Healthy Dining at Schlotzsky’s

We’ve all been there. You know what I mean….hungry while walking around the mall. It’s the worst, isn’t? Not only is your stomach growling, but you can’t concentrate on the simplest things. And if you’re like me and shop the sales, forget about comparing prices while hungry; it’s not going to happen.

Of course, it never fails…..it happened to me last week. While shopping for housewares, I began to feel hungry, or maybe it was the smell of coffee brewing that reminded me that a scone would taste pretty good about now. Either way, I wanted to eat (something delicious, of course), and I didn’t want to blow my waistline on typical food court food.  Thankfully, in the corner of the mall was a Schlotzsky’s Deli. A quick overview of HealthyDiningFinder.com and I knew what I was going to order: the Veggie Pizza, and for the husband: the Chicken Chipotle Sandwich (medium).

First of all, I had never set foot in a Schloztsky’s before; it’s quite nice, to say the least. The menu is easy to read, plenty of sitting area, and the Old Italian décor is charming. Second of all, I was blown away that they serve pizza, let alone a veggie pizza. Most delis I’ve been to don’t serve pizza; this is interesting, I thought to myself.

Once Eric and I received our meals, we were ready to dig in! His sourdough bread was toasted just enough to give the sandwich a crunch without creating a mess of crumbs. The chicken appeared to be freshly sliced, as opposed to other sandwich shops where the meat is ‘pre-sliced and packaged’. Of course, the sandwich had its own yummy sauce.  We like things spicy, so their house blend hot sauce took this sandwich to the next level. We couldn’t believe this sandwich was a HealthyDining-approved option; it was a generous portion, and the taste was more than competitive than sit down casual dining restaurants. Winner!

Onto this ‘deli pizza.’ Right from the start, I knew I would love this pizza, regardless of its toppings. Why? Because instead of pizza sauce, it came with pesto sauce, and it’s a Healthy Dining-approved meal. Let’s just say I’m glad I’m in the business of eating. The first bite was all it took. There’s one thing I absolutely look for in a pizza: thin crispy crust. You have to be careful, though, because many pizza companies go overboard with thin crust, and before you know it, you’re eating sauce and pepperoni on a saltine. As you can see, the pizza was loaded with chopped veggies. Onions, black olives, tomatoes, garlic, peppers, you name it…it was in there. Just like the chicken sandwich, this pizza is more than competitive to the quality and taste of any casual sit down restaurant. I will definitely be a returning customer!

All in all, Eric and I were so happy that there was a HealthyDiningFinder.com approved restaurant inside the mall. I didn’t want to get stuck eating a corndog on a stick. This experience is a great example of healthy dining on the go. Everyone can stick to his or her dietary goals by checking HealthyDiningFinder.com before eating out!

Cheers & Salut!
-Denice
Denice Hynd, Food Enthusiast and Future Dietitian