Dietician Disasters #2

Holy moly.

I came in to work tonight to check what monstrosity of a meal was on the menu for dinner, and was surprised to find that even I was in disbelief at the train-wreck of a meal being served.  The main theme for the majority of their meals is something rolled in bread, fried in vegetable oil, with a side of bread/margerine, topped with bread, served with potatoes and an extra 10lbs in the midsection...probably.

Tonight was a real tribute to "home style cookin'."  If it were served in 3 seperate meals.

Salisbury Steak with Gravy
1/2 cup Green Been Casserole
1/2 cup Buttered Noodles
1 slice Wheat Bread
1T Margerine
1/2 cup Peaches
1 cup 2% milk

By now your stomach probably hurts just thinking about this. Or maybe you're salivating because you really love food additives and sky-high levels of sodium and have a thing for bread crumbs. I don't know your life.

Let's look at the totals...

Calories: 980
Fat: 51g
Sodium: 1867mg (WOW. My blood pretture just jumped a mile)
Carbs: 98.5g (Atkins dude just rolled in his grave)
Protein: 31g

Luckily for their vital organs I just could not serve this meal...morally. I stuck with the main dish (because they like us to at least pretend to follow the menu) and lightened up the rest.

1 Salisbury Steak with Gravy
2/3 cup greenbeans w/ diced onion
1/2 cup diced potatoes w/ diced onion, tossed in basil and garlic (no oil)
1 slice 100% Whole Wheat Bread (surprisingly! Still has nasty additives, though)
1/2 T Margarine
2/3 cup peaches
1 cup 2% milk

New Totals: 

Calories: 740 (Still really high)
Fat: 31.5g
Sodium: 1170.5mg (the Salisbury Steak is 800mg on its own. The bread is 170mg.)
Carbs: 79.5g
Protein: 27g

Sadly, I can only do so much with the ingredients that are given to me. One of the most frustrating encounters with this meal I had was with an oversized can of peaches (24 servings of which my clients at ALL of).  Now imagine you're walking along in a beautiful orchard. You pick a peach from a branch...smell it. Feel the fuzzy skin brush against your lips and the burst of sweet nectar as your teeth sink into its vulnerable flesh (Okay that sounded creepy...like a vampire or something. I promise I'm not a freak...maybe.) Is your first thought, "This fresh peach could use some sugar!"  No. No it isn't. Unless you're my boyfriend. This can contained the mutilated remains of one of natures finest treats. Cause of death:  drowning in corn syrup. That's right. Someone told this company that soaking these already sweet fruits in water, corn syrup, AND Sugar (both...really?) is the only thing that makes them edible. And that makes me angry.

How delicious does that steak-thingy look. Mmmmm---barf.

Oh, and I forgot to mention their snack just one hour prior to dinner. Grandma's brand cookies. 2 of them.

Nutritional Values (Oatmeal Raisin)
Calories: 310
Fat:  12g
Cholesterol 25mg
Sodium:  390mg
Carbs:  45g
Protein: 4g

Soak that one up.