August 8, 2006, 12:01 am

I rarely eat out for two reasons.

1.) I'm cheap and I hate paying $10 for spaghetti when I know I can buy a box of noodles and a jar of sauce for $2. (gourmet flavor is wasted on me...I just don't care that much).

2.) I am a health-conscious, non-meat eater. (so all those "vegetarian" dishes smothered in cheese and cream sauce are out).

When I do eat out, I stick to places I know I can get meals that meet my needs -- the Plymouth, Calamari's, Subway, Pie-In-The-Sky, Ruby Tuesday's (oh..that salad bar!) ....

So, when friends invited us to go to try out the new Applebee's in Harborcreek on Saturday night, I hit the ATM for some dinner cash and paid it forward, calorie-wise, with a 10-mile morning run and a light breakfast and lunch. I arrived with more than a thousand calories and $60 to burn.

Turns out I only needed 1/2 of both.

Applebee's has several great Weight Watchers menu items including several fish dishes that were all under 400 calories and $15. Not bad! I opted for shrimp skewers that came on a bed or rice pilaf with a side of broccoli for just 310 calories! And, it was gooooood!

The only thing I will say is that the portions were smaller than you might expect at a regular restaurant (but...this is good -- other restaurants are giving you servings big enough for three people!)

Since I only "spent" 300 calories on dinner, I ordered a nice, frosty Pina Colada and sucked up several hundred of those calories I'd earned.

The husband got bourbon steak and a few beers.

Altogether, our bill was $35 (with tip).

So, if you've been living under a rock -- like me -- and haven't tried Applebee's. It get's this runner's stamp of approval and is now on the very short list of restaurants where I'll consider spending hard-earned cash and calories.