FOOD AWAY FROM HOME

I love eating out if the opportunity arises. Unfortunately, there are always those menus that are not so "carb controlled" friendly. Here in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, most of the menus come with lots of rice, potatoes, tortillas or chips. While these foods are essential to some, it can make a carb counter take a tailspin.

There have been restaurants that absolutely will not change, add or omit any item included with a dish that looks appealing to me. This means that I either have to order a different side dish (which costs extra) or simply not eat the foods that are high in carbohydrates and still pay the same for the meal. After which I cross the restaurant off of my list and look for others in the area who are more willing to switch out an item or two to keep the customer happy and returning.

Last week Michael and I decided to have dinner at Denny's. I know, they are everywhere and seem more like a diner than a restaurant. We've been there before and the service as well as the food is always great. I love to look at the pictures that come on the menu next to the description of the dish and the Crazy Spicy Sizzlin' Skillet looked awesome. The only problem was that there were seasoned red-skinned potatoes in it. I decided to ask the waitress if there was any way to omit the potatoes and she was very happy to say that I could have it any way I wanted. I was so excited to try something different, and it did not disappoint. This dish was flavorful, spicy and just WOW.

In its original recipe there are 45 grams of carbohydrates. One serving of red-skinned potatoes has 26 grams of carbohydrates with a net of 24 grams. This leaves the dish that I enjoyed so much with a balance of 20 grams of carbohydrates.

So go out and enjoy a good meal when you have the opportunity and don't be afraid to ask about changing out foods that you are not comfortable eating because you know they are high in carbohydrates. Many dishes can be found on the internet as to their nutritional facts. Look them up and make an informed decision. This will make staying on track so much easier and enjoyable.

Just in case you would like to try the Denny's we went to, the address is:

1305 E Monte Crist Road, Edinburg, Texas 78542