Jimmy's Egg Restaurant

As I enter my final month of pregnancy, I feel like it's a good time to get back to blogging. I'm ready to ditch the pregnancy weight and crazy cravings when our sweet baby boy arrives get back on track with him! 

That being said- I'll make my blog come back with a great breakfast place (my favorite!) we found in the colony! Jimmy's Egg located off 121 and Main Street. (It's actually a Midwest chain!) 

What did I love about it? There are TONS of skinny options to choose from, and they all sounded super yummy! Rarely do I find a place with lots of great choices! It wasn't too far from our house, so we will be back (maybe with Baby Z!) soon to try more things.

Here's the scoop: there is a classic light menu called Skinny Jimmy. I posted the choices below with calorie counts. And, there is a New Years menu with more choices (see photo). All nutrition facts are on the Jimmy's Egg website (http://www.jimmysegg.com/home-m/) and sign up for their email and print your $3 off coupon before you go! 

I had the turkey sausage and eggs! (I love that you can have either turkey sausage or turkey bacon there!) I stuck with regular eggs, scrambled. (Baby needs the real deal while he's still growing!) If you swapped for egg beaters, you will save about 100 calories. Also, if you swap your toast for a dry English Muffin, you can save 50 calories... And they are equally as good! (Add back 25 calories for jelly pack.)

Next time, I'm going to try the Wheat Pancake Combo listed below or the Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato sandwich from the New Years menu. Both look yummy and filling! 

A few random highlights I liked about Jimmy's Egg:

- Sugar Free Hazelnut Creamer was already on the table 

- They have coupons! 

- LOTS of great choices on the skinny menu to choose from

- It wasn't super crowded for Sunday Breakfast out

- All nutrition facts are on their website. 

- Good, fast and friendly service! 

Here is a look at some menu items: 

Skinny Jimmy Breakfast: Low-fat vanilla yogurt topped with fresh strawberries, fresh cut cantaloupe, a side of granola, and a toasted dry English muffin. 600 Calories

Turkey Sausage & Eggs: Two eggs cooked any style and two turkey sausage patties. Served with fresh fruit and dry wheat toast. 590 Calories

Sweet Potato Pancakes: Two low fat, no cholesterol sweet potato pancakes served with sugar-free syrup. 410 Calories

Bowl of Oatmeal: Served with brown sugar and raisins on the side. 380 Calories 

Over Light Pancake Combo: Two whole wheat pancakes, turkey sausage, and scrambled eggs made with Egg Beaters®. 570 Calories

Spinach & Mushroom Egg White Omelette: Egg white omelette with fresh spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. Served with cottage cheese, and sliced tomatoes, and dry wheat toast. 480 Calories

Chicken Marsala Recipe: Featuring Campbell's Skillet Sauces

Super Simple Chicken Marsala Dinner Recipe:

Ingredients

• 1.5lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken
• 1 pack of Campbell's Marsala Skillet Sauces (see more after recipe)
• 10 oz Fresh Mushrooms
• 1 bag of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice- Whole Grain Brown 
• 3oz Fresh Green Beans

 

Directions:

1. In a large skillet brown chicken with Pam. (I like Pam with Olive Oil.)
2. Add mushrooms and let steam with skillet lid for about 5 minuets, until mushrooms soften.
3. Add bag of skillet sauce. Let simmer.
4. Heat Green Beans to your liking. I steam mine in the microwave.
5. Heat rice as directed on package.
6. Serve and enjoy!

 

Serves 4 

440 calories for full meal 

Yum!

 

The full line of Campbell's Skillet Sauces are a must try. They are super easy ways to make tasty meals any day of the week! They latterly take 20 minuets. Just add your choice of meat or fish, and serving with brown rice for wholegrain pasta and veggies. Get a Coupon Here.  Choose from the following choices:

• Marsala with Mushroom and Garlic (60 calories per serving)
• Creamy Chipotle with Roasted Corn and Black Beans (70 calories per serving)
• Fire Roasted Tomato with Red Bell Peppers and Chiles (35 calories per serving)
• Scampi with White Wine and Garlic (70 calories per serving)
• Thai Green Curry with Lemongrass and Garlic (70 calories per serving)
• Toasted Sesame with Garlic and Ginger (40 calories per serving) 

Global Peace- A Frisco Coffee Hidden Gem

Global Peace Coffee Factory is an awesome hidden gem among my co-workers, so I needed to check it out. Their Legacy and 121 location is somewhat off the beaten path from our usual Plano/North Dallas eateries, but worth the easy drive up Legacy any day of the week. Besides, who doesn't love great coffee- near or far, hot or cold! 

Here are some of the highlights:

- I absolutely love Guilt-Free Coffee choices! Get your latte, drip coffee or frappe made with one of their sugar free syrups for zero added calories. Choose from SF Vanilla, SF Hazelnut, or SF Carmel. Awesome! All too often, non chain coffee shops have no SF syrups, or only vanilla, so I found this impressive. I had an iced coffee with SF Hazelnut, skim milk and Splenda- delicious! Estimated calorie count: 20 calories for the milk. 

- The Orange Decor is super fun and cheerful. I also loved the 'hidden' seating upstairs. What an adorable atmosphere! Plus, each booth has an electric outlet, so charge your device over a guilt-free coffee! + free wi-fi!

- Build your own guilt-free breakfast sandwich for only $3.99! This is great. First choose your bread: English muffin, bagel thin or tortilla (all great options estimated at 120 calories each to be safe. Stay away from the croissant, who needs it! Plus it costs extra!) Second, choose your meat: go with the turkey or turkey bacon. Yum! Or choose both for extra protein and only 75 cents more! (Estimated 40 calories each to be safe.) Third, choose your cheese: Swiss, Cheddar, or Provolone. At most places, I would skip the cheese, but this time- I figured I could splurge since the sandwich and coffee is already a great choice, plus-I just finished Zumba :). (Estimated 70 calories each.) Side Note: I also asked for egg whites. No problem and no up charge- Way to go Global Peace! So... Bagel Thin Sandwich with egg whites, turkey and provolone: estimated 260 calories! And yummy, of course! My husband went with the Tortilla, turkey slices, turkey bacon, egg and cheddar: estimated 330 calories. Mix and match to create a sandwich you will love! 

Now, I believe there use to be a Plano location on Park and Preston- but it's gone. Lame! So, instead- make your way to Frisco one day soon for this great, guilt-free find!

Smart Menu at OTB!

Of course every Texas girl loves good tex-mex, margaritas and chips and salsa... And I must say, I am LOVING the new On The Border "Border Smart" menu, featuring great choices at 590 calories or less- leaving you extra calories for chips and a skinny margarita!

I think the best bet is to create your own combo! 

First, pick two main dishes:

- Ground Beef Tostada: 180 calories

- Chicken Tinga Tostada: 140 calories

- Guacamole Tostada: 200 calories

-  Chicken Tomatillo Enchilada: 140 calories

- Spinach & Mushroom Tomatillo Enchilada: 120 calories

- Grilled Chicken Fajita Taco: 150 calories 

Second, choose a side:

- Black beans: 170 calories

- Cilantro lime rice: 190 calories

- Grilled vegetables: 50 calories 

*I had one spinach enchilada and one with chicken plus grilled veggies. Only 310 calories! It was a bit spicy, but filling and really tasty. BONUS: One basket of chips with salsa is 440 calories, so have a few before your meal with a Skinny Margarita, and you're only taking in roughly 600 calories for a yummy Mexican dinner! You really can't beat that! Impressive OTB! I love how you can mix-and-match these combos and try something different every time! You really can't go wrong with the great choices. 

Other choices on the "Border Choice" menu include:

- Grilled Chicken Fajita Tacos: 

two grilled chicken tacos, pico de gallo, lime-cilantro chimichurri, soft corn tortillas — served with choice of black beans (480 calorie meal), cilantro lime rice (500 calorie meal) or grilled vegetables (360 calorie meal).

- Mango Chicken Salad: (400 calories) romaine, grilled chicken, corn, black beans, mango, jícama, pico de gallo, queso fresco and fat-free mango citrus vinaigrette. Honestly, not my favorite dish, but worth a try! 

- Grilled Chicken Fajitas: (550 calories) grilled chicken, sautéed onions, red & green bell peppers — served with black beans, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, white corn tortillas

- Mexican Grilled Chicken: (450 calories) chicken breast, pico de gallo and choice of sauce — cilantro lime rice, grilled vegetables

tomatillo sauce spicy salsa fresca

Way to Go OTB! Loving this menu! 

New Restaurant Finds!

Eating out guilt free can be rough, so I'm always on the lookout for new choices. Wether it's breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner...I get excited about new places that post nutrition facts publicly and/or feature light menu options. Here are two new finds with healthy choices:

Breakfast/Brunch: Dream Cafe

http://www.thedreamcafe.com

Location: Addison and Downtown

The dream cafe is technically open all day, but since I LOVED their brunch, I'm featuring it. What's awesome about their menu is that you can order from the heathly choice options, or create your own meal with lots of guilt free swaps. 

Their Weekend Bunch healthy menu options include an Oatmeal Bowl with bananas, currants, pecans and brown sugar, a Granola Bowl with strawberries, bananas and vanilla yogurt, and their "Way to Condition" 

meal which includes a cup of oatmeal with bananas, pecans and currants, scrambled egg whites, sliced tomatoes, and vegetarian sausage... Yum! 

While these choice are great... I feel oatmeal can be a waste of calories sometimes. Instead, I ordered the delicious "Strap Hanger" with Two eggs, sub for egg whites, a fruit cup substituted as the side, whole wheat toast (with strawberry butter- worth the splurge!) and vegetarian sausage. Estimated calorie count: 430 calories! 

*see pictured

Heading to the cafe for a different meal? The lunch and dinner menu features a "smart choices" section with grilled chicken options featuring fresh veggies and black beans in a salad and a stir fry with brown rice- yum! See the full menu on their website. 

Lunch/Dinner: Pollo Tropical

http://pollotropical.com

Location: Addison and coming soon to Frisco

I was super intrigued by the fun-looking building and outdoor patio in Addison, so I was stoked to find out they also had a light menu with five meals under 510 calories.

The Pollo Tropical Tropical Lite Menu lineup includes:

-Tropical Citrus Chicken Salad: citrus-marinated grilled chicken with a mango poppyseed dressing and fresh lettuce. Only 360 calories.  

-Grilled Chicken Breast with Yellow Rice, Vegetables & Balsamic Tomatoes. I order this (see pictured) and loved it! Only 430 calories!

- Chicken Caesar Wrap & Caribbean Soup for only 480 calories!

-Quarter Citrus-Marinated Grilled Chicken paired with a Tropical Citrus Salad topped with a Mango Poppy Seed dressing for only 510 calories.

-The Tropichop with half brown rice, half romaine lettuce, chicken, onions, peppers, diced tomatoes and only 340 calories!

In my meal, the chicken was juicy and flavorful, the tomatoes were yummy and the yellow rice with veggies was filling and tasty. Love it!

I highly recommend this meal. I can't wait for the Frisco location to open near my work! 

Keep reading my blog for new food finds and recipes to keep to guilt free! 

Summer BBQ Tips

To celebrate 4th of July weekend, I thought I'd share 4 awesome ideas for fun summer BBQs that are healthy, delicious and festive!

1. Start off with guilt-free grilling! Skip the fatty burgers and high calorie hot dogs, instead- choose these great options: fat free all-beef hot dogs or turkey dogs (I always choose Hebrew National with only 45 calories per dog), Boca Burgers or Turkey Burgers (100-160 calories per patty. I like the Ballpark turkey burgers and the original variety Boca Burger. Both have 120 calories), chicken breast, lean steaks (like the 4oz Nolan Ryan Filet for 120 calories), and pre-seasoned chicken or beef fajita meat is a great choice! I usually go with the Kroger brand (the chicken has 120 calories per 3oz serving and the beef has 160 per 3oz serving).

Another tip here, skip the bun if you can! Who needs extra carbs when you're saving up calories for desserts and cocktails. If you do have bread, choose 100 calorie sandwich thins or hot dog buns with about 100 calories. Kroger hot dog buns have 110 calories each.

2. Offer up healthy choice sides for the outdoor fiesta. Make them fun and festive! The cuter-the healthier-the better. That's my philosophy!

-Fruit kebabs for a colorful party

-Strawberries, blueberries, watermelon and banana slices for the 4th of July. Make them into a flag if you'd like!

-Grilled up veggies for any summer night! Zucchini, squash, corn, carrots, mushrooms... Choose colorful veggies for a beautiful presentation 

-Baked Tortilla Chips and Salsa for a Mexican Fiesta (see #4 below for a margarita tip!)

- Baked Potatoes with low fat cheese, fat free sour cream and spray butter for an evening dinner with steaks. Date Night at home!

3. Something Sweet! 

The healthy dessert options are endless, but here are my 2 favorite choices...

--Ice Cream Sundaes: The perfect way to cool off and guests have fun making their own! Start off with a scoop of low fat or sugar free vanilla ice cream and top with a little of everything. Fresh Fruit, low fat chocolate syrup, a dash of sprinkles, a few crushed nuts, fat free whipped cream and a cherry on top! Stay clear of candies or crushed cookies.... The toppings above will fill you up just fine! 

--Popsicles: Fun, colorful and sugar free Popsicles are usually cheep and yummy, plus- it's one less thing to make! Look for fruity flavored pops with 10-20 calories each. Awesome! Here is a fun Pinterest tip (that can also add to any party theme): add a cupcake liner to the bottom of your pops to prevent a spill or sticky fingers! Love it!

4. Cocktails- crystal light style!

I absolutely love all three mock-tail flavors in the summer! Stir up a fresh pitcher of margarita crystal light with tequila, appletini with vodka, or mojito with vodka! Each mix has 5 calories per 8oz. + the liquor of course. A 3oz tequila or vodka shot is roughly 70 calories. I also highly suggest enjoying them in a super fun and colorful summer glass! 

Happy Summer!

New Food Finds!

Three new food finds you must try!

1. Joseph's Mini Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Pita Bread: I found these adorable 50 calories mini pita pockets at Walmart. They are perfect for a sandwich of course, but I also used them to make mini pizzas in the toaster oven! While they are small, they are perfect for a snack-size turkey sandwich when you need a pick me up! When you add a little lettuce and tomato, you're looking at a great snack for about 100 calories! 

2. Ballpark Turkey Burgers: Perfect for grilling season, these 120 calorie, protein packed burgers come frozen and pre-cooked, making them so easy to make! I found them at Costco. Since they are pre-cooked, you can zap one in the microwave when your come home from work late, bake in the oven or heat up on the grill! I enjoyed mine on a 100 calorie sandwich thin with lettuce and tomato and a side of Alexia Fat Free French Fries (100 calories for 12 fries) -available at Target.

3. Earth's Best Baked Chicken Nuggets: While they are great for kids, adults can love them too! Enjoy 6 yummy nuggets for 180 calories- not bad! I found these at Sprouts. The whole grain breaded bites are also packed with protein making them a great lunch or dinner choice. Like the turkey burger, I matched these up with Alexia Fat Free French Fries. Move over greasy fat food!

Stay turned for more great food finds!