Help me chose a meal please
 

There are 6 of us in our office and when it's someone's birthday, my boss will order lunch from his favorite Italian restaurant. Well guess what, someone's birthday is tomorrow! What do I get? I am new to dieting and I know that I will make the wrong choice if I leave it up to myself. I love the Chicken Saltimbocca. That is what I usually get. Which comes with a side of spaghetti. Ugh.

Can someone please take a look at the lunch menu on this link and tell me what they think would be the healthiest for me to eat? I'm kind of tired of salads, besides he usually orders a salad for everyone to share. And I am not a fish or egg plant person.

http://www.draymonds.com/ordereze/Co...1/Summary.aspx

If it were me, I would get the Kara Mia (sans eggplant if you wish, but I bet it would be pretty unnoticeable in there!) Dressing on the side, and mixed greens. Reading this menu made me drool a little... even tho I just had lunch. Happy early birthday and enjoy your lunch, whatever you decide on. (Keep in mind, It's your birthday, if any day could be a splurge day, this is it! :) ) Just get right back on track if you decide to go a little crazy with the calories!

Emid - Am I understanding that he's ordering it and it will come to the office? If so, I'd order what you really want, eat half, and save half of it for supper or for lunch tomorrow if you have a refrigerator in your office. If not, just throw the other half away. (yes, that's what I said - throw it out)

Another option is to split your lunch with someone else. Restaurant portions are notoriously large - half should be plenty.

Eat slowly, savor your food, and leave one or two bites of what's on your plate for good measure.

That's my advice - others may have different ideas and suggestions.

I would get the rigatoni shrimp and broccoli. As soon as it arrives, portion out half, set that aside for tomorrow's lunch and eat your half and fill up on salad.

Good luck!

I agree with Silverfire, definitely the Kara Mia! And I love eggplant so I'd keep that. Just make sure you definitely get the dressing on the side. Have fun and enjoy your lunch!! Happy Birthday!!

I'd get the Kate Turkey Bake with a salad or else the scallops Russo with the salad. Dressing on the side of course!

Your chicken saltambocca (sp?) also comes with a side of mixed greens instead of pasta. But the marsala sauce is typically cooked with A LOT of butter or oil. So, it will be heavy(caloric), even if you only eat half.

The option below would be my choice, but I generally eat low-carb/paleo/whatever you want to call it. Ask for olive oil and lemon or dressing on the side.

Filet Portabella Salad - $12.95
Romaine lettuce topped with sliced grilled filet mignon, portabella mushroom tossed with a creamy garlic dressing.

Antipasto
Filet Portabello Salad - bring your own lo-cal dressing
Tuscan Salad, no croutons, with Chicken & your own lo-cal dressing * *

Just...YUM!

I would choose my favorite, and divide it as you see fit and enjoy your controlled portion. Have a big portion of salad with your own dressing to fill out your meal.

My favorite thing in the world is fish and seafood. I nearly swooned over that menu.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I may go with the Kate Turkey Bake, minus bacon or the Filet Portobella salad. If I get the salad, then I can skip the antipasto he orders for everyone to share. Such a hard decision because this restaurants food is amazing. And even though it is ok to go off track every now and then, I don't want to. I have never been so serious in my life about shedding a few pounds. I want to show some control.

Basically on that menu I would I would steer clear of the pasta's and anything breaded or fried... Some of the burgers and sandwich's sound pretty good, so if I were in the mood for something like that I would just order it and not eat the bread... But there was a salad with grilled steak that sounded good... that would be what I would have... Unless the fish of the day was something that sounded good and wasn't breaded or fried... than I might have that salad instead...

I would opt for one of the sandwiches with the dressing on the side. Maybe even sans cheese, or cheese on the side too.

ETA: I agree with TripSwitch, I'd try to stay away from the pasta (because the serving is usually huge) and the breaded/fried things.

Thought I'd let you all know what I chose for lunch. I went with The Joe-Joe. It was the grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, tomato & bacon on italian bread. Kind of like grilled cheese with chicken & bacon. I only ate a few of the steak fries and skipped the salad and vodka pasta. Although I am full, I think I did ok. I'll just have a light dinner.

Sounds good! If it were me, I'd get the fish portifino with mixed greens, but I know you said you don't like fish.

Another great option would be the pasta fagiole or the french onion soup, especially if your boss was already ordering a salad to share.

I tend to stay away from pasta at restaurants and if you ask, they will almost always give you salad or hot vegetables instead - just make sure they're not overly buttered or oily. You can ask that too! :)

I also thought I'd share this recipe since you said you like chicken saltimbocca. If you haven't seen it, it's a healthy eating blog that so many of us like to browse, and every recipe I've made from her (probably over 30) has been amazing and a definite to make again.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/05/l...ltimbocca.html