It is always great to find a place that has many healthy options to choose from, and I found one in Land O’ Lakes.
The great thing is it’s a family restaurant owned by three brothers who just opened this year. I know they will be successful for they have great home-cooked food and phenomenal prices. I also appreciate large windows that encourage looking at our beautiful Florida weather.
(Courtesy of Samantha Taylor)
It’s called Eatery 41, and it’s located on U.S. 41, just outside of Connerton.
As I talked to Steve Houvardas, one of the brothers, he smiled as he pointed out some of the meals his mom makes. I just love family-owned businesses, probably since I have one of my own, and I know it’s run more from the heart than a corporate agenda.
I haven’t reviewed a salad in a long time, so I thought this would be a good place to do so, as well as highlighting many other options, too.
I ordered their Buffalo chicken salad with one main modification: I had the chicken grilled instead of fried. With this salad, you can enjoy the experience of having Buffalo wings without all the extra breading and the frying.
I was shocked when Steve put the salad before me. I couldn’t believe how much came with this meal for the price. I knew I was going to get a good to-go meal out of that one.
It’s not the fat I shy away from, because I believe in eating a higher fat diet as long as you are monitoring your carbs. I fry food at home, but I do it in grain-free crumbs, and don’t fry in vegetable oil. Keep in mind it has been proven to be completely inaccurate knowledge that eating fat causes heart disease. That is completely not true.
The main fats you want to stay away from are trans fats, partially hydrogenated oil and vegetable oils.
Another mail I noticed on the menu is the Cobb salad. But order the chicken grilled and tell them to leave off the corn.
Many meals are served with bread, so just ask them not to bring that to the table, so you aren’t tempted. Many of these meals I’m about to share come with a choice of salad and vegetable, so be disciplined and get the veggies instead of fries. And remember, you can have butter on those veggies — you actually absorb more of the nutrients in the veggies when there is fat on them.
A few other items of the many to point out are the Mediterranean fish filet topped with feta cheese and basil, as well as the grilled salmon with sun-dried tomatoes in a lemon butter sauce.
And if you like liver, it’s known to be very healthy. However, I have never tried it. Steve said the liver and onions is their most popular item.
It’s also nice to know that they serve breakfast all day where one of my favorite all-around meals is a veggie omelet with the yolks — you do not raise your cholesterol by eating cholesterol. That also is a myth.
So you can enjoy their delicious garden omelet filled with veggies at any time of the day.
Check out Eatery 41 near Connerton, and try that awesome Buffalo chicken salad. You will not only be amazed at their prices, but also at the quality home-cooked food.
By Samantha Taylor
Editor’s Note: Eating out is a staple of American life, but it is also one of the reasons why we are heavier than ever before. The challenge is to determine the calorie and fat content of menu items and make healthy choices. Samantha Taylor offers her tips on how you can make responsible choices while eating out. Her opinions and statements are her own.
Published August 13, 2014
