Want to eat out and want chicken but you want a healthy chicken dinner?  Here are some healthy suggestions for chicken dinners from Food Network.  Check out their site for more info.

• Olive Garden: Venetian Apricot Chicken
  Nutrition Info: 380 calories; 4 grams fat…
• Applebee’s: Grilled Dijon Chicken & Portobellos
  Nutrition Info: 470 calories; 16 grams fat…
• Ruby Tuesday: Barbecue Grilled Chicken
  Nutrition Info: 592 calories; 4 grams fat…
• Outback Steakhouse: Grilled Chicken on the Barbie & Fresh Seasonal Vegetables
  Nutrition Info: 523 calories; 15 grams fat…
• Chili’s: Margarita Grilled Chicken
  Nutrition Info: 260 calories; 7 grams fat…

From McDonalds’ website:  Chicken McNuggets

INGREDIENTS:  “White boneless chicken, water, food starch-modified, salt, seasoning [autolyzed yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (botanical source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid], sodium phosphates, natural flavor (botanical source). Battered and breaded with: water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, bleached wheat flour, food starch-modified, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, dextrose, corn starch.
Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.”

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I didn’t know Chicken McNuggets foamed!  Hmmm…I think I’ve lost my appetite!
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Thanks to Chick-Fil-A, we enjoyed free spicy chicken sandwiches for dinner this evening.  My husband, our son, and I all went to their website a few days ago to make our reservation for the free sandwiches.  We were all impressed with this new addition to their menu which is to be released to the public on June 7, 2010.   The chicken was very tender, and the breading was minimum in relation to the thick chicken breast fillet.  If you like spice, I  think you’ll like this sandwich!  (And, of course, we had to have their famous waffle fries, too!)

*Note – If you read the comments below, you’ll see how two different Chick-Fil-A’s gave more than free sandwiches this week.

If you’ve never eaten at Abuelos, this is a great Mexican food restaurant that our whole family really likes.  We don’t eat there very often, but we always enjoy it when we do.

My husband and I went there to celebrate our anniversary, and the great thing is that we had a coupon for “Buy an entree and two drinks and receive a free entree.”   I joined Abuelo’s eClub last year and received a coupon like the one mentioned just for joining.   The timing wasn’t right so we weren’t able to use the coupon.  So what we did this year was to wait to have my husband sign up for their eClub until the week before our anniversary.  That way, we were able to use the coupon for joining  on our actual anniversary date.

Not only were we able to get a free entree, but we had enough food left over for a meal at home the next day.  We both really like their enchiladas.  I usually barely eat two enchiladas by the time I’ve eaten a lot of chips and salsa.  My husband wanted three enchiladas.  So…we each ordered the four enchilada plate which was only $1 more than the three enchilada plate (and remember one plate was free).   There was so much food that we only ate half of our refried beans and “Papas Con Chili” (their signature dish of whipped red potatoes, four cheeses, red & green peppers, sour cream, garlic, and  jalapeno – yummy!).  We both got take-out boxes for our leftovers plus took our refill of chips and salsa that we had barely touched.  Like I mentioned, we had enough food for another meal at home.  The Frugal Novice would think that this was very frugal!

(I was not compensated in any way for this review.  It is strictly my opinion.)

Jason’s Deli is one of my favorite places to eat. They have such fresh, healthy, and even some organic foods. I have a couple of girlfriends who have birthdays within just a few days of mine. For the past three years, we have met at Jason’s to visit and celebrate our birthdays. It’s also a time we catch up with each others lives. Another great thing about Jason’s is that you don’t have to rush. We can take our time and enjoy visiting, even if it’s for three hours!

(I was not compensated in any way for this review.  It is strictly my opinion.)

• Arby’s – Sign up on their site and get an email for a special offer plus future email coupons.
• Black Eyed Pea – You get email offers and a special offer on your birthday.  Last year, I think it was a FREE dessert.  This year it’s a FREE appetizer.
• Don Pablos – Get a FREE dip sampler for joining, $10 off on your birthday, $10 off on your anniversary sign-up date, and $10 off for a ninth visit reward.
• LaMadeleines – Sign up and receive an email for a FREE petite salade or cup of soupe. They’ll also send you an email for a FREE item for your birthday.
• Qdobas – Get an email coupon for a FREE item on your birthday plus I think you get an email coupon for FREE queso when you sign up  (It’s been two or three years since we signed up so I can’t remember for sure).
• Red Hot & Blue (I just joined so I don’t know what you get for joining.   I’ve never been there so I also don’t know what their food is like.  Friends say it’s good. )
• Rockfish Seafood Grill
• Rosa’s Cafe – Receive a FREE #17 Combination Burrito with a drink purchase when you join.
• Taco Bueno – When you sign up, receive a coupon for a FREE platter with the purchase of another platter.  Receive an email coupon for an item on your birthday.
  

We made an overnight trip to Austin this past weekend for State UIL Band Solo Contest.  This is the third (and last) year we’ve done this.  Our family tradition is to eat at Chuy’s when we’re in Austin, and so we had to eat there this time, too.  Besides, we had to celebrate our son getting a score of “1″ which is the highest score one can get at UIL.

Chuy’s is big on atmosphere and great food.  They have awesome  enchiladas, guacamole, and salsa, just to name a few items.  Tortillas are made there on location at their restaurants, chicken is cooked there (not frozen or canned chicken), guacamole and salsa are freshly made…does that give you an idea about the quality of their food?

They are also known for their cool T-shirts which they sell at the check-out counter, and probably their most famous T-shirt is “Keep Austin Weird.”

Their locations have spread from Austin to other Texas cities.  I looked online, and these are the Texas cities where Chuy’s is located:

* Austin (3 locations)

* Dallas

* Houston

* Round Rock
* San Antonio

* Selma

* Arlington

If you visit one of these places, try to eat at Chuy’s while you’re there.  It’s a fun place to eat great Tex-Mex Food.  Maybe it will become a family tradition with you, too!

NOTE:   The original Chuy’s from Austin is not located in Ft. Worth.  The one in Ft. Worth is “Chuys Mexican Restaurant” and Google just happens to have a link to the original Austin Chuy’s beside each Ft. Worth listing.  However, I made a phone call to verify and found out those are two distinct restaurants.