Life sure is busy these days, isn’t it? Sometimes meal prepping just doesn’t happen. Or you’ve had an unexpected change of plans. Or cooking all the time just isn’t your style. I totally get it! I work full-time outside of the home and there are days that I get home and either I don’t have time to cook or, honestly, I just don’t want to. And that’s perfectly okay!
So for life on the go, I wanted to share with you all some of my favorite Keto Drive Thru options to help you be more successful in conquering the world one low carb meal at a time!
Salads! This one is obvious. Where I live we have a few places that have salad as their main focus. But a lot of other places also have salads, just be careful to read all of the items in the salad and ask them to customize as needed. If you are going to a sit-down restaurant, you might want to bring your own dressing from home that you know is keto-friendly. Or ask if they have oil and vinegar.
Chick-fil-a! These guys will make any sandwich into a lettuce wrap! I absolutely love CFA! The grilled nuggets are heavenly, the line moves really fast, and the customer service is always spot on. Convincing my husband to go is a different story because it’s hard for him to get full on just the nuggets (he’s not a salad eater).
- (Breakfast) Bacon, Egg & Cheese biscuit, NO biscuit: 1g net Carb, 16g Fat, 11g Protein
- (Breakfast) Sausage, Egg & Cheese biscuit, NO biscuit: 1g net Carb, 28g Fat, 19g Protein
- (Breakfast) Egg White Grill, NO muffin: ZERO net carbs, 6g Fat, 21g Protein
- Cobb Salad with Grilled Chicken, NO corn: 10g net Carb, 19g Fat, 36g Protein
- Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich, NO bun: 2g net Carb, 12.5g Fat, 31g Protein (one of my personal favorites because.. bacon!)
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich, NO bun: 2g net Carb, 1.5g Fat, 24g Protein
- Grilled nuggets, 8 count: ZERO Carbs, 2.5g Fat, 21g Protein
- Side salad without the toppings: 6g Carbs, 4.5g Fat, 5g Protein
- Buffalo sauce: 1g net Carb, 2.5g Fat, 0g Protein
- Garlic Herb Ranch Sauce: 1g Carb, 14g Fat, 0g Protein (careful, that’s a lot of fat for one little packet of sauce)
- Garden Herb Ranch Dressing: 2g net carbs
- Light Italian Dressing: 3g Carbs, 1.5g Fat, 0g Protein
- Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing: While it only has 3g Carbs, it has a whopping 32g of Fat… In ONE packet of dressing. If you need a fat boost, go for it. If not, back awaaaay from this dressing!
What do I order at CFA? I have two personal favorites! 1) Grilled nuggets with Buffalo sauce and a side salad OR 2) Grilled Club Sandwich, No bun, lettuce wrap, with cheese! Don’t forget you can also have their coffee (black), water, unsweet tea, or coke zero.
McDonald’s actually has a few options, is really fast, and is everywhere which can really help you in a pinch to stay on keto whether you’re a fan of McDonald’s or your options are pretty slim (or the kiddos are driving you crazy for the nuggets).
- (Breakfast) Sausage and Egg biscuit, NO biscuit: 2g Carb, 23g Fat, 12g Protein (add 1g Carb if you add cheese)
- (Breakfast) Bacon,Egg & Cheese biscuit, NO biscuit: 4g Carb, 14g Fat, 14g Protein
- Full meal: Two McDoubles, NO bun NO sauce, and a side salad but ask for Creamy Ranch SAUCE instead of dressing and a packet of mayo: 10g net Carbs, 54g Fat, 18g Protein
- Double Cheeseburger plain, NO bun: 4g Carb, 21g Fat, 19g Protein
- Pico Guacamole Artisan Grilled Chicken sandwich, NO bun: 6g net Carb, 19g Fat, 29g Protein
- Bacon Ranch Grilled Chicken Salad, NO dressing: 5g Carbs, 13g Fat, 42g Protein
- Side Salad, NO dressing: 2g net Carbs, 0g Fat, 1g Protein
- Spicy Buffalo Sauce: 1g Carb, 3g Fat, 0g Protein
- Creamy Ranch Sauce: 1.5g Carb, 12g Fat, 0g Protein
- Signature Sauce: 3g Carb, 9g Fat, 0g Protein
- Drinks: Unsweet Tea, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Water
The iced coffee has milk. And while they do have sugar free syrups, the sugar alcohols might effect your ketosis. Also, McDonald’s has a customizable calculator on their website if you are missing any of your other favorite sandwiches.
Sonic! I wanted to provide exact macros for you guys but could not find a customizable nutrition calculator. But I’m sure by now you are starting to see a trend in what to order and what to avoid. Eat the meat, lettuce, cheese, and pickles – skip the junk!
- (Breakfast) Bacon Breakfast Burrito, NO tortilla
- Sonic Bacon Double Cheeseburger, NO bun NO ketchup (but the lettuce, pickles, and mustard are great for flavor)
- Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich, NO bun (my favorite!)
- All American Hot Dog, NO bun, NO ketchup, NO relish
- Chili Cheese Coney, NO bun… Supposedly the chili is just 2g net carbs but I haven’t been able to verify that from Sonic.
- Mustard packet: 0 Carbs, 0 Fat, 0 Protein
- Ranch sauce: 1g Carb, 11g Fat, 0 Protein
- Salsa de Sonic: 0 Carb, 0 Fat, 0 Protein
- Drinks: There are a lot of drink options at sonic with their diet sodas and sugar free syrups. I would recommend, though, to look up their nutrition guide… Depending on the size of your drink and which sugar free syrup, you could be adding 2-3 carbs just in flavoring. I personally stick with a diet limeade, pretty tasty stuff!
Subway! Don’t rule them out just because they are a sandwich shop. Subway is a great option for Keto on the go with all of the options they have. Just stay away from the bread, wraps, teriyaki, marinara, and a few other items. The salads shared below include lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, cucumbers, and olives – dressing not included.
- Salads!! I prefer to NOT get mine chopped.
- Veggie Delite: 8g net Carbs, 1g Fat, 3g Protein
- Chicken, Bacon, Ranch (includes the ranch): 11g net Carbs, 32g Fat, 32g Protein
- Cold Cut: 11g net Carbs, 10g Fat, 12g Protein
- Tuna: 7g net Carbs, 9g Fat, 15g Protein
- Turkey Breast: 8g net Carbs, 2g Fat, 14g Protein
- Italian BMT: 9g net Carbs, 10g Fat, 14g Protein
- Spicy Italian: 9g net Carbs, 23g Fat, 14g Protein
- Steak & Cheese: 11g net Carbs, 9g Fat, 19g Protein
- Oven Roasted Chicken: 8g net Carbs, 2.5g Fat, 17g Protein
- Black Forest Ham: 9g net Carbs, 3g Fat, 13g Protein
- Roast Beef: 8g net Carbs, 3.5g Fat (unable to verify from Subway)
- Rotisserie Chicken: 7g net Carbs, 5g Fat (unable to verify)
- Subway Club: 8g net Carbs, 3g Fat, 19g Protein
- Salad Dressings: All are 2g carbs per serving with the exception of Oil & Vinegar (ZERO carbs) and Sweet Onion Sauce with a whopping 16g of Carbs per serving (sorry Sweet Onion, you are not an option for keto).
- Double Meat: No problem! Just add 1-3 grams of Carbs depending on the meat you are doubling in your salad.
- (Breakfast) YES!! Just order without the flatbread and you are golden.
For more Subway specifics, go check out their nutrition guide.
Torchy’s! Damn Good Tacos – Yes! They will make any Taco into a Bowl for You! My husband and I love Torchy’s! We were lucky enough to go to the soft opening when they opened in our city. Even during the soft opening, they were more than willing to accommodate my keto lifestyle!
- I’ve reached out to Torchy’s on obtaining the macros for their tacos without tortillas! I will post here once they get back with me. Just know that you can request ANY of their tacos in a bowl instead of in a tortilla.
- (Beverage) Sugar Free Red Bull: 3g Carbs
- (Beverage) Zero Carb Drinks: Pink Drink, Unsweet tea, Diet Mexicane Cola, Coffee, Water.
- (Alcohol) Whiskey Tango: 2g Carbs
- Avocado Sauce: 2g Carbs
- Chipotle Sauce: 1g Carb
- Diablo Sauce: 1g Carb
- Poblano Sauce: 2g Carbs
- Roja Sauce: 2g Carbs
- Tomatillo Sauce: 1g Carb
A special note from a lover of all Mexican food… Beware the Queso! Unfortunately, many restaurants add milk and flour to their queso.. Enough to completely knock you out of ketosis and unknowingly sabotage all of your hard work. Also, those innocent little tortilla chips? You’re pretty much looking at ONE carb PER chip!! You can flirt with danger by using them as a scoop but I wouldn’t recommend it. The Queso and Chips at Torchy’s is 32g of Carbs per serving.
Popeye’s, Louisiana Kitchen – Such a well-loved and dangerous place for us here in Louisiana! However, you can absolutely get the blackened tenders and green beans!
- Blackened Tenders, 3 pc: 2g Carbs, 2g Fat, 26g Protein
- Blackened Tenders, 5 pc: 3g Carbs, 3g Fat, 43g Protein
- Green Beans, regular size: 5g net Carbs, 2g Fat, 3g Protein
- Blackened Ranch Sauce: 2g Carbs per pack
Raising Cane’s – It’s not on the menu but you can order their chicken tenders naked (without breading) and that the sauce it pretty low in carb count (if you stick with just one). One of my Keto sisters sent me a picture as proof, but I haven’t brought myself to sit in the long line yet to get my own. I will definitely let you know when I do!
As you can see, there are a lot of options for on the go with Keto! Burgers anywhere without the bun and ketchup (and any unknown sauce) are good options. Grilled chicken is a great option. Eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese, and low carb veggies are great!
Keto never has to be boring. With Keto, you are not as limited as you might think. If there is meat or eggs, you likely have great options in front of you! At dine-in restaurants, be upfront and open with your server that you are on Keto! I even had a great experience on Keto at Olive Garden during quarantine where I walked out only having added 4 carbs to my daily count!
You can do this!! If there is a restaurant you would like to see some great keto options on, please reach out to me to let me know! I am here to help you be successful!
For more tips on the keto lifestyle, I’m sure you will love these!
the Duhon life 