To say I’ve been running around like a chicken with my head cut off might be an understatement.

While this summer has been a blast, it’s been perhaps my most chaotic I’ve ever experienced. And then throw in a move to San Francisco (smaller place, but triple the rent…..) now you’ve got a recipe for falling off the wagon.

In the midst of the craziness, and not having a functioning kitchen, cooking pretty much went out the window. Luckily, I’m a big fan of eating out at restaurants where I can actually find healthy food.

And that’s exactly what I’ve done all summer long. Minus the 1 or 2 FroYo’s (okay… more like 1 or 2 a week…but who’s counting?), I found some great restaurants and a whole bunch of tips and tricks I’d like to share with you. During the next blog I’ll dig into restaurants…

But first: The tips and tricks…

Hungry? Lets Pig Out!

If you’re ravishing hungry… it don’t really matter… you’re going to eat the house and ask for extra cheese on top and you know it. So first things first, don’t let yourself get that freaking hungry. I wrote a great article about measuring your hunger and fullness levels here… make sure to check it out. But for now realize that getting too hungry is a recipe for disaster.

Do your research.

Pick all your favorite restaurants, and few close to your home and your work. Get online, download the menu and make your decisions BEFORE you get there! When you already have a plan of action in your head, set and ready to rock… it’s amazing how easy it becomes to stick with your choices. I’ll be sharing all my favorite restaurants in part two of this article.

But I don’t wanna eat healthy at a restaurant!

Okay Party People… decide what your goals are right now. I can’t tell you how many people use going out to eat as an excuse to have a food party ALL THE TIME. If you are going to tell me your goals are to lose/maintain your weight, but you refuse to at least attempt to order a decently healthy meal, then your goals must not be that important to you.

I hear it all the time: “I can’t eat at my favorite Mexican restaurant without eating a basket of chips and a frozen margarita before my meal”. Are you kidding me? I think that’s probably the biggest problem right there. We think going out to eat always has to equate to a party…. “eating whatever we want and how much we want of it”. And then you call me frustrated that you can’t lose weight. (I love you… but you drive me crazy sometimes…. )

Just hear me out: If you want to lose some weight (or maintain your size), you don’t have to give up eating out, you just have to make smarter choices! Let going out to eat be about the people you are with, the atmosphere, and sticking to your goals. And you might even be shocked when that seemingly “boring grilled chicken salad with dressing on the side” ends up tasting like heaven! Woo Hoo! You enjoyed eating out with great people AND your meal was still delicious! It’s amazing what happens when you put your attention on the good!

If it’s going to be a free-for-all-food-party… a little goes a long way.

All of the above assumes that you are actually wanting to make “healthier” choices while going out to eat. If every time you go out to eat, you feel it needs to be a free-for-all….hey…. more power to you. But one thing I’ve adopted that might serve you too… is when I’m going out to eat and I know it’s going to be a free-for-all, I plan accordingly all day and also the next day by consuming a lot less food. By doing this, I’ve essentially staggered my calories out and at the end of the week, everything should all pan out on the scale. Or, you can do what I did for my birthday dinner… eat whatever you want, but don’t overdo it. Here’s what my B-day dinner consisted of:

• one glass of champagne (generally not a fan… but this stuff was good!)
• one glass of red wine
• Warm Deviled eggs topped with bacon and aged Provolone
• Baked Oysters covered in bread crumbs and cheese (almost like it was swimming in Clam chowder soup…so good!)
• Bone Marrow with salsa Verde (this is by far my new favorite!!!)
• Burger with caramelized onion, cheddar, and bacon (Oh yeah, baby! Happy Birthday to me!)
• Chocolate Creme Pie with cocoa nibs and sea salt
• Upside down peach crisp with bourbon ice cream and brown butter caramel sauce (words can’t describe….)

Okay… if you take all that in… that looks like a FREAKING TON OF FOOD. But… here’s what it really looked like:

• one glass of champagne (finished 1/2…. I just can’t get into champagne)
• one glass of red wine (finished it all and wished I had more : ))
• Warm Deviled eggs topped with bacon and aged Provolone (had one… which is like 1/2 an egg, equivalent to one decent sized bite, or two very small, polite bites)
• Baked Oysters covered in bread crumbs and cheese (had one…same size as deviled egg)
• Bone Marrow with salsa Verde (had one small piece of toast topped with marrow…again, 2 “polite bites”)
• Burger with caramelized onion, cheddar, and bacon (cut it in half, ate 1/4, shared the other 1/4 with friends, and took the 1/2 I didn’t eat home to sit and rot in my fridge…finally threw away this weekend : ))
• Chocolate Creme Pie with cocoa nibs and sea salt (1 bite)
• Upside down peach crisp with bourbon ice cream and brown butter caramel sauce (I would be lying if I said 2 polite bites… I know I gobbled up at least 4-5 bites of this heavenly yumminess!)

I was able to enjoy a slew of really amazing food, none of which really fit into my Clean and Lean Protocol, but I still was able to maintain my weight, AND enjoy an amazing evening out with my friends. And sometimes, that’s the healthiest thing you could do… relax a little and enjoy a great evening out with friends and family. Being mindful of your atmosphere, friends, and food, and fully grateful that we even get to do these cool things in the first place!

Now, truth be told, I’ve found some great restaurants serving healthy foods and it’s been a life savor this summer, but I’m REALLY ready to clean it up again, start cooking, and jump into my favorite way of eating, which follows my Clean and Lean Protocol. It detoxes my body, stabilizes my blood sugar, increases my energy, and makes me feel great. And although I’ve done great job of maintaining my weight this summer, I bet I’ll drop a few pounds going through the Clean and Lean… great!

Plus, now that I have an almost functioning kitchen, I spent the whole day cooking up a few different concoctions to prepare for my week. I almost forgot how grounding, nurturing, and calming it can be to , to cook life-giving foods. Check out my newest favorite: Chicken Apple Sausage with Apple Slaw. O.M.G. Too bad those restaurants can’t cook as good as me. : )

What tips or tricks do you have up YOUR SLEEVE when it comes to eating out? Share below!!!