Hey Maintainers.... How about we use this thread to share restaurant ideas for meals that fit into the maintenance world. I guess by that, I mean meals that may be a little higher in carbs, but still won't push us onto a slippery slope. Some of my favorites are fajitas without the tortillas, kung pao chicken without the rice and egg rolls, Thai dishes without the noodles, and this OMG dish I just ran across at Panera.....

Panera's Lentil Quinoa Bowl with Chicken

Chicken raised without antibiotics, organic quinoa and organic brown rice, lentil blend, tomato sofrito, fresh kale and spinach with a lemon wheel in our umami soy-miso broth.

390 Calories; 9g Total Fat; 1370mg Sodium; 48g Total Carb; 8g Fiber; 33g Protein

Are you kidding me? Quinoa, lentils, kale, spinach, and chicken in a miso broth? That's 390 calories of ridiculously healthy food! This is exactly the kind of meal the "old me" wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. But now I find it pretty darned tasty. And I feel so freakin' virtuous afterwards that I just can't wait to get on the scale the next morning!

Okay here's another one. It's not technically restaurant food, but it is a dish that's prepared outside the home. This is really tasty and healthy, and if you can handle the carbs, it's a great supplement to your lunch Protein. I like quinoa because it's a protein-rich carb that doesn't present any "slippery slope" problems, so it's perfect for maintenance! I'm not much of a cook so I buy it pre-made, but the recipe is below.

Quinoa Tabbouleh recipe from Safeway

"Quinoa, once a staple grain of ancient Incas, is tossed with lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, green onions and parsley. " Prep Time: 15 Minutes. Cook Time: 15 Minutes. Ready In: 30 Minutes. Makes 4 servings. Printed from Safeway.com.

Nutritional Info per serving

Calories 354; Total Fat 17 g; Saturated Fat 2 g; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 383 mg; Total Carbohydrates 46 g; Dietary Fiber 9 g; Protein 10 g

Ingredients:

2 cups Water

1 cup quinoa

1 pinch salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, diced

2 bunches green onions, diced

2 carrots, grated

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature; fluff with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, carrots and parsley. Stir in cooled quinoa.

Sounds so good. I wish I had a panera in my town...sigh

That Panera dish is so high in sodium, which is not good at least that is what my NUT told me. She told me to watch out for sugar, fat, sodium and carb count

I really like the smoothies at Tropical smoothie for a quick lunch. You can have them made with Splenda and can add a scoop of whey or soy Protein for a dollar extra.

I also love the french onion Soup from Jason's Deli and grilled chicken nuggets from Chick fil a.

Hey Maintainers.... How about we use this thread to share restaurant ideas for meals that fit into the maintenance world. I guess by that, I mean meals that may be a little higher in carbs, but still won't push us onto a slippery slope. Some of my favorites are fajitas without the tortillas, kung pao chicken without the rice and egg rolls, Thai dishes without the noodles, and this OMG dish I just ran across at Panera.....

Panera's Lentil Quinoa Bowl with Chicken

Chicken raised without antibiotics, organic quinoa and organic brown rice, lentil blend, tomato sofrito, fresh kale and spinach with a lemon wheel in our umami soy-miso broth.

390 Calories; 9g Total Fat; 1370mg Sodium; 48g Total Carb; 8g Fiber; 33g Protein

Are you kidding me? Quinoa, lentils, kale, spinach, and chicken in a miso broth? That's 390 calories of ridiculously healthy food! This is exactly the kind of meal the "old me" wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. But now I find it pretty darned tasty. And I feel so freakin' virtuous afterwards that I just can't wait to get on the scale the next morning!

Had one of these yesterday! Ate all the chicken/kale/spinach and broth and a few bites of the quinoa/lentils. LOVED IT!!

I was in Pappadeaux the other day and they were very accommodating to let me purchase lobster bisque without the lobster. It was great.

@@maggie409

Lobster bisque without lobster? I don't understand. Do you mean you just had a bowl of flavorful (and buttery) broth? Why couldn't you eat the lobster?

Six weeks after surgery my family went on vacation in Maine. Our goal was to get sick of lobster, and on the last day we succeeded! For my metabolism, it seems that as long as I'm staying away from starches and sugars, calories and fat don't seem to matter. So butter, nuts, cheese, and red meat don't affect my weight. It's weird! I can eat a bunch of cheese and nuts throughout the day, and my weight stays the same. I haven't experimented with eating starches or sugars, but I'm betting that if I did, and still ate those nuts, my weight would jump up. I'd be interested to know if others have the same experience.

(Uh oh! Have I just hijacked my own thread?)

I was in Pappadeaux the other day and they were very accommodating to let me purchase lobster bisque without the lobster. It was great.

I'm guessing you are still in the liquid/soft stage, right? Otherwise, eat the lobster – it's protein!!!

Are you all still careful with soups. I've always strained my soups so that the only thing I take in are the solids.

Soups haven't been a problem, but I do avoid any starches in soups. So chicken noodle or rice is off the list, as is anything in a potato base. Chili is good though, and Long Horn Steak House makes a great French Onion Soup. I just remove the bread and/or croutons.