TGI don't have to eat at Fridays every day

Today was an atypical Saturday. Instead of the usual breakfast and then "day of pain" at the gym, I had the kids for the morning since my wife was playing soccer this morning. My mom came over to take care of the baby, so I took the boys out to do some shopping for special Valentines Day gifts, like pans and dishtowels. I'm a hopeless romantic.

We decided to go to lunch at TGIFridays, as Chili's was too crowded. Yeah, I usually hate chain restaurants, but when shopping at the outlet malls, you really don't get many choices. Okay, I'll admit it, TGIFridays has some pretty delicious food for a chain restaurant, and their bar menu is pretty awesome if you're into that sort of thing. Being I'm with a 5 year old and a 4 year old, I'm not exactly going to be slamming back margaritas, so it was just food.

Never being concerned with the caloric content of my food, I didn't ever think much of their menu. Just a bunch of pretty good chain food. But now that I'm trying to deflate the spare tire, I took a closer study of the menu, and I was pretty appalled at how unhealthy everything on the menu was, including their salads. No wonder everyone in this country is fat. Not shockingly, they don't even offer nutrition information on their website.

Anyway, I had a chicken sandwich, which was delicious, and a side salad, which was surprisingly properly (read: lightly) dressed. Of course, my sandwich had bacon and swiss on it, and a honey mustard sauce on a nice cibatta roll, but I picked around it to the point where I felt I was getting a healthy meal. The real temptation was not to polish off the remnants of the boys' buckets of dirt, chocolate pudding with crushed oreos and gummy worms. I did take a taste, and yeah, it is as good as it sounds.

This process is really opening my eyes to why I'm fat in the first place.

Anyway, I did my usual Saturday punishment at the gym, and it is getting pretty easy. 45 minutes of weights and then an hour on the elliptical. I pushed myself pretty hard, and didn't get the usual "inhaling a flamethrower" feeling. That felt good, mostly because it didn't feel bad.

Dinner tonight was Indian spiced cornish hen with tamarind yogurt sauce, and an Indian Brussels sprout pho.

For the chicken:

Rub two cornish game hens with Indian spices (I used Penzey's Singapore seasoning) and roast at 350 for about 30 minutes, about 300 calories each.

For the sauce:

1/2 cup plain yogurt, 50 calories

1 tbsp Tamarind

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1 tsp agave nectar

1 tbsp minced cilantro

Mix together and serve alongside chicken as a dipping sauce. The tartnness and creaminess should compliment the chicken nicely.

Indian Brussels Sprout Pho

2 tsp sesame oil, 85 calories

2 cups Brussels sprouts, quartered, 112 calories

1 cup quartered baby bella mushrooms, 20 calories

4 cups chicken stock, 60 calories

2 cups water

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 tsp tumeric

handfull fresh curry leaves

2 tbsp chili paste

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 box spaghetti, 400 calories

Brown sprouts in sesame oil, and add mushrooms, garlic, and ginger. Deglace pan with stock and add curry leaves, tumeric, chili paste, and soy sauce. Bring to boil and add pasta, cook according to package. Serve immediately, serves 2, 340 calories

Total calories for the whole meal is less than 700, or about 1/3 anything on the menu at Fridays. Oh, and a giant bowl of soup fills your stomach, so you don't get as hungry - added bonus.