omelet, but it’s amazing how many places put potatoes as fillers in their omelets. Hold the taters and skip the toast. Heavy cream for my tea? Yes, please and thank you!
Are you thinking this sounds impossible with kids? Not impossible, just trickier to find a balance. My kids love pulled pork, grilled chicken and salads. Instead of fries we choose fried veggies or cheese and pick off some of the breading. We discovered fried okra on a road trip a couple years ago, tasty! Emma loves mayonnaise and Ava preferred ranch, because Ketchup has more than twice the carbs as Mayo or Ranch. It takes time, but both my kids found a love for foods I never would have fed them, like zucchini instead of pasta.
It’s all about checks and balances and finding a place to start. The decisions made now will carry over in years to come. Emma is 16 and she LOVES pizza and ice cream, so she eats them when she is out with friends or family. She has learned many great lessons from our Low Carb Journey. If you eat ice cream, you exercise more. Only eat pizza once in a while not every other day. Start with the low carb main dish to fill up and you won’t be so tempted to finish the mountain of fries.
My favorite food to order out used to be anything Italian. Unfortunately, there are very few, low carb options at Italian eateries, so I make low carb Italian favorites at home. We love zucchini lasagna, alfredo zoodles, pizza, and stromboli. Stay tuned to my Top Three Tuesday posts where I share favorite recipes like these weekly.
Oh and be sure to check out this week’s Top Three Tuesday. I shared some favorite take-out style food recipes you can make at home and rock the low carb style. Follow along on Living Ava’s Way on Pinterest where I pin these recipes!
It’s not easy with all the temptation out there, but in the two years we have been doing this more and more restaurants are coming up with low carb options. Low carb lifestyle might mean there are fewer menu choices but remember you get to choose to see the glass as half full or half empty. My glass is overflowing, because everything tastes better, my budget isn’t broken on dining out and I am satisfied, not stuffed to the brim.
