Eating Out: Applebee's.

My family has always had the tradition that when it was your birthday, you got to choose where to go out for a special birthday dinner.  My sister's birthday was last week, and we put off having the birthday dinner until tonight, and she chose Applebee's.  Now, I had a rather jarring awakening this morning at the doctor's office when the scale told me that through the stresses and pains of the my last year of college, I managed to gain back a large chunk of the weight  I lost when I spent two years on Weight Watchers.  It hurt to see those numbers.

So I decided, for about five minutes, to return to WW.  Then I realized that really, I didn't need it.  I had spent long enough on the program that I knew quite well how to eat healthy, monitor my portions, and with technology today there are so many free websites and iPhone apps that can help me track everything I eat and keep me on the right path.  I promise that this revelation isn't going to turn this blog into a diet-crazy-health-nut-food-blog, since I do love to eat.  One of my favorite things that WW taught me is that I am allowed to eat whatever I want -- I just have to eat it in moderation.  It's a good life rule, but I spent the past year seeking comfort in food, and I didn't bother to practice the portion control side of it.  That begins anew now.

Back on topic, at Applebee's they recently debuted a new menu, with items that were all under 550 calories.  I wasn't feeling particularly hungry (a side effect of the antibiotics I'm on.  I have no appetite until I'm so hungry and weak with low blood sugar that my body has no choice but to tell me to eat, but I don't really want to even then.), so these options looked good.  You can see the entire menu on the Applebee's Website.

Today I chose the Asiago Peppercorn Steak, which was really good.  The peppercorn gave the smaller serving of steak a lot of flavor.  The "seasonal vegetables" was rather sad, as it was just a giant clump of overly boiled broccoli, and some potatoes that had no real flavor.  I found myself running the broccoli and potatoes around the bottom of the plate in hopes of picking up some of the leftover juices from the steak to help them out.  Of course, that might just be a shortfall of our particular Applebee's, and not one that everyone would encounter. 

I would recommend the menu for people who aren't looking to overindulge, and it takes the guesswork out of the portions, since we all know that restaurants over-serve with gusto.  The main part of the meal, the steak, was pretty tasty, with a nice crunch and crust from the peppercorns, and the melted asiago cheese satisfied my indulgent side.  I might opt for a different side next time, like a small salad, just to make it seem a little less sad on the plate with the vegetables.

Here's to good eats, and healthy futures,
-A