Preface: This post is in no way associated with Panda Express, and I was not compensated for sharing my thoughts! I’m sharing because I realize that the vast majority of people would like to have more information regarding making healthy choices when they dine out and are looking for restaurants that offer healthy options, especially when they make it easy to understand with the online nutrition provided.

 

After my first time eating at a @officialpandaexpress. I have to say, I was very impressed. Everything was made in advance, but you could tell that it was being made fresh and nothing had been sitting for very long. I made sure to scope out their options online before I went, and was very surprised by how many of their menu items were included in a lower calorie, higher protein category, what they call their “wok smart” options. I have included photos to see how easy it is to calculate up your nutrition through their website and what I ordered.

 

I got the 2 entree and one side option and was pleased to find that I could sub Super Greens in place of the noodles or rice at no upcharge!! The whole meal was less than $9 total. I got Kung Pao Chicken and Mushroom Chicken for my two entree choices. Both were good, but the Mushroom Chicken and Super Greens are 💯!

Many of you may ask, and so I will go ahead and clarify, is the sodium content safe to consume? Unless you have an underlying disease condition, this is a pebble in the grand scheme of things. focus on the big rocks, a.k.a. the big dial movers… Protein to keep you satisfied, healthy fat (like the nuts) for satiety and hormone health, plenty of fiber and veggies (also helps to keep you full and regular!), etc.

Do they use the highest quality oil? No, probably not. But in the grand scheme of things this selection is what consistency (not perfection) looks like. If you worry about perfection, you might lead yourself down the path of deciding to go “all out“ and choose a much more calorically dense option. If it’s worth it, by all means go ahead, but for me, I would rather feel good after I eat and save my indulgences for where they give me the most ‘bang for my buck’ mentally and physically.

I actually ended up eating a little over half of this, and then having the remainder at dinner along with some additional pre-prepped turkey since most of what was left was veggies. Also, two bananas and some PB2 for dessert 😋

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Reader Questions:
1/ Have you ever tried Panda Express?
2/ What do you usually order?
3/ Are reviews like this something you would want more of?