An Adventure in Dining Out

Pat G's ready to dig in!

We Americans eat out. I know that's a total shock to you. But, on the average, we're eating out 5 times a week. That's why I take our On the Way to Wellness Weight Loss & Support groups on regular field trips for an adventure in dining out.

I think the morning gang was about ready to drop when I announced we were going to I-Hop. With TV ads of pancakes and waffles piled 6" high with whipped cream and topped other fun calorie sources, I-Hop hasn't held a healthy reputation. But, as I was looking for restaurants, I came across their Simple & Fit menu.

The Simple & Fit choices were intermingled with the entire menu and were denoted by a healthy green leaf. The total calories per serving of each item was listed, making easy choices for all of use. 

Marlene studying the menu carefully

Our gang enjoyed veggie omelet's, whole grain blueberry pancakes, oatmeal, eggs, turkey bacon, wheat toast, fresh fruit chunks, and crepes. Sugar-free syrup was offered, but Pat choose a side of powered sugar to sprinkle lightly over her pancakes.The only complaint was that the toast was clearly not whole grain. Oops. Sometimes even if the restaurant server responds to your whole grain inquiry to the positive, they really don't know. There's no question, I-Hop needs to find a good whole grain bread to offer when more healthy savvy customers come to eat!

As you can see, we all had a great time, enjoyed the good coffee, and really

worked on paying attention to hunger levels, and trying to stop eating when we were no longer hungry.

Many thanks to manager Branden at the I-Hop in East Lansing, Michigan! 

Stay tuned: next, I'll be sharing our adventures at The Leaf with the the evening group!