Friday, January 13, 2006

Take a Chance On Me

That's what the wide variety of foods at Au Bon Pain were singing to me as I explored my lunch options.....

I ventured out today without checking Dotti's site first for point-friendly lunch ideas. Sometimes that can be dangerous. But today it worked out really well!!!

I chose:
- a small size of the Pasta E Fagioli soup
- one of their new items, the small container of Asian Chicken Salad
- a breadstick
- a diet Pepsi

I consumed them all happily (well, only 1/2 the breadstick) and was a little worried that when I got back to the computer to tally it all up, that it would turn out to be a high-point disaster. But guess what? It didn't!!!

I was pleasantly shocked to see that Dotti gives the 8 oz serving of Pasta E Fagioli only 2.5 points. Hot damn, I was off to a good start! Since I ate half the breadstick, I gave myself 2 points for that as a pretty standard bread-item total. I had to do some searching for info on the Asian Chicken Salad. It's a new item, so it's not on Dotti's site yet. With some help from folks on the WW message boards, I got to the nutrition info on the Au Bon Pain web site. Turns out that little dish of chicken-fruit-and-mayonnaise was only 5 points! So I had a very filling and flavorful lunch - with lots of protein, some good beans, and a nice amount of fruits and veggies - for only 9.5 points. This so could've gone another way, but I'm glad it didn't. Hooray!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Steph--I was just reading some of your back posts. About not being able to carry much from the grocery store -- try peapod.com, Giant's delivery service. I am pretty sure they deliver in DC. ..and oh yeah, about horrible comments family can make about weight -- one time my mom told me during an argument she wants to cry everything she looks at me.

Anonymous said...

If you get stuck at ABP again, I know that some of them (the one on L St. near 18th) have a computer there with nutritional info, so you can quickly figure out points. I am about to head over there for a late lunch now and will try your suggestion!

I did WW before and am very half-heartedly trying to climb back on the wagon...I know how tough it can be - good luck!

-Pauline