Healthy Dining Restaurant of the Month: Boston Market
By Pamela Ofstein
Director of Nutrition Services
We know you won’t always have time to prepare a proper lunch or cook up a healthy dinner, so we’re going to make eating right anywhere much easier. eDiets has teamed up with Healthy Dining Finder to bring you the best meals at your favorite restaurants each month.
It’s not based in Boston and it’s not a market, but in today’s time-pressured environment, Boston Market perfect for people looking for quick, tasty, health-conscious options.
With more than 530 locations in 28 states, Boston Market offers something for everyone, inlcuding individual and family meals, soups, salads, sandwiches, and even favorites. You can even get a -off coupon here to save more!
Who doesn’t enjoy the taste of a homestyle meal? Boston Market has nailed it when it comes to providing wholesome entrees perfect for lunch or dinner. What is great about Boston Market is that you can enjoy roasted turkey, homestyle meatloaf or rotisserie chicken any time of year!
I have been going to Boston Market for years and their menu continues to grow and provide more selections for health-conscious diners. My favorites include the White Rotisserie Chicken and the Roasted Turkey – two of my favorite lower calorie and fat, high protein sources served up with full flavor.
A ¼ White Rotisserie Chicken (no skin of course) serves up only 240 calories per serving and 4 grams of fat, while the Roasted Turkey is only 150 calories per serving and 2.5 grams of fat. Couple either one of those with a side of Green Beans and Fresh Steamed Vegetables (totaling only 120 calories) and you have two meals to choose from that are less than 360 calories each. Perfect for lunch or dinner.
Don’t forget the salads, soups or Carver sandwiches. You can enjoy their Caesar Salad with either chicken or turkey (omit the dressing, where calories add up fast) for under 320 calories per serving. Or opt to split a Half Boston Turkey Carver with a friend or loved one and add a Caesar Side Salad (no dressing) or some of Boston Market’s Garlic Dill New Potatoes (my favorites) — all under 500 calories per meal and within budget.
Check out previous picks: Chili’s, El Pollo Loco, zpizza, Blimpie, Sizzler, P.F. Chang’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill.
To see the full menu of Boston Market’s Healthy Dining fare, visit Healthy Dining Finder and pick your own favorite. Enjoy!
Want an even easier way to eat right? Try eDiets Meal Delivery and never have to worry about cooking or dishes!
Build-A-Meal: Healthy Eating Made Easy
By Shawn McKee 
Staff Writer
Healthy eating does not need to be complicated. In fact, it can be just about as easy as grabbing fast food if you know what foods pair well and make for a balanced meal.
“Eating a meal or snack shouldn’t involve making difficult decisions — the only tough decision is deciding what will satisfy your palate,” explains eDiets Director of Nutrition Services Pam Ofstein.
“Choosing a meal or snack is all about picking foods that complement each other with a proper balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein and recognizing proper portions.”
The first step to understanding how to make a meal is to establish your calorie range so you know how to break your meals up.
“It is important that you consume the correct amount of calories to meet your needs and keep your fat, protein and carb ratios as balanced as possible,” suggests Pam.
“This will help keep those hunger pangs at bay, keep your blood sugar levels stable and help you avoid any extra calorie intake throughout the day. I am a big proponent on eating more often and having smaller meals.”
Build the perfect breakfast >>
Build-A-Meal: Better Breakfast
Starting the day with a balanced breakfast is crucial to getting your metabolism going and getting off to a good start. Pam suggests keeping breakfast, lunch and dinner fairly consistent in calories and enjoying small snacks between meals to avoid blood sugar spikes and dips.
Choose one food from each category for a quick, healthy breakfast.
Protein: 1 cup (8 oz.) milk, 1 slice (1 oz.) cheese, 1 egg, 1 container low-fat yogurt
Carbs: 1/2 cup whole grain cereal or oatmeal, 1 granola bar, half an English muffin or half a whole grain bagel
Fruit: banana, small apple, orange, grapefruit or your fruit of choice
Snacking made simple >>
Back >>
Build-A-Meal: Simple Snacking
“Snacks are important to weight loss,” Pam explains. “They add those extra calories between meals to keep your metabolism going strong. Depending on the person, they generally range between 100-150 calories (a good level to keep so you don’t consume too many calories and make it into a meal).”
Choose one food from each category.
Protein: 1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese, small yogurt cup, low-fat string cheese, 1 slice low-sodium lunch meat, protein powder or hardboiled egg
Carbs: banana, apple, fruit of your choice, baby carrots, 1 slice whole-grain bread, 1 tortilla, few tablespoons granola (mix in yogurt)
Healthy Fats: 1 handful of almonds, walnuts, cashews or mixed nuts, 2 tablespoons peanut butter or slice of avocado
Easy lunches & dinners >>
Back to breakfast >>
Build-A-Meal: Lunch & Dinner
Making a lunch or dinner should be simple: choose a lean protein source, add some veggies, a whole grain and end it with a piece of fruit.
Choose one food from each category for lunch or dinner.
Protein: chicken, fish, turkey, lean beef, pork, beans, etc. As a general guideline about 1/4 of your plate should be protein or about the size of your palm.
Vegetable: Spinach, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumber, salad greens, etc. Fill about 1/2 your plate, usually about 1 cup for raw or 1/2 cup cooked.
Carbs: 1 slice whole grain bread, brown rice, corn, sweet potato, peas, etc. This should be about 1/4 of your plate pr roughly 1/3 cup of cooked pasta or rice, or 1/2 cup starchy vegetable.
Dessert: apple, pear, 1/2 can of fruit or 1/2 cup strawberries with nondairy whipped topping!
It may be easiest to start by using a measuring cup to get proper portions until you are able to easily eyeball the proper portions.
It’s not necessary to eat the same things everyday or give up the foods you love to lose weight, just follow this handy mix-and-match guide to healthy eating. Print it out, put it up and build a healthy meal whenever it’s time to eat.
Looking for an even easier way to eat right? Try eDiets Fresh Prepared Meal Delivery and lose weight without the work!
Ask Raphael: Get a Better Butt
Hi Raphael,
I want to tone my rear but do not want to make it smaller. If I could I would like to make it larger because it’s already flat and small. What kind of exercises do you suggest? — CS
CS,
You’ve come to the right place. I have a proven workout for you. There are only three exercises involved in my program: the squat, walking lunges and leg presses. Check out the following comments from eDiets members who used the program and posted on my Exercise and Fitness support board.
From eDiets member Danelle:
“Hi Raphael! I did those walking lunges that you suggested as another lower body exercise. Man! do my buns hurt! I did them on Monday, and I could hardly sit on the toilet this morning! I cringed! Guess I hadn’t worked all those muscles quite like that in a long while.”
From eDiets member Debby:
“I followed Raphael’s butt routine religiously. And slowly but surely, I began to develop a butt! I’ve been dating a new guy for a couple of months and he said to me…’Did anyone ever tell you that you have a nice butt?’” I laughed really hard and said, ‘Well no, as a matter of fact, that is the first time I’ve ever heard that in my life! Thank you!’ He did not believe me, but I told him about the routine Raphael prescribes.”
You will be performing three super sets — all three exercises in a row without resting After a 90-second rest, repeat two additional times (with the same 90-second rest between super sets).
Warm up for 5 minutes by walking or on a stationary bike. Then begin your first exercise with a few warm-up sets.
Squats: The squat is one of the best lower body exercises on earth. It works just about the entire lower body. However, leg positioning can assist in better isolating the glutes. If you position your feet about one to two inches past shoulder width and squat to a parallel position, you’ll really feel those glutes being worked.
However, you have to go to the parallel position for maximum effectiveness. Focus on perfect exercise form. Perform a set of 15 repetitions to momentary muscular failure. Momentary muscular failure means that rep 16 would not be possible to do. After the set is completed, immediately go to the next exercise without a break.
I prefer the barbell squat but you can also use dumbbells.
Walking Lunges: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, grasp a pair of dumbbells with your arms straight at your sides, palms facing the body. Take a large step forward, and lower your body so that your front knee lines up with your ankle. The back knee is almost touching the floor. Push off with your back foot and take a large step forward with your other foot.
Walk lunge 15-20 steps, and then turn around and return to the start using the same form. You should contract your glutes on the lowering of each movement. After the set is completed, immediately go to the next exercise without a break.
Inverted Leg Press: Place your feet two inches higher than you normally do on the leg press machine in order to place more overload on the gluteus and hamstrings. Your feet can be positioned at shoulder-width or just little wider. Make sure you lower the weight just a tad below 90 degrees, but no more. We need to protect those knees and lower back.
Perform a set of 15 repetitions. Make sure your legs are high enough on the platform so you can really feel your glutes on the lowering part of the movement.
By the end you’ll have performed nine total sets in minimal time and your glutes and legs will be burning — but you’ll love it.
Please note: This routine isn’t for everyone because it’s advanced. If you’re not an advanced exerciser, follow these guidelines: Perform one set of each exercise on alternate days of the week for two weeks. In week three, add a set. Add a third set in week four, but do not attempt the super set. You’ll need 3-6 months of experience before you can begin the super set routine. However, it is something to strive for.
Make sure to thoroughly stretch your lower body after the workout.
Check with your doctor before starting this or any exercise program. Good luck and please write back in a few months and let me know how it’s working.
Have a fitness question you want answered? Email Raphael at askraphael@ediets.com and you could have your question picked! And if you missed a previous column, see the archive here.
Make NOW your time to do something about your weight. eDiets can help make weight loss a little easier. Let our nutritionists and fitness pros guide you! Click here for a FREE diet profile.
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