Staten Island Resturants and Weight Loss: Sandwich and Pickle Edition
On Staten Island, we have some of the best restaurants in the city.
But do we have “healthy” ones? Doesn’t it seem impossible to lose weight fast AND enjoy the awesome specialty foods our island has to offer?
Can Restaurant Trips and Weight-Loss Live In Harmony? Yes!
At first, it seemed impossible to me. But since losing 100 lbs in 2018, I’ve learned a simple formula that lets me have both.
I lost weight and I ate at Staten Island restaurants multiple times a month. And here, years later, I’m still out here maintaining my weight-loss and trying all the new places that have popped up!
You can do it too!
It’s not as hard as you think. Here’s how, in 6 simple steps:
1️⃣ ⚪Surround your restaurant trip with light and filling meals.
2️⃣ 🫡Honor what you’re actually craving, not the “diet-option.”
3️⃣ 📉Reduce the portion to match what you normally have at home.
4️⃣ ⚖️Balance your order with something nutritious and filling on the side.
5️⃣ ✨Sprinkle a fun addition to make your trip special.
6️⃣ ❤️Enjoy your plan and don’t let anyone pressure you to change it.
Here’s what this looks like in action: Sandwich and Pickle-style
I went to sandwich_and_pickle for the first time a week or two back, and it was indescribably good.
All the positive reviews I had seen were well-deserved! The atmosphere and decor was incredibly cute too. It was like grandma invited us to her sitting room.
This photo is from the restaurant’s website; it looks just like this inside!
And the menu? It was packed full of things I wanted to order for our Sunday brunch! This made it a challenge to choose what I wanted to try first.
Look at these pierogies that Sandwich and Pickle shared on their Instagram!
⚪Surround:
I planned a bunch of light but filling meal ideas for later on Sunday, so that I wouldn't exceed my calorie needs. My light dinner was a serving of chicken casserole and a 1/2 of a salad kit. (Keeping things easy is key to sticking with your plan).
My planned dessert was a yogurt bowl with granola, plus a cookie.
I didn't feel like I needed to plan a breakfast, since the brunch would be around 12pm and that’s pretty close to my normal weekend meal time
🫡Honor
I had a hard time deciding on what I was craving. The schnitzel-n-honey waffle looked droolworthy. The latkes benedict was extremely tempting. And I couldn't look past the pierogies, the pelmeni, and the brisket banh mi.
Check out that schnitzel!
But in the end, I landed on a sweet option; the Challah French Toast.
📉Reduce:
Since this Sunday meal would serve as basically my breakfast, lunch, and snack all rolled into 1, I decided to only reduce my portions in 2 small areas.
I asked for the Nutella on the side so I could use 1 tbsp instead of 3.
I used just 1 tbsp of the Vermont Maple Butter instead of pouring the whole thing over my breakfast.
This is the restaurant’s normal plating on the left, and with my meal on the right, I ordered some things on the side so I could be intentional with my portions.
That was enough reduction for me!
⚖️Balance:
Luckily, this Challah French Toast was served with bananas and walnuts on top. Those two ingredients were a perfect balance to the rich, hearty and sweet challah pieces.
✨Sprinkle
This is where I add 1 thing to my meal to make it special. (Sometimes it's a cocktail, or a dessert, or bread and butter).
At Sandwich and Pickle, my Sprinkle was having some of my partner's french fries (which he got with the Reuben). It was such a treat!
Their instagram shows off exactly what their fries were like!
❤️Enjoy
It was such a special meal. My friend shared that she wanted us to be in her bridal party, and Sandwich and Pickle was a great place to celebrate our friendship and her upcoming wedding.
Everyone was over-the-moon about their orders (especially the pierogies and the schnitzel), and we definitely are going back to try more.
Can this work for you? Yes!
As you can see, this formula is very simple. The hardest part is remembering to apply it. But as I share with my weight-loss coach clients, planning is 95% of the battle.
I made a free resource to help you apply this.
If you need help remembering to plan (so that you can lose weight, feel awesome, and enjoy all the fun food that Staten Island has to offer), take this free printable and put it up on your refrigerator. It’s got tear-off sheets so that you can make copies and use it anytime you need it.
Do you need help with this?
If you need a partner to guide you through the ups and downs of your weight-loss journey, including any of the 6 steps above, my 1-on-1 coaching program is for you.
Can’t wait to connect!