The Olive Garden Challenge

So my husband got a gift card for $25 at Olive Garden. We're really watching our money so we treated ourselves to dinner but tried to make sure we didn't go over the gift card. This is what I learned:

• $25 is perfect for one person to eat dinner there. Not two. Unless you share.
• Their online menu showed me how many more delicious-looking things they have now from what I remember eating there years ago.
• I still pretty much want Shrimp Alfredo. A lot. All of it. In one sitting. LOL
• Their breadsticks still have nothing on Fazoli's, but they are also healthier.

I followed my guidelines to find the healthiest things on the menu: avoid cream sauces and go with marinara ones, fish and chicken are usually safer, and look for meals with veggies. So I found a couple I thought would be good, then was curious and looked up the nutritional info on them. *Remember the healthy guideline is to try to keep each meal at/below 300 calories and keep portions small.

My safe rules failed me! Turns out seeing the number of calories hit over 1000 per meal makes enough of an impact on me now to just say, "Oh screw that." Cravings were instantly killed and it made me strong enough to make a decision I felt good about. Also: of course the healthiest things are much more expensive.

The obvious way to go would be my husband getting a normal meal (he found one with a steak and asparagus that he really liked and doesn't have to watch his calories as much lol), and me eating the salad that comes with it. Now salad is great and all, but we never get to go out to dinner and I want real food too.

Result:

Pasta e Fagioli Soup, 130 calories, lasted me 2 meals, has lots of beans and veggies. So yummy.
2 breadsticks, 150 calories each, great dipped in the soup, and a bit of a treat without going crazy since I try to limit my bread usually.
Wine: We went to the liquor store and got an $8 bottle of red wine that turned out pretty good with this.
Dessert: I resisted getting anything chocolate after looking at the calories (omg), and had a 100 calorie pack of cookies that was perfect and filled my chocolate fix and was something fancier and more special than a tootsie roll.

Now these people have some great ideas on how to eat healthy there, but they also had more money than us lol. Still it's a great thing to check out to help with guidelines at places where even the healthy stuff is at least 400/500 calories, and everything has a ridiculous amount of sodium.

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Be strong, Italian food lovers, and make your own fancy dinner!

Giant Meatballs

1 lb. lean ground turkey (cheaper to buy the rolls in bulk, look for a sale and freeze them).

1 egg.

2 TBSP water.

1/2 c. Italian breadcrumbs.

1/4 c. minced onion.

Salt & pepper.

Italian seasoning.

Garlic salt.

1/3 minced green bell pepper.

1/4 minced carrot.

4 cloves minced fresh garlic (use actual garlic for this one).

2 handfuls mozzarella cheese, skim.

Mix well. Roll into giant meatballs.

350*, 25-30 minutes or until no more pink is in the center.

Once cooked coat in desired sauce - recommend Marinara sprinkled with lowfat parmesan.

Make them look like this by drizzling sauce and topping with a pinch of cheese.

Garlic Bread

Loaf of whole/multi-grain bread (or rolls, look on discount bakery rack), cut into slices.

Pour some extra virgin olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper, and garlic salt into bowl.

Use baster brush (or paintbrush like me lol) and evenly paint spiced oil on one side of bread slices.

Throw on grill/George Forman until crispy with pretty brown lines like above - start with oil side up, and flip  

           after a couple minutes.

This seriously tastes awesome without butter or white bread - especially if you're sort of used to wheat bread by now. It's easy and cheap too.

Wine

Yellow Tail.

$8 a bottle.

Ask the liquor store clerk to help you pick which one you want, or go here to get help with food pairing, and see nutrition info. *It makes you pick your country and enter your birthdate before you can enter, but it's well worth it.

Dessert

Something fancy like Grilled Peach Sundaes is perfect with a special dinner, and cheap. My portions would actually be half of what's in that picture, so it's even better :) *For chocolate lovers: Melt a little dark chocolate candy bar and drizzle over this, or bananas or strawberries.

2 peaches, halved and pitted

1 tsp canola oil

2 scoops nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt

1 TBSP toasted unsweetened coconut

Brush peach halves with oil. Grill until tender. Top with frozen yogurt and coconut. 154 calories. 

*Thanks to this site for the quick, easy recipe and nutrition info. 

Almost Done

If you don't have them already, go to the dollar store and get nice looking wine glasses and at least 4 matching plates and silverware. Throw some candles in there and you have yourself the easiest fancy dinner ever. Guys: be sure to get a vase and pick some kind of flower somewhere = more points. :) The best thing is that cooking it together can be part of the date, and you have full control over every single thing you're eating. Who needs Olive Garden and their alfredo?