So Ry bought me tickets for Michael Buble on Saturday night – amazing show.  He was funny, and sexy, and sang amazing songs, and I swooned, and…oh right, I talk about food.  Ahem.
Ryan decided that he was going to treat us to dinner out before the concert, and while I work in a restaurant, I don’t get as excited as some people do about dining out, especially when I don’t know the menu with having a dairy intolerance.  We ended up at Jack Astor’s in Kanata where we’ve eaten before, so I wasn’t too nervous because we always have great service there.
They had a special summertime promotional menu out, and the first item caught my eye right away.  “Schzewan Lettuce Wraps”  Yummy sounding right?  Ordered those up right away!
Well they came out along with a manager, and he asked me “Do you know how to eat these?”  See picture below.

I said “Um, like a fajita?”   And he laughed and said yes.  Okay, phew.
Normally when I get fajitas or wraps, I try and make sure I’m getting a whole wheat wrap or a spinach wrap, but never did I think of using iceberg lettuce as a wrap.  But, wow, the crunch of the fresh iceberg was fabulous without the added sodium and calories you get from a regular wrap!  I asked for half the sauce cutting back on the calories there, and the chicken inside was delicious along with the asian noodles. 
Guaranteed your kids will enjoy making wraps out of lettuce, because as I looked around, there were 2 tables with tweens enjoying the same meal as I was!
Lettuce Wraps for the win Jack Astors!
Then I went to see my other boyfriend Michael Buble.  But then again, I talk about food right?

Burp.  ‘Scuse me.
Oh boy.  Did I ever stuff my face this weekend.
I swear whatever was in front of my face, I ate.
Bad Leslie.
I just had one of those weekends where what I wanted to eat junk food, so I gave in.  Every craving.
I had French Fries with gravy and a pogo.
I had A&W.
We went out for dinner for a 40th Wedding Anniversary…at least I had Chicken skewers and rice with veggies…but still.
Then a big dessert (okay, 2 desserts)

Bad Leslie indeed.
I try and practice what I preach when it comes to eating healthy on the go, but it was a slip of the self-control.  And it happens.  As much as you want to eat healthy and teach your kids to eat healthy, it doesn’t always happen.   Don’t beat yourself up over it, just make sure you all do a family walk or play outside for an extra 30 minutes.  Me?  I danced with 5 kids non-stop to Top 40 music at the anniversary party and realized why I was so thin in college – dancing is so much fun and really a fabulous work out…especially when you’re in 3 inch stilettos.  Hello toned calves!
Just practice more self control than I did.  Everything in moderation right?

Happy and healthy eating!

Follow @leslielscott on Twitter and visit her personal blog entitled “The Life of Leslie” for adventures of a 20-something woman aspiring to be something amazing http://leslielscott.blogspot.com

Image credit: Flickr

Have you ever been driving in your car, with the kids in tow, one screaming, one crying, and one is whining for something to eat, and you’d rather chew off your own arm than take them into a restaurant.

I’ll pause while you’re reminiscing………………………..done?  Painful wasn’t it?

It’s tempting to go through the drive-thru when you’re having a rough time with your kids on a day out and about.  But if you’re going to hit up the drive-thru, take with you some key points when ordering.

Tips for a “Healthier” Drive-Thru

1)      Just say no to pop.  You’ll save yourself and the kids about 150 empty calories, and a mouthful of cavities from the sugar.  Opt for milk, juice or water instead.

2)      Choose grilled chicken over battered.  Crispy just means fried, and fried just means cooked in oil, and that equals fat.

3)      Switch up the salad dressing.  Try getting a balsamic or vinaigrette instead of creamy dressing which pack calories and cream.

4)      NEVER supersize it.  Do your kids need a Biggie Fry or a Supersized drink?

5)      Avoid cheese – it’s processed, and one slice is about 50 calories.

6)      Avoid mayonnaise.  It’s just 40 extra calories and about 5g of fat in 1tbsp

7)      Order off the kids menu for ALL of you.  A little hamburger with ketchup, a kids’ fry and a small drink is plenty for each of you.

8)      Add extra veggies to your order – having a hamburger?  Add extra pickles, lettuce and tomato for a more satisfying meal.

9)      Skip the dessert.  (Painful I know…) but do each of the kids NEED a McFlurry or an Apple Pie?

10)  Don’t be afraid to ask.  If you want something different than what’s on the burger or the sandwich, ask.  The worst they can say is no.

Happy & healthy eating!

Leslie

Follow @leslielscott on Twitter and visit her personal blog entitled “The Life of Leslie” for adventures of a 20-something woman aspiring to be something amazing http://leslielscott.blogspot.com

Parents that have children with Celiac disease or Gluten intolerances, or just simply want their family to have a Gluten free world, know how hard it can be to dine out at your favorite restaurants. 

Allergies and intolerances are unfortunately on the rise, and one of the top concerns is gluten.

Having a gluten-free diet (free from all foods that contain gluten, such as wheat, barley, spelt, rye….) is hard.  I’ve tried doing it myself at home for simple health benefits, but wow.  Hats off to the moms that HAVE to do it.

Have your pizza and eat it too!

As the Community Relations Coordinator for Boston Pizza Orleans, one of our exciting annual events is our new menu launch.  It happens every year in June, and we are given about 10-15 new items to put on our menu.

This year, I was so happy to see that Boston Pizza International was going to cater to those with Celiac and gluten intolerances, and they came up with gluten free pizza dough!

Now, while you are only able to get a GF pizza in the individual size, it’s still more than enough for one person, and if you have 2 kids – to share an indy will fill their tummies no problem. 

It’s such a positive step in the right direction to cater to those who love pizza, but haven’t been able to enjoy our restaurant in the past because of the intolerance.

Here’s a small trick though – when you’re ordering, please tell our staff that you have a gluten intolerance so that we go above and beyond to ensure that your pizza is all that we promise it to be and more.

Feel like trying it out just because?  It’s actually a very sweet and delicious dough.  I’ve opted for the change myself on my pizzas (but I have it minus the cheese…sooo hard, I loooooooove cheese!)

Happy & healthy eating!

*Editor’s Note: Finding Gluten Free menu options at restaurants sounds like something new and different – do you know of any others that are taking this step like Boston Pizza? We’d love to know!

Leslie

Follow @leslielscott on Twitter and visit her personal blog entitled “The Life of Leslie” for adventures of a 20-something woman aspiring to be something amazing http://leslielscott.blogspot.com

Image credit: Flickr

Like most late-20-something’s I have an iPod Touch.  (okay, most have an iPhone, but I’m working my way up slowly…)

I recently was on a downloading application frenzy, and came across the Starbucks app.  As a lover of a lactose or soy hot chocolate, with a little treat once a week or so, I was interested to check out the nutritional value of my food.

Serious, serious calories.

I know that I talk about sharing treats, huge entrees, and treating your kiddos once in awhile, but this really surprised me.

Here are a few of Starbucks treats, and their nutritional content for you to have a glance over.  I encourage you to pick your jaw up off the floor after you’ve read this!

Blueberry Oat Bar

390 Calories – 15 grams of fat

Ginger Molasses Cookie

440 Calories – 17grams of fat

Pomegranate Bran Muffin

350 Calories – 17 grams of fat & 49 grams of carbs (wowza)

Soy Hot Chocolate (Grande)

330 Calories (insert my tears here) 14 grams of fat

Tazo Chai Tea Latte (Grande)

240 Calories – 4 grams of fat (not bad!)

Luckily for you Starbucks simple coffee drinkers, your regular coffees before any additions or cream/milk are only around 5-10 calories, with no more than 1 gram of fat.

However, their Kid’s sized Hot Chocolate is 210 Calories with 10 grams of fat.

All things in moderation, right?  If you’re going to take your kids to Starbucks, just remember that smaller portion sizes are best for little ones…and yourself too!

Starbucks Oatmeal I was quite content with – only 120 calories, with 2 grams of fat.  I’ve eaten this plenty of times, and it’s quite delicious.  I bring my own fruit or nuts to add in, but you can get them at Starbucks and they’re not that bad – lots of protein and essential fats from the nuts!

Happy & healthy eating!

Leslie

Follow @leslielscott on Twitter and visit her personal blog entitled “The Life of Leslie” for adventures of a 20-something woman aspiring to be something amazing http://leslielscott.blogspot.com

Get ready for it.

 Here it comes.

 “Mooooommmmmm, I don’t wannnnnnna eat thaaaaaaaaat!!!!”

 Your normal school schedule just got turned upside and spun around like you’re on the tilt-a-whirl at the fair.

 Ugh.

No more lunches to pack.  No hot lunches at the school.  No cafeteria food.  And you’re constantly on the go, for the entire summer.

 Just Be Smart!

You know you’re going to be eating on the go (a lot) so when you’re out at restaurants with your kids, choose something that is nutritious, delicious and friendly on the wallet! 

There’s an appeal to fast food because of the convenience and the price factor.  Oddly enough, during the 2009 recession, the fast food industry saw an outstanding increase, that was unexpected.  People weren’t dining out less with their children, they were just opting for McDonalds, Burger King, A&W, etc. 

Your child’s nutrition is the most important factor.  Here are some family-friendly restaurants in Ottawa, with good eats for the kiddies:

•  Boston Pizza Orleans (had to make a bit of a plug) Kids Meals $6.25!
• East Side Mario’s – Kids eat free Monday-Wednesday
• The Works – gourmet burgers for the fancy or not so fancy children
• Two Monkeys Coffee (never been, but hear it is wonderful!)
• Zak’s Diner – downtown, great food!

Just remember, portion size, lots of veggies and rice instead of fries.  Make sure that they have some sort of protein on their plate that will give them the energy to keep going for the day.  Or, if not, Mom/Dad will need a break and a nap

 Happy & healthy eating!

 Leslie

 Follow @leslielscott on Twitter and visit her personal blog entitled “The Life of Leslie” for adventures of a 20-something woman aspiring to be something amazing http://leslielscott.blogspot.com

Image credit: Flickr

Oh Dairy Queen, you beautiful, lovely, restaurant with ice cream and candy living inside of you….*wipes drool off face*.

Ahem.

It’s not any secret that I could live off of ice cream if the dairy aspect of it wouldn’t send me into convulsions of pain…

A Large Skor Blizzard is my idea of heaven.  My sister-in-law gets the same but adds in Oreo cookies. 

My favorite thing though, is seeing the smiles on the faces of little kids when they get a dipped cone, or a blizzard of their own.

A Small Dipped Cone Never Hurt Anyone!

Surprisingly, a kiddie sized dipped cone is only 195 calories, which is pretty darn good!  I mean, sure it’s a kiddie size, but believe me, they don’t need anything more than that.  Have you seen the large dipped cone?  It’s a monster.  Although I could eat it no problem, most children do not need it.  The sugar counts aren’t all that terrible either. 

So here’s your excuse for Dairy Queen dipped cones tonight – your child’s smile.  Indulge, laugh, love, and eat.  Tonight is a special night!  Why?  Just because.

(you only need a small cone for yourself remember!…but maybe a medium so you can take a couple bites for me?)

Happy & healthy eating!

Leslie

Follow @leslielscott on Twitter and visit her personal blog entitled “The Life of Leslie” for adventures of a 20-something woman aspiring to be something amazing http://leslielscott.blogspot.com

photo credit: Flickr

This past weekend, Ryan & I jumped on the motorcycle and headed west towards Kingston.  We stayed at the brand new Marriott Hotel just off the highway.  We were so lucky to find out that the hotel was only 3 days old, and we were the first to stay in our room – how awesome!  The only downside was that they didn’t have a continental breakfast like most hotels, but did have a bistro to order from…it was just too expensive.  So we went on a little hike towards the *gasp* fast food joints (Timmy’s, McDonalds, etc) to get a quick bite to eat.

 A&W…does BREAKFAST?

 Ryan was like a kid in a candy store when he saw A&W, and suggested we go there for breakfast.  I didn’t believe him that they even did breakfast.  We headed on over, so he could prove me wrong.  And prove me wrong he did. 

 Ryan ordered up the Deluxe Breakfast Combo: Eggs, toast, bacon, hashbrown and juice.  I was a little skeptical when I heard him order, because I was thinking “Yuck, scrambled eggs? At A&W?”  Again, I was proven wrong.

 Ryan’s breakfast looked awesome!  Whole wheat toast with peanut butter, yummy scrambled eggs, bacon (okay it was instant-bacon, but it looked tasty!) with a carton of orange juice (no additives – bonus!) and a (deep-fried, but whatever) hashbrown.  All in all, I was jealous that I hadn’t ordered the same thing, and that my apple juice was tiny compared to his orange juice.  His entire breakfast was only 930 calories, and while the fast food sodium levels were outrageous (1500g), he also drank a couple bottles of water over the course of the morning to replenish and prevent dehydration from the salt. 

 I would recommend A&W breakfast for an on-the-go breakfast if you were able to work it off with some touristy walking like we did and followed up with water throughout the day.

 Happy & healthy eating!

 Leslie

 Follow @leslielscott on Twitter and visit her personal blog entitled “The Life of Leslie” for adventures of a 20-something woman aspiring to be something amazing http://leslielscott.blogspot.com

Heaven help me, I love poutine.

Well actually I love anything that comes deep fried but that’s a whole other battle.

‘Tis the season for Chipstands, French Fry Trucks, Chip Wagons, you name it.  I drive by at least 5 on the way to my in-laws every weekend, each with their delicious aroma trickling down the road towards my open car windows.

When we were younger, my Dad would take us on the dreaded Sunday afternoon drive, where we always “got lost” as he put it.  (Insert “Daaaad!!!! I want to go HOMMME!!!” while Mom giggled in the front seat)  But the highlight of getting “lost” was ending up somewhere (which was usually 10 minutes from our house) that had a Chip Wagon.

Before I was banned from having dairy (whimper) my choice of food at any Chip Wagon was poutine, even as a child.

I’m sure all your Moms & Dads out there are smart enough to realize that poutine is PROBABLY not the best choice for your kids to have all to themselves.

My Suggestion

There’s always a combo or two.  Usually with a hot dog, hamburger, pogo and french fries.  If you have 2 little ones, ask the vendor to split the hamburger or hot dog (if they’re not able to eat a whole hot dog) in half and split the fries it comes with, and separate them into two containers.  My guess is that they are going to be so excited about having such a fun meal on the go, they won’t bicker too much about sharing. 

If your whole family wants some poutine action, I suggest getting 2 large poutine and sharing, versus getting the “family sized” that have enough poutine for 7 people instead of 2 adults and a couple kidlets.  Just remember to flush out the greasy lunch with some bottles of water, and some outdoor playing before jumping back into the car.

If you’re looking for a great Chip Wagon, I highly suggest the one in Rockland on the corner by Mr. Gas.  DELICIOUS.  And the prices are wallet-friendly.

 Happy & healthy eating!

*photo courtesy of Flickr

 Leslie

Follow @leslielscott on Twitter and visit her personal blog entitled “The Life of Leslie” for adventures of a 20-something woman aspiring to be something amazing http://leslielscott.blogspot.com

My man & I have been house hunting, every spare second we have.  Which means, over normal meal times that we would be at home and eating, relaxing.  Instead, we’ve been eating on the go, stressed out, shoveling food in our mouths in 15 minutes over the course of the past few weeks.  This past weekend, we had about 30 minutes for lunch before meeting our realtor so we decided to hit up Extreme Pita.

There was this little girl standing with her Mom behind me (her Mother’s Day outing I’m guessing) and she was studying the menu very intently.  When her Mom asked her which pita on the menu she wanted, her little voice said “The Mexican Fiesta, it looks like a taco”.  So cute.

Decent Alternative!

I was quite happy with our lunch selection (better than the McDonalds we were contemplating!)

My Market Fresh Veggie, 6” pita made me quite happy and would be totally sufficient for your little one, with only 187 calories, 1 gram of fat, and an amazing 7.3 grams of fibre.  Ding, ding ding!  We have a winner!

They also have a kids menu with some fun pitas, including, a Ham & Cheese Pita, a Chicken Pita, and a couple flat bread pita-pizzas all ranging in decent calories, sodium levels and fat…the only one I would shy away from would be their Ham & Cheese Wedge, which has way more sodium than I would like to see on a kid’s menu.

Overall, I was quite happy to be able to blog about Extreme Pita, with their fresh ingredients, nutritional information along the counter, and a variety of options for those watching their waistline, or watching what’s going in their kid’s mouths.  Way to go Extreme Pita, 2 thumbs up for Eating on the Go!

Oh and we bought the house we were debating over at Extreme Pita

Happy & healthy eating!

Leslie

Follow @leslielscott on Twitter and visit her personal blog entitled “The Life of Leslie” for adventures of a 20-something woman aspiring to be something amazing http://leslielscott.blogspot.com