Eating Healthy While Eating Out

After turning 30 and having three kids, I can’t eat like I used to. Gone are the days of eating whatever I want, whenever I want. Now, that I know better, I try and eat as healthfully as I can (while not depriving myself!) and try my best to make good decisions about what I put in my body. Most importantly, I’m trying to model healthy eating to my kids by my actions. Helping them learn how to make healthy choices and still have fun is something that is so important to me as a mom!

I can control what we eat pretty easily when we are at home, but going out to eat is a different story. I shared my survival guide for eating out with kids in this post, and today I want to share how I make healthy choices when we do eat out.

When it comes to kids meals, I know that sometimes the kid options can be high in calorie and fat, so I try and make sure they pick something that first of all they will eat, and secondly has a healthy side dish. My kids LOVE applesauce so if that is on the menu it’s guaranteed they will pick it! They also all really like broccoli (go figure!) which is another common kid side dish. I don’t force my kids to eat everything on their plate, but I do encourage them to try everything. And sometimes Hudson will refuse to eat anything at all. He’s been this way for a while now and I’ve learned to just let it go. He will eat when he’s hungry. Right now it’s important to me to offer my kids healthy options, even if they don’t eat them every time. Seeing them on their plate, and watching Jon and I eat them, helps them learn!

Since my kids are still pretty little (5, 2, and 1) they usually can’t eat a full kids meal by themselves. So typically I have Hudson and Sadie share a meal, and then Annabelle shares with Jon and myself. This helps us save a little money when we are eating out and helps to avoid taking home a ton of leftovers.

When I eat out, I like to pick a place that has healthy options or alternatives. I love to look for something on the menu that is new and different, and unlike anything I would eat at home. I also like to look for something that I won’t feel guilty about eating….mostly because I want to enjoy it AND I want dessert too!

When we heard that Noodles & Company was launching their brand new zucchini noodles…..called zoodles, we couldn’t wait to try them out! I have been wanting to try to make my own zucchini noodles for ages now…so it was perfect timing!

Noodles & Company is the first fast-casual chain to launch a zucchini noodle dish nationwide. What I love is that it’s always was to find something we all enjoy because all of their made-to-order dishes use fresh ingredients and are consistently tasty! Noodles & Company uses cage-free eggs, organic milk and tofu, naturally raised pork, and hormone-free dairy. They never use artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives in their food and each dish is always handmade when you order, customized how you like it.

The new zoodles are featured in two new dishes: the Zucchini Romesco, which features a roasted red pepper sauce with almonds, sundried tomatoes and garden vegetables.

And the Zucchini Thai Green Curry with Shrimp, which has a sweet coconut green curry sauce, pineapple, broccoli, red onion, snap peas, lime, black sesame seeds, cilantro and shrimp.

Both were so good but our hands down favorite was the Zucchini Romesco. Even Belle loved it!

Since every bowl at Noodles & Company is made-to-order, you can substitute zoodles in place of classic noodles in any dish! I ordered Belle zoodles with cheese sauce and she gobbled it up! Zoodles are a great choice for noodle lovers looking for a lighter option…or for moms like me looking to sneak in some more vegetables in to their kid’s diet…and my own diet too! A regular portion of zucchini noodles has 90 percent fewer calories and carbs than a regular portion of elbow noodles, and all the flavor!

If you order a bowl of zoodles and decide they aren’t for you, you can get a replacement traditional noodle dish at no additional cost….so why not try them out?!?! Find your nearest Noodles & Company here.

I partnered with Noodles & Company for this post, but all opinions are my own.