I’m usually a breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner kind of gal, but some days I find myself snacking all day long instead, especially when I have leftovers in the fridge. So though it’s not typical of my WIAW posts, I figured I’d show you what those days look like, un-styled food pictures and all.
First, coffee. I’ve worked my way up to drinking half a cup before feeling too jittery or buzzed. Caffeine seriously does a number on me, but holding that warm, fragrant cup just feels so good some mornings!
And because not every breakfast can be beautiful, here’s my egg and tomato mess with hot sauce.
Then the snacks just kept coming…
Leftover grilled veggies and my vitalizer strip.
Banana, peanut butter and cacao nibs shared with Hailey. Speaking of, tomorrow is a BIG Munchkin Meals post with a pretty sweet giveaway, so please link up and stop by for a chance to win!
And apples and olives while I made dinner for David and Hailey.
Why dinner for just them? Because The Olive Garden reached out to me asking if I’d like to come try out their new menu, which just went through a big evolution. A night out with a friend sipping wine and tasting food? That was a no brainer. Sign me up!
After handing both girls off to David (super dad!), I picked up my friend Alison and we were off! Unable to decide on a wine, they offered a mini tasting for us and that’s an offer you just don’t say no to. It was a tough call but we decided on a smooth chianti.
(No worries, I have a haircut on the books. #momneedsamakeover)
The evening consisted of an 11 course menu tasting and was ridiculously fun. I can’t remember the last time I ate at an Olive Garden, but secretly was hoping salad was going to be served. If I remember one thing, it’s the salad!
They now have new toppers available for the salad and ours was the classic mixture, with the addition of kale, bell peppers, fresh mozzarella, roasted tomatoes and basil. I had to ask for a bit more dressing, then after a good toss, I devoured it. Tasty as ever.
Several of the dishes were on the heavier side. Since creamy sauces and fried appetizers really aren’t my thing, I was so excited to get to try out some of the lighter dishes, too. My favorite dishes of the evening ended up being the Garlic Rosemary Chicken
and the Chicken Abruzzi
BOTH of which are from their Lighter Fare Menu and under 575 calories. The portions were large, too, and you could easily eat half for lunch and save half for later.
We didn’t end up leaving until after 10:000 because we were having such a good time and I have to give a shout out to the staff. They weren’t friendly in the we-have-to-be kind of way, the all were jovial, overly accommodating and seemed to genuinely enjoy what they do. I almost grabbed an application on my way out so I could join in on the fun. It reminded me of my waitressing days in college…. good times, good times.
Are you more into set meals or snacking throughout the day?
Are you an Olive Garden salad fan? (I mean, that dressing!)
Have you ever waited tables? Loved it or hated it?
I really enjoyed being a waitress! Always something new going on and new people to meet!
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast says
So fun you got a night out! I’m trying to wrap my head around that… with a one week old, it feels a long ways off. 🙂 I did some waitressing in college too and really enjoyed it. Forgot about those days!
Brynn says
Awesome that OG has so many new salad toppers. I love their salad (I’m pretty sure it’s the dressing that gets me). The food look really good, healthy and fresh. It is nice to see some restaurants update their menus with healthier options.
christina says
that’s awesome they revamped their menu. both dishes look really good!
Marjorie says
I haven’t eaten at an OG in years! It looks like they are upgrading their menu a bit. Glad to know the salad was as good as it always was. That was always my favorite part about OG…salad and breadsticks.
I do have those days where I just snack all day. It has happened on WIAW occasionally. I just try to eat what I want (within reason), and sometimes all I want is to graze all day. Other days it three squares and maybe an afternoon snack.
Sarah says
Did you know that you can buy Olive Garden salad dressing in grocery stores (and on Amazon, apparently, as I just searched for it)? I don’t know how healthy it is, but it sure is delicious! 🙂
http://www.amazon.com/Olive-Garden-Signature-Italian-Dressing/dp/B007S0WQXE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407329280&sr=8-1&keywords=olive+garden+dressing
Brittany Dixon says
Haha! It’d probably be trouble to have at home because like you said, I’m sure it’s not healthy! But a little fix every now and then is yummy 😉
Brittany from CountingMyCupcakes says
1. I am totally and completely into set meals throughout the day. I’m probably, actually I know I am, borderline obsessive about it, but I see/feel such a difference in my mood and body when I stay consistent and can space out my meals on a set routine. 2. Our high school swim team used to hit up OG allll the time before big meets!! That was before my healthy eating and salad loving days though. I haven’t been in years! 3. I was a waitress for about 2 months one year during college. I did NOT like it. I don’t think I had the personality for it and never really got in the groove of things.
Erica { EricaDHouse.com } says
I ate at OG for my Junior and Senior prom. Pretty much the fanciest place you could go to as a high schooler .
Brittany Dixon says
That’s how I felt about TGIFridays where I KNOW I went before at least one homecoming dance. #livinglarge
Jaclyn @ BumpSweat says
I’m a big fan of OG’s salad! If we’re traveling and didn’t bring food along, we’ll sometimes stop there for the cheap soup, salad, and breadstick lunch. My husband’s aunt bought us a gift card to use after baby arrives, and now that I know there’s new salad add-ins and menu items, I’m more looking forward to it 🙂
Maria says
Their salad is the bomb! And I just got a much needed hair cut this past weekend. First one since March! Glad you got out and had yourself a good ol’ fashion ladies night!
Brittany Dixon says
I haven’t had a haircut since probably March too. It’s out of control! I need about 5 inches off- ha!
Parita @ myinnershakti says
Olive Garden used to be the restaurant to go to in high school. But I honestly haven’t been back in a few years. But this new lighter fare menu has me intrigued! And it sounds like they’ve made their salad even better!
Glad you had a fun night out!
Heather says
I actually can’t remember the last time we went to an Olive Garden. I remember liking the salad and breadsticks, though, and like that they have apparently made the salad even better now!
Looking forward to Munchkin Meals tomorrow!
Laura @FitMamaLove says
Love Olive Garden salad! Sounds even better with those yummy additions.
Looking forward to munchkin meals tomorrow!
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
I’m more of a sit down and eat a meal kinda gal with a couple snacks thrown in here and there, but since having Hunter, there are definitely days that lunch is more of a bunch of snacks throughout the day.
I haven’t been to Olive Garden in a long, long time! Sounds like a fun evening! I always love their salad.
Jenni @ Fitzala says
This sounds like so much fun! It looks like you had a great girls night.
The Rosemary Chicken and Chicken Abruzzi look amazing. I haven’t been to Olive Garden in forever (even though there’s one less than 1 minute from my home) and hope they haven’t changed their breadsticks! I don’t know how they could make them any better…
Also love that they have more ingredients in their salad! Their original was good, but I always felt like it was a little boring without more veggies.
Brittany Dixon says
I liked the salad add ins, too, especially the kale, though there were mixed opinions on it because without being massaged it was a little tough to chew. The dressing is still as great as ever 😉
Christine says
Boy do I love The Olive Garden! I don’t know why I don’t go more often..Oh I know why, its because I love their fettuccini Alfredo. And their unlimited salad/bread sticks could be a meal in itself!
I like to do set meals because I tend to track my food less when I snack and I think I tend to take in more calories when I snack as well. I’ve always been a calorie counter and its easeir to count when I have my set meals.
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
I haven’t been to Olive Garden in awhile but I remember loving the ziti something or other that had a ton of cheese 🙂 It was sooo good!
Sarah says
I used to love the OG salad dressing! Unfortunately I cannot eat it anymore because it contains MSG and makes me go temporarily half blind… might be worth it though.
I do have to give them a shout out for their To-Go ordering. I had a $25 gift card to use recently so I gave the To-Go a try. You can order online and choose a time for your pickup. It was so easy! I ordered a kids meal for myself (which is PLENTY of food and has simpler flavors so no MSG, yay!) and a full size meal for my husband for just barely over $25. It was so easy to pick up and had recyclable containers too!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my gosh Sarah, that’s so scary what MSG does to you! Probably not a bad idea to stay away from the dressing no matter how tasty it can be 😉
Good to know about the to-go! I won a $25 gift card and I like the simplicity of the kids menu. Thanks for the info!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
My favorite part about Olive Garden is definitely the pizza and breadsticks. I could go there for just those two things and be happy!
Lee says
I actually worked at the Olive Garden for a semester in college. I was a hostess though. I was a server later at a different restaurant. I really liked it.
Shari says
I love Olive Garden. Their breadsticks are the best!
giselle says
I used to go to Olive Garden for their soup and salad but haven’t been in years. actually, I think the last time I went was when I was pregnant with my now 3 1/2 year old and I left feeling like a giant puff ball from all the salt! I waitressed for a summer at Ihop while living in the Florida Keys. It was fun but I wouldn’t do it again.
Samantha @ The Faithful Runner says
I’m totally a snacker. I am almost always munching on something during the day. I think it helps ward off boredom too. Ha I loveeeeeed waiting tables… That MONEY!
Sarah O says
Ok I hate to be the only dissenting comment on here, but this is a healthy living blog. Olive Garden is fatty, sodium packed, and far from being anywhere near healthy! Even their new 575 calorie and under menu has some pretty questionable ingredients as well as super high sodium if you look up the nutrition facts. It disappoints me that as a former professional in the nutrition world, you would choose to take the payday and stoop to promoting food of such questionable quality and nutritional value. The sad thing is I’m sure this is going to pop up on more healthy living blogs, just like Blue Apron, Aldi, and Hershey’s have recently. It’s really disappointing that all of my favorite bloggers are choosing money from big corporations over staying true to their healthy living messages.
Brittany Dixon says
Hi Sarah- Thanks for the feedback. I welcome open discussion on the blog. If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, I would hope you would see that I don’t preach perfection. As a former health professional, I found that a surefire way to set people up for failure was to be super restrictive. Personally I’ve found the balance that works for me is focusing on healthy eating at home, then enjoying not-so-perfect foods when the craving hits, whether that be Olive Garden salad dressing, hot wings on game day or Rotel dip at a cookout.
Not that I need to explain myself, but I did not receive any compensation for this dinner besides free food and wine and winning a $25 gift card. As a busy mom, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening out, the truly awesome, friendly staff and yes, even the high-sodium meals.
Kristy says
Could not agree with this more. OG is just plain gross. So unhealthy and I’m surprised someone who values local, fresh and organic food even considered going to a place like this. I do appreciate getting out without the kiddos(feels so good!) but even I would’t settle for a place as nasty as OG, and I am certainly not making it my profession to preach healthy living and clean eating to the masses. Not at all worth the free gift card, in my opinion. To each their own, I guess.