Eating out healthy
I struggle with cooking every day, because I’m either busy, and also I don’t really like to cook. I try to cook something healthy everyday, but sometimes I just don’t feel like it. So I’m looking for ideas of healthy places to eat out. So, tell me what you all eat when you don’t want to cook, or don’t have the time. By the way, I live in Utah county, so anything local would help.
Pita Pit
Subway
Cafe inside Orem Good Earth
Ginger’s Garden Cafe inside Christopher’s Herb Shop in Springville
188 S Main St
Springville, UT
Hi. Have you tried McGraths Fish House? Bajio’s? Rio Cafe(I think that’s what it’s called)? You could make your own salad dressings, and get some of the salads from places like Chili’s, Applebees, TGIFridays. Making your own salad dressings are easy, and so much more healthy than store bought or what is provided at the restaurants and usually yummier! Sometimes you can make copycat salad dressings for the restaurant salads. Real Foods Market in Orem has food already made, and very yummy soups. Can be expensive, but can be worth it on those days you just don’t feel like putting for the effort.
The best place for a good, raw, lots of vegetables, make-your-own-salad and yummy soups is Sweet Tomatoes in Sandy behind the mall. I guess there is also one in Midvale. No matter where you find one, the food is always great! Wish we had them up in the Seattle, Washington area!! We miss them and always look for them when we travel.
The thing to remember is that you’re usually going to compromise some value when you eat out, even if you’re eating salad. Iodized table salt, yeast, white flour, roasted nuts, msg, processed oils, canned beans & olives, petroleum based vinegar, etc. These might be okay periodically, but if you are doing this all the time, you need to think about which of these are important and choose based on that.
Look for restaurants that serve organic food, local food, or raw cuisine. They usually use better ingredients as well (cold pressed oils, better vinegar, sea salt). You pay a bit more than your standard sit down restaurant, but I think the gap is narrowing (plus, have you seen the price of a BK meal recently?!?) Sometimes you can find a coffeeshop that serves decent food (just skip the muffins).
What about coming up with some higher calorie smoothies to make daily, using superfoods? That’s fast, and if you can find yourself something that fills you up, you can take it with you. If you start going out 1-2 less times per month, you could use that money to justify something exotic like cacao, chia seed, hemp protein, etc.
Do you all have Sweet Tomatoes there? It’s a salad buffet. I’m also a fan of Doc Greene’s, if you can find them!
You’ve already been given my faves, too!
I go to Pita Pit in Provo (hummus or baba ganoush pita), Ginger’s in Springville (anything–it’s all raw), or Cafe Rio or Bajio’s for the salad with whole wheat tortilla, no meat, lots of black beans and extra romaine. Salad bar or yellow-squash noodles with veggie toppings at Pizza Factory. If you get a salad at Chili’s/Applebee’s/TGIF, I ask for extra romaine on the side and dressing on the side (so you can use a very minimal amount).
Salad bar at Harmons. Get stuffed for about $5.