I’m not sure about any of you, but with economic times being a little tighter, I’ve noticed myself trading down from sit-down restaurants to glam fast food joints like Chipotle, Panera or Noodles and Co. They feel like a nice step up from McDonald’s, but still allow you to get out with under $10 of damage. Sometime over the last year I tired of Chipotle and Panera and recently reacquainted myself with Noodles and Co. I had written it off a long time ago, thinking it was too unhealthy. I mean, a restaurant all about noodles! HORRIBLE! Boy was I wrong.
Granted, not all of their meals are healthy, but I’ve found that the Asian dishes in particular are especially low cal and delicious. I always get the trio which includes a cup of soup or salad, a protein and a noodle/veggie base for around $7. The 4 Asian options I rotate between are: The Japanese Pan Noodles (pictured above), Pad Thai (not quite as healthy), Bangkok Curry and Indonesian Peanut Saute. Protein choices include beef, chicken, shrimp or tofu so there is lots of room to select a healthy option. My all time favorite is the Indonesian Peanut, followed by the Japanese Pan (which I delighted in last night with JB). YUM. If you too ruled it off your list, perhaps it’s time to give it another look….
