Your Restaurant Reviews

My favorite restaurant recipes have become my secret weapon for family holiday meals. It started innocently enough. I was throwing a Halloween party for the neighborhood and was looking for some adult-friendly treats. As usual, I started with an internet search and ran across a website full of free restaurant recipes. In no time, I found a recipe for Appleby’s Caramel Appletini. Perfect! Needless to say, the cocktails were a big hit. Not only were they seasonal and fun, but they were so easy to throw together. In fact, the hardest part was the moment when the compliments started rolling in. I had to decide: should I give Appleby’s the credit for the recipe or just smile, nod and offer an oh-so humble, “Thanks. I’m so glad you like them!” As you can probably guess, I did what any self-respecting Martha Stewart wanna-be would do. I kept the credit for myself (after all, I was clever enough to find the free restaurant recipes website. That should count for something, right?).

I thought it would be a one time thing, but the very next week my family was invited to have Thanksgiving dinner at my perfect sister-in-law’s house. Don’t get me wrong, my sister-in-law is a lovely person. She’s kind, has an infectious laugh, and a wicked sense of humor. But with hardly any effort at all, she can throw together a five-course meal that would make Julia Child swoon. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, she split up the cooking duties by assigning a different dish to each family invited. My assignment: sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes?! Intimidated by the thought of coming up with a dish that would be traditional, yet creative enough to stand up to the rest of the meal, I found myself heading to the computer. Once again, the secret restaurant recipes site delivered, this time in the form of Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole. And, once again, I humbly accepted rave reviews.

By December, I was hooked. I downloaded secret restaurant recipes for Joe’s Crab Shack’s Crab Dip and knocked the socks off of everyone at the office holiday party. My parents came to our house for Christmas and I hit the free restaurant recipes site again, this time for The Cheesecake Factory’s Pumpkin Cheesecake. On and on, into 2009 I found secret restaurant recipes for every family holiday and event. Bake sale at the kids’ school? No problem! How about delectable, homemade peanut butter cookies, thanks to the free restaurant recipes from Mrs. Field’s? A Mardi Gras Party? What fun! I’d be happy to bring jambalaya rice (a la free restaurant recipes form Houlihan’s). For July fourth, I found Ruby Tuesday’s secret restaurant recipes and helped myself to their mouthwatering apple pie recipe. I think that’s when my husband started to suspect something was up. As he cut into the perfectly flaky crust, I saw him glance my way with suspicion in his eyes. The next day, with a heavy heart, I deleted the free restaurant recipes folder from my favorites list and promised myself that the apple pie would have to be my grand finale. By August, I thought I’d kicked the habit for good. But now, holiday time is drawing near again and the neighbors are starting to clamor for “My” Famous Caramel Appletinis. One more time couldn’t hurt…. let’s just keep this our little secret.

–Janell Leigh Oakes

As dieting and special eating plans become more popular, people are becoming even more interested in making healthy restaurant choices to make sure they stick to their diets. It’s taken consumers exerting a lot of pressure on their favorite eateries to start offering healthy restaurant choices, but they’re finally doing it.

Are you a vegetarian? Many restaurants have vegan options for their customers. Do you have celiac disease, where you can’t eat wheat, barley, or other long grains? Many restaurants are offering their gluten-intolerant customers their own healthy restaurant choices by serving gluten-free foods. No-Carb diet? No problem? Low fat? You can’t swing a carrot stick without hitting entire plates of healthy restaurant choices in the form of low-fat versions of a restaurant’s popular items.

You can even get healthy takeout from a lot of restaurants. Not only do most healthy restaurants offer take out versions of their regular menu items, but there are even restaurants that specialize in filling healthy restaurant choices for their customers. Think vegetarian restaurants, Mediterranean restaurants, and organic, locally-grown restaurants.

You can make your healthy restaurant choices first by recognizing that it’s better to adopt healthy eating as a lifestyle, not as a diet to be started and stopped whenever you hit your target weight. By having permanent healthy eating habits, making healthy restaurant choices is much easier. And if you want to be naughty once in a while, and have something that’s not typically healthy, you won’t feel like you’ve failed in your diet.

Some of our favorite healthy restaurant choices include things like getting a sandwich in healthy salad form from our favorite footlong sandwich shop, or getting a burger without the bun. For the low-fat dieters, consider getting a bison burger or a turkey club sandwich and low-fat mayo. If sodium and salt are a problem for you, make your own healthy restaurant choices by ordering things that are naturally low-sodium, like vegetables, fish, and dairy products. You can also request that the kitchen honors your healthy restaurant choices by leaving out certain ingredients from your meal.

Another option is to use a food monitoring service like Livestrong.com, DietFacts.com, or CalorieKing.com to see if you’re making healthy restaurant choices. Just sign up for an account, enter the items you ate for your meal, and you’ll be able to see if you made the best decision for your new healthy lifestyle.

Of course, there are plenty of foods to avoid if you’re trying to make healthy restaurant choices, and there are a few ways to tell if you should or should not be eating those particular foods.

* If you can upgrade your meal by using the words “size” and “super.”
* If you can order your meal while you’re still in the car.
* If you leave the restaurant with your pants unbuttoned and your belt unbuckled, telling the hostess you need to be rolled out to your car
* If the restaurant will take your photo and put it on the “Wall O’ Shame” because you ate their Gut Buster/Heart Attack Special/Death By Beef
* If the paper bag your food comes in is shiny with grease by the time you get it out to your car.

Believe us, we understand how hard it can be to make healthy restaurant choices. The foods that are bad for us taste so darn good, and the ones that are good for us, well, could always be made better with a nice cream sauce, or butter and salt, covered in cheese, or dipped in chocolate. But it’s important to remember that those should be an occasional treat, maybe once every couple of weeks, but certainly not every day.

Healthy restaurant dining has become an explosively popular trend over the past few years. As health care costs continue to spiral out of control, a growing number of people are looking for ways to trim a few pounds and shed their excess weight. The Fast Food Nation is aggressively searching for an alternative to the grease-laden and calorie-filled entrees to which they’ve grown accustomed. As a result, there are more opportunities than ever for eating smart at a healthy restaurant.

Below, you’ll discover how to find a healthy restaurant in your city that matches your style and culinary tastes, including gourmet foods and fine dining restaurants. We’ll explain how to make the most of your experience dining there as well as the virtues of enjoying healthy takeout foods.

How to Find a Healthy Restaurant
Dining out is a challenge if you’d like to stay fit and healthy. Restaurant dishes that seem wholesome on the surface sometimes hide hundreds of calories. For example, wraps were once considered light and nourishing, but often contain over 1,000 calories and more than their share of fat grams. It’s far more effective to dine at a healthy restaurant that specializes in dishes that are good for your heart and figure. The challenge is finding them.
If you have friends or family members who are actively pursuing a healthful lifestyle, ask them for recommendations. Chances are, they’ll have a small list of favorite places they can share with you. Otherwise, look for reviews online. There are websites that review healthy restaurants that are located throughout the country. These sites will not only direct you to restaurants with free wireless and healthy takeout in your city, but they’ll also provide a personal review of the foods offered there.

The Virtues of Healthy Takeout
A lot of people would prefer to avoid dining in and instead, take their meals home with them. Unfortunately, many of them cut corners and opt for fast food, rationalizing that the sacrifice to their health is temporary. You can enjoy a better alternative. There are a growing number of restaurants that offer delicious healthy takeout for their customers. They realize that a dining experience isn’t always desired, but also understand that their customers still crave wholesome meals. To fulfill that need, they go to great lengths to provide healthy takeout that is both tasty and nutritious.

Choosing a Healthy Restaurant Begins At Home
There is likely at least one healthy restaurant in your area. Whether you’re looking for a fine dining experience or healthy takeout choices to enjoy at home, look in your town. If you live in a larger city, search online for high-quality reviews that provide insight about the experience you can expect to enjoy. Reading personal reviews is one of the best ways to find a local healthy restaurant that suits your preferences. They can detail certain meals, their nutritional value, and even which dishes to avoid. What’s more, you can search for these reviews from the comfort of your home.

Tips for Eating At a Healthy Restaurant
It’s important to be aware of the factors that add unnecessarily to the calorie and fat count of your meals, even when dining at a healthy restaurant. Don’t be afraid to special-order dishes without mayonnaise or heavy salad dressings. Consider drinking water rather than sodas and other sugared beverages. Limit the salt content and watch your portions; even a “light” meal can contain 500 calories. You’ll find some healthy restaurants that will even offer deep-friend or battered foods, often to attract new diners who are wary of the unknown. Whether you’re a fitness enthusiast or looking for an alternative to the fast food lifestyle, search for healthy restaurant reviews online.

Free Wireless and healthy takeout are found in this healthy restaurant choice.

More than just a shake, you find healthy meals on the go at Shake Oasis. At Shake Oasis you can find a healthy takeout meal that will make you feel great and won’t sabotage your healthy eating efforts. Look at the menu and it only gets better. All Shakes on average contain 15g Sugar, 15 – 20g of high quality Protein, 220 Calories and less than 4g Fat. Pina Colada, Snicker Doodle, Rocky Road, and Vanilla Cinnamon flavors that sound sinful aren’t off limits at Shake Oasis. You can enjoy tastes of cake and pie at this healthy restaurant with shakes that taste like Wedding Cake, German Chocolate Cake, and Pumpkin Pie, Key Lime Pie, Banana Cream Pie and Coconut Cream Pie.

Free wireless offered at Shake oasis? You bet! As you walk into Shake Oasis , the cool calming colors give you a feel of relaxation you may want to stick around and access the free wireless. Bring your laptop and enjoy cafe wifi while you drink a cup of green tea and indulge in one of the cafe latte shakes, like German Chocolate Latte, Cafe Caramel Latte, with only 155 calories, 1 gram of fat, 13 carbs, 9 grams of sugar and 15 grams of protien! If you are watching Weight Watchers Points, these shakes average 4 Weight Watchers Points.

Healthy takeout isn’t easy to find, especially with teens in the house. Our family is constantly on the go and we have found Shake Oasis to be a healthy food restaurant choice for us. My teens love the shakes and have shared their favorite shakes with their friends. We’ve made several trips to Shake Oasis with friends to share our secret to healthy takeout.

Healthy food choices and free wifi both can be found at Shake Oasis. Come by for healthy breakfast, lunch or snack! You won’t find a better tasting and healthier shake anywhere!

– Brandi LeBlanc

A long time gourmet foods, restaurant recipes, and cooking enthusiast, Brandi LeBlanc is a Marketing Consultant for Rostin Reagor Smith.