Cooking at home is the healthiest and cheapest way to enjoy meals, but it’s not easy. Between running out of recipe ideas to spice up your ramen, enduring the madness of grocery stores during peak hours, or endless kitchen clean-up after cooking your favorite budget meal, or maybe you’re feeling just plain lazy, it’s often just easier to order out.
Thanks to meal delivery services like UberEats, DoorDash, and GrubHub, there’s no shortage of restaurants to choose from. But what should you order when you want easy and nutritious?
To shake that laziness, be sure to get in some of these best exercises while you’re waiting for your delivery to arrive at your door.
Here are some healthy takeout options to consider the next time you want delivery without the guilt.
- Panera Bread
- Chipotle
- Subway
- Costa Vida
- Pluto’s
- Noodles & Company
- Jamba Juice
- Just Salad
- ToGo’s
- Shop Local
Panera Bread
Panera Bread has been around since 1987. Although they are a chain, they offer seasonal local options when possible. They serve some of the following:
- soups
- salads
- sandwiches
- wraps
- fresh bread
There is an option for most people with all the variety, including vegetarian dishes.
Chipotle
Established in 1993, Chipotle is known for using fresh, healthy ingredients.
From crisp veggies and quality meat to perfectly steamed rice, Chipotle’s Mexican cuisine covers a wide range of dishes that are both tasty and filling.
Choose from burritos, bowls (a burrito sans tortilla), or salad, and start your order with the star: grilled chicken, steak, carnitas, or grilled veggies. Extras include house-made guac, pico, corn salsa, and more. The best part of Chipotle is everything is up to you. You can even “hack” the menu to make something unique.
Subway
With the slogan “Eat Fresh,” Subway’s stood apart from competitors since its beginnings in 1965 with quality sandwiches, mouth-watering flavors, and baked bread sure to lure you into any food court in a heartbeat.
Nothing at Subway is fried, and many of the menu items are healthier than typical fast food fare. New options include flatbread and breakfast sandwiches, and more are added regularly.
That said, Subway knows when to keep customer favorites; some have a permanent place on the menu, while others are strictly seasonal.
Costa Vida
Much like Chipotle, Costa Vida is a Mexican-style restaurant offering a vast menu of salads, power bowls, burritos, enchiladas, and more.
Their selection includes meats, beans, house-made tortillas, pico, queso and chips, and guac. As the self-proclaimed “fresh Mexican grill,” Costa Vida may just become your next lunchtime go-to.
Pluto’s
This restaurant has a few locations throughout California and was founded in 1995. It is basically a massive “make your own insanely delicious salad” restaurant, though sandwiches are also available.
Noodles & Company
You can definitely guess this restaurant’s specialty!
Founded in 1995, this Colorado-based company offers classic pasta dishes, twists on old favorites, and even veggie noodles made of zucchini (zoodles) or cauliflower (caulifloodles).
Served in the build-your-own style of Subway and Chipotle, the dishes at Noodles & Company are made exactly how you want. The hard part is deciding whether to stick with an old favorite, or try something new.
They also offer a wide variety of soups and salads, in the unlikely event you’re sick of pasta.
Jamba Juice
Smoothie lovers, rejoice: you can drink your meal, or add it on the side of a granola or oatmeal bowl loaded with fresh fruit. Try the Vanilla Blue Sky (blue spirulina with vanilla coconut milk, blueberries, strawberries, and more), or some classic oatmeal alongside the “Whirl’d Famous” Mango-a-Go-Go smoothie.
Everything is made fresh and in-house, and smoothies can be upgraded with energy boosts, vitamins, protein powders, wheatgrass, and more.
Just Salad
With a slogan like “Healthy for Everyone,” Just Salad offers what you’d expect: a wide variety of options everyone in your house will love, with nutrition you’ll feel good about.
That’s where the expectations end, though, because Just Salad serves way more than salads. With wraps, bowls, avocado toast, soups, smoothies, and more on the menu, this chain covers the health food spectrum in every way imaginable.
ToGo’s
Founded in 1971, nationwide sandwich Togo’s uses the freshest veggies, meats, and cheeses, and bake all bread on site. Customize your sandwich, or select a menu classic for a masterpiece with premium ingredients and taste you won’t find elsewhere.
More Healthy Takeout Options: Shop Local
Finally, you can’t beat local selections when it comes to healthy and delicious takeout. Delis, small restaurants, and cafes often thrive because customers appreciate the attention to quality some large-scale chain restaurants lack.
Bonus: you’re supporting local businesses and your community, which makes eating well feel even better.