Sticker Shock

Calorie shock
affects everyone.

I've known for a while that restaurant salads aren't all they're cracked up to be, but woah.  I got a reality check last night!

We found ourselves for dinner at Ted's Montana Grill after admitting to each other on our homeward commute that going home to bake chicken and steam brocolli sounded about as fun a root canal.  Yeah, food isn't fun, I know, but it wasn't the food we were dreading.  It was preparing the food!  We were pooped and wanted someone else to do the grilling and steaming for us.  Correction: we wanted Ted Turner and his cronies to do the grilling and steaming for us.

So we settled into a booth.  Wanting fuel, I logged into CalorieLab.com, a handy website that lists the nutritional content of a lot of different restaurants.  It did not let me down - this booger is detailed, yo and told me everything I wanted to know. 

Like how the grilled chicken ceasar salad is 1,090 calories.  Woah, buddy.  It pained me to see because I know plenty of folks who would order that because they think, "grilled," "chicken," and "salad," equal healthy.  The other salads, shown with dressing, rank right up there in the 700 - 1,200 calorie range.  For real. 

Ted.
Dude.

What???? I'm just giving America what it wants:

juicy hamburgers and classic movies!  Why the hate?

Yeah, I could have dissected the salad and ordered a bowl of vegetables, but I didn't.  I ordered the veggie burger on the wheat roll with a side of fresh tomatoes.  It was good, and only about 500 calories total.  And no, I don't actually think the veggie burger was real veggies. :)

When we got home my husband commented that he had gotten his annual Ted's burger and didn't want to know what the damage was.  Of course I volunteered to look it up for him but he declined.  Smart man.  But since he didn't order a salad, I am guessing he is pretty safe.

The lesson here is simple: don't assume salads are healthy for you, and take the intiative to make adjustments that will get it into your happy zone. Skipping the cheese or bacon toppings, going skimpy on the dressing, and sticking to fresh veggies and lean meats are the best idea.  But you knew that.

Have a great weekend, and if you eat out, be smart about it! 

Good day!