Hey Food Finders!

Ordering healthy at restaurants can be a challenge, but my goal is to provide you with fun strategies and inspiration to master ordering healthy food at any type of restaurant without feeling deprived of the foods you love!  

When I think about Italian food, I think about Eggplant Parmigiana, Chicken Francese, and PASTA! The crusty bread on the table with the olive oil for dipping seems impossible to resist. It used to be hard for me to imagine going out to eat at an Italian Restaurant while being health and weight conscious, that is until my Weight Watcher meeting crew decided to start going out to eat at this amazing Italian Restaurant every couple of months. We love going out to our dinner, and I am always guaranteed to laugh so hard my side hurts! This group is so much fun and we care about each other's well being enormously.

Sharing a meal with good friends, isn’t that one of life’s biggest pleasures? When you surround yourself with like minded, health and weight conscious people, you are sure to learn a trick or two about ordering healthy. When we all go out, there is no “diet police” or judgement. Everyone orders what they want according to their own guidelines. It’s so much more about the conversation and time together than about the food, but seriously...it is STILL about the food (and the wine!).

I first learned how to order healthy food at an Italian Restaurant mainly by ordering whatever my friend Sandy ordered.  “I’ll have what Sandy’s having” is one of the most commonly used phrases when the waiter takes our order.  I know I will get something delicious and healthy if I order it Sandy’s way.

(Btw, Sandy is the lovely woman sitting right in the center of the group in the pic above.)

Ordering Appetizers

There was warm bread and oil on the table. If you are going to have some bread, you are far better off dipping it in some plain balsamic or red wine vinegar or even using a little bit of butter than using the dipping oil.  In this case, leave the oil alone as the bread just soaks up all the oil and you end up eating tons of extra calories/points without realizing it. There were also delicious mixed olives, and I opted to enjoyed a few of those instead of the olive oil. Having a light appetizer can be just as satisfying as having a carbohydrate loaded one if you pick things you really enjoy. Along with a little crusty bread and olives, we all shared a salad “family style”. You know from past blogs that I am all about sharing when going out to eat because it cuts down on portion size! Even if you are going to splurge a little on something that you normally wouldn't, you will eat far less of it if you are sharing it.

Ordering Entrees

As for my entree, I ordered Grilled Salmon over Sauteed Spinach & Garlic, light on the oil, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.  A little Parmesan cheese goes a long way for flavor (and only adds 1 SP or 20 calories per tbsp). There was a Dijon mustard sauce I asked them keep on the side to use lightly if I chose to.  I mostly seasoned my salmon with lemon wedges and I ordered a side of broccoli which was so delicious. Another entree many people ordered was Grilled Shrimp over Sauteed Spinach & Garlic with little roasted potatoes instead of the whipped mashed potatoes on the side. Ordering a protein packed entree will leave you feeling full without needing to be rolled out of the restaurant, and ordering veggies as your side dish is a much more nutritious route than pasta, but gives you similar textures.

Ordering Dessert

The group always orders Tartufo (a delicious ball of ice cream wrapped in a thin coating of dark chocolate) and we split one dessert between 4 or 5 people so it works out to only 2-3 SP each. Sharing with a group is a great way to satisfy the craving for a decadent desert without going overboard on calories and points. Sometimes I choose to have it, sometimes I don’t. It depends on if I am eating sugar that week or if I have the points to spare. If I skip desert I just order some coffee with a splash of milk to finish my great Italian Restaurant experience with my awesome Weight Watcher buds!

If you enjoyed learning how to order healthy at Italian Restaurants, read about learning how to order healthy at a Mexican restaurant, at a giant brunch buffet, and during birthday celebrations!

Happy Eating!

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