Eating Out On Plan

As I've said in earlier posts, I'm not much for cooking.  I'm all about convenience.  That means that we eat out quite a bit.  I think I've already blogged about my meal at Outback Steakhouse.  I love going there because I can get a really good dinner for 10 points.  That's my go-to restaurant when I'm craving steak.  I get the 6 ounce Outback special, on the light side, which includes a 6 ounce sirloin, and then for sides I get a plain baked sweet potato and mixed veggies.  By ordering it on the light side they don't use any butter or fat in the preperation.  It's very satisfying. 

Well, now I have a go-to place for seafood.  Last night, the hubby and I went to Red Lobster for dinner.  It's Lent, so seafood seemed fitting (and we were ready for dinner early enough that we could actually get in...and I had a coupon).  I think I spent 15-20 minutes looking at the menu.  I really wanted lobster and some shrimp, but a lot of the meals also included shrimp scampi, some kind of pasta, a bread based seafood stuffing, or they are cooked in a garlic butter.  After much debate I decided to order the peach bourbon BBQ bacon-wrapped scallops and shrimp.  Instead of grilling the scallops and shrimp in the BBQ sauce I asked them to put it on the side.  I also ordered a garden salad with a red-wine vinegar dressing on the side, and steamead broccoli as my side.  I took the bacon off the scallops, and just dipped my fork into the BBQ.  It was so sweet that you didn't need much to get the full effect of the flavor.  I also indulged in a Cheddar Bay biscuit.  How can you go to Red Lobster and not have a Cheddar Bay biscuit?  My entire meal was so good, and felt so indulgent, but it was only 10 points.  The biscuit was 4 and the shrimp and scallops, salad, and broccoli were 6. 

I'm still looking for a relatively low point Chinese and Mexican meal, but so far, not a whole lot of luck.  I do know that I can get a 4 point salad at Chipotle.  I get the lettuce, chicken, and pico.  Then I use my own 2 point dressing on it.  But I wouldn't really consider that Mexican food. 

By the way, don't ever be embarrased to take your own condiments into a restaurant.  I've taken my I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray, bottles of dressing, and little tupperware containers of dressing into restaurants in my purse.  I will also start taking my own sour cream if I'm going out for a baked potato or Mexican.  I don't know how widely available the Belfonte brand is, but Belfonte's fat free sour cream is 0 points for 2 tablespoons, 1 point for a quarter cup.  And it tastes fantastic!

Tonight we are going out for burgers and fries, which are very high in points, but my weekly's started over again today :)  Bring on the fried pickles and ranch!