Panera Bread - Chicken Cobb with Avocado Salad

Panera Bread is a great place if you're not into the low-carb lifestyle; there are so many yummy cookies, bagels, muffins, and other delicious carby treats. But, your friendly and intrepid Low-Carb Alabama editor has discovered that Panera can also be a place of refuge for us. 

We've visited this chain before, if you recall - we featured the Breakfast Power Bowl last year. Now we've returned at lunch and found a great salad; it's received a thumbs up from us. 

Behold, the Chicken Cobb with Avocado salad! 

From their website: 

All-natural, antibiotic-free chicken, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, applewood-smoked bacon, Gorgonzola and hard-boiled egg are all tossed with herb vinaigrette then topped with fresh avocado. Available in whole and half.

It's listed at 16g of carbs, but if you delete the tomatoes you'll come out a little better. 

The Chicken Cobb with Avocado is a great lunch choice at a place where you could definitely do much worse. 

La Cocina - Chicken Fajita Salad

I seemed to be destined to try the taco (or fajita) salad at pretty much every Mexican restaurant in Mobile (and that isn't a bad thing). As low-carb fare goes, this item is probably as good as you're going to find when dining at Mexican restaurants.

Your Low-Carb Diner recently visited La Cocina and had their chicken fajita salad. This was my first visit to this restaurant, and it came highly recommended. 

I chose to go without the taco bowl, although sometimes this backfires and you end up with a smaller portion that you would have received otherwise. This was not the case here, however, and I was most impressed with the taste and the speed of service.

Check 'em out: 

La Cocina Mexican Restaurant

4663 Airport Boulevard Mobile, AL 36608-3125 http://www.lacocinamobile.com/

Moe's Original BBQ - Moe Salad

Recently, my family went to Sunday lunch at Moe's Original BBQ in downtown Mobile. 

This restaurant is located at the corner of Dauphin Street & Washington Avenue. It features a relaxed atmosphere with a large room in the back where the kids can run around and play cornhole. There were about 15-20 kids running around playing when we arrived. A music stage is set up in the corner. 

So what did the Low-Carb Diner choose? Yep, a salad. Of course, pretty much all of the meats are good choices (if you go easy on the sauces, some of which contain sugars).

I looked on the menu for salads and my choice was made -- there is only one -- the Moe Salad.

From the menu:

Fresh crisp greens, topped with roma tomatoes, shredded cheddar 

cheese, crispy bacon crumbles, toasted spiced pecans, cucumbers, carrots, 

red onions, a piece of cornbread, and your choice of meat and dressing.

MEATS: pork, fried shrimp, chicken, fried catfish, turkey or chicken fingers.

As you can see, I chose pork, and they piled it high! I threw caution to the wind and let them add the sauce on top. It also comes with a piece of cornbread, it was promptly removed. 

You may not tell from the photo, but the Moe Salad was a huge portion and filled me up. It was delicious; I plan to return again and again to try all the meat choices.

And you can try your hand at cornhole when you're done. 

Moe's Original BBQ: http://www.moesoriginalbbq.com (Tell 'em the Low-Carb Diner sent you!)

Wintzell's Oyster House - Shrimp and Mahi Cobb Salad

Last night I went to dinner with family to celebrate the birthday of Mrs. LCD. We ended up at Wintzell's Oyster House in Saraland, Alabama. 

Of course, this local seafood restaurant has so many yummy fried things that it's tempting to get a big basket of fried goodness (and don't get me started about that buttery bread!). Alas, I stuck to my guns and focused on the salad menu. 

From the Wintzell's menu (http://www.wintzellsoysterhouse.com/menu): 
"Bands of shrimp, mahi mahi, egg, bacon and cheddar cheese topped with grape tomatoes, purple onions and our homemade croutons".

This time I remembered to say "no croutons, please" and they happily obliged. What you see is what I got; loads of shrimp and fish and other fixings on a bed of lettuce. It's a great choice; look it up the next time you find yourself at Wintzell's. 

Rotolo's Pizzeria - Caesar Salad with Blackened Chicken

It can be tough for the low-carb diner to go out for pizza with friends, but as always there are options. Recently I ended up at the brand new Rotolo's Pizzeria in Saraland, Alabama with a group of friends, and I was pleased to see some nice salad choices on the menu. 

I chose the caesar salad and added blackened chicken. The chicken really made the salad great; I highly recommend it. 

Please ignore the croutons here; I forgot to ask them to omit them. I also didn't use much of the dressing because you never can be too sure about caesar dressing; their house Balsamic Vinaigrette would likely have been a safer choice.

Check out Rotolo's if you visit the ever-growing Saraland. 

Mugshots Grill & Bar

This week I had a nice lunch with Mrs. Low-Carb Alabama at Mugshots Grill & Bar.   This one is on Airport Blvd in Mobile; it's in the old Ruby Tuesday building. 

Mugshots has a variety of sandwiches and burgers on their menu. They also had salads (and even a few "low carb" selections such as  grilled chicken), but I had heard about their burgers and wanted to try one. 

So, I chose the "Steak Burger", described as: "Angus sirloin steak chopped and grilled with onions and peppers,smothered with melted pepper jack cheese,served on top of our signature beef patty, racked with mayo, fresh lettuce and tomato". I ordered it "no bun".

I paired that with a side caesar salad (pro tip: ask for no croutons -- this salad is half croutons) and a Coke Zero. 

What you see is what I got. It was really good and the portion was huge; I'll put this on the short list for a good burger in west Mobile. 

Here's a link to their menu:
http://mugshotsgrillandbar.com/menus/In-House_Menu_Universal_May_13.pdf

Cracker Barrel - Country Chef Salad

Another day, another salad. You really should like salads if you embark on a low-carb journey. I eat salads only on days that end in "Y". It could be worse; I could be scraping the last crumbs out of my lean cuisine tray and/or wondering how many Weight Watchers points I'd burned. Whatever works for you. 

On this occasion I had the Country Chef Salad at Cracker Barrel. 

From their website: 

"Our Fresh salad greens are topped with hearty slices of oven-roasted turkey breast, sugar-cured ham, and hickory smoked bacon, along with slices of English cucumber, grape tomatoes, and a wedge of Colby cheese. Comes with two traditional deviled eggs, and our own sourdough croutons."

Look at all that bacon. No croutons, of course, and go easy on the tomatoes. The sugar amount in the "sugar-cured ham" is negligible. I enjoyed this salad with some vinaigrette dressing.

Total carbs: Probably not many

Firehouse Subs - Turkey Chef's Salad

If you've been to Firehouse Subs, you know that they do things right. Before I eliminated carbs from my diet, I would go here often for their delicious subs. The fact that kids eat free on Tuesdays is even better. 

Luckily, their salads are just as good and HUGE. Here is the turkey salad: 

You can see that there's plenty of turkey, bell peppers, cheese, a hard-boiled egg, and other goodies. Check their dressings carefully; the vinaigrette and ranch are the best choices. You can shave off a few carbs by leaving off the tomatoes. 

Firehouse also has one of the Coke Freestyle machines, which means that I get my cherry mello yello zero or diet cherry ginger ale. 

Tacky Jack's - Grilled Mahi Mahi

Your local LCD had a great lunch yesterday at Tacky Jack's on the causeway. 

Here's the grilled 8 oz. mahi mahi with "double" mixed veggies. 

It was a beautiful day to eat lunch out on the porch!

Whataburger Breakfast

If you've wondered what low-carb fare $4.09 gets you at Whataburger, here you go. Not bad, and coffee is included.

Total carbs: Not many (it's eggs and bacon!)

Hickory Pit (Elba, AL) - BBQ Pork Salad

Not so much "southwest" as "south central" Alabama, but here goes: this is the BBQ pork salad at the Hickory Pit in Elba, AL.

This salad was huge, but I managed to eat the whole thing because it was so good.

A+, would eat again. Check out the Hickory Pit if you find yourself in Elba.

Hardee's Low-Carb Breakfast Bowl

Today I stopped in Hardee's to check out their Low-Carb Breakfast Bowl -- and it was great! 

According to their website, this bowl has only 3g of carbs, and the portion was generous. 

Here are the ingredients from their website: 
Bacon Bits
Cheddar Cheese
Egg
Cheese, Swiss
Sausage Patty (pork)
Loaded Omelet Blend
Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
Sausage Patty (pork)
Bacon, Bits
Ham, Diced

Panera Bread - Power Bowl

I'm sure that a place with a name like "Panera Bread" strikes fear into every LCD's soul -- after all, doesn't bread deliver a lethal dose of carbs to our ketotic state?

The answer is yes, so don't go there for bread. No bread. NO BREAD!

This was tough for me; before I entered the low-carb lifestyle, I would often stop in for a delicious whole grain bagel with their fantastic honey walnut creamcheese. My goodness.

Anyway, Panera understands that some of their customers are trying to shrink, so they offer lower-carb selections on their "Power Menu". I have sampled almost all of them, and can confirm that they are tasty.

Here is the breakfast power bowl with steak. This features eggs, tomatoes, avocado, and sirloin steak. Simple and yummy.

Here is a link to their full nutrition guide. The power menu items are down at the bottom: 
https://www.panerabread.com/content/dam/panerabread/documents/Nutrition/20130911-Panera-Nutrition1.pdf

Las Cazuelas - Chicken Fajita Salad

Sunday lunch was a nice chicken fajita salad from Las Cazuelas in Saraland. No chips!

Foosackly's Naked Tender Salad

If you know me, you've probably heard me begfoosackly's to grill some chicken. That just needs to happen. 

In the meantime, the LCD can enjoy some foo goodness and still watch their carbs. Order your tenders "naked" (or "non-breaded" for the modest) and they'll do you right. 

You may have to go inside instead of driving through; it takes a few extra minutes because they cook them special just for you.

Ruby Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday offers some good choices for low-carb meals and is close to the LCD headquarters. 

Yesterday I took Mrs. LCD and our two not-so-LCD kids for lunch. Of course I went straight for the famous salad bar and piled my plate high with healthy fixins. Blue cheese, italian, and ranch are the least offensive dressings carb-wise. 

This is the "veggie trio" salad combo, with broccoli, spaghetti squash, and zucchini. Order the broccoli "plain"; otherwise they put some kind of sauce on it that will cost you.

Interestingly, our server told us that our meal was paid for by a mysterious benefactor. The LCD family would like to thank this kind and generous person; certainly we will "pay it forward" in the future.

Jimmy John's Unwich

Jimmy John's is a great sandwich shop that has a perfect option for the LCD -- behold the "Unwich". 

You can order any of their sandwiches "unwich style", which means that they wrap them up tightly in big pieces of lettuce. 

This is their #10 "Hunter's Club", which features lots of tasty roast beef. A great choice for a quick lunch.

Total carbs: Not many

Hacienda San Miguel - Grilled Steak Salad

On Fridays I take my office staff to lunch. Our location in west Mobile means that we have plenty of great choices. Yesterday they chose mexican food at Hacienda San Miguel, which seems to come up every couple of months in the rotation. 

My go-to mexican meal is a fairly obvious choice; the taco salad. San Miguel does a good job with their grilled steak version, which is what you see here. What you don't see is what I did next, which was dump it upside-down on the plate and scoop the guacamole and sour cream on top, followed by a dash of salsa. 

"But why not just order it without the bowl?" you may ask. Often someone uses chunks of it to scoop up their beans & rice or whatever, so I let it come in the bowl.

If you stay away from the chips, the LCD can have a successful mexican lunch. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

McDonald's Breakfast Burrito

Sometimes you don't get to pick where you go. 

You're with family, or co-workers, or friends, and it isn't your turn to pick the restaurant. It happens all the time. This page is all about *practical* meal choices that real people can apply. So, I decided to show what might be a good choice at McDonald's for breakfast. Maybe not the absolute best, but this works for me.

O'Charley's - Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Here's a great lunch option at O'Charley's -- the grilled chicken caesar salad. 

I eat LOTS of grilled chicken caesar salads and have seen good, bad, and ugly, and this one is good. Just ask for no croutons, and skip those enormous carb pills (the rolls). Water with lemon completes a nice lunch. 

My dessert is a piece of sugar-free trident gum. 

Please share this page with your friends, and if you have low-carb ideas, please post them on the facebook page or share them in the comments.