My Healthy(ier) Pick at The Great American Pub: Wayne

My friends and I go to the Great American Pub (GAP) in Wayne, PA quite frequently. It is a fun spot where lots of locals hang out, and it has a very diverse food menu. Certainly, since there is a lot of bar food, there aren't a ton of "Wayne Nutrition" approved menu items, and even those usually take some special-ordering.  Thus I will often will get their salad specials (such as the Greek salad w/ chicken), but sometimes I like to mix it up and not order a salad. When I do that, I tend to get the Scottish salmon that comes with spinach and quinoa, and I request the lemon butter on the side. However, this one night I went, I was not feeling that either.

I always recommend to clients that they scan the menu to see what is available so you can kind of create your own meal if you want. So, one night I got creative and looked at their "Plant Based Vegan Diet" options and chose the Pineapple Quinoa Stir Fry that comes with sweet potatoes, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, toasted sesame seeds and teriyaki. This meal appealed to me because I was in the mood for Asian food and I certainly loved all the veggies it came with, and as an added bonus, it was served with quinoa instead of rice! However, it was lacking in protein. So, I went ahead and added on the salmon (which you can add to other meals, so I figured it would be okay), to balance out the meal. Granted, it is going against the "vegan" meal that was, but I like to have a bit of protein with my meals. 

When it came out, it looked delicious. In hindsight, as I always recommend to clients, I should have ordered the teriyaki on the side, since it was pretty sweet. However, after scraping some teriyaki to the side, this meal was flavorful and very veggie dense. I was only able to eat half, and then had the second half for lunch the next day diluted with more veggies. Not bad for ~$20. 

So, while this meal was definitely not the healthiest order I could have made, it was a meal that hit my cravings for the night and definitely one of the healthiest options I could have made. I would highly recommend this combo next time you are at the Pub!

Recipe: GROUND TURKEY SWEET POTATO HASH

This meal is quick and easy and uses very few ingredients. It’s a one pan well-balanced dinner that can provide leftovers for days. Quite tasty too!

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey

1 bunch collard greens (or another leafy green like kale or spinach), chopped finely

2 medium sweet potatoes, previously cooked until just soft, then cut into cubes

1 bell pepper or another vegetable of choice, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

1.         Sauté onion with olive oil until clear, then add ground turkey.

2.         Cook turkey until almost fully cooked.

3.         Add all the other vegetables and cover with lid until veggies are soft and turkey is fully cooked. You can drizzle with the maple syrup if you want a touch of sweet to this meal.

4.         Once everything is cooked, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm. Enjoy!

NUTRITION INFO: Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 350 calories, 12 g fat, 35 g carb [9 g fiber], 30 g protein

*adding maple syrup brings it to 360 calories and 37 g carb per serving