Dine Out Healthy - Chuy's Restaurant Review

How to Dine Out – The Healthy Way

Chuy's Tex Mex Review

As a Mom with severe food intolerance and the desire to eat healthy, I don't eat out much. I don't trust restaurants.  BUT, what if I started to review some restaurants and brought about more awareness and options for food intolerance?  

Don't get me wrong, I believe that if you have food issues, it is ultimately YOUR responsibility to take special care in where and what you eat.  It's never the restaurants problem.  But, it sure would be nice for people like me and millions of others out there to be able to eat at more places with confidence.  

This will be my first of many food reviews. I'm going to be very honest and will be reviewing the atmosphere that accompanies the food.  While I'm not one to complain, if I'm going to do this, I gotta do it right for you.  

Maybe this is my outlet to bitch about restaurant experiences, maybe it's just me being honest or maybe it's both.  :)  

First official review is Chuy's Tex-Mex in College Station, Texas.  The negative far outweighs the positive but I will say, it was the day before Texas A&M University Classes started which made it very busy.  

On the other hand, they should have expected that and staffed more servers and perhaps not have a someone new in the kitchen.  (The server told me this fact)

I have had other decent experiences there before but nothing I'd rave about.  This was maybe the 'straw on the camels back'?  Is that what the saying is?  

First, my salad was just okay but they did cater to food intolerance.  I ordered the Cobb Salad.  Nothing fancy but still good and it allowed me to join in with my family as they ate their Tex Mex favorites. 

In the salad, they cooked (fully and then some) an non marinated chicken breast on a clean surface and omitted any diary or egg. I was just happy I could confidently stuff my face! 

The cobb salad was delivered with missing ingredients but when I could finally flag down my server she handled it promptly.

The 'Pinky-Up Restaurant Snob' side of me.... Here goes...

Onto the salsa! The first bowl of salsa was great but be careful, there is a TON of sodium in it.  But, the second bowl was WAY off.  I don’t know if it was old or just the wrong recipe.  It looked normal but I had a gag reaction to the taste. I had to spit as much as I could out and pray that I didn't end up nobody wants from a restaurant.

Normally I would flag down the server but I didn't.  This was at the end of the meal at by this time, I didn't have another minute to wait on them.   We were strapped for time.

The entire lunch experience was 1 hour and 30 minutes long.  I know I’m going to sound like a raging bitch but they were slow as hell and our server was nonstop helping patrons.  She worked very hard but she was doing all she could.  

They were obviously packed and not staffed for it.  The server also told me that some of their kitchen staff was new.  Now when what is supposed to be a quick lunch takes more than 45 minutes, I get pissed and want to send them a invoice for my time lost.  Too bitchy?

The music was so loud that the people behind us in both directions were yelling just to hear each other which means we got to hear two stories being shouted at the same time.  If we wanted to speak at all, we had to yell.  It was awful.

What was meant to be a fun family lunch ended up being stressful and annoying.  While my boys enjoyed their bowl of salty, calorific Tex Mex, I wish we would have went someplace else. 

If you go there, they don’t have much on the menu for gluten or dairy free peeps like myself but they do have something so you will at least have one healthy option!

The original intention of this was to give you ideas on how to eat healthy whilst dining out but that just turned into a full on restaurant rage review.  But, I do feel better now for some reason. 

Press subscribe to receive more ideas on how to eat out with confidently with food intolerance as I write them.

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Adventurous Salad Recipe w/ Sumac and All Spice!

SUMAC Mediteranean Salad

A go - to fresh Salad for Adventurous taste buds! My husband makes this unique but exciting salad for us when we have a Lebanese or Mediterranean main course.

Chopped Green Leaf Lettuce

Red Onion

Red Bell Pepper

Tomatoes

Radishes

Dressing:

Juice of 1.5 (juicy) limes

1/3 C. EVOO

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 Tsp ground all spice

1 Tsp. Sumac

I like to make double the dressing recipe. Normally I lightly dress my salad but not this bad boy! I soak it down, now!

Share with you friends!

Garlic Refried Black Beans!

I love tacos! 

My Husband grills chicken every Sunday for our lunch tacos throughout the week!  This week I experimented with red cabbage instead of the usual green cabbage. It is heartier and I had to let it sit for a day in lime juice and honey. BUT it adds a power crunch and I love it!  If you want more great recipes sign up for my newsletter right here ----->>> http://eepurl.com/Kg7Zn 

Garlic Refried Black Beans

2 Cans black Beans rinsed and drained

½ Head of garlic roughly chopped

3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 Teaspoon Turmeric (Anti inflammatory properties)

2 tsp Sea Salt

½ tsp pepper (optional)

¼ Cup Liquid. (water or vegetable broth)

DIRECTIONS:

Add Olive Oil to a hot sauce pan

Add Garlic as soon as you add EVOO.  (This will allow Garlic to better infuse the oil)

Cook garlic just until brown

Add 1 Can of  rinsed Beans.  Stir and then Mash the hell out of them.

Add 2^nd can of rinsed beans.  Mash lightly

Add Liquid.  (Add more if needed but make sure you mix well and add sodium if too bland after you add liquid.)

Herbed Chick Pea Snackers

Herbed Chick Pea Snackers

I finally found a way to pack flavor into whole chick peas!  This recipe will knock your socks off!  I love when I hear from you guys that you tried the recipe!  Please, please let me know if you try it, I’m eager to know how you like it! 

I use this recipe as a side dish or even just some little snackers  to have around the house. 

Ingredients:

1 Can Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans) drained and rinsed

2 – 3 tablespoons chopped Parsley

2- 3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons sliced green onion

3 teaspoons salt

Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Lemon (optional)

In a cold pan, add the EVOO and garlic.  Turn heat to medium low.  

Allow garlic to become fragrant and then add Parsley, cilantro, green onion and salt.  Let cook for 2 minutes on medium heat.  Add Chick peas.  Allow to cook until peas are soft and greens are cooked well.  Remove from fire, add to a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro and parsley.  Drizzle Lemon on top if desired.

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Vietnamese Porridge

Healthy Winter Recipes to Brighten Your Spirits.

I’m so excited to share these recipes with you!  As you receive the recipes, keep an open mind.  I believe food should be an experience, a topic of conversation and nourishment for our minds and bodies.  The recipes to follow in this series of emails will have ingredients that you may have never heard of before but I encourage you to allow yourself to experience this with your friends and family. 

Most of the recipes will have options for ingredients because I want you to be the creator of something special and choose what works with you and your lifestyle.  For example, most all recipes can be made vegan if not already.  Keep the methods of preparation the same but play around with the spices and additions! 

Healthy Winter Recipes  - Vietnamese Porridge

www.yourfitnesssgirl.com

Chao Ga – Vietnamese Rice Porridge

I wonder if I had not married a Vietnamese man, would I ever have been introduced to Vietnamese Rice Porridge.   It’s not your fairy tale ‘Goldie lox and the Three Bears’ kind of porridge.  This meal is one of my all-time winter favorites and allows me to get in a plethora of veggies while warming up my belling on a cold day. 

It’s delicious and while rice based, it’s not as many carbs as you may think.  Give it a go and as you create the recipe, think about ways you can change it up to best suit your taste buds! 

Ingredients :  Serves 4 – 6

1/3 Cup Rice:  Long grain, red or brown

5 Cups Liquid: Water, chicken stock or vegetable stock. 

1 Chopped White Onion

2 Fingers of peeled Ginger

2 tsp salt

OPTIONAL: Protein options: Chicken, mushrooms or shrimp

·       Rinse and drain the rice.  Add liquid and rice in large pot and bring to boil over high heat.  Then turn the heat to medium low, partially cover the pan and let the rice bubble for 5 minutes.  This loosens the starch and blends the water and rice.  Stir rice and turn heat as low as possible.  Add onion and ginger and let simmer for about 1 hour. 

·       NOTE:  Add more liquid (at the very beginning) if you want a more soup like porridge.  If you prefer your porridge to be more creamy, look cook longer

Garnish – The Magic!  NOTE:  I use a LOT of veggies but find the combination that works best for you! Add the garnish just before you eat your porridge!

Chopped Green Onion

Minced Ginger (fresh and spicy.  This garnish completes the dish so give it a try!)

Fresh Cilantro

Fresh Bean Sprouts

Splash of Fish Sauce

Jalapeno

Siracha Sauce

Braggs amino acid