The Cheesecake Factory's Skinny Victory

Ever since I started Weight Watchers, and really paying attention to what I eat, going out to restaurants has been a new type of challenge. I do go out often, and most of the time have no problem finding a great menu choice that won't undo my entire day, but a few restaurants still trip me up. The Cheesecake Factory being one of those places. Luckily that is not a usual dining location for me, I can honestly say I go about once a year, but still...have you SEEN their portion sizes???!!?? It's insane! 

According to the book Eat This, Not That the Cheesecake Factory's Bistro Shrimp Pasta has the calorie equivalent of 14 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts. That's 2,730 calories!

Holy heart attack.... 

So you can image my anxiety whenever we decided to dine there. 

This weekend we we celebrated my grandmother's birthday. We went and saw Mary Poppins at the Schuster Center (so adorable by the way, great show for families) and then ended our evening at the Cheesecake Factory. 

As we sat down at our table though, there was an extremely pleasant surprise sitting atop the  short novel that is their menu. 

CHEESECAKE FACTORY SKINNYLICIOUS MENU!!! 

Image from www.keepingitrealfood.com

Behold! 15 entrees under 590 calories and 12 appetizers under 490 calories! And everything sounds absolutely wonderful. They also have a handful of adult beverages including a mojito, margarita, and a red white sangria which is suuuper yummy.

I ordered the white chicken chili, while my mom got the shrimp creole (pictured bellow).

Image from www.cheesecakefactory.com

Absolutely delicious. 

I think this is fantastic business decision for The Cheesecake Factory. If you're going to serve desserts that have over 3,000 calories, you can at least offer a lighter dining option to balance it out. 

I did indulge in a piece of cheesecake, I mean I'm not a robot :) 

My favorite is the Lemon Raspberry, it's pretty light so I don't have that feeling of a rock inside my gut for the rest of the night. Very refreshing too! 

Image from www.cheesecakefactory.com

So thank you, THANK YOU Cheesecake Factory for thinking on the lighter side and offering some of your famous flavors without all of the guilt. 

On a completely different note, Eric's family also came down to visit us this weekend and we went to the Cincinnati  Museum Center at Union Terminal. I could stare at this building for hours, the incredible architecture and murals on the inside are captivating. 

And can you beat this view?? 

OH Cincinnati you are winning over my heart more and more each day ;)