BreakfastMotivated MondayRaleighThe Triangle

Motivated Monday – Healthy Eating Options in Raleigh

I know you’re trying to eat healthy right now

so let’s break down some of the top local options for guilt-free eating. But, let’s be real, we’ll all be gobbling down wine and chocolates by early February. Maybe because it’s Valentine’s Day soon and we will all be eating chocolates and wine whether you have a partner or not. But forget I mentioned chocolate. Just don’t think about it..

You could eat salads! If you like salads you can check out my overview of the best restaurant and fast casual salads. If you don’t, you want to throw that salad in my face for bringing it up!

via GIPHY

You can actually get full when you eat out thanks to creative eating and a new class of fast casual eateries serving healthy bowls.

grabbagreen, in North Hills and Clean Eatz in North Raleigh both offer an assortment of Build Your Own type bowls featuring brown and white rice, sweet potatoes and quinoa. Pick your favorite meat and most tolerated three veggies and a sauce and you’re on your way. I love Clean Eatz’s salmon with teriyaki and edamame, mushrooms and carrots. But they also have salads and wraps, and ready-to-eat meals for those that don’t have time to meal prep for later.
I love grabbagreen’s tokyo bay with salmon and their patagonia with steak. But they also have breakfast wraps, raw juices and smoothies on their menu.

Since I said the word juices earlier your word association got going.

You thought juices, juice, juice cleanse, DETOX. Well to that I say no. Juice fast=bad. Crash dieting = bad. But that’s just my opinion and you can read about my research into the benefits (or not) of juicing and where to get fresh juice in the Triangle. I used to work at Slim-Fast and learned a bit about dieting, calories, and macronutrients when I worked there. But I digress…

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Therefore, what you shove into that mouth first thing every morning has a huge impact. Theoretically. My Pop Pop has been eating a chicken biscuit for breakfast almost every day for his 90 years. So either chicken and biscuits are magical, or we have perfect genes!

Anyhow, Chik Fil A has a new grilled chicken breakfast sandwich (the Egg White Grill) that is a big of a standout in the humdrum world of sausage buck-muffins. Try it out, it’s got gobs of protein at 25 grams and a respectable 300 calories.

Chik Fil A Grilled Egg White
Grilled Egg White and Cheese

Some days, a yogurt parfait will not do the trick, you need a hot meal.

If you’ve made it this far, I’d love to hear in the comments where your favorite places to grab a healthy meal are. Please don’t say Panera. We already practically have a booth there named after us.