Glutton Forum

I'm a huge proponent of the belief that no matter where you go, you can always find a way to eat healthy.  Chain restaurants get a bad rap on the lack of healthy value of their menus, and there's a reason for that; though nearly every menu has exceptions, most of it's crap.  The content of Applebees nutrition is no exception.  Applebees is one of America's favorite hang outs, namely because the atmosphere is easy going, they're literally everywhere, their prices are decent, they have a full bar, and, of course, the food isn't half bad.  Or is it?  Let's take a quick look at their menu, and find out how you can be eatin' bad or good in the neighborhood.
Good

Oriental Chicken Salad with Grilled Chicken: A lot of the time people (typically fat people) tend to believe that their salad is still healthy for them even if they've smothered it with ranch, a mound of cheddar, and a half pound of bacon.  Well lardo, you're off the hook with this one - it's actually healthy.  The Appleebees nutrition facts of the Oriental chicken salad show that while only containing 350 calories and 4.5 grams of fat, it packs the goodness of 60 grams of healthy carbs, and 20 grams of protein.  Just remember, you have to get grilled chicken - none of that delicious fried stuff.

Steak and Portabellos: This Weight Watchers endorsed meal really isn't half bad.  After all, it has both steak, and a fungus that acts like a steak...not too bad...especially when you learn that you can lick your plate clean, as this sweet little meal packs only 330 calories and a balanced 22 grams of protein.  I'll take two.

Chicken Fajita Supreme: I don't care what the nutritional content is - I friggin love chicken fajitas (especially the way they sound when you mispronounce them).  Lucky for me, and your fat butt, it's ok to like them.  According to Applebees nutrional info, these delightfully packaged little wedges of fun have only 7g of fat and 260 calories.  What's better is they pack 17g protein and 32 carbs.

Bad

Chicken Finger Basket: Half the kids in America order chicken fingers when they go out to a chain restaurant (observational approximation - I've watched every kid in the United States eat).  How does make you feel when you learn that half the kids in America graduate to a 1000 calories, 81 g fat basket when they grow up?  Poor fat little bastards.

Quesadilla Burger: Man, 1420 calories or not, I'm gonna keep eating these things.  Combining two of the best foods on the planet, quesadillas and hamburgers, these things are wonderful.  Of course, with nearly a third of the nearly 1500 calories coming from saturated fat, it's also one of the unhealthiest things from Applebees nutrition facts.  Screw it...

Santa Fe Chicken Salad:  Remember earlier when we were having a laugh at all the portly fools out there (myself at times) who rationalize their way out of healthy eating by ordering a deep fried salad?  The Santa Fe is where they shine.  This "healthy meal" packs nearly 50 grams of fat into "light" 700 calorie plate.  But hey, it's a salad, so it has to be a high point of Applebees nutrition, right?