I met my friend Sherry for lunch today in the city at a favorite little spot called JoZoara Coffee Shop. That’s Sherry on the left, and me on the right. 🙂 It’s been a favorite place of mine for years. They have great coffee, great food, books and games, and an awesome patio where you can sit in the sunshine with friends and enjoy the day.
It’s not necessarily the place you’d want to go if you’re teetering, or don’t do well with temptations. It’s your typical coffee shop menu. I always manage to get creative there though, and they do have two salads to choose from. Both are spinach salads, and their spinach is always super fresh and delicious!
I decided on the Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad:
This salad comes with mandarin oranges and cranberries, so I had them leave those off and add grilled mushrooms. That made it pretty colorless, lol – but it was still really good. It has spinach, sprouts, feta cheese, cucumbers, grilled chicken, mushrooms and sliced almonds. I drizzled just a bit of balsamic vinaigrette over it, but not much.
When logging a restaurant meal, especially when it’s special ordered, I just log each ingredient individually. You can see how I logged this salad in MyFitnessPal below. I’m not sure I got it exactly right… but pretty close I’m sure. Around 10 net carbs sounds right to me, if not a bit high.
I did finish most of it, save about a half cup of the spinach I left on my plate.
I also enjoyed an iced coffee with sugar free vanilla syrup. 🙂
What about you – what’s a fun low carb meal you’ve had at a restaurant lately?
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
Elizabeth Schroer says
Glad to see you posting again! I checked everyday:) I was wondering if you ever use triscuits or wasa crisps as a bread/cracker substitute? I also upped my net carbs to 40 due to bathroom issues(tmi) but can people still lose with carb counts that high? Just wanted to pick your brain, Liz
Lynn Terry says
Thank you Elizabeth! π I don’t – but I do love crisp cucumber slices for things like tuna salad, or my favorite cheese spreads.
I can’t lose eating any more than 20 net carbs a day, but my weight is seriously stubborn. π Is it helping with that issue?? And speaking of, what are your usual macros and how are you tracking? I’m curious if you’re getting enough healthy fats and fiber…
Elizabeth Schroer says
Yes it’s helping with that issue:) When I was on less than 20, I was eating avocado, nuts, and lots of fats to see if that helped. I recently added berries and I think that made a world of difference. I am hoping it won’t derail my weight loss. I just read about atkins 40 and thought I might try that to see if it’s a better fit for me. I will keep you updated!
Lynn Terry says
Interesting! I eat berries and still stay below 20 net carbs, I just count for them in my day. I love strawberries especially. π What kind of nuts did you eat? I find pecans to be the lowest carb / highest fat of all the nuts. Walnuts rank second on that list.