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January 27, 2007
CR Challenge
As we are all too aware, I have been working on lowering my calorie average. This has had all sorts of consequences, including better mental focus, increased calm, that strange episode with the M & M's, etc. I have both increased my regular weekday calories while decreasing the frequency with which I go out for high calorie meals with friends. Yesterday, I had a high calorie meal (though very nutritious) meal so I didn't eat dinner afterwards (couldn't have gotten one more bite of food into my mouth). Normally, I would make today a very low calorie, nutrient packed day to get my average back down, then go back to normal calorie levels on Sunday.
But there's a problem: I have plans to attend a friend's art opening tonight with a dinner afterwards.
Now I can definitely choose a low calorie salad at this dinner. We're eating at a great restaurant that has healthy choices. But as we all find when we try to take our calories lower, it is harder to deal with restaurant food because you just don't know what's in it. So I could end up higher on calories than I think, or I could end up lower. Either way, it's much harder than just eating my CRON-o-Metered food at home. Blergh.
I'm looking forward to the event, I'm just a bit concerned about the food. So I'm throwing it to you, dear readers. Pick my dinner at the White Dog Cafe. Ideally, I'd like to consume 300 calories, so it's going to be a challenge. I suspect I will be eating an appetizer salad as my dinner, and that's just fine. I am also quite comfortable negotiating with the waiter for dressing on the side, no cheese, no croutons, whatever. So feel free to request this or that left off. The St. Peter's fish (aka tilapia) is also a possibility... I've had that before with the creamy thing left off.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Posted by april at January 27, 2007 5:49 AM
Comments
Hmm... let's see. I'm a quasi-CRON'er / newbie dude. I still let loose a bit more than I should, so forgive my "honest" post. :-)
>>
*** Starters
Creole Crab and Crawfish Cake with Rémoulade Sauce - sweet potato crisps, cherry tomato relish and Blue Moon Acres micro greens
*** Main Course
Rosemary Grilled Buck Run Farm’s Strip Steak with Flying Fish’s Beer Batter Fried Onion Rings - sour cream and chive mashed potatoes, garlic braised greens and burgundy Dijon glaze
*** Dessert
Pumpkin Cheesecake in a graham cracker crust served with cranberry compote
Mike J.
Posted by: Mike J at January 27, 2007 6:05 AM
Hi Mike,
If you can get to Philly by 7 pm, you're welcome to join us!
a
Posted by: April at January 27, 2007 6:39 AM
I’m wondering if CR’ers add the calories used when exercising to the total that they eat in a given day?
Put another way; if one normally eats 1500 calories per day but running uses 300 calories, would they eat 1800 calories or 1500 for that day?
Thanks, Mark
Posted by: Mark at January 27, 2007 6:51 AM
Hi April,
What a fun game!
Here's what I would get:
Salad of Organic Arugula, roasted local wild mushrooms and Niman Ranch Smoked Bacon - I would ask them to omit the bacon and serve the yummy sounding sherry Dijon vinaigrette on the side.
AND
Baked flaky St. Peter's Fish crusted (hmm...not sure what that means) with Jumbo Lump Crab, Rock Shrimp, and Toasted Almonds - I'd ask them to skip the dill sauce. I'd also clarify how the other stuff is cooked, if there's added fat (butter) and if there's any way to minimize additional fat in sauces. My guess is this dish would be 2 to 3 CR servings so I would only eat 1/3 to 1/2 of it.
Dessert - well, I just don't think anything would fit into your calorie budget here. I would just order a nice, hot cup of tea for dessert.
Let us know what you decide.
Posted by: Robin at January 27, 2007 7:21 AM
Why thank you for the invite; I wish I could join you guys! :-)
But alas, I'm "stuck" down here in Tejas, which, btw, happens to be the glorious home of Whole Foods.
In my best southern accent, "Y'all gotta give us Texans credit for sumthin'."
Your blog rocks.
Mike J.
Posted by: Mike J at January 27, 2007 9:55 AM
Vegetarian roundup, surely? Lots of veggies just plainly grilled and steamed with lemon juice for dressing?
I'm just about to head out for my second meal out of the day. Got away with just cauliflower and greens for lunch; plan is for aubergine and salad for dinner. But oh that wine.
Posted by: Sara at January 27, 2007 10:40 AM
Since there is no nutritional info on their menu, I would have a hard time deciding. Almost everything sounds delicious! If you're going to have a salad to start, I'd probably have the Creole Crab Cake or maybe just throw caution to the winds and go for the St. Peter's Fish. Maybe someone could share it with you, if the "crunch" is too high. It sounds marvellous! JD :-)
P.S. Please add the White Dog to the list for our next Philly visit!
Posted by: Judith at January 27, 2007 11:45 AM
If it were me, I would get:
House Smoked “Pennsylvania Preferred” Rainbow Trout Salad
potato rosti, local organic micro greens, tarragon-crème fraiche dressing
MINUS: the potato rosti,
MINUS: the creme fraiche dressing.
add a glass of Chardonnay, and that would be it for me.
I am one of those people who have no problem "re-arranging" menus to my specifications at restaurants.
I do it very politely!
Posted by: sheila at January 27, 2007 5:11 PM
Hmm. Posting too late, since you will be already out at dinner. If it was me, I'd have the mussels, and the mixed lettuce. (Had a fine dish of mussels for late lunch after a long walk on a Pacific beach just recently).
A thought, which might make dining out more controllable .. gram accurate scales are small and slim, could be carried in a purse .. and if one was to ask the waiter for an empty plate, the same size as the one on which your appetizer was being served, one could weigh the full plate, then the empty plate, and note the difference. At least for things which are mainly all one ingredient, like mussels, or all closely similar ingredients, like field lettuces, you'd have a good guess at the weight and therefor the nutrition of what you were about to eat. The ultra organized could look up the menu ahead of time, and identify food items which match omissions from the day so far.
Now, I've never tried this, and there are circumstances, like a formal dinner, where it wouldn't be socially acceptable, but for a dinner out with friends it ought to work ?
Hope you had a great time. Do tell us what you did choose.
artifex
Posted by: artifex at January 27, 2007 7:04 PM
Only trouble with the above idea is that I have noticed since I purchased my scale that all of my plates (even the ones that are the same make and same size) are significantly different weights!
Posted by: Erin at January 28, 2007 8:02 AM
Hi, I posted this question on the Jan 26th and did not find a response so I'm reposting. Thanks again. Mark
I’m wondering if CR’ers add the calories used when exercising to the total that they eat in a given day?
Put another way; if one normally eats 1500 calories per day but running uses 300 calories, would they eat 1800 calories or 1500 for that day?
Thanks, Mark
Posted by: Mark at January 31, 2007 8:28 PM