There are plenty of things to dislike, from a Badass Fitness perspective, about corporate giants like Starbucks, Costco and Darden Restaurants (the Florida-based company that brings you Olive Garden and Red Lobster).
Starbucks has way too many sugary, high-calorie drinks and overly processed pastries. Costco is built on a business model that encourages mass consumption of food, all because "it's so much cheaper." And the menus at Olive Garden and Red Lobster are, for the most part, a calorie and fat intake nightmare.
But I've often talked about the importance of making choices (specifically, healthy choices) on this journey to a stronger Badass you. And the fact is Starbucks, Costo and Darden are adding healthier choices to their offerings.
For their efforts, they receive...drum roll, please...the First (More Than Annual, But Who Knows How Often) Badass Badge of Honor Award!!!
Read on to find out what they're doing that caught this Badass CEO's attention:
Starbucks
OK, so as much as I don't like how Starbucks has muscled out many mom-and-pop, independent coffehouses, I have to give the company props for improving their menu. Frappucino now comes as Frappucino Light (which still isn't ideal, but better than the alternative), and - most importantly - the food options are impressive. There is no excuse any more for us Badasses to walk out of there without something healthy to eat - be it for breakfast, lunch, a snack or a light dinner.
The "Perfect Oatmeal" is 140 calories plain or less than 400 with the add-ins: dried fruit, nuts and a spoon of brown sugar. The Spinach, Roasted Tomato, Feta & Egg White Wrap is just 280 calories and 10 grams of fat, and the Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon, Cholesterol-Free Egg White, Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich is 320 calories and 7 grams of fat.
For later in the day, Starbucks has handy little to-go boxes with fruit, cheese and wheat crackers or hardboiled eggs, fruit, and peanut butter with a small muesli bread. They've just added a 250-calorie chicken with pita, hummus, and veggies box that is a great mix of protein, complex carbs and flavor. With 9 grams of fat, 17 grams of protein plus 27 carbs, it is an ideal fat-protein-carb mix that will satisfy what your Badasss needs.
The coffee giant also carries organic juices, yogurt parfaits, and Sahale nuts. One word: Badass!
Costco
In recent weeks, I've learned firsthand that you CAN emerge from Costco with a basket full of healthy, even organic, groceries.
Their produce section now includes organic spring and baby spinach mixes, organic baby carrots, and berries that aren't organic but ARE so tasty and affordable they'll encourage you to get your daily 5!
Costco also carries organic cage-free eggs, Fage 0% fat Greek yogurt and Chobani Greek yogurt for much less than at the regular grocery store. Costco is now my go-to place for all of the stuff in my Badass pantry: protein powder, LARA bars, almonds, almond butter, flaxseed, pita chips, sandwich thins, and even multi-grain low-fat snack chips and crackers.
The freezer section includes lean turkey burgers and wild Atlantic salmon burgers that are less than 200 tasty calories packed with so many health benefits, my freezer isn't complete without them. The turkey and salmon burgers are just as good on an indoor Foreman grill as they are on an outdoor grill, and they definitely helped win me over to the Costco "team."
Seasons 52
The company that brings you Cheddar Biscuits and fatty Fettucine Alfredo with all-you-can-eat breadsticks has discovered its gourmet, health-conscious side in Seasons 52. Darden Restaurants opened the first Seasons 52 in Orlando in 2003, and has now expanded throughout Florida and into states including Georgia, New Jersey Illinois and Pennsylvania.
As the name suggests, the menu changes weekly to reflect the seasons and the freshest available foods. Many restaurants promise that. But here's where Seasons 52 is unique: Nothing on the menu is more than 475 calories. Yet when you order their flatbreads or dishes like Caramelized Scallops (at left) and Goat Cheese Ravioli (below right), deprivation is the last thing you think about. The portions are ample, the flavors amazing and fresh. Had I not told you about the 475-calorie promise, you'd never know.
Seasons 52 also made popular those shot-glass mini desserts that are now offered in many restaurants. And no matter your dietary restrictions or preference, they can accommodate, thanks to "alternative menus" especially tailored to low sodium, vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian diets.
Badass Foodie celebrated her quarter-century birthday at one of the Seasons 52 locations in Orlando this weekend with the dishes you see pictured here, so it officially has the Badass Badge of Honor now!
Coming Wednesday: Zero crunches = stronger core, amazing abs...
