On the Go Food Options

Being busy- or not home much should not ever be a reason to eat poorly. Every day more and more large chain restaurants are realizing the necessity of adding healthier selections to their menu. Below are a few of my current favorites- that help me make good decisions when I don't have time to pre-plan.
I'm going to admit something big. I KIND OF like Subway. I have always been a major Subway hater. I have called their sandwiches many names over the years- including gross, fake, and just plain nasty. And while I'm not ready to give them a gold star in sandwich making- I have decided to accept them as an occasional low cal lunch option.
Today I had a 6 inch Turkey on wheat bread, with lots of veggies- spinach, pickles, olives, bell peppers, cucumbers, AND I got cheese (40 additional cals), lite mayo (60 additional cals) and mustard. Total calories in sandwich= 370. It was filling, tasted decent, and for only $4.35- seemed like a pretty good deal.
Rubios is my all time favorite for a quick & healthy lunch. Street Tacos! Chicken or Carnitas on a corn tortilla with guacamole & chopped onions & cilantro for only 100 calories each! The Carne Asada option comes in at 120. I usually have two with a side of their great pinto beans (no lard added) for 110. Total= 310 for a great protein filled lunch. They also have a Health Mex menu including burritos & tacos for other options.
Jamba Juice has recently added some great menu items, including some California Flatbreads that fall in the 300 calorie range. They are fairly small, but good- kind of like a personal pizza. I tried the Smokehouse Chicken which was great for only 300 cals. I also really recommend their Organic Steel Cut Oatmeal for breakfast- the Blueberry & Blackberry topped version is my favorite with 290 calories.
Starbucks are pretty much on every corner. My favorite option there (food wise) is the Protein Plate. It's in the pre-package deli section and consists of: A hard boiled egg (with packets of salt & pepper) grapes, sliced apples, two slices of cheese, a mini bagel & a packet of peanut butter. I buy this one and use it as my snacks for the day and it definitely keeps me going. Total cals 380- but if you skip the peanut butter it goes under 300.
Even though it's great to see chain restaurants taking the hint and creating some healthier options- it's still always best (and lowest cal) to make your food at home. For example- my breakfast this morning. I made an egg white omelet with reduced fat cheddar cheese & chives and had it with a side of cinnamon raisin Ezekiel toast. With it I had 6 oz of Greens Juice that I talked about yesterday. Filling and delicious & a total of 185 calories! You could have ALL that or about 1/3 of a scone from Starbucks. And honestly it took me probably 5 minutes top to make. I'm now trying to remember if that 5 minutes included washing the pan or if I left that in the sink... now I will try and beat Chris home today :)
XO
Chel
Ps- Good news for yesterday- I stuck to the exact menu I blogged about & finished the day at only 1190 calories- with a big salad & stuffed pork chop for dinner! And Chris & I ran a 5k after work- we are signed up for a 10k in March so the training begins now!