Wendy's- Do what tastes right.

Wendy's has been around since 1969. In that time, Wendy's has come to be know for its Old Fashioned Hamburgers. However, they aren't they only good things on the menu.

The Chicken Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken is made up of grape tomatoes, Homestyle garlic croutons, Shredded parmesan cheese, and a warmed, sliced, and grilled chicken filet, on top a bed of crisp and fresh romaine lettuce, and served with 2 packets of Supreme Caesar Dressing. With 510 calories, 20 grams of carbs, and 36 grams of protein, not only is this a tasty option, but also nutritious.

Their Grilled Chicken Go Wrap is a delicious mix of Iceberg and Romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese, Ultimate Chicken Grill Filet, and honey mustard sauce, all wrapped in a flour tortilla. It has 260 calories, 25 grams of carbs, and 20 grams of protein. Pair this with a small cup of Mandarin orange segments (90 calories) and a small Minute Maid Light Lemonade (10 calories). Thats only a 360 calorie meal!

Happy Eating!

~Amanda~

Starbucks Coffee Company

Starbucks and I have been good friends for a while now. Everyone thinks all coffee and bakery items are bad for you. However, with a little research, I found a few items that can more then satisfy your quench for healthiness.

With just a couple changes to your drink order, you are able to cut back over 50 calories. For example, their Iced Skinny Flavored Latte is a smooth, rich blend of expresso, chilled nonfat milk, and your choice of a sugar-free flavored syrup, over ice. It has 60 calories, 9 grams of carbs, and 6 grams of protein. By using nonfat milk, getting a tall (12 oz.), and not getting whipped cream, you cut out about 50 of the calories.

The Orange Mango Vivanno Smoothie is made with one whole banana, blended with natural orange mango juice, a generous serving of nonfat milk, whey protein and fiber powder, and ice. Weighing in at 260 calories, 51 grams of carbs, and 15 grams of protein, this smoothie is a healthy, fulfilling choice for any time of day.

As for food, try a Marshmallow Dream bar. This sweet, chewy twist on an old favorite has 210 calories, 43 grams of carbs, and <1>Cheddar cheese triangles, a hard boiled cage-free egg, grapes, a few apple slices, a small whole-wheat bagel, and natural peanut butter blend. 370 calories, 39 grams of carbs, and 17 grams of protein later, you will be refueled and ready for a good day.

Happy Eating!

~Amanda~

The Golden Arches

Hey All!

These may be a pretty short blog due to the fact that alot at McDonald's food isn't that healthy. However, I guarantee that you will be able to find at least ONE thing acceptable to eat that isn't over a billion calories.

Their Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken is packed with fresh-grilled chicken, mixed greens, oven-roasted tomatoes, fire-roasted corn, black beans, poblano peppers, shredded cheddar and jack cheeses, chili lime tortilla strips, and a fresh lime wedge on the side, topped with cilantro lime glaze. It has 320 calories, 30 grams of carbs, and 30 grams of protein. The calorie count is pretty good plus it sounds tasty.

The Honey Mustard Snack Wrap (grilled) is loaded with grilled chicken, cheddar and jack cheeses, shredded lettuce, tangy honey mustard sauce, wrapped in a flour tortilla. 260 calories, 27 grams of carbs, and 18 grams of protein. Not bad for McDonald's. Keep away from the fries and instead get the Apple Dippers (no caramel).

Happy Eating!

~Amanda~

Good Old Panera, Part 2

Like I said in my last post, Panera has a long list of healthy, yummy food! So now we will move on to breakfast.

Quick and easy, the Strawberry Granola Parfait is layered with Stonyfield Farm low-fat, organic vanilla yogurt, maple butter pecan granola with whole grain oats, then fresh strawberry slices. It has 310 calories, 44 grams of carbs, and 9 grams of protein.

For a more substantial breakfast meal, I suggest the Whole Grain Breakfast Power Sandwich. It consists of freshly cracked all-natural eggs, a thick slice of Vermont white cheddar cheese, and smoked, lean ham, all grilled between two slices of freshly baked Whole Grain bread. 360 calories, 36 grams of carbs, and 23 grams of protein. Pair this with an apple, or even a bottle of water for your own power breakfast.

Last, but most certainly not least, are the smoothies. I prefer strawberry. It is made with Stonyfield Farm organic, low-fat vanilla yogurt & boosted with ginseng. The low-fat strawberry smoothie has 260 calories, 59 grams of carbohydrates, and 6 grams of protein.

Hope you can enjoy one of these choices soon :-)

Happy Eating!

~Amanda~

My Good Friend Panera, Part 1

Hey guys!

Oh Panera. Panera Panera Panera. There aren't enough good things I could say about this charming restaurant. Get it to go, or sit down and eat, Panera is the perfect place for nutrition AND flavor. I am a frequent customer here so I have had the chance of trying multiple dishes. Be prepared for a long list :-)

Their Smoked Turkey Breast Sandwich is made with 99% fat-free smoked turkey breast, leaf lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions topped with mayonnaise, spicy mustard, salt and pepper,and served on Country bread. It has 560 calories (110 from the mayo), 70 grams of carbs (1 gram from mayonnaise), and 35 grams of protein.

For an option a little lighter than a sandwich, try a salad. The Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad for example. This salad features all-natural, antibiotic-free chicken, romaine lettuce, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple chunks, Mandarin oranges, pecans & reduced sugar, fat-free poppyseed dressing. It has 280 calories, 29 grams of carbs, and 27 grams of protein.

Your choices of sides are as follows: Panera Potato Chips (160 calories), an apple (80 calories), or a French Baguette side portion. I strongly recommend the apple; it is crisp and delicious plus it has the least calories.

Part 2 coming up :)

~Amanda~

~Subway~

Subway. Fresh, delicious food that is almost always healthy. Subway is home of the deli sub sandwich. The 6 inch turkey breast sub on white is less than 400 calories. Add lettuce, green pepper, onion, and tomato for the perfect sub. 2 teaspoons of mustard has only 5 calories, so if you need some extra flavor, use mustard not mayo.

Another great option is soups or salads. Subway's Tomato Garden Vegetable Soup with Rotini has 90 calories, 20 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of proteins.

Pair either one of these delicious meals with a pack of apple slices (35 calories), baked Lays chips (130 calories), or Dannon Light and Fit Yogurt (80 calories).

Subway even serves breakfast now. The best option for breakfast is a steak, egg white, and cheese english muffin melt. It has 170 calories, 19 grams of carbs, and 16 grams of protein.

If you want to be like Jared, try some of these suggestions!

Happy Eating!

~Amanda~

Chick-fil-a!!

Hey everybody!

So we all know fast food isn't the most healthy choice, but that does not mean EVERY item on the menu is bad. If I had to choose the most nutritious fast food restaurant, I would have to pick Chick-fil-a. They have a Chargrilled Chicken Garden Salad with slices of grilled chicken breast on a fresh bed of Romaine and Iceberg lettuce, shredded red cabbage and carrots, grape tomatoes, broccoli florets, and a blend of Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses. This salad has 180 calories , 11 grams of carbohydrates , and 22 grams of protein. It is served with Honey Roasted Sunflower Kernels (90 calories), Butter Garlic Croutons (60 calories), and your choice of dressing. I recommend the Light Italian Dressing, which has only 15 calories.

If salad isn't really your thing, try the Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich. It is composed of a boneless breast of chicken marinated in special seasonings and grilled to perfection, served on a Toasted Golden Wheat Bun, topped with dill pickle chips, Green Leaf Lettuce, and tomato. This sandwich has 300 calories , 38 grams of carbohydrates , and 29 grams of protein. Instead of fries, try a fruit cup (100 calories) with mandarin orange segments, fresh strawberry slices, red and green apple chunks, and red grapes, served chilled with a choice of 3 sizes. In place of a soda, get a bottle of water or a diet lemonade (30 calories).

Happy Eating!

~Amanda~

~IHOP For Me~

Have you ever gone out to eat someplace and never been able to find something healthy? Well, I have. And let me tell you, it sucks! But don't give up. You can find something healthy AND yummy almost any place you go.

Take IHOP for example. Every meal in their IHOP For Me section is under 600 calories. In this section, I would recommend two completely different meals. For a healthy breakfast option, I recommend the Whole Wheat French Toast Combo For Me. This comes with two slices of whole wheat french toast topped with sliced bananas, scrambled egg substitute, and two strips of turkey bacon. Delish, right? I think so, too. It has 470 calories, 51 grams of carbs, and 39 grams of protein.

If you are looking for a lunch or dinner option, do not fret. Dinner can be healthy, too. I suggest the Tilapia Hollandaise For Me. Seasoned and grilled tilapia topped with hollandaise, served with steamed broccoli. Yummm! This dish has a mere 370 calories, 15 grams of carbs, and 47 grams of protein.

See? Eating healthy does not always mean bland, nasty food. Next time you eat out, try one of these healthy and delicious recommendations.

~Amanda~

Healthy Food at Chili's!!

Hey guys! Long time no blog, I know. From now on, my blogs are going to be about healthy food substitutions, especially at restaurants. So let's get started with the first one.

At Chili's, a restaurant I eat at pretty frequently, they have a Caribbean Salad with fresh pineapple, mandarin oranges, dried cherries, green onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds. A small one of these with grilled chicken and their Guiltless Grill caribbean dressing has only 520 calories, 52 grams 0f carbs, and 23 grams of protein. They also feature an Asian Salad with lettuce, napa cabbage, crispy wontons, edamame, green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, asian vinaigrette and a creamy peanut drizzle. If you get this salad small with grilled chicken and no crispy wontons or creamy peanut drizzle, it only has 360 calories, 22 grams of carbs, and 26 grams of protein. A third salad at Chili's is the Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad. It has applewood smoked bacon, bleu cheese crumbles, tortilla strips, house-made pico de gallo and ranch dressing. Sounds good, right? Wrong! This salad has 1150 calories!, 52 grams of carbs, and 45 grams of protein. This one salad has more calories than the first two salads combined! Next time you go to Chili's, remember: just because it's a salad, doesn't mean its healthy.

Happy eating!

~Amanda~