Take Out: Texas Roadhouse

Yes, I know restaurants (especially chains) can be a complete calorie bomb, but I am a firm believer that there is always a healthy option availible, wherever you eat out.  You just have to be clever(;

Since cooking dinner was not an option tonight, my family and I decided to pick up some take out for a change.  I do not usually include red meat in my diet, but, with my marathon training in mind, I realized I should try to incorporate it every so often.  Lean red meat offers a great source of protein and iron, which long distance runners (especially women) need to eat.

Some easy ways to make a potentially unhealthy meal into a healthy one is by cutting out or controlling the (bad) fats.  I made sure to order things that I could control, in terms of toppings and such.  I ordered a lean meat, good carbohydrate, and serving of vegetables.  I am aware of how the restaurants cook their food in terms of usually drowning it in oil, so I asked for toppings to be on the side.  I ended up not needing to use them (i.e. brown sugar cinnamon butter) because the foods were rich already!




My Order:
I had the Dallas Filet (6 oz) with my choice of two sides: a medium sweet potato (plain) and a fresh vegetables.  My mom also gave me half of her sauteed mushrooms, which were delicious with my steak!  I added a little stevia and ground cinnamon to my sweet potato because it only needed a little bit of spicing up.  The brown cinnamon butter it came with wasn't necessary after all. 

It was filling and delicious!  I would definitely order this again.

Ordering Tip:
It also helps to look up nutritional information before visiting a restaurant or ordering your food.  I did not do this because I figured my lean filet with veggies and a sweet potato were good choices.  I am used to making and ordering healthy food, so looking up nutritional information isn't always necessary for me.  When you do look at this information, try to pay attention to fat (especially saturated) and calories (as well as cals from fat).  Restaurants also like to add a lot of sodium to their dishes, so that is another thing to keep in mind as well.  Things like carbohydrates should be considered (if you are watching them), but I think the more important matter is what kind of carbohydrate you are order (i.e. whole grain, whole wheat, lentils, sweet potato, quinoa, brown rice, beans, etc).  Aim for complex carbohydrates (such as the ones listed above) rather than simple (ex: white bread, white rice, white pasta, white potato...white is a good tip off, I suppose).  Lastly, look at the sugar as well.  Restaurants may add extra sugar, like sodium. 

So! My point is: you can treat yourself, don't be afraid to go out in the world and enjoy restaurants (even chains), and, sometimes, if you are too tired to cook every once and awhile or cannot prepare food in your kitchen for some reason, you have the ability to make good choices if you put your mind to it!