I really don’t eat out that often anymore. It’s just too expensive. Driving through a place like McDonalds and ordering a Double Quarter Pounder® with Cheese, plus fries and a drink, can cost you somewhere around $14 or more. The food may satisfy your taste buds, but it’s full of grease and is very processed.

Here’s an alternative that is roughly the same price and much better for you.

I was at The Olive Garden just the other day. I think the best deal on their menu is their all-you-can-eat soup and salad. I ordered three bowls of soup (Pasta e Fagioli, Zuppa Toscana, and Chicken Gnocchi), plus was served two bowls of salad (which I shared with my dining partner). The salad is excellent and the soup tastes like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld made it. I even was given a 4th bowl of soup to take home with me; I selected Minestrone. And I was given all of the remaining salad to take home also (along with all the breadsticks they had served – although I gave the breadsticks away as I’m avoiding bread these days). All of that with tax and tip came to $15.99. About the same as what I would have paid at most fast food joints, but the food here was better, healthier, and more plentiful. Had I been at, say, Chick-fil-A, and ordered 4 bowls of soup and two orders of salad, I would have had to pay for each bowl of soup and both salads. At The Olive Garden, I paid one price for as much soup and salad as I could consume, plus got to take some home, at no additional charge. If you’re going to eat out, that’s a much smarter, more economical, and healthier way to go. Bon Appétit!