The comparable products at safeway and giant are disgusting. In no way do they compare to whole foods.

Also, why are people talking about tips for reducing carryout? That was so not the question.

Anonymous wrote:You can try the pre-made counter at Whole Foods. They also have a cold section with things like pre-made black bean quesadillas (one of my faves).

hell, you can do similar at Safeway, Giant, and Harris Teeter.

WF is hideously expensive though.

Being time and cooking skill challenged myself, I am a big fan of Whole Foods carry out. The one in Friendship Heights has a huge pre-prepared food area - there are two each of hot food and cold salad bars, a soup bar, a grill, deli and of course the foods cooked in house like baked chicken, salmon, lasagna, lots of vegetables, etc. And of course you can always get a rotisserie chicken and add rice and a vegetable salad from the salad bar. I know that all of these items are high in sodium, but I think you can get decently healthy dinners this way. Not cheap, though ...

2nd vote for Moby Dick!

You may end up relying on frozen items. Check this site for ones that may be healthier choices:

http://www.foodfacts.com/index.php?option=com_products&view=products_search&id=16&sort_by=Score%20100-0

Stuff that I do at home to try to limit carry-out:

On the weekend, I make a beef roast, a whole turkey, or something similar. We can eat that as leftovers on Monday and have sandwiches one other day. A huge pan of lasagna is also good for that.

I also like beef and barley stew in the slow cooker.

For healthier carryout, I hit a grocery store deli. It's pretty easy to grab grilled chicken breasts or something similar and a vegetable. Subway is okay for fast food. I really like grilled chicken/apple/cranberry salads from Burger King. They have blue cheese on them and are very tasty. Not low calorie, but healthier.

For a meal at home that's fast, they sell premade stuffed pastas that you just have to boil and pour sauce over.

Skip all the starches. Add more veggies: pasta and tortillas are not good for you....

And use real beef, not anemic ground turkey. Also go ahead and eat the chicken skin. It's good for you, and kids need fat.

yeah, carryout 3 days a week is just not going to work out. Just be boring about it.

Buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Get frozen veggies or pre-mix salad if he's old enough for salad, and buy some frozen brown rice. That's two meals. Get whole wheat pasta, a bag of frozen chopped spinach, tomato sauce, and some ground turkey. All you'd do is cook the turkey in a pan, dump the sauce on, and cook the noodles. There's another. Buy some tortillas, beans, cheese, and frozen fajita veggies. Serve with frozen corn and salsa. Rinse and repeat. Much better than going out and easily done in 30 min or less.

Rather than carryout you could just get some healthy wholegrain bread, cheese/rotisserie chicken, cut up fruit and some soup. This would take next to no time in the evenings.

How about Moby Dick? You could probably share a platter so it wouldn't be so expensive.

You can try the pre-made counter at Whole Foods. They also have a cold section with things like pre-made black bean quesadillas (one of my faves).

I think chipotle is pretty healthy, but you might want to exercise portion control (it's just too much for one meal) and decide whether you need cheese and sour cream, rice and a tortilla, etc.

Cava mezze isn't a bad option either, over by Bethesda Row (similar to chipotle but for greek/mediterranean food).

I think the roast chicken places are also an option (leaving the skin aside), like Don Pollo/chicken on the run, or Nandos (avoid the spicy stuff)-- or just get a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket and serve it with a salad or something.

I agree w/ PP. God knows I'm no wizard in the kitchen, but I can usually manage a lasagna or something that I make on a Sunday that can be eaten during the week. All it takes is some planning.

Chipotle isn't very healthy, actually, which you can quickly find out when you look up their calorie count...
This is the problem with a lot of fast food. It's hard to tell how healthy they are. Just because they have made-to-order meat or fresh veggies doesn't mean it's healthy. Lots of fat and salt involved, even with salads -- the dressings are like pure fat.

I think Boloco (relatively new place in bethesda row) has some healthIER options and smaller portion size options that help. I would say the same for Sweetgreen.

I would also encourage you to try making one big batch of soup or pasta on the weekend, try it just once each weekend... then portion them out into separate containers and freeze them. They can be reheated easily throughout the week or even taken for lunch and you'll have 2-3 meals covered.

Overwhelmed single mom here. Would love to provide sons with delicious homecooked meals every night. Problem is: 1) I can't cook; 2) I don't have time. Have resigned myself to carrying out dinner 3 or more times per week. Any ideas where I can get healthy carryout food, that is not too expensive? Subway? Chipotle? Where else? I live in the Bethesda/Chevy Chase area and usually commute home from Foggy Bottom via Wisconsin Avenue.

Thanks.