Hello friends! I guess Thursday is officially/unofficially a day off for me, at least thats the way it has been rolling lately. Anyway, boy do I have a treat for you guys today! On Monday I was driving to work and the topic of the morning on the local radio station was “moments you feel cool” and the talk show host started talking about how cool he feels so cool when he BY PASSES THE LINE AT CHIPOTLE! How does he do this? With the Chipotle App on his phone, he places his order ahead of time and skips straight to the front of the line to pick it up! WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!
First pick your location, the app will automatically give you a list of what is close. Then you select the food you want…
Once your done customizing what you want you can put in notes. The radio man gave a pretty sweet tip, since you can’t order quesadillas or some items through the app he just puts it in the notes. When he gets there he just has to pay the difference, brilliant! I ordered a side of guacamole.
You can select a pick up time that is in 30 minute increments. I had to register for an account to be able to place the order and save my credit card info, that took all of 60 seconds and I was good to go!
I know I can be the plainest eater ever sometimes, but it works for me! I ended up getting there about 7 minutes early so I timidly bypassed the line which was almost out the door and headed up front. They had my order in the cue but hadn’t started it yet, they grabbed it and started making it right away! Meanwhile I paid the difference for my side of guacamole, a minute or so later my order was ready and I was good to go! Next time I would try to arrive closer to my order time, but getting there early wasn’t a big deal. I think it may be more of a big deal if you have a bigger order, just something to keep in mind.
I also love that the app comes with nutrition info, definite bonus!
That brings me to my next thought…
How To Eat Healthy at Chipotle
Aside from the sodium content, Chipotle can be made a relatively healthy choice if you have no blood pressure concerns. (Like most fast food restaurants, the sodium content of the foods gets pretty high. If sodium is a concern for you I’d say definitely get a salad, load up on veggies and lean protein and be careful of the add ins as much as possible.)
1. Skip the tortilla (or plan to share or save half for later). The tortilla is 300 calories and 690mg of sodium ALONE, your better off going with a taco (corn tortilla), burrito bowl, or a salad.
2. Chose brown rice over white rice. Brown rice is a whole grain which has more protein, fiber, and nutrients then white rice. Higher consumption of whole grains is associated with health benefits such as lower weight and cardiovascular disease.
3. Add tons of veggies. Add as much lettuce and other veggies like the fajita mix as you possibly can!
4. Pick your protein wisely. Lean protein like beans or chicken are your healthiest options.
5. bvThe best part about Chipotle? The last section with the cheese, sour cream, and guacamole! I usually pick only one of these items to indulge in, like yesterday I chose the guac over the cheese. The other alternative is to ask for them on the side, then you can control how much goes on your food. (I’ve tried asking for it “light” before, but their version of light and my version of light seem to be very different.)
Here is the estimated breakdown of my meal:
Chicken 180 Calories 32g PRO 7g FAT 0g CHO
Brown Rice 200 Calories 3.5g PRO 7g FAT 32g CHO
Lettuce 10 Calories
Salsa 10 Calories
Guacamole 170 Calories 2g PRO 16g FAT 8g CHO
Total ~600 Calories 38g PRO 30g Fat 40g CHO
I ate about 3/4 of mine for lunch, then the rest for a snack of sorts before we ran errands. Kept me nice and full till I came home and had a bowl of cereal for dinner!
Past Healthy iPhone App Reviews:
- Pocket Wine—> learn the best wine pairings for your meal
- Whole Foods Recipes—> recipes and sales from Whole Foods Market Place
- Food Holiday & Foodie TV —-> Fun Apps for Bloggers and Foodies!
- Seafood Watch—> shopping guide for seafood
- UM Skin Check —-> skin cancer prevention
- “Fast Food,” “Fast Food Nutrition, Calories, Carbs” & “Under 600” —-> restaurant nutrition facts
- Harvest & Seasons—-> Shopping guides for produce
- Foam Roller—-> foam rolling techniques
- Dirty Dozen—-> shopping guide for produce
- Whole Pantry—-> plant based recipes
- Motion X 24/7—-> pedometer, sleep, heart rate, and weight tracker
Questions of the Day:
What makes you feel cool or what are your cool moments?
I felt pretty cool (and a little self conscious) bypassing the line at Chipotle yesterday. I feel cool whenever I go get my nails done or do them myself. It’s such a little thing but it makes me feel so good and put together! I also love to get compliments on my outfits (since what I am wearing is usually thrown together in 60 seconds in the morning) its nice when I did something somewhat right!
Whats your favorite Chipotle meal?
How do you make eating out healthier?
I love to get a bowl when I go to Chipotle, and I usually try to save half and make two meals out of it….
I always skip the cheese and go for the guac (yea healthy fats), then load up on veggies and salsa!
Yum!!!! Sounds delicious!