Low-Calorie at Olive Garden Plus Recipes!

Cheese Ravioli with Fresh Vegetables

I much prefer eating at local mom & pop restaurants when it comes to Italian.  In the Kansas City area there are some great, local Italian restaurants.  My favorites are Carmen's in Brookside and Garozzo's in Columbus Park.  I have to confess that when I eat at either restaurant my diet is at the bottom of my priority list.  My favorite dish is pesto ravioli with gorgonzola cream sauce.  I also love the house salad.  With that said, I realize a lot of people eat at Olive Garden since it's a national chain.  Fortunately they list their nutrition facts on the company website. 

Olive Garden Nutrition Facts

The key at Olive Garden is to either order an appetizer/soup, salad, and a breadstick or simply order the entrée without all the accoutrements.  Many of the entrees at Olive Garden break the 650-calorie budget that I generally allot for dinner.  I have listed the few entrees that actually hit the range.

Appetizers
Mussels di Napoli 180
Breadstick (with garlic-butter spread) 150
Stuffed Mushrooms 280

Soups & Salads
Chicken & Gnocchi (one serving) 250
Pasta e Fagioli (one serving) 130
Minestrone (one serving) 100
Zuppa Toscana (one serving) 170
Garden-Fresh Salad (one serving with dressing) 290
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad 610

Dinner Entrees
Linguine alla Marinara 430
Steak Toscano 590
Ravioli di Portobello 670
Cheese Ravioli with Marinara Sauce 660
Venetian Apricot Chicken 400
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken 670
Shrimp Mezzaluna 630
Capellini di Mare 650
Herb-Grilled Salmon 510
Seafood Brodetto 480
Parmesan Crusted Tilapia 590

Interestingly enough, the Olive Garden website also has numerous recipes that you can make at home.  I love that!  They don't list the calories per serving, but it's easier to lighten up a recipe at home.  Here are a few recipes that sparked my interest.  Yum!

Portobello Mushrooms with Mozzarella

Beef Filets in Balsamic Sauce

Cheese Ravioli with Fresh Vegetables

Creamy Polenta

White Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Crispy Pancetta

Green Beans with Tomato and Garlic

Asparagus with Lemon and Minced Onions

Angel Hair and Three Onion Soup

Smarter Choices at Longhorn Steakhouse

There are several options for eating low-calorie at Longhorn.  You may start with one of the side salads and order soup as your main course.  You might opt for one of their lower-calorie entrée salads.  If you choose a protein-packed entrée, then stick with one of the leaner entrees that I have suggested.  Keep in mind that it comes with a salad and a side.  The lowest calorie salad is the mixed green side salad (110 calories) with fat-free ranch dressing (45 calories).  Skip the starchy sides and order green vegetables.  If you are craving the loaded baked potato (430 calories) or the sweet potato (370), then order it as your entrée.  Be strong and skip the bread loaf (510 calories) so that you don’t break the calorie bank.  Try not to go over 650 calories with your order combination.  There is nothing wrong with getting a box, because you have leftovers.  If you enjoy your meal, then you can enjoy it twice!


Starters
Chilled Shrimp Cocktail with Cocktail Sauce 190
French Onion Soup (bowl) 320
Ranch House Chili (bowl) 210
Shrimp & Lobster Chowder (bowl) 250
Loaded Baked Potato Soup (bowl, order as a meal.) 470

Dinner Entrees - Salads
Grilled Salmon Salad – Mixed Green with Fat-Free Ranch 605

Dinner Entrees – Legendary Steaks
Flo’s Fillet 7 oz. 450
Fire-Grilled Bone-in Sirloin 470
Flat Iron Steak 440
Flo’s Fillet & Lobster Tail (Calorie Splurge!) 500

Dinner Entrees – Seafood
Grilled Trout Topped with Shrimp & Lobster 490
Redrock Grilled Shrimp 130

Dinner Entrees - Flavorful Under 500
Flo’s Fillet 7 oz. 420
Renegade Sirloin 6 oz. 400
Sierra Chicken lighter portion 340
Grilled Fresh Rainbow Trout 380
Salmon 7 oz. 410

Ribs, Chops & More
Cowboy Pork Chops 400

Side Dishes
Fresh Seasonal Vegetables 90
Fresh Green Beans 36
Mixed Green Side Salad 110
Caesar Side Salad with Caesar Dressing 350
Fresh Steamed Asparagus 80
Steakhouse BLT Salad with Dressing 320
Strawberry Pecan Salad with Dressing 380

Low-Calorie Dinner Options at Chili's

Chili’s Grill & Bar

Salads (Dressing included unless otherwise indicated.)
Caribbean Salad with Grilled Chicken 610
Caribbean Salad with Grilled Shrimp 590
House Salad No Dressing 150
Dressing, Honey Mustard No Fat 70
Dressing, Low Fat Ranch 80
Soups (without crackers)
Chicken Enchilada Bowl 380, Cup 190
Chili’s Terlingua Chili with Toppings Bowl 360, Cup 180
Loaded Baked Potato Soup Bowl 410, Cup 210
Southwest Chicken & Sausage Bowl 330, Cup 160
Lighter Choices (as served)
Classic Sirloin 260
Grilled Chicken Salad 420
Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Steamed Broccoli 610
Lighter Choice Grilled Salmon 480
Margarita Grilled Chicken 550
Not “Just” Sides
Black Beans 100
Black Bean Patty Only 200
Rice 190
Steamed Broccoli 80
Sweet Corn on the Cob with Butter 200

Low-Cal Options at California Pizza Kitchen

I have blogged in the past about how I like the small frozen pizzas from California Pizza Kitchen.  Rather than repeat myself, this time I just want to cover low-cal options to order from CPK restaurants.  I went through the nutrition facts on the CPK website, and these are the options that I came up with.  I hope they have a restaurant in your neighborhood.

California Pizza Kitchen

Small Cravings
Spicy Chicken Tinga Quesadilla 510
Korean BBQ Steak Tacos 440
Asparagus & Arugula Salad 189
Mediterranean Plate 368
The Wedge Salad 278

Appetizers
Dynamite Shrimp 547
Lettuce Wraps with Chicken 543
Lettuce Wraps with Shrimp 527
Sesame Ginger Chicken Dumplings 465

Soups
Artichoke & Broccoli Soup Bowl 203, Cup 101
Sedona Tortilla Soup Bowl 500, Cup 273
Dakota Smashed Pea & Barley Soup Bowl 347, Cup 174

Half Salads (Fat-Free Vinaigrette available on request.  Calories reflect standard dressing.)
Chopped Half Salad, No Avocado 585
Carmelized Peach Half Salad 471
Camelized Peach Half Salad with Grilled Shrimp 567
Roasted Vegetable Half Salad 298
Roasted Vegetable Half Salad with Grilled Chicken Breast 536
Roasted Vegetable Half Salad with Grilled Shrimp 394
Roasted Vegetable Half Salad with Sauteed Salmon 528
Original Chopped Half Salad with Garbanzos 494
CPK Cobb Half Salad with Ranch Dressing 475
CPK Cobb Half Salad with Ranch Dressing & Beets 495
CPK Cobb Half Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 508
Classic Caesar Half Salad 253
Classic Caesar Half Salad with Grilled Chicken Breast 490
Classic Caesar Half Salad with Grilled Shrimp 349
Classic Caesar Half Salad with Sauteed Salmon 482
Chinese Chicken Half Salad 331
Miso Shrimp Half Salad 437
Thai Crunch Half Salad, No Avocado 544
Field Greens Half Salad 402
Field Greens Half Salad with Gorgonzola 502
Field Greens Half Salad with Grilled Shrimp 498

If you cannot fathom going to California Pizza Kitchen without ordering pizza, then stick with eating only HALF of the thin crust pizza.  You can split it with a friend or take the rest home as leftovers.
Half Roasted Artichoke & Spinach Thin Crust Pizza 478
Half Roasted Artichoke & Spinach Thin Crust Pizza with Chicken 515
Half Pesto Chicken Thin Crust Pizza 518
Half Margherita Thin Crust Pizza 519
Half Four Seasons Thin Crust Pizza 497
Half Tricolore Salad Pizza 501

The pastas and sandwiches at CPK break the calorie bank so if you order from these menus only eat half your entrée and take the rest home.

550 Calories & Under at Applebee's

As research for the book I am writing, I tried the Garlic Sirloin off the 550 Calorie & Under Menu at Applebee's last night for dinner.  I must say it was delicious.  However, one of my clients had warned me that he didn't really buy that those entrees are actually under 550 calories.  Now I can see why.  The caramelized onions underneath the steak were really greasy, delicious, but greasy.  I would also say that 7 oz. of steak is a hefty portion for someone on a diet regimen.  Applebee's claims in their nutrition facts that their 7 oz. House Sirloin is 250 calories.  However, I looked up  7 oz. of lean broiled sirloin on CalorieKing.com, and it showed that size portion would be 373 calories. Not cool.

I have a more positive take on the sides.  As you can see from my pic, the portions of the potatoes and the portabella mushroom with creamed spinach are small.  Kudos to Applebee's on that.  I'm persuaded to believe the sides were actually low-calorie.  The potatoes tasted more like butter than herbs, but at least there wasn't a large portion.  They tasted like they had been boiled, and they were not greasy with oil.

With my client's opinion in the back of my mind I saved roughly half the steak and onions.  After looking up the facts today I am glad that I did that.  You can see some of the remaining grease on the plate.

I would also like to point out that Applebee's does post the following disclaimer on their website:

"Variations in ingredients and preparation, as well as substitutions, will increase or decrease PointsPlus™ values and any stated nutritional values, such as calories."

Taking the nutrition facts posted on the Applebee's website with a grain of salt, here are the calories on their 550 calorie and under entrees:

Great Tasting & UNDER 550 Calories™ - includes sides
Asiago Peppercorn Steak 380
Signature Sirloin with Garlic Herb Shrimp 500
Grilled Dijon Chicken & Portobellos 470
Roasted Garlic Sirloin 450
Sizzling Asian Shrimp & Broccoli 470
Sizzling Chili Lime Chicken 470

Applebee's also has a Weight Watchers PointsPlus™ menu which features low-calorie entrees as well.  Personally I think they should just combine the two menus and tell us both the calories and the points.  The menu at the Applebee's I went to listed 550 calorie entrees and Weight Watcher's entrees on two totally separate pages.  It probably has something to do with their agreement with Weight Watchers.  It would be nice if both menus were on one page.  Anyway, here are the calories and points on those entrees:


WEIGHT WATCHERS® includes sides

Weight Watchers® Cabernet Mushroom Sirloin 460, 12 pts.
Weight Watchers® Creamy Parmesan Chicken 470, 12 pts.
Weight Watchers® Grilled Jalapeno-Lime Shrimp 300, 8 pts.

To sum up I would definitely order the Garlic Sirloin again.  It was delicious, and I appreciate that Applebee's is trying to offer some healthier options.  The next time I will probably skip the onions altogether.  They seemed to be the source of the grease.  Now if you will excuse me, there is a leftover steak with my name on it.  Lunch?  Yes, please!

Sara

P.S.  Happy St. Patrick's Day tomorrow!