Last night, my friends and I decided to try out The WORKS Gourmet Burger Bistro, a new Canadian chain restaurant that recently opened a location in Oakville. I wasn’t expecting to find much in the way of healthy food on the menu (one of my friends ordered a milkshake and poutine to start and they were served in a Pyrex cup and a bucket, respectively) but was pleasantly surprised to discover that it’s actually easy to eat healthy at The WORKS Burger. Some options for the health conscious diner:

• You can order your burger on a whole wheat bun or hold the bun altogether
• If you’re looking for something leaner than beef, you can order grilled chicken, ground turkey, Portobello mushroom, tofu or elk for your patty
• For your side, you can order a mixed green salad and unlike some bullshit restaurants that charge you extra to replace your heaping pile of fries with lettuce and vinegar, it won’t cost you anything; you also get to choose your dressing and it’s served on the side
• While their topping combinations include some heart attack-inducing creations that are loaded with sauces and processed meats, there are a number of healthy combinations that consist of vegetables and cheese only.

I ordered the Johnny Be Goat, which is topped with goat cheese, red peppers and spinach. I also added avocado to mine.

For my patty, I ordered domestic elk, which is leaner, has more protein and less cholesterol than ground beef. From Self.com:

Perfect high protein meal for a lifting day. And with that clever segue, let’s recap Friday morning’s strength workout:

I then capped off the week with a high energy Body Attack class this morning. So, overall, here’s what my week in fitness looked like:

Sunday – RPM
Monday – Body Pump
Tuesday – Rest
Wednesday – Weights + Body Attack Express
Thursday – Rest
Friday – Weights
Saturday – Body Attack

I’m planning to try a new class combo at my gym tomorrow morning – an express format of Body Pump followed by 30 minutes of CXWORX. Look for the review tomorrow!

Are there any restaurants that surprised you by offering healthy options?