The challenge of eating out

The last week or so has been a little tough for me, so when Jared suggested that we go out to dinner one night this week, I jumped on the chance to not cook. Then I had an "oh crap" moment. Or three.  Oh crap, what are we going to eat? (Do your research!) Oh crap, am I actually going to have to ask a waiter how EVERYTHING is prepared? (Yes) Oh crap, is Adi going to have a melt down at dinner the way she has the last few nights? (No) Insert panic. But really, it was fine. The key to it all was planning (for the meal and Adi!). We picked Ruby Tuesday for the restaurant for a few reasons.

First, they have a salad bar. Salad bars are your best friend on W30, because you can ALWAYS find something that is compliant. We did take our own dressing (just mixed up some balsamic and EVOO before we left the house).

Second, we looked at the menu before we went and they had some fairly simply prepared dishes (grilled steak, grilled chicken, grilled fish) with simple sides (roasted summer squash, grilled zucchini, steamed broccoli, etc). We did ask to make sure everything could be prepared without butter, that the grill seasonings were just that (no added sugar), and that it was just grilled (no oils, etc). And yes, our waiter may have thought we were 'needy', but hey, we we're paying, right?

Third, we wanted a place that if Adi did have a melt down, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Seems a little silly, maybe, to all of you who don't have 22 month old children, but meltdowns right now are loud, dramatic, and not at all cute. Plus, with the salad bar, we could get food almost immediately and she could have a bunch of different things, which is also helpful for her ("No, Mama, I want THAT" is a very familiar statement in our house right now). I should have taken a photo of her plate, too (not that she was Whole30 compliant, but still, she had a good mix!).  I was very proud that we kept the biscuits on the table for her to eat, but neither Jared nor I ate any. I can't speak for him, but they didn't look that appetizing to me.

So here are usual foody photos:

Salad with balsamic vinegar/EVOO dressing, grilled steak and roasted summer squash.

 

This was dinner Tuesday night: Steak, mushrooms and tomatoes marinated and grilled. Super yummy and fun to eat!