By: Tanya Jolliffe, SparkPeople Blogger
1/25/2010 6:11 AM   :  268 comments   :  54,901 Views

See More: chain restaurants, healthy eating, Diet Friendly Dining,

The world's largest casual dining chain has started the New Year with items that are 'unbelievably great tasting & under 550 calories'.

Since Applebee's does 'not provide nutritional information on items, except where required by law', it has been difficult to fully review and highlight healthier menu items as part of our ongoing Diet Friendly Dining series.

For several years, the best we have been able to use as a guide at Applebee's has been those entrees highlighted with Weight Watcher POINTS values. For those of us that do not use the POINTS program, it has not been extremely helpful and many times, I simply avoid eating at this restaurant chain. While the new menu items only provide guidance related to calories and doesn't provide other helpful nutrient info such as fat, carbohydrates and sodium, it is better than nothing at all. In our ongoing attempt to arm you with healthier options before you dine away from home, here are some new menu items that may help you keep your meal intake under 500 calories and 15-20 grams of fat or less when you visit Applebee's.

The gang at Hungry Girl have tried the new menu items and say they are all incredible. They also got more detailed calorie information from California menus, which we will pass along here as well to provide more detailed information than provided online by Applebee's.

Asiago Peppercorn Steak – Classic 7 oz grilled sirloin topped with cracked peppercorn and melted Asiago cheese served with steamed herb potatoes and seasonal vegetables for approximately 390 calories.

Grilled Shrimp & Island Rice - Grilled seasoned shrimp skewers on citrus island rice served with seasonal vegetables for a low 290 calories.

Spicy Shrimp Diavolo - A spicy tomato-basil Diavolo sauce with chili-seasoned shrimp tossed with diced vegetables served over whole wheat penne pasta topped with shredded Parmesan provides the highest calorie cost on the new menu with 500 calories.

Grilled Dijon Chicken & Portobellos - Marinated grilled chicken breast topped with toasted red peppers, Portobello mushrooms, Dijon sauce and aged cheddar cheese served with steamed herb potatoes and seasonal vegetables for approximately 450 calories.

Asian Crunch Salad - Grilled chicken breast served over crunchy salad greens, roasted red peppers, sugar snap peas and refreshing cucumbers with a tangy Asian vinaigrette and topped with sliced almonds provides a tasty option at 490 calories.

Will you try the new Applebee's menu? Will you request complete nutrition information when you do – why or why not?