If you’re eating a number of your meals out at restaurants, then you’re going to want to keep reading. The average restaurant meal contains more than 1,200 calories.

Most people have no idea just how fattening restaurant entrées are. In fact, the following information may shock you.

Here, in no particular order, are 5 of the most fattening restaurant dishes along with tips that I’ve included to equip you in making lighter, healthier versions of these dishes at-home.

Restaurant Meals by flickr The Vault DFWFattening Restaurant Food #1: Cobb Salad

Cobb salads are loaded with cheese, bacon, egg, and topped with a creamy dressing. Sure, you’re eating a salad, but that salad is likely to contain more calories than a burger.

At-Home Version: Making a lighter Cobb Salad at home is easy and quick. Start with a dark lettuce, like spinach or arugula, to get the most nutritional value. Top it with hard boiled egg whites, baked turkey bacon, organic cheese, avocado and drizzle lemon juice and vinegar for dressing. This at-home version has dramatically lower calories while still providing you with a satisfying, tasty dish.

Fattening Restaurant Food #2: Spinach Artichoke Dip

When it comes to appetizers, spinach dip is filled with veggies so its calorie content is often underestimated. Don’t be fooled: just half a cup of this creamy dip will set you back about 350 calories. And if you finish the bowl yourself then you’ve just taken in 1,000 calories in dip alone, not to mention the chips or pita bread you scooped it with.

At-Home Version: That delicious creamy spinach flavor can be recreated at home by using organic milk, spinach, some olive oil and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese,  that is much lower in fat and calories than the restaurant version.

Fattening Restaurant #3: Chicken Tenders

Fried chicken of any kind from a restaurant is going to be loaded with more fat and calories than you’d believe. Even a serving on the kid’s menu will tip the scales at over 800 calories.

At-Home Version: Making faux fried chicken at home is easy and surprisingly delicious. Whip up a few eggs with some Dijon mustard, garlic powder and onion powder. Dip your skinless, boneless chicken tenders in the mixture and then coat with almond flour, thyme, paprika and salt. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or until no longer pink, flipping once halfway through. Turn on the broiler for the last couple of minutes to make it nice and crispy.

This at-home version will save you hundreds of calories that would have ended up around your waist.

Restaurant Meals by flickr The Vault DFWFattening Restaurant Food #4: Sliders

Sliders are so small, there’s no harm in enjoying a couple of, right? Wrong. Despite their petite package, enjoy a couple sliders and you’ll have taken in more than 1,000 calories.

At-Home Version: The biggest problems with the restaurant slider are its fatty meat content and the refined-carbohydrate bun. So at home, you can remedy these two issues. 1) Use lean, ground turkey to create petite patties. Use your grill pan to cook them with minimal oil. 2) Instead of the carbohydrate-filled bun, use large pieces of butter lettuce to wrap around your patties. Add sliced tomato, organic cheese and grilled onion and secure the whole thing with a toothpick. These at-home sliders are guilt-free!

Fattening Restaurant #5: Pasta

Eating a pasta-based dish at a restaurant is weight-loss suicide. There’s no way to escape all those carbohydrate calories unscathed. The 1,000+ calories found in the noodles will quickly end up stored on your body as fat.

At-Home Version: There are two really easy and guilt-free ways to mimic pasta noodles at home. 1) Bake a spaghetti squash until tender, then scoop out the soft, angel hair-like strands and top with your healthy pasta sauce. 2) Using a vegetable peeler, create long strips of zucchini and top with your healthy pasta sauce.

Cooking more of your meals at home, using the tips above, will save you many hidden calories. When it comes down to feeding your body and mind, nothing is superior to preparing your food from scratch, with quality ingredients and

served with love.

Give Your Entree a Makeover

We all have our favorite things to order when we eat out or get take-out. As you’ve seen above, these items can be made at home, in a much healthier way.

This is cool because it allows you to eat the same foods that you love, while losing weight and getting closer to your fitness goals.

It’s easier than you think. Make a list of your top 5 restaurant entrees and search for healthier ways to cook them.

Start with the recipe below for Crispy Orange Chicken.

Crispy Orange Chicken

Who doesn’t love ordering crispy orange chicken? Forget the restaurant meals. Now you can stay in and make it yourself at-home. Rest assured that this meal is filled with healthy ingredients that will not derail your fitness results.

Here’s what you need:

  • Orange Chicken Crispy by flickr CruStABakes1/2 cup orange juice concentrate (no sugar added)
  • 3 Tablespoons coconut aminos
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • Zest from one orange
  • 3

    cloves garlic, minced

  • Dash red pepper flakes
  • 2 packets Stevia
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 2.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into bite sized pieces
  • Dash salt and pepper
  • Dash granulated onion
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 3 green onions, chopped

Directions:

  1. Combine the orange juice concentrate, coconut aminos, olive oil, orange zest, red pepper flakes and Stevia in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
  2. In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil on medium-high.
  3. Generously season the chicken pieces with salt, pepper and granulated onion. Add chicken to hot skillet and brown on all sides.
  4. When chicken is almost fully cooked, add the orange sauce, stirring to coat all of the chicken. Cook, uncovered, simmering the sauce until thickened and fully sticking to the chicken.
  5. Garnish with sesame seeds and freshly chopped green onion.

Nutritional Analysis: One Serving Equals, 282 calories, 12g fat, 505mg sodium, 12g carbs, 1g fiber, 35g protein. Servings: 6

Just the simple fact that preparing your own food, gives you complete control over your diet is all the reason you need to prepare food at-home. You don’t have to guess what fattening ingredients are in your dinner.  Motivate your friends, family and co-workers to take a healthy home-cooked meal over a restaurant meal one any day!

What tips can you share about saving money and eating healthier?

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