We Went Out--Twice!

We ate out twice this week.  Not because we planned to. It just so happened. It was one of those long Saturdays, we had been out with the kids so long and still had to drive over an hour home. So we stopped to grab a bite from the oh-so-famous Golden Arches, Mickey D's or what the kids only know as McDonalds.  Although stopping on the road to eat can blow up a healthy diet plan- eating out is something that is bound to happen sometime. So we just have to plan on only choosing the healthy options when we stop. And fortunately McDonalds does offer some "healthy" options. On this particular day, I got the southwest salad with grilled chicken. It comes with a lime wedge, so i squeezed a lil lime juice over the salad and used the dressing sparingly. I also had a bottled water. This choice still gave me the opportunity to mingle and eat with my family and it was enough to satisfy me.  I love french fries but honestly I didn't desire them this weekend.

We also went out again during the week. Uggh. This time without kids. It was a long evening of handling business errands about 40 mins away from home, so coming home to fix dinner was pretty much not an option available to me. The restaurant was Asian inspired, offering Chinese, Japanese and Thai dishes. I spent my late teens and early 20s eating "Chinese food."  You know fried chicken pieces and some sort of sauce, fried egg rolls, and shrimp fried rice. I know that that is not really true Chinese but it's what I knew and what I know I couldn't have this week. I opted for Thai but am not really familiar with any of it to be quite honest. I have had a few dishes before but I didn't want to go the Pad Thai or Pad See Ew route either.  Trying to go the less fried, less noodle, less fat route I chose a Curry Seafood Dish. I was pretty pleased. The dish was filled with seafood, shrimp, squid, crab, and scallops and veges some greens, baby corn, bamboo shoots and pea pods.  It was prepared in a broth that was a little creamy, perhaps with coconut milk. I ate about a third of the meal because I also had some pickled cabbage and cucumbers.

not my actual dish, my phone battery died and I left my camera

The bottom line is....

We have to be able to make healthier choices even when we are not at home.

Just because we ate out doesn't mean we fail. We will all still at some point be at the drive thru, at a traditional restaurant, at a family member's home or at a party. We dont have to choose not to eat and sit around watching everyone else eat. Just choose your healthiest option. Don't beat yourself up over it and continue making healthy choices. Continue your exercise plan. I enjoyed both meals I shared with my family. I didn't get all bent out of shape about it. I still completed my workouts for the day and still am heading in the right direction.

In life we have to have a measure of flexibility, just maintain control.