Today was an unusual day.  I had lots of reading, Bible Study and blogging to catch up on.  So after dropping my grandson off at pre-school, I headed over to Panera Bread to set up my computer and reading "station".  In the meantime I decided to check out breakfast.  This was my first experience eating breakfast here.  

So today's menu for me was to try the new "Power" breakfast.  Which consisted of a lean slice of ham, an egg, cheese and toasted whole wheat bread.  

I removed 1/2 of the bread.  Best I can figure, without using Panera's nutritional information, my breakfast was around 250 calories.  That is my best guess.  

Multi grain breads usually run around 100 to 110 calories, since I only ate half, I counted it as 70.  I'm not sure how much ham was on the sandwich, but learning to eyeball amounts is a great way to estimate when not at home.  I would guess it was about an ounce or so.  One ounce of pork lean ham runs around 45 calories , two ounces would be around 90, so I gave it a rough estimate.  

Measuring your food at home will help at guessing when your out and about.  Learning calorie counts on extras, such as cheese, let's me know whether I can add it or leave it off.  Learning how to substitute ingredients will also save a lot of calories.  Bread for example, if you eat breads, whole grain or 100% whole wheat are best.  They are slower to digest and make you feel fuller longer.  It's also difficult to tell whether restaurant breads or enriched or actually whole grain.  It helps to be familiar with restaurant fare, especially if you visit regularly.   

So the next time you're out for a quick breakfast...try Panera.  

PS...I did order a cup of coffee to have between breakfast and lunch!  yum!  Ok...it was my consolation for having to pass up all that pastry!