It’s been a while since I’ve done a restaurant review and this one makes a great addition to #MacroFriendlyMonday!

Besides sharing my #MacroFriendly item of the week, I want to share a story in the event it helps someone else. If you followed me for any length of time, you probably know how much I love my ginormous hot/cold salads (a.k.a. the #MicroMicroBowl) and that I typically have one of them almost every single day. Whether I make my own as part of #MealPrep, or order one at restaurants, it’s a go-to favorite. I truly enjoy it. It helps me to streamline the process of healthy eating by offloading mental energy I spend on planning meals and it helps keep me full and satisfied. All-around, it just works for me on multiple levels.

The other day my husband and I had lunch at PaneraBread. I started to order one of my routine salads when it dawned on me that I legitimately wanted a sandwich, but had never even considered the possibility of ordering it. When I thought about it more I realized that there was a period in time when I had a diet mentality under which sandwiches were not “allowed.“ It seemed ridiculous to even think about still coming up at this point of my journey. It wasn’t that I intentionally lumped the sandwich into a category of off-limits, but I had been so accustomed to ordering salads that I neglected to listen to what I truly wanted and consider an alternative!

The truth is that you can customize a sandwich to fit your macros just as easily as you can for salad or other menu item. The best method to do this for Panera is to go online and select a menu item then click customize. You can then add and remove toppings to suit your needs. It will give you exact nutrition information for your specifications. Then create a custom food to log if you are tracking in an app. So simple!

One of the more macro friendly options is the Mediterranean veggie. It is so full of flavor because of the feta and cilantro hummus. I add protein (chicken or turkey). You can change the bread depending on preference. See below for examples. I actually enjoyed it so much we went back the next day! 😆

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While it is not the only way I work with clients I’m regard for nutrition, one of the reasons why I love working with clients on a macro-based approach is because it helps to heal old mindsets surrounding foods being “good” or “bad.” It also helps them to understand foods better so that they can transition to a more intuitive approach down the road once they reach their goals.

Reader Questions:
1/ Does this type of mindset struggle resonate with you at all?
2/ Do you ever find yourself considering certain foods off-limits?

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Does this type of eating sound good to you, but you find yourself confused on where to start? Book a call with me here and let’s chat it out!

If you are interested in getting a custom set of macros, you can find out more here. If you want something more in-depth, you can get 1:1 coaching via my Meal Mastery Mentorship. You can head to this link to find out more.

If you just want to stick your toe in the water and see what it’s like, then my Meal Mastery Nutrition Audit has a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee! So no excuses!!! Find out about it at this link.

Also, feel free to contact me via email if you have questions!

Are you ready? Let’s get growing!

Kaci