By Samantha Taylor
One of the things I love about writing these articles is I get to think of new ways of showing you that you can eat healthy and enjoy it too. If you are able to have a little fun while implementing your healthy eating plan, you’ll find it easier to stick with it, instead of being strict all the time.
My most recent visit was to First Watch on Bruce B. Downs, just south of SR 56. I went in there for a veg’d out omelet, but I was surprised to find out that they had whole-wheat pancakes, so I went for that instead.
The omelet is loaded with vegetables and you can order egg whites or egg substitute with no cholesterol although it does come with cheese in it. You can tell them to skip the cheese if you want to be totally health-conscious or let loose a little and ask them to use just a small amount of cheese.
It comes with a side of breakfast potatoes, which probably are too high in calories to combine with the eggs, so just ask for the English muffin with a little jelly. If you manage to eat only half of the omelet and the muffin, you’re doing a great job.
So anyway, for this visit, I got their whole-wheat pancakes at First Watch. All their pancakes are whole wheat, isn’t that great? Be sure you ask them beforehand to leave off the butter, since it comes with a large pat of butter on top.
You can spruce it up a bit by adding blueberries or a small serving of chocolate chips and whipped cream. Those really do not add that many calories and honestly, you may not even finish the whole thing just as what happened to me.
The whole-wheat pancake is a good go-between white flour and a true whole grain pancake because there is an obvious difference in texture and density between whole-wheat flour and whole grain flour. They also offer sugar-free syrup to go with your pancakes, so you can have a little more liberty in adding some sweetness to your meal.
They have a wide array of breakfast items and for lunch, they have sandwiches, soups and salads. They have a healthier side portion on their breakfast menu, so it’s easier for you to go for the healthier options.
I was really impressed with the additional care they put into handling food allergies. If you tell your server the foods you are allergic to, they will make sure to tell you which foods do not have that allergen. For a large corporate chain restaurant that very unique service, along with the atmosphere, gives the place a family owned business feel.
