Facelift Number Four: I'm thinkin' Arby's!

This past Wednesday I had to travel for work. On the road, my coworkers decided Arby's was a good choice for a bite to eat on the road. I got a roast chicken sandwich thinking it was the smarter choice there (I had never eaten at an Arby's before, and I've cut out fast food from my diet, so maybe I was just kidding myself) only to find out that after the Roast Chicken sandwich and a small order of fries, I'd eaten far more Calories than I'd thought, in addition to an obscene about of sodium and fat. Yuck!

BEFORE THE FACELIFT





INGREDIENTS

Sandwich:
1 Arnold's Whole Wheat Sandwich Thin
3 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked
.25 cup Great Value reduced fat shredded Fiesta Blend cheese
.5 cup baby spinach
1 teaspoon Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle blend

Fries:
1 medium sweet potato
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle blend
2 teaspoons minced garlic




LET'S COOK!


Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel sweet potato and chop into fry-sized pieces.


Put the fries into a large zip-top bag and add olive oil, Mrs. Dash, and minced garlic. Shut the bag and toss until coated.


Spread the fries onto a layer on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the fries, and bake for another 10 or until browned.

Now, for the sandwich...


Take the sandwich thin and put the mustard on one half.


Slice the chicken and put it on top of the mustard, topping it with the shredded cheese and Mrs. Dash. Toast this and the other half of the sandwich thin until cheese is melted and delicious.


Add the spinach, then...


Pair the final product with the fries, and enjoy!

FACELIFT RESULTS

Sandwich, left; Fries, right.
Combining both:
335 fewer Calories (-45%)
27g less fat (-72%)
3g less saturated fat (-44%)
1256mg less sodium (-71%)
32g less carbs (-40%)
3g more dietary fiber (+50%)
5g more protein (+17%)

Unlike my last two facelifts, protein has increased from my facelift!

Also, just so you're aware, I decided to get a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket today instead of cooking a chicken breast. Rotisserie chickens are so quick and easy, not to mention versatile. Your money goes a long way with this delicious purchase! I have chicken salad for lunch tomorrow and still have a whole breast, both wings, and both drumsticks to go through for the rest of the week.

Thank you all for being so patient with my vacation last weekend putting a little delay on this blog. I appreciate the fact that I still gained some followers and got some comments on my blog and my Spark Page. Continue to comment and e-mail your suggestions!

Sandwich recipe HERE and fries recipe HERE. Note: the fries recipe is my old, original recipe that makes 3 servings.

Second Facelift: Panera Bread's Chicken Chipotle Sandwich

I had originally wanted to choose a different protein than chicken, as I did a chicken pasta dish for the last facelift, but I have always been intrigued by Panera Bread. Many believe since it is a sandwich, soup, and salad joint that it is automatically healthy. One look at their nutrition information tells you something completely different!

So, I decided to choose the item with the highest Calorie count: the Chicken Chipotle Sandwich

BEFORE THE FACELIFT





Now, it's time for a facelift!

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces skinless boneless chicken breast
2 slices Butterball Less Sodium Turkey Bacon
1/2 fresh poblano pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
sprinkle of garlic powder
1 sundried tomato
1 tablespoon fat free sour cream
1 teaspoon Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 slices Sara Lee "45 Calorie & Delightful" bread
2 slices Sara Lee Aged Sharp Cheddar Cheese "Custom Slices" (approx. 20g)
1/2 cup baby spinach








LET'S COOK


Remove seeds and white flesh from the half poblano pepper and finely mince.


Rub the minced garlic, garlic powder, and minced poblano on all sides of one chicken breast. Let it marinate in the refrigerator in a zip-top bag while the prep continues.


Mince the sundried tomato and mix with the sour cream, mustard and cayenne pepper. Set aside.


Cook the chicken.


Cook the bacon, slice as shown, and set aside with the chicken. Now, it's time to assemble!

In a medium-heated pan, put a slice of bread and top with cheese, then...

Chicken...

Bacon...

Spinach...

Spread the remaining bread with the sundried tomato spread, then...


Top the sandwich!


Toast on the opposite side, serve, and enjoy!

FACELIFT RESULTS

671 fewer Calories (-63%)
43g less fat (-78%)
9g less saturated fat (-59%)
0g trans fat (-100%)
35mg less cholesterol (-24%)
1869mg less sodium (-73%)
60g less carbs (-68%)
2g more fiber (+48%)
2g less sugar (-32%)
10g less protein (-10%)

Okay, okay, so I didn't exactly want to lower the amount of protein, but 44g is still a significant amount to have in one meal. Protein is very good for you, keeping you fuller longer, especially with fiber and water.

The original sandwich has no spinach, but I added it for nutrients and because I don't like tomato (which is on the original). Add whatever veggies you'd like! I don't think this sandwich is very spicy, so I think next time I'll use jalapenos instead of the poblano pepper.

When eating this, I couldn't stop thinking about how delicious it was. I probably took only 5 minutes to eat it because it was a very savory sandwich! I've never had the Panera sandwich, but just looking at the pictures, I must say that mine definitely looks better. If only I had a panini press, I could add some awesome grill marks to it!

Full recipe can be found here. E-mail me your meal suggestions to FastFoodFacelift@gmail.com or by leaving a comment in this blog. Thanks for reading!